Dog Blog

Monday 16th January - New agility proposals

Well that's it.  Sasha and Jamie have read the stuff that's being discussed at the Kennel Club Agility Liaison Council meeting and they've decided to reject it.  Sasha was quick to point out the flaw in the bit about making the up contact longer on the dog walk. 

 "They've made a mistake.  I need at least a foot longer on the down contact, not the up one.  I'm going to write and tell them."

Here's Sasha in training demonstrating how brilliant she would be on short courses and with different contacts.

...and then there's the rubber contacts.  According to Sasha dogs should be given a choice.  (Here we go!).  Those that prefer wooden or other contact equipment should go first and then they should swap the equipment over for those that like rubber contacts. 

  "See.  I told you.  All problems solved in one go."

As for jump heights, Jamie is now asking for poles on the ground for the senior citizens. 

  "The course should consist of six obstacles and they should all be easy with no time limit."

Yes Jamie.  We'll see what we can do at our next show. 

At this point I stopped them.  I think they've given the Council enough to think about already.
 

Tuesday 27th December - Christmas day and the dogs love it

Jamie and Sasha can't wait for Christmas day to come round and when it does they take full advantage of their humans.  It starts with opening presents, a toy each and lots of festive treats and smelly things to eat. 

Then there's the turkey.

From the moment it comes out of the fridge to the time it ends up on the table the dogs watch the progress of the turkey.  They wait hopefully while its stuffed and they watch it going into the oven.  They come running every time it's basted.  "Is it ready yet?"

At last the moment comes when it's ready to be carved and two dogs are glued closely to their human, one on either side. They know they're going to get lucky.  Then, when dinner is finished they have a bit of turkey each and some vegetables and gravy in their bowls and within about two seconds it's gone.  Of course they watch carefully where we put the remains and they keep an eye on it until it goes into the fridge.  For the next few days the turkey will have its own personal attendants who will check on its welfare every time the fridge door is opened.

(We weren't quick enough to get  a photo both dogs eating.  It doesn't last that long!)

This year we had Christmas crackers for the dogs as well as everything else.  Inside there were doggie treats and silly jokes.  Jamie loved the one about Sasha.
What's the difference between Sasha and an umbrella? You can shut an umbrella up. Bernie's favourite was Why don't people like working in a tiddly wink factory? because it's counter productive. Me and Sasha both like this one though. A French Cat, Un Deux Trois, and an English cat, One Two Three, went for a swimming race round a lake. Who won? One Two Thee, because Un Deux Trois Quatre Cinque.

Eventually it became too much for Sasha.

Merry Christmas one and all.

Just a PS.  There are a lot of warnings on the internet about feeding turkey to dogs.  There is some truth in this.  If you have a dog that only eats dog food then a sudden change of diet at Christmas time can cause digestive upsets and diarrhoea.  Jamie and Sasha always have a certain amount of table scraps added to their meals and they are used to a wide variety of foods.  I have fed turkey and other scraps to dogs for 58 years without any problems but if your dog has a sensitive tummy it can react.  Please don't do likewise if you are at all unsure. 

Saturday 29th October - Sasha tells a story

It was a superb morning, clear blue sky and we were going to Pencarrow House for a last walk round the gardens before they shut for the winter.  Both dogs seemed very excited but Sasha has asked if she can tell you about it in her own words so I've reluctantly agreed.  Here's her version.

"It was a great morning, just right for a show.  We both thought it was where we were going. The humans were making tea and taking food.  I made sure they packed food for us as well and plenty of water.

We barked with joy on the road and the humans kept joining in.  "SHUT UP" they cried in excited voices so we barked louder and longer.  They were on the right road for the horse place that's indoors but then they went straight past.  Hells bells.  It must be an outdoor show, and sure enough they went in the direction of the showground. 

We thought we'd better bark some more to give them some encouragement and once again they joined in and this time it was even louder.  "FOR HEAVENS SAKE SHUT UP."  We barked even louder to help them along but it didn't work.  To our dismay they turned off the road to the big house where we go sometimes.  It's OK but we're not allowed to say hello to all the visitors.  The humans say it's because we're permanently wet and dirty and the visitors won't like it but we know better. 

We got out of the car and Jamie said he wanted a poo.  he likes pooing does Jamie.  I told him to wait so he did.  He waited until we'd gone past the only poo bin and we were walking across and immaculate lawn before he did his poo.  Mother cleared it up and we had to wait while she went all the way back to the bin.  Honestly, she could have carried it or just left it where it was.

We had a lovely walk.  We went straight into some water and then Jamie found a deeper bit where there was mud as well.

We both wanted to go in where there was a waterfall but the humans wouldn't let us.

Later, we walked across a field and I found a great cow pat.  Really stinky and slimy.  The humans wouldn't let us roll in it and they wouldn't let us eat it either.  They are spoilsports sometimes.

Friday 7th October - An Example of Brilliant Training

Both dogs know that a neighbour has walked down here and they're hoping to catch him up so that they can mug him for biscuits.

Unfortunately for the dogs Bill was well ahead of us and we didn't see him at all. 

And then we got back to the car.....Pretty good training on the dogs' part I'd say.

