Training Days etc

Well, all has been quite quiet on the agility front. Baby has kinda taken over for now.

HOAX

I have however managed to do a little with Hoaxey and we have had ups and downs.

I had been feeling quite down with her lately as I just found some of her behaviours difficult to understand. Her agility was going ok, but she was doing some things a lot more slowly then I know she can and I found myself feeling frustrated which I know must have rubbed off on her as she is sensitive.

After one trainer (Ian Smith) mentioned a few things to me it really boosted my confidence. He commented on how willing she was and how much she wanted to get it right for me. I realised that her working something more steady is her way of trying to get it right. Hoaxey tends to do things fast first time, then if she gets it wrong and i take her back, she works steady until she is sure she has got it right then steps up again. I used to always reward, regardless of if she was correct as long as she was fast and I am going back to that again. Also i must remember to be less fussy about things with her, if I want speed on the contacts and I am pushing that then I need to be less pedantic about her FP and reward the speed.

Tuesday evening at MAD she was great, really quick and still neat and most importantly...
CONFIDENT! Her weaves are lovely now and she feels quite quick through them, still a lot to work on independance and entries but Boos were PANTS at her age so I can't complain really.

Anyway, I am starting to enjoy her again now, and although we may never set the world alight as I just dont have the time to put into her anymore, we will hopefully enjoy ourselves and maybe pick up a few rossies on the way!

Oh, and I am so xcited- we have a team to run in next year! We are running with SBCC, Me and Hoax, Toni & Minx, Jo & Ginny and Kathy & her merlie! Thats a team of women and merlie collies! What fun!!! :) Only thing is they are al G7 in fact 2 of them are Ag Ch... we will definately be the cr&pest in the team! LOL

BOO

Well of course, he is my angel as always, I LOVE working this dog, he is fluid and quick and VERY enthusiastic. I forget, when I havent run him for a while how much FUN he is! Sadly I know that with Ethan around now we will never make it to the dizzy heights of the World Champs or AG CH status. I probably won't run any Champ classes next year a I don't see the point of spending all that money unless you can win, so unless there are no other runs for him I think we will pull out of them. Still deciding if I will do the IFCS stuff, I am genuinly note sure if we are good enough or if we really have the time needed to commit if you are running for your country, I guess I will see how things are at the beginning of next year and decide then, It's very tough...

Boos puppies continue to do really well, his daughter 'Lottie' got BOB in a 'posh' dog show, his agility puppies are doing great. Missie from his first litter looks amazing and really raised some eyebrows at DD when she swept the Novice board! Torro, Tigger, Bojay, Java, Mac, Chase, Bob, Diesel, Cody, Jig, Bailey, Queeva and Rudhi are all puppies I had a chance to watch this year, they are all honest, quick and biddable which is just what I hoped. I am so proud of how fantastically they have turned out. There are more puppies from Boo & Jasmine and Boo and Meg who will be out and about next season and I can't wait to see them. Also his recent litter to Zeph will be seen around I hope- I know Alison with Tigger has had one (two Boo babies- madness)! So I will hopefully get to meet her lots. I have been so busy that I havent even updated my site with photos of the latest litter but soon I will! They are just scrummy!

Anyway, bye bye for now- I have another training day with Toni next Fri- will try to report back- see ya! xxx

Linx' issues

Well, we have finally got organised and contacted the vet. Linx has the signs of HD (Hip Dysplasia), although he was scored as a youngster at 6:4 which was pretty good! It does mean that his agility career will be shortlived, but short term it isn't all doom and gloom. We will start treating Linx with Glucosamine and Chrondrotin. The vet stressed to us that at the moment it is imperative to keep Linx lean and muscled. She doesn't think that his agility career should be stopped now- just kept low impact and not too intensive if possible. We know as he gets older the joint will deteriorate but we want to do our best to support him for now and then.

Broken Linx?

Well Linx went to see Peter the vet today who really is fab. He thinks that the stiffness and jumping issues may be caused by a thickening in Linx' left knee.