Wednesday 7th September - The end of the outdoor season is nigh but has Sasha overcome her fears?

I can't believe we're nearly at the end of the outdoor season.  Just one more show to go on Sunday and that's it.  I don't know about you but we've had varying degrees of success this summer.  The biggest disappointment is that Sasha has been too scared to compete in the agility ring.  Something frightened her on the contact equipment last year and that was it. No more agility.

Right: Sasha starts to go on the dog walk in the ring.  her tail is down and she isn't quite sure about it. 

Below: Moments later she dashes out of the ring and nothing will tempt her back again. Notice the anxious lip licking. Judge Angie is totally sympathetic. We'd left Sasha until last so that there would be nothing to distract her. 

I'm surprised at the number of people who have sympathised saying their dogs had problems but had overcome them.  One became scared of weaves and another refused to go into a ring with judge in it.  Short of asking the judge to dress up as another dog  there isn't much you can do about it except persevere.  So many people have these crises with their dogs and they understand completely when it happens to someone else.   It means such a lot to us to see our dogs enjoying themselves that when things go wrong it can make you feel very upset indeed. 

Nevertheless, people do get their dogs to overcome their fears and I shall with Sasha.  I have spent hours and hours patiently training Sasha on the contacts and fingers crossed she's starting to enjoy herself.  This weekend we shall find out if the training has paid off or if we need to put more work in.  Wish us luck.

Below:  A much more confident Sasha runs onto the dog walk and A-frame in the training class.  She was the only one to get the exercise right first time and she got her contacts.

Thursday 1st July - More silent handling

I was reminded recently of the silent handling classes we've done and I had a look at Sasha's latest effort.  It was at a match earlier this year and we so nearly got our fast clear.  No-one could quite see what went wrong at the end but my goodness she's so responsive when I stop speaking and get on with it.  It's a good reminder halfway through the summer season to keep the lips zipped and get on with the running instead.

Sunday 26th June - I want to bark, the down side of a caravan holiday

Both of our dogs love going on holiday and they especially love staying in the forest in the Blackdown Hills, Devon.  This time we rented a caravan and it was right beside the forest.  Interesting sights and smells abound and Jamie loved looking out for rabbits and deer.   The down side of being in a caravan is that there are other caravans nearby and the other holidaymakers don't always want to listen to Sasha barking.  This doesn't always go down very well with Sasha......

I want to bark...	Just a little bit of barking?
It's not fair!  Another dog's barking.	Well how about some quiet barks?

Eventually............."For crying out loud girl, just do it!"

Tuesday 31st May - Jamie's recovering from his op

The boy hasn't thought much of the goings on over the last eleven days. 
"First you leave me with a lot of savages, then I come home and I'm not allowed to go upstairs to bed.  Then I'm not allowed to roll or go for nice walks and what's worse, you keep taking me back to the savages to have things stuck in me."

You just can't explain to a dog that it's for their own good.  Poor Jamie had a very big wound on his side and in spite of trying keep him quiet it was impossible to stop him from pacing around.  He's had the wound drained twice now due a build up of fluid.  

He's such a good boy and he's wowed the vets with his appealing eyes.  He knows where there's food to be scrounged.  For a dog that "Might bite and needs a muzzle," he's done exceptionally well so far.  The nurses made a big fuss of him and on his first visit back to the surgery he had not one, but two vets waiting on his every need. 

Sasha hasn't thought much of this either. 
"Jamie gets all the attention and he can't even play with me and what about our walks on the moor?"
On Saturday Jamie came to watch the training class and he came out of the car to say hello to all his friends.  One by one the dogs came up and sniffed his wound.
"What's happened to you mate?  Do you want to play?"

It's very hard on a dog when they have an operation and it's very hard on their humans as well. We try not to worry and people tell us not to worry but we're all nervous wrecks when we leave our dogs at the surgery.  It's what you do when you have dogs.  

In the pics above Sasha stays near Jamie after his op, and Jamie shows off his operation.  
 

Wednesday 18th May - Jamie's Op

Jamie's lump has got to a size where it can't be ignored any longer.  Last year the vet said it was all OK, had plenty of room to grow etc. etc.  Earlier this year a locum vet wasn't keen to operate on an old dog.  He was afraid he'd kill him and we didn't want that!  Then last week our regular vet said he would be much better off without the dreadful lump. 

This isn't cosmetic.  The lump has got so big it's weighing him down and the poor boy is having a job to get around.  It's going to cost a fair bit but hey ho, that's part of owning dogs.  Thank goodness he's a dog and he has no idea of what's to come.  The vet assured us that he's low risk for anaesthetic and will do blood tests before they put him out.  This is the hard part...waiting for it to happen. 
 

Tuesday 5th April - Chased by pooh

There we were just setting off for a walk when Jamie paused for a pooh.  It just so happened that we were going down a steep slope, and when you're a dog you don't think too much about it, you just stop and squat and Bob's your uncle.  Having done the business satisfactorily Jamie wandered on but what he didn't notice was that the pooh had started to roll.  Once it had started of course it gathered momentum on the slope until it was rolling just fast enough to overtake Jamie as he reached the bottom of the slope.  The look on his face was a picture.  "Where the hell did that come from?"   Cartoonist Carol Seymour couldn't resist capturing the moment....

Wednesday 9th February - Are you being served?

I'm not sure exactly when we became Jamie's butler and lady in waiting but at some stage our roles appear to have changed.    Yes, I know he's an old dog and he's retired and he should take it easy but that shouldn't stop him from walking to the water bowl all by himself and having a drink.  I mean how many able bodied dogs sit there like Lord Muck and have a water bowl brought to them? 

     "And will you be having Highland Spring or tap water today sir?"
     "I think the tap, and would you fetch it in the blue bowl my good man."
     "Certainly sir.  Will there be anything else?"
     "Yes, can you remove this annoying female and make her sit somewhere else. "
     "With pleasure sir."

We haven't quite got to the stage of typing out a menu and a water list but I fear that won't be long in coming.  Unfortunately it's not just the water.

Last night we were tired and the dogs went outside early and this meant that they didn't do anything much in the garden before bedtime.  Because we were early His Lordship worked out the number of hours between his lady in waiting fetching his supper and the time when he thought his butler or his lady in waiting should fetch his breakfast and his water bowl.....oh for heavens sake, I mean ten to five in the morning and he's barking for his b****y breakfast and water.   It's no good.  We have neighbours with a baby and we can't leave a barking dog downstairs.

I guess the butler and the lady in waiting will just have to get on with it.   Perhaps we can add some more phrases to our repertoire.

  "You barked sir?" "Is the Bonio to your liking sir?"  Just don't let Sasha join in or we'll leave home.
 

Monday 22nd November - Silent handler, how much do you say to your dog?

If you're one of those people who feels that their dog runs better if they give certain commands such as, "Go on" "GO ON" "WEAVE"  "Wee wee wee wee wee, " "BACK"... "RIGHT"... "UP"..."GET IN"..."TUNNEL"... "GO OOOOON!!!" then the silent handler course might come as a bit of a shock.  I know it did to most of the people at our match but this was the class that the members had voted for and this was what we got.
 
Pictured Right: I usually bellow "GO OOON" at the end of a course.

The course was just a normal jumping course but without the weaves.  I thought they should have put them in to make it more fun but the judge wanted to go home that day.  Handlers were allowed to start the dog with a command and they were allowed to clap but anything verbal was given 20 faults.  Some people sloped off home but nevertheless we had a lot of entries for our Pay on The Day, silent handler class and it all went very well.  The dogs all had fun but the riding school was unusually quiet for one of our matches.  I wonder why!

I spoke to a few people after they'd run to see what they thought and a lot of them were surprised at the way in which their dogs coped with no verbal commands.  One man said it was the best his dog had run all day.  As for Sasha, she was very vocal in all of her rounds but when I did the "Silent handler" she was quieter too.  She was puzzled at the first tunnel and spun a couple times which earned us five faults for a refusal but she did complete the rest of the course without fault.  It's certainly made us think.  Do we really need all those verbal commands?  I think not, but so many people have told me they're absolutely  necessary.  What do you think?  

Tuesday 28th September - Jamie and the dog ramp

There comes a time in a dog's life when certain things need to be made easier.  Jamie can get in and out of the back of the car but he is in danger of hurting his shoulder when he jumps down onto hard ground. 

We bought him a dog ramp and he loves it.  Here he is doing a stop on the contact. Once an agility dog always an agility dog!
It stood him in very good stead on holiday when we rented a caravan and found that the steps were too slippery for him to walk up and down without doing himself a mischief. 

Later, I went out in search of non slip matting for the steps but no-one seemed to have heard of it so I bought a doormat for 99p and cut it in half and used that.  I had to tie it onto the steps to stop it slipping but it worked a treat.
Jamie was a bit miffed though.
"Where's my ramp?"
"I didn't want to lug it in and out of the car every time you went out of the caravan."
"Huh.  You're just getting lazy in your old age."
 

Then Sasha joined in.
"My sprained knee's hurting can I use it too?"
"Yes, of course you can."
"No she can't," said Jamie.  "That's my ramp."

 I was beginning to feel sorry I'd bought the thing if the dogs were going to argue over it but that was nothing compared to what happened next when we were back at home. 

The dog ramp was standing in the porch and Sasha hadn't done any contacts for a while but her sprained knee was much better and it was a rainy day.  Dog ramps are perfect for indoor contact training.  You can put them up against the settee, then get the dog to jump on the settee and walk down the ramp.  At least that's the theory.

I lugged the ramp into the living room and put it with one end resting on the settee and called Sasha.  Then all hell broke loose.
"That's my ramp and she's not using it in here so there."  Jamie leapt onto the ramp and walked up and down it.  "See.  I can do a contact much better than her."
"Yes, very good Jamie.  Now let Sasha have a go."
"No."  Jamie leapt onto the dog ramp again and refused to get off.  "She's not using it."
And no matter what I did or said, Sasha wasn't allowed near the ramp until I'd tempted Jamie to leave the room and eat something quietly elsewhere.  I had no idea he was so possessive.  No wonder poor Sasha was a bit reluctant after the first time she'd used the ramp.  Jamie must have been getting on to her something rotten.  I know one thing.  I am not buying another ramp just so that Sasha can have one to herself.  Her knee is much better now and she can jolly well jump into and out of the car on her own.
If you want to have a look at some dog ramps I've made a page for them in the shop.  We bought ours much cheaper through doing a bit of research on the internet.  (We couldn't buy one locally.)