We have booked him in for XRays on Tuesday so we can see if there are any bone/ joint issues there or anywhere else and then move on from that.

Not much else to say. hoaxey is still in full flooded season and Boo is at singing point now- constant whining and not eating is tough for poor Boo. Hoax is STILL a huge tart. I think we areon about day 11 now so this is the worst part. I suspect it will all be over in four or five days and hopefully we will have a short return to normality before Toto arrives.

Agility Club Show

Well it was totally lovely to see so many of you and so many smiles x

I went seperately from Nic and arrived at around 8.30am and had a lovely natter with the Curtis clan who so kindly let me park next to them :)

I then went to watch Nic run Boo in the teams. Nic was running third and the previous two dogs had good fast clears... Boo shot of like a bullet and in Nics own words he was just 'trying to hang on' he managed to keep it together but at the seesaw I knew Boo hit it too fast to stop and just slid the whole thing. He did attempt to break a bit but not enough to save being faulted 5 for the seesaw. The last dog in the team went clear aswell so it was just Nics 5 for the team. Sadly it wasnt good enough and they finished 3rd earning Nic his first trophy for the year!

I then hung around to watch Nic run Linx in teams and his Olympia qualifier. Linx ran the teams with a knocked pole but he didn't look too bad. I thought maybe our concerns about his soundness were incorrect. He had a good rest before Nic took him over to run his Olympia qualifier. As soon as he set off I knew he wasn't right. I had also asked Greg and Laura Derrett to hang around and watch him as they know Linx and various Withersfarm 'issues'. Linx desperately tried to pull himself around the course but visably struggled with the jumps. He just isn't right so Nic withdrew him from competition. We will now retire him from Agility totally until we figure out what the issue is. It would be terribly sad to have to retire a dog that isn't even five yet but Linx health an welfare is paramount to us so we will see what the vets say.

It was lovely to see you agility lot at the show even though I only stayed for a bit. I was just way to hot and the lure of our swimming pool at home was too much to resist! I was disappointed I didn't get the chance to chat to more of you. I especially wanted to natter to Helen about the EO and find out how Pop is etc but the only time I saw her I was busy being updated about some great EO gossip... Everyone commented on how big I am now- you are all correct I feel fab but HUGE and can't wait to meet our baby!

Nic went off to he show again this morning (Sun) just to do Boos Crufts team run. I warned him that being cheeky yesterday meant Boo would probably take the mickey on his contacts now! Boo however, didn't let us down and ran a lovely clear for Nic, even with Nic almost falling over halfway round! Sadly not all the team went clear but Nic didnt mind at all :)

The best thing for me this weekend is Nic finally getting it together with being able to run Mr Boo. It means that he finally feels what I feel when I run him. I think Nic was surprised at how fun and exciting it is to run such a fantastic lad. He said it was fantastic to run a dog that you felt if you got it right then the dog just wouldnt let you down. He loved the buzz he got from competing and I haven't seen Nic smile like that after a run since Kaos was winning! My boys finally see the appeal in each other- Yay! :) :) :)

That was our last show we are booked for now until after Toto is due. We have one day booked at Prestbury Park in September and UKA Scrambles then Saturday at UKA Waverunners. Fingers crossed that all goes well with Toto baby we may see you at one of those!

Keep your fingers crossed that we all get through this and have a healthy baba at the other end xxx

Thanks again to you all for being so sweet

ps. Mand - Dunno what was making you grrr at Ag Club on Sat but I know your luck will change and you will be kicking everyones butts with both dogs before you can blink xxx

Hussy Hoaxey

Well it's all kicking off in the Hanekom House!

Hoax has come into season much earlier than expected. She started it at the beginning of this week and has already turned into a wanton tart. After much consideration we have decided to hold of breeding from her until at least her next season and possibly even the one after that. We had always planned on mating her this winter but considering the baby isn't even here yet we decided not to push it. I think if we already had the baby we would have a much better idea of if and how we will be able to dedicate time to everything. I think it would just be stupid to throw ourselves blindly at our first baby AND first litter at exactly the same time.

When we do breed I plan on having lots of interaction with the puppies, socialisation, trips and car journeys, basic training and TONS of play. I really don't suspect that I would want to give the pups the attention they deserve with a eight or nine week old baby here aswell.

So apologies to anyone STILL waiting for a Boo x Hoaxey pup. I promise it will happen sometime be it the beginning of next year or end of the year. The only think I don't want to do is compromise too much on Hoxeys Agility career so if she comes in at the beginning of the 2009 Agility season, sorry but we will wait till the season after that! The pups WILL be worth waiting for though x

Anyway, I cannot belive what a tart Hoax is. I have never had a bitch so willing to procreate. Boo (having been used for stud last week) is very randy and would follow Hoax anywhere understandably. However I expected Hoax to show a little more resiliance, no way! IF she happens to get in the same room/ garden as Boo she is prancing round him with her tail and ears stuck high, it then takes her about three seconds to 'stand' for him even though she is only on about day 4 and is no way ready. Tart!

We went to MADs training last night and Nic worked Boo and Linx while I watched. Boo was sooooo happy and barking all the time. He worked really well for Nic so fingers crossed he will be a good boy running teams for Nic this weekend at Agility Club. I am hoping to go along aswell to watch and have a natter with all you lot I havent seen for ages!

Gosh what a long post! Sorry all and BFN x

ps small warning- my belly is HUGE now :)

Not much to report...

However I don't like the blog lying dormant for too long so thought I would jot a little down.

The bump is growing nicely and all seems on track with our little one!

The dogs are good, I had a phone call from a lady called Sue last week and it seems Boos girlfriend Zeph has come into season early! She is planning on visiting us next tuesday so fingers crossed all goes well! She is hoping Boo and Zeph produce a choccy pup for her to keep :) Awww.

I have continued to do a tiny amount of agility in the back garden, just doing the odd grid or DW with my two. Hoaxey is really flying when she has the confidence although I don't really know if that'll ever translate in the ring. Boo is my golden boy and is cr*p at grids really but enjoys it all. It's just enough for me nowdays to see my two enjoying themselves, I seem to have lost slightly that determination to have to win. Wonder if baby has softened my brain or if it is just a temporary priority switch...?

Just four weeks left till baby is due to arrive and I hope the dogs will be ok with it all!

BFN xxx

Toni D again!

Well last Friday I did my final proper session of Agility with little Hoaxey, at Scrambles, on a Toni Dawkins day.

Neither myself or Hoaxey were on form but that was expected I spose. However I was still pleased with my princess. She did some nice bits and her weaves were much better. Contacts were a little slow but we did do them right at the end so I think we were both tired.

We did some work on pull throughs which I so needed- Toni gave me some wonderful tips- thanks T you are a star! We also worked on snakes which Hoaxey executed quite nicely and some speed work.

I still feel Hoaxey is holding back and has more speed there. I know this will come with confidence and it will help when I am back to being able to run and turn again! I hope my madam is going to love it when I can race her again!

Monday we joined in a session with Yvette and Skate with Nic teaching, we worked some pull throughs again and I still need more work on them! LOL also we did a few weave entries which Hoaxey did quite well. I cant run now really so didnt do anything much else.

Well that is my last Agility session now as I feel the strain a lot! I am hoping to take Boo and maybe Hoax into the ring at UKA this weekend, just to do some training rounds with them both- I will see how I feel!

Choices and the Weekend...

Well Sunday we went upto UKA show in Oxford. I declined running in most things but did work Boo in the Champ SChase as I knew I could just send and collect him with no running, he did fab and won the class which made me smile :)

Hoaxey has a chunk out her foot so couldnt even run for Nic and Linx isnt moving properly so he is off to the vets this evening. :(

Yesterday we went off to an NCT class, it was fun and scary at the same time- I have written on my baby blog about it!