Monday 7th June - The discovery of the Inglenook Dwarf

We hadn't been in our holiday home very long before we discovered the inglenook dwarf.  It was very exciting but in case you don't know what an inglenook dwarf is I'll explain.

The holiday home was a log cabin in the Blackdown Hills in Devon. 
It was very pretty.  Outside there was a handy verandah for tethering dogs.  I thought they should have supplied a rocking chair, a shotgun and a banjo as well but you can't think of everything.

Inside the log cabin there was a nice big living room with an amazing German log burner, a solid seat and a very large slate hearth all set in a lovely inglenook fireplace. 

It was very picturesque and olde worlde but there was just one problem.  The beam over the fireplace was exactly the right height for bumping your head.  Jamie and Sasha were fine but their humans were soon nursing several bruises. 
  "What we need, " said Bernie after he'd bumped his head for the seventh time, "is an Inglenook Dwarf."
I had to agree that this might be the best plan but where to get one?  There wasn't a Tesco or an Asda for miles and we couldn't get a mobile signal to connect to the internet.  With no telephone point it was impossible to use the laptop to order one from ebay. 

I must admit we were both a bit stumped and for a moment I almost wished we'd booked a five star hotel.  No sooner had I thought that however, than there was a blinding flash of light and a giant puff of smoke.  Bernie said it was the wood burner but I said,
   "No it's not.  Look, over there!"  Jamie and Sasha barked as I pointed to a corner of the inglenook. 
   "What?  Where? What is it?"
We all looked in amazement as a little bent old man appeared on the hearth.  Jamie wagged his tail and Sasha looked very puzzled but not scared.  He must be friendly.
   "It's an inglenook dwarf," I said.
   "At your service madam."  The inglenook dwarf said and he tugged his forelock and carried some more logs to the woodburner.
   "Gosh, can I take your picture?" I asked.
   "Course madam," Inglenook Dwarf replied and he tugged his forelock again.

This was truly incredible.  We thought the log cabin between the woods and the lake was magical but we hadn't bargained for getting our own personal inglenook dwarf thrown in as well.  Blow ebay.  This was much better. 

Later, when we got to know Inglenook Dwarf a bit better, I asked him if I might take a little video clip. 

  "Course madam," he said.  "At your service." 

Tuesday 27th April - The £2 haircut or how to make an art form of being cheapskate

Last week I found the ultimate answer to saving on hairdressing fees.  I discovered that I could get my hair cut for two quid at a hairdressing college as long as I didn't mind a student doing it.  This sounded great, especially when I was assured that the student would be supervised at all times.  I suppose it was my own fault that I believed everything I was told. 

On the day of the £2 haircut I arrived on time and was shown to a seat.  A very nice student filled in a questionnaire about allergies and then asked if I wanted a shampoo. 

  "No.  I'm allergic to some of them.  A dry cut will be fine," I said. 

The student hesitated.  "Umm," she said uncertainly and then she fled in search of her tutor.  It was at this point that I met The Dragon.

"You don't want a shampoo," she said in her best Miss Bossyboots manner.  

  "No.  I'm allergic to some of them."

  "It's much easier if you have a shampoo."

  "No really.  I just want dry cut."

  "Hmm."  The Dragon glared.  Then she gave her only instruction to the student.

   "Make sure you wet it down thoroughly.  Get it really wet."   

Oh dear.  I should have smelled a rat and bolted for the door but I was already wearing a cape and a towel. 

  "I'll just wet it a bit," the student said and she waved a plant sprayer vaguely in my direction. 

Two minutes later and she might just as well have dipped my head in a bucket of freezing cold water.  I was soaked through to the skin.  .

  "Help me God, "  I prayed but to no avail.  The student grabbed her scissors and hair clips and chopped away at my hair as if she was trying to hack her way through a jungle.  There was no sign of the tutor.  At one point I yelled, "No don't just cut that bit straight across," but it really didn't do any good.  I tried to explain about shaping and not having a parting but the girl must have had some sort of hearing problem. 

Throughout the ordeal I kept glancing across to a woman who was having a fabulous short hairstyle done.  It looked really good and her student seemed more than capable of producing a real masterpiece.  Not so my girl.  When she finally stopped her hacking she went to fetch the tutor to check her handiwork.  If I thought the student was a little rough on my hair I'd experienced nothing until The Dragon got hold of it. 

I clearly hadn't been forgiven for the lack of shampoo.  With a comb in one hand and scissors in the other  she grabbed handfuls of hair and began yanking my head from side to side.  The comb had specially sharpened teeth which she raked across my scalp.  It was agony.  Just as I was about to scream for mercy or at least some painkillers she stopped and the student was told it was very good. The Dragon obviously had defective eyesight but by this time I didn't care.  I paid my £2 and legged it.