Today I made a very hard desision and withdrew Boo from the Olympia Semis on the 4th July. I am gutted as he is working so well right now but I just know it isnt worth it. Even if I feel up to giving it a shot, semi days take a huge amount of energy and commitment. Not only that but day 2 is pretty prestigous this year. With the likes of Toni & Kite, Tash and Maddie, Greg and GT, Dave & Dobby, Nic and Caleb, Leah and Herbie and Lee and Shy to name just a few! In fact every dog on that day is pretty fantastic. Anyway I have no doubt that on a good day with myself and Boo on top form that we could qualify. But I just cant be! I cant run Boo at his best or anywhere near it, just way too slow, it just isnt worth risking myself and Baby for anything. I also don't want to wake up on the day and either feel that I cant run or that it is raining etc and then deprive someone else of the spot. Therefore I finally pushed myself and e-mailed Dave this morning to withdraw Mr Boo.. :(

Boohooohoo :(

Admitting Defeat..

Well I think the end of the road has come on this Agility season for me. Boohoo :(

This weekend at Thames wasn't great and I missed an awful lot of runs with both the woofs.

Tuesday I went along to training but just managed two excersises before admitting defeat. The muscles around my bump are aching a lot as they are so stretched, I am slow with the extra weight anyway but adding this to it just makes it even harder. I am not doing either dog any favours by jogging along after them and trying to handle.

I am hoping to still do the odd training session with them, maybe just being selective about what I do and don't run. We also have a UKA show this weekend and I am hoping to do the odd NFC agility run coz then I can just pick and choose what I do.

Feeling quite down about it really as I will miss seeing all my friends each weekend as I know Nic won't want to go along to all the shows. I feel like Hoaxey is just coming good and she is now going to have a big break until at least mid sept (realistically prob much later) which means I am missing a huge amount of her first season out. I was hoping to make her G6 by the end of this year which would mean I could begin collecting Crufts points in 2009 but best laid plans n all!

Nic doesn't want to run Boo as he finds him really difficult so that idea is out the window. I think he is quite keen to run Hoaxey but I am not sure she is ready for other people to start working her, I don't feel she is confident enough yet...

Ah well, I guess that is just the way life goes- and it IS only a few months after all.

So apologies IF my blog goes quiet- I may not have much to mention!

I have however begun planning our winter training schedule. I have booked Natasha Wise and Toni Dawkins to come over and do some training days for us. We have mostly filled the spaces up with Thatcham DTC members and a few friends. But if any of you lot, (my blog buddies) on here are intrested, pop me an email and I will see if we have a suitable group for you http://www.thatcham-dtc.co.uk/october_training_weekend.htm I can't wait and think this will be a really fantastic weekend! I am hoping to do a session each day with Hoaxey but have JUST remembered she is due in season around that time and if she does come in.... BOO BABY TIME!

Also I had to share this photo of Boo taken this weekend at Thames by Lynn at Doggypaddle. I love it and my super, handsome, wonderful lad looks so happy!

A little Agility last night! Yay!

Well after teaching last night I ran Hoaxey in Nics class. We worked pull throughs which I am really weak on but Hoaxey did them very nicely! What a good girl! We finished off with some contact work and sequences.

I am very pleased with how her contacts are coming on. I have dropped her target behavior at the end. A desision I didn't make lightly but I felt that she was feeling pressurised in FP. I know that it isn't her it is me being a poor trainer somewhere, but seeing as I wasn't so sure how to change that, I decided the best plan of action is to drop her target behaviour and make sure her end position in sound. I also have decided to have her stopping a little 'longer' off the plank (rather than front legs tight to the contact). It is due to a discussion I had with Toni about Hoax and Minx and we found that both dogs stride better through the contact, faster and more confident with a longer position. Since making the above decisions Hoaxey has got faster and much more accurate aswell. I think a dogs conformation can make a difference to how the stop. Hoax has quite straight shoulders and she was slowing down with her weight over them which isn't healthy for her. Asking her to stop longer allows seems a physically easier task for her. The target originally built up all the understanding and value I wanted for her FP so did it's job well. She is happy to complete the equipment with my lagging behind or running past. I have now started throwing her toy and 'teasing' her off the contact a little and she seems to really understand all this and performs well still. I have to be cautious not to throw the toy to early otherwise her focus seems to shift from her job and she stops early on the contact!?!? Odd but just something I have to deal with.