Later I wondered if I could have bought a dog bowl cheaper and just put it on my head and cut round it.  I cut a bit of my hair myself to get rid of the straight across chopped look and then hunted out the hair gel.  It's going to take months to put it right.  At least the dogs didn't notice. One thing I have promised them is that I will never ever let an unsupervised grooming student loose on them.  In fact I might try a dog groomer myself next time.

Friday 12th March - Builder watching

Monday morning, two hairy builders arrived to strip the roof and put a new one on.  Sasha adored Andy but was a little more wary of Mike.  Jamie could take them or leave them.  By mid morning both dogs had taken up residence in the garden so that they could indulge in their new sport, builder watching.  By the afternoon both dogs had tried to mug the builders to see if they had food.  They also tried to get them to play and they went through their bags to see if they'd brought toys or a secret stash of food.  By the evening they were all exhausted! (Dogs and builders). This happy state of affairs continued until Friday. 

Now I thought border collies were the university graduates of the dog world.  Given a few instructions I'm sure Sasha could have put the roof on all by herself.  She might have had a bit of trouble with the sunlight tunnels but at least the instructions are given in pictures.  What she didn't seem to understand is that when it rains, hairy builders put on wet gear.  This simple operation completely bypassed Sasha.  No amount of cajoling, titbits or kind words could persuade her that the builders were the same ones who'd been there all week. 

Jamie simply walked up and sniffed and got some titbits.  He gave them a kiss in return and went back indoors for a lie down.  Builder watching is clearly a good weather occupation.  Meanwhile we have a very upset border collie  and we can only hope the sun comes out.
 

Tuesday 10th November - Sasha comes sixth in the steeplechase and what fun it was

Sasha did really well on this steeplechase course at the UKA show on 8th November.   She got her first clear round and sixth place.  Sasha was highly excited by all the tunnels and nearly went wrong several times.  We thought the course was unusual and great fun but the judge said a lot of people had complained about it. I think with any course it's a case of you can't please all of the people all of the time. 

A couple of other things delighted me at this particular show.  Sasha managed short waits at the start in spite of being highly excited and raring to go.  I didn't hold her long as it might have encouraged her to break the wait and I'd much rather have a dog that doesn't have to be corrected. 

Something even more remarkable, we got all the contacts on the agility course.  This is progress indeed.  It was the first course of the day and because of the small exercise area it was the first time Sasha had been off the lead that day.  I forgave the missed weave and the wrong course that gave us the big E.

Dogwalk	See-saw	A-Frame

Please don't give up if you haven't got the magic clear yet.  We've waited a long time and put in a lot of work to get this far.  I've also lost nearly four stone so that I can run more successfully with Sasha and it's really starting to pay off.  Here's Sasha's round complete with lots of excited barking.

 

Thursday 2nd July - What to do with an old video cabinet

Last week we replaced a video cabinet that was acting as a sideboard with something that was actually meant as a sideboard.  Bernie and Jamie scarpered while I put it together (5 hours of frustration and I had bits left over at the end, two dowels, several screws and a nail).  Sasha got in the way but lost interest when she realised it wasn't for her.  I digress. 

After much discussion on what to do with the video cabinet it finally ended up in the porch where it took up far too much room.  Unfortunately it had a broken castor and Bernie was too mean to buy a pack of four castors to replace one broken one and he didn't want to throw the thing away.  He's a self confessed serial miser so no change there.  This was when I waded in and said  I could use the wood. 

The result is a contact trainer/mini A-frame.  It's 38" high and the ramps measure 58".  It can be lowered or laid flat on the ground and I think it's an excellent use of an old piece of furniture. 

I'm still working out what to use for non slip paint.  I've tried Coo-var anti slip but Sasha slides down the thing when it's at full height.  Nevertheless we've done a bit of training with it flat on the ground and at the lower height.  I'm teaching two on and two off as we haven't been very successful with running contacts.  Got some brilliant ones in training but it's very hit and miss with more miss than hit.  I'll post updates on the non slip paint and the contacts so until then, happy jumping.

Monday 13th April - Why we love Wadebridge

Easter Sunday and what could be better than a show at Wadebridge showground?  This has to be one of the loveliest showgrounds in the whole of the country and it more than makes up for the ratbag, (Sasha), who wouldn't weave at all.

We thoroughly enjoyed the show.  Jamie did lovely clear rounds in his any size classes and I couldn't keep up with him.  I wish he'd give Sasha some lessons but the girl promises to be very, very good eventually.  I'm not sure when eventually is but we'll let everyone know when it arrives.

This is early morning on Easter Sunday.  It was a bit frosty and there was a morning mist hanging in the valleys.  The sun was already shining and soon we were left with a beautiful warm day, not too hot and not too cold either.

and later on we had some lovely walks and collected one of Jamie's rosettes. 

Our next show at Wadebridge is in two weeks time.  H opefully Sasha will remember how to weave again and I'll walk the courses in two completely different ways.  The first will be walking for a dog that spins and barks and won't weave and the second will be for a dog that suddenly decides to jump and takes me by surprise.  Do look at this clip of Sasha in the grade 1 jumping class on Sunday.  She had spent the whole weekend spinning and barking and she was so excited I don't think she did two jumps in succession.  Then suddenly out of nowhere she hurtled off round the course.  I did try and meet her at the tunnel but failed miserably.  We're a right pair. 

Sunday 15th February - Double take

So there we were on Par beach when along came Jamie's double accompanied by a collie.  In the photo on the right, Jamie's the one furthest away. 

The other dogs' owners called us over to ask what breed Jamie was and how old he is as they thought they must be litter mates.  Jamie's twin turned out to be much younger than him at four years old.  Jamie is now eleven.

Our two got fed up with nattering and went off for a lovely romp in the sea. 

Thursday 5th February - Heatwave, what a contrast

My niece sent me this email from Sydney.  Oh what a difference a hemishpere makes!

" It has been so hot in South Australia for over a week…40+ degrees Celsius everyday, very dry also.   A guy at work has a friend who lives at Maude.  The friend's wife sent him these photos of a little Koala which just walked into the back porch looking for a bi relief.  She filled up a bucket and this is what happened! It's very unusual for koalas to drink, let alone do what this little one did. He/she appears to be a fairly young one - not fully grown yet.
Angela "

Tuesday 3rd February - We're snowed in

Looked out of the window this morning and it was all white.  A lovely silence had descended in the night and to the dogs' delight we couldn't go to work.
  "Come on," said Jamie.  "We've got to go for a walk."
  "Yes, get off that computer NOW," said Sasha.
Bernie wasn't so keen but we wrapped him up in layers and handed him a lead and off we went. 

It's odd to think that Sasha didn't like the snow at first. 
 

Sunday 16th November - The judge can see an improvement

Well, we didn't go clear at the match today but the judge could see an improvement in Sasha.  Having learned to do nine obstacles at training classes without barking and spinning this is what she did in competition.  The trouble with competitions is that they tend to have more than nine obstacles in the ring at any one time.  When we got to jump number ten Sasha lost it.  
"Nine jumps and a tunnel we did in training and you said it was good."
"Yes, but you have to do more than that in the ring.  There's seventeen obstacles."
"But that's not fair.  You're always doing this.  You get me to practice one thing and then it's all different.  Why is it different?"
"It just is." 
 "Well, why can't you ask the judge what they're going to do so that we can practice it first?"
Yes, Sasha.  We'll do that next time shall we?   If only it was that simple!
Here's the jumping course.  It looked as if we were going to do a brilliant clear at first....

Jamie went clear in the jumping of course.  He's looking very smug these days. 

Sunday 9th November - Sasha gets it right and then Jamie mucks about.

We've been putting in a bit of practice this week and when it came to training classes Sasha did the longest sequence she's ever done without barking and spinning.  It may not seem like much to people with nice steady dogs like Jamie, but when you have a loopy collie whose sole object is to bark and spin it's quite an achievement.  I hope it lasts.  Here's the girl doing nine jumps and a tunnel.  Yes, I know she knocked a pole but at least we got the sequence right.

....and then it was Jamie's turn.  He must have been getting tips from Sasha on the way to the classes.  First of all he takes off before we're ready and then he does some spinning and jumping up and running round the wings.  It must be my fault.  It usually is.   I think today could well be a day for just mooching about in a field.

Monday 20th October - Sasha has a problem with the weave

Up until now Sasha's been doing very well in the weave and then all of a sudden she stopped doing the sequence jump , weave.  She's never actually done it properly at a show but usually in training she'll go jump , weave.  I've put a little video together to show the problem and the possible solution.  I know weaving causes more eliminations than anything else so it's important to get it right. 

The problem with Sasha is that she thinks it should go jump, bark, spin, bark, run round the first pole and then weave.  This isn't quite what we want.  Everyone at training classes had a look at the problem and even Tilly the beardie cross studied us carefully to see if she could help. 

The solution we've decided is to send Sasha a little ahead of me into the weave.  I can't race her or she pops a pole.  You'll see her doing that in the video clip.  It doesn't matter.  What we're looking for is a good entry so what we have to work on is going into the weave and completing it the first time every time.  I can leave out the jump and concentrate on increasing the distance to the weave a little bit at a time.  I can also increase my distance from Sasha a little bit at a time so that even if she gets well ahead of me she should go into the weave and complete it at the first go.

"Now then," says Jamie.  "I don't know what all the fuss is about.  I just do it and bring home the prizes."

Hi my name is Cassie and I am a year old jack russell. My owners name is Jess and today in the garden we made some make-shift agility  jumps out of bits and bobs from the shed. It was really fun and I really got the hang of it. I hope one day. When I grow up I can enter an agility show and be as good as Sasha. lots of love and licks,
Cassie xxx
Pat says: Good luck Cassie.  I think Jamie might be a better role model for you.

Wednesday 3rd September - A new tunnel for the dogs

The strange thing about agility is that most dogs won't have anything to do with scary equipment when they first start and yet after a short time you can't keep them off it.  With tunnels there are several stages before addiction.

I'm NOT going in there EVER.......
Well, I'll go if you insist, but I'm only doing it ONCE......
Alright, I'll have another go just to please you......
If you get the titbit ready I'll do it again.....
WHY can't I keep going in the tunnel?

 Jamie and Sasha are no exceptions to this and it didn't take long for them to get to love tunnels.  Jamie makes a beeline for the pipe tunnel whenever he can and Sasha goes belting into it as soon as she sees it.  The problem with Sasha though is that she sees the tunnel from a long way off and she either speeds up and runs under the preceding jump or she goes hell for leather and knocks the jump down.  Here's a little clip that shows you what I mean.