Hoax weave entries are coming on well now and her confidence has improved 100 times as has mine. Now we need to work on me leaving her in the weaves which she is still very weak on. We did all the independance stuff in channels but somewhere along the transistion to straights I lost it. We are lucky to have a big enough garden to fit weaves in with space around so I can practise this,... but dont tell Nic as he doesnt want us ruining his lovely grass :)

No Agility.. Boohoo!

Well, after the two hour drive to Hinckley on Fri evening, then a few hours to setup I felt ok. Tired but ok. Then Friday night was not so much fun. I was really unwell :(

I promised myself that I would slow things down if my body told me to and I think that was a pretty definate sign. Saturday morning I was still feeling yuk so we decided the best thing to do is to head home and for me just to get a rest over the weekend. I feel so depressed that my preg body won't allow me to keep doing all I want to! LOL

I slept pretty much all Saturday and had an easy Sunday and am feeling much better now, hopefully raring to go for this weeks training and then Thames! As Thames is just 10 mins away I think it should be perfectly ok :)

Well hope to do some training with both Boo and Hoax this week. I have just begun teaching Hoaxey quick release on her contacts so will continue with this as my timing is so poor with her. I am also finding it tougher as I am further off my dogs than I would usually be. It means that where I could usually 'baby' Hoax a little, I cant get there! Ah well, more work on independancy I spose! :)

BFN x

Quiet Week

Well this week has been pretty quiet Agility-wise. I did however get some training done with hoaxey at the beginning of the week. Monday evening, Yvette kindly let me work Hoaxey with Skate on her one2one with Nic. We worked weave entries and double box which was great for Hoaxey. Hoax' weave entries are coming on, she is still unconfident with them but Nic pointed out a few places that I was making things more difficult for her and we worked some tough angles. Nic doesn't really like the bars (weave guides) I use for Hoax but I used them for Boo and they improved his entries a million times so I am sticking with em! Her box work was lovely when I was with it. We did a nice excersise with lots of pull throughs and Hoax worked them perfectly! Usually Nic takes the mickey out of my 'Steeeady' cue but even he had to admit it worked perfectly with Hoaxey on this excersise.

Tuesday we did a course at MAD with Heather training. Hoax worked well but I got frustrated with a section where I needed to pull her off a jump after a pipe tunnel. She just fired out that tunnel time after time and didnt look to me just too the jump. She just wouldn't believe we didn't do it! It seems to be a weakness in my training as I have the same issue with pulling Boo past obstacles. I guess I have to say that if I picked a dog who looks for a line or a dog that looks back to me always I would choose the former... maybe this is where I have gone wrong as I allow them to take their line too often? Ah well, plenty of time to work on that stuff with the merlie girl.

The other thing I always find hard is mixing speed work with accuracy. I constantly worry whether I am doing too much of either. If I do a few weeks work on speed with hoaxey she does get faster and more and more confident, she also gets wider and less controllable! I also find if I do too much technial stuff with her she begins to loose some speed and gets very neat but questions too much. I really find it hard deciding what to do as I want to keep her quick but also need those neat turns! Ahhh well, I guess I just keep working her over both and hope that with time and experience, comes the confidence to execute both with gusto.