And it was so exciting she had to knock another jump down when she came out.  We've had to buy a tunnel to practice this jump, tunnel, jump business and I was delighted to find one that only cost me £19.99 in a Pet Shop.  Several people have asked me about it so here are the details.  It's made by a German firm called Karlie.  The entrance is formed by something similar to a children's play tunnel and then there's a chute.  The whole thing was way too long but the chute was easy enough to shorten.  You can just cut a bit off and stitch it round. 
 

The tunnel is anchored by four substantial pegs on the outside and just for good measure there are some smaller pegs at the entrance to hold it firmly in place.

The tunnel comes in a bag that you can sling over your shoulder and it's easy to fold up when you've finished, so you don't have to leave it outside to get wet.  Jamie and Sasha were delighted with it and hopefully we can do some training if it ever stops raining. 
 I bought the tunnel from Pets at Home.  I had a look on ebay to see if you could get the same thing on there but I couldn't see one exactly the same.  However it might be worth a look at the agility pages in the doggie shop. The American one below looks interesting.  Petplanet also does a couple of tunnels. 

            
             

Sunday 13th July - Sasha gets her first clear round

Yes, she's done it.  My little sweetie pie has finally got a clear round in the any size class and is ready to go on and join in with the big dogs.  Everyone congratulated us and said the first clear is very special.  I think judge Kath Cable was being kind but then it is a silly young dogs' class as much as anything else so spinning and barking is a little more acceptable. 

For everyone who is in despair of ever getting a clear round with their dog.  It took us nearly a year to get round an any size course without being eliminated or chucked out.  We finally managed to get round round two any size courses at a limited show in May with 13 faults in one class and ten in another.  Judge Heidi said Sasha will be a really good dog when I've got more control.....Oooh er, will that be round about 2012 do you think? 

We haven't done big jumps at a show yet because a certain little girl wanted to get to where she was going by the fastest possible route and that was under the poles.  The answer in our case has been lots of training over small jumps and then a gradual increase up to medium height.  To get the top height in training we've put poles on the slant and double poled problem jumps.  We've also mixed up the heights.  Dogs like Sasha tend to be fast and furious when jumping and this can make it difficult for them to control their bodies, especially if they're jumping long.  Going round a star is very difficult.  One way I've found to help with this is to sprain my ankle.  It has meant that I've had to train in the back garden whilst standing in one place.  Within the confines of a small garden Sasha has had to learn to be more bendy and to adopt a different jumping style.   To give Sasha some practice before she joins the big dogs she's been in any sizes classes and has done full height in the practice ring at shows.  I'd recommend this to anyone whose dog is having problems in the ring.  Don't worry about the competition.  Just get your dog to a show and train away from the competition but within a show atmosphere.

Jamie was not to be outdone by Sasha at the Cornwall show.  He did the same course only it was in the veterans class and he was competing against more dogs.  His brilliant clear round brought him home in a good time.  It's a shame the places only went down to fourth as we were fifth.  Nevertheless we were given a special rosette for being the best unplaced club member, so Jamie cam home with two rosettes for the board while Sasha had one.  Well done Jamie.  He's my boy.
  

Monday 30th June - There's a tent in the field.  It just has to be a dog show.

This is the world according to Sasha.  On Thursday evening a very large marquee appeared in the field over the road and to Sasha and Jamie's delight it was the start of a long weekend of barking and watching people do silly things.  What could be better for two dogs that like to look out of the window?  It was ready made entertainment with all those people walking about and parking cars and disappearing into the fields. 

The long weekend was the start of the Rescorla festival.  We might be a little weeny hamlet in the back of beyond but as from 2008 we have our own festival.    Actually that's not quite true because parts of it are a re-creation of the old fashioned tea treat and feast day which used to be one of the high days and holidays of many Cornish villages.   And then on Saturday we took Jamie and Sasha across the fields where they aren't normally allowed and that was exciting.   The grass had been cut, there were tents and stalls. 
"Is it a dog show they asked?"

They didn't seem to mind when we said it wasn't a dog show.  It was just so much fun being able to gallop around everywhere.  And then the next day it was even better because Phoebe came and had a look as well.
"It isn't a dog show," she said, "It's just people doing silly things like they do."  Phoebe's very sensible but Sasha just had to go and check for herself.

We never actually found out what she got up to in the marquee.  We were too far away to hear what went on after she took off across the field and disappeared into the vast white tent and she didn't tell us when she got back.  
"Did you join in the clog dancing then?" I asked but she stuck her nose in the air and ignored me.  Later on I thought I heard her telling Jamie that Phoebe was right after all and that the dog jumps really weren't in there.  
Ah well, Sunday afternoon and what better after a good run than to watch your silly humans being even sillier than normal and dancing through the hamlet and round the fields. 

Gathering for a group photo after dancing the "Snail Creep" round the hamlet.   The Snail Creep is a traditional dance that was performed every year on Feast Day.  The young men and women enjoyed it because the dancers form a long line which coils up like a snail before uncoiling again.  It gave them a chance to get in close to the young ladies.  I'm afraid most of us aren't so young any more but who cares.  The dance was last performed in 1948 in Rescorla. 