I also think I worry way too much and expect rather a lot from myself and my woofs :)

Oh and I am never happy until it is totally perfect! LOL

Hoaxeys half sister

Well Nik (Rajjinka) has bred from Hoaxeys mum again, this time to the handsome Sh Ch Goytres Prince of Dreams. She has one pup who is beautiful but a total handful! She needs a strong and thoughtful home. Anyone tempted...

mailto:rajjinka@talktalk.net

Toni D & BATS Show

Well, we had training again on Friday with Toni again. I feel that these regular sessions are really good for me, and Toni comes up with something helpful every time we see her. Since I last saw Toni I have been working a lot on Hoaxeys weaves and her start lines. Toni suggested to give Hoax something else to do on the start line, and suggested Minx' chin touch to the floor. I went away and started training this to Hoaxey and it has helped with her starts a lot! We worked some sequences, some entries and some independant contacts. Hoaxeys entries from the left still need work (e.g. going in between poles 1-2 rather than wrapping the first weave). Overall I was pleased with her. She is a little hesitant with her speed sometimes and doesnt attack everything at 100 mph. I hope this will come with confidence on the harder sequences we are trying now.

BATS on Saturday and the weather started ok- yay it meant I could run. Hoax 3-4 Med jumping was up first. She did a really neat little run with speed where it was needed and some nice turns, we still had one wide turn and she could have given more speed through her weaves and some of the lines but it was probably her best competition run so far. Clear again and she went into the lead. Another quick G4 BC was queing just behind her. It put a fantastic run in right up till the last jump where it twiddled which gave Hoaxey 1st place again! Boo ran very well in his Agility which I did as a training run, he was a little wild but very quick, he is such fun! Finally Hoaxey ran the 1-7 Agility. I was extremely pleased with her in here, she is trying so hard for me. We had another clear round with me training all her contacts! Two clears in two runs- my goodness are we starting to get a little consistency?!?

G4 Merlie Girlie!

Saturday morning dawned bright and sunny, the weather was to hold all weekend this way and Linxy made good use of his doggy paddling pool that we take along!

No runs for Hoax today but Boo worked well. We navigated our way round an intesting G6- 7 Olympia Qualifier. Personally I quite liked it from the moment I walked it. I changed my mind about how to handle 13-17 quite a few times but went with the plan of working the whole combination with Boo on my left side, pulling him off the wrong tunnel entrance, flicking him into the correct side then getting ahead to recall 15 and push round the back of 17. I hardly saw anyone else walk it this way but ah well. I usually know my Mr Boo. He ran this course almost foot perfect until we got to the push round at the end of the DW. He got to the end SO much faster than me, by the time I reached him I lost my balance and tripped over my own feet. I managed to stay upright by which time Boo had come off his contact and looked to me for a cue, I finished my ungainly piroette and twiddled him round the back of the jump for a clear round! I assumed I would be way out with this as Olympia qualifiers are so strongly fought for. I was lucky- only a second off the eventual winner put Boo in 8th! As the top ten qualify this put him firmly in! Sooo, the semis are the 2nd July... how am I going to stay upright for that one??? Boo also went clear in the G7 Jumping- very twisty yuck course and clear in the Power and Speed, we were only a second off the winner but this still put him out the places!

Sunday and my handling wasn't so great, Boo still worked well but lady luck wasn't smiling on us today. Hoaxey was called up in a reserve for a Crufts Team qualifier, as the other three dogs/ handlers were the Crufts Team Winners of 2008 (Toni & Minx, Jo & Jinny and Steve & Billy) I was just a little nervous! There were only five teams in the medium qualifier so you never know what will be good enough to qualify. Hoaxey went first and we managed to get round with just 5 on the seesaw! Yay! Poor Billy set off and crashed through the second jump, he injured himself so had to be pulled out. We do hope he is ok. Hoax then ran 1-7 Med Agility. It all went badly wrong here, I think she was hot and bothered and wasnt at all focused. I have learnt from this that I cannot run her back to back on such a hot day yet, she just isnt ready. Finally, and after a nice rest, Hoax ran her G1-3 Jumping, it was a really nice, simple course. She got her weaves again and finished the rest of the course neatly and clear. She wasn't anywhere near her usual speed as I think was still lacking confidence after her last run but she still wasn't a plod. It was good enough anyway to give her first place taking her out of G3 and into the dizzy heights of G4!