Music From The Rescorla Festival - The Snail Creep
Here's a short video clip of everybody gathering in the marquee for the ending of the snail creep dance and music.

Thursday 12th June - So what do we do about leaving the ring?

It's the end of the round, the last jump has been jumped and some of the equipment is still intact.  The judge and ring party have fixed smiles and are bravely carrying on as if nothing happened.  The pole pickers are busy picking up jump wings and trying to remember how the course should go, and the scrimer is weeping quietly over the timing gear.  The next person on the line is wishing they hadn't queued up behind us but at long last it's all more or less in place.....except for one little thing. Sasha is now refusing to leave the ring.  It happens every time and it's getting to the point where it's not funny any more.

Sasha has this idea that if she lies down under the last jump one of two thing will happen. Either:
a) No-one will see her and once we're not looking she can go and play all over again.
or
b) No-one else can use the jumps while she's lying there so we'll have to let her go again.

The only way I can get her out of the ring is to ask the lead mover to put the lead right beside the last jump.  Once the lead is on she will sort of walk away although she does it very reluctantly.  If the lead isn't there then I have to get hold of her collar and drag her.  To all intents and purposes this can look as if the dog has collapsed and the heartless handler is simply dragging her along the ground oblivious to her plight.   
I haven't ever heard of anyone else having this problem but then I always end up with eccentric dogs.  If this has happened to you and you've cured it, please let me know how you did it. 

Tuesday 6th May- A little mate for Jamie

Comments received from a dog training site:
Jamie would love a little mate and Pat can then run another dog in the smaller class.

Pat says:  Ooh er.  Then we'd have the gruesome threesome.  One day...when we've moved and we have a bigger garden and a bigger house.  A little cocker like Tilly would be nice.
 

Tuesday 29th April- Little Miss Gobby and the anti bark device

I don't know how many of you have problems with barking dogs but Sasha loves to raise the roof whenever she can.  This sets Jamie off and then I do the wrong thing and join in and finally Bernie starts shouting at us all to stop.  I decided to do some anti bark training.  It started with me standing up in front of the gruesome twosome and telling them, "Thank you, " in a firm voice.  They did stop but not straight away.  Nevertheless they had praise and a titbit and the training was repeated each time they barked.  And then they got clever.

Sasha was definitely the ringleader and before long she'd taught Jamie how to get an endless supply of titbits by going to the window and barking and then running back to me all nice and quiet. 
  "Ha ha.  Very good.  It doesn't work like that," I said.
  "OK then we'll bark some more and then you tell us to stop and we'll have the titbit.  Ruff ruff.  RUFF, RUFF, RUFF."
It was stalemate, or so I thought, and then I found the perfect anti bark device.  Pictured below is the Agility Bits exclusive anti bark training device which looks uncannily like the cardboard tube from the inside of a roll of kitchen towel. 

In fact what you're looking at is the cardboard tube from the inside of a roll of kitchen towel and all I did was to make a funny noise down it whilst having a bit of a silly turn.  The effect was amazing.  I had Sasha's full attention for about ten minutes until she deemed it safe enough to go to sleep.  "Aha," I thought, "This could be put to good use," so I've been using it to interrupt Little Miss Gobby whenever she feels inclined to bark.  It failed to work when the postman knocked on the door but you can't have everything.  Little Miss Gobby does look at me for titbits when she shuts up but the barking has definitely decreased by approximately ten thousand one hundred and fifty two times.  This is a great improvement.  If anyone wants to do likewise, the noise I'm making sounds like a cross between a cow and Johnny Kingdom calling up the deer on Exmoor.   

Friday 21st March - Little Miss destructive

It was the first outdoor show of the season today and when we got there, those who had survived the gales and rain were busy pegging down the jumps so that they wouldn't blow away.  It was also freezing in the bitter winds and it was amazing that anyone at all was there but we're a hardy lot in Cornwall.   Some people had already gone home but we stayed and collected two E's in the anysize jumping class before we too made a beeline for home and a warm fire.
Now all those with a collie put their hands up if their dogs are content to come home in the middle of the day and sit by a warm fire when they should be running riot at a show.  Me neither, so I thought I'd get the toys out for a game.  Now this is the interesting bit. 

Two of Sasha's toys live in the airing cupboard.  This has a round doorknob which has to be pulled and Sasha hasn't yet worked out how to do it so she simply sits and barks at the door instead.  So far the door has responded by looking blank.  It can't help it.  It's just the way doors are, although some will squeak and groan sometimes if they're pushed.  Anyway I thought we'd have a little play with the other toys so I got them out and then it struck me just how destructive Little Miss destructive really is.  All of Jamie's toys are pristine.  They do get a bit dirty eventually but he has a lot of retriever in him and as such he is very soft mouthed.  He really takes care of his toys.  They may get pulled and squeaked but they are never ripped to shreds.  Little Miss destructive on the other hand.......well, I'll let the photo speak for itself.  Full marks to all those who can spot Jamie's toys and Sasha's toys.  Both started off by looking exactly the same apart from the colours......