So all in all not a bad weekend. We have BATS next which we are going to for Nics sake as there is a Novice Olympia Qualifier there.

Shrewsbury and Vyne!

Well Friday evening we made the long trip upto Shrewsbury show. I do LOVE this show and always enjoy our time there! We setup in good weather and Nic cooked a yummy dinner. Had a lovely evening :) Saturday morning was fine and I liked all my courses. Started with a tricky G1-3 Agility for Hoax, she flew round and my fault for not directing her over a jump, she jumped long and then coz I just stood and gawped at her she came back and backjumped! Doh! The other run was an agility, she flew round, and I stopped her contacts properly, she just doubled up on her weaves. Nic thinks it is lucky she did that or would have won which I don't really want quite yet! We finished with another jumping course. I stood in the wrong place to release her and got her Ed. She worked well otherwise. Boo was fab. Three runs and three clears! Good boy Boo!!! Sunday dawned to rain, rain and more rain! This meant I didnt get to run either of my dogs and we left the show early boohoo :(


Monday was Vyne, and despite some drizzle the weather started ok and got better and better! First up was Boos Champ class. He ran well in the agility and listened and was clear! Jumping not so lucky, he missed a weave entry!?! Odd for him! Then got himself Ed in the wrong end of the tunnel- ah well- I havent really got the focus for a champ final right now. Boo also did a nice Olympia run, only for me to miss out a jump after the tunnel on the straight home run! Silly me! Hoax first run was 1-7 Olympia qualifier. I was not focused for this at all and it showed. My timing was way off with her! Ah well, still more runs left. Finally I ran Hoax in her 2/3 jumping. It was a nice course with a few bits that caught people out, she had a turn off a jump at the 3rd obstacle and also after the first long run into the snake- dogs were pulling off the top jump. I knew I had to work her first turn then start running to push out before the snake. Anyway little Hoaxey flew round, a few wide turns again but quite quick. She got the weaves right at the end and we were home and clear! Whoohoo!!! She went into the lead again and thats where she stayed! Little Hoax had her second clear round and second win! Yay! I also ran Nics dog Linx in G5 jumping, I hadnt walked it so things were slightly out of place when I ran him but Linx worked well, coming 10th in the end. I was V pleased with all my runs today! Very happy (and fat) me!!! x

Weaving Merlie

Just had to share this photo of Hoax weaving. It was taken at WBSDS this past weekend. I love it for a number of reasons. She really looks focused on the job ahead, I love how her weight is all shifted into her rear and she is using her tail to balance. I also like the fact you can see her 'one stride' weave method. It's intresting as I can see just how much she has to extend to make this work as a small dog!

Hoaxey is a star!

Well done my little girl. You did me proud this weekend x

We went to WBSDS this weekend and the weather was fantastic! Saturday I got there early for two runs with Hoaxey. First a jumping course which was really nice, then the agility... I walked both. The Agility had seven weave poles in it, it was also extremly tight and twisty for her. This was supposed to be Hoax' first run. I was concerned that the odd weaves would cause issues for her and didnt want this to reflect on the rest of her runs so decided to pull out of that one. Her jumping was lovely bar her weaves again, she got her entry but doubled up on the next one. However the reattempt she completed perfectly, so a big improvment on last week. This run was at about 8.45am. She then had nothing until 5pm ish! It had been such a long day! I was so dissapointed when I walked the course and it had SEVEN weaves again!!! Oh No! Ah well, the rest was really nice and flowing and I wanted to try my scoop over the last jump of the snake so decided as it was end of the day I would give it a shot. Carol Dicker gave me a pep talk in the queue and I setup fully expecting her to miss the last weave but willing to give it a try. I decided to just attack the weaves properly and see what happens. I couldnt belive it when she got them all. I suddenly had to shift into gear and shouted 'Go go' to send her off to the tunnel for collection out of the collapsible. She flew round the rest of the course. She was quite wide as I think I was panicking a bit, thinking we may actually go clear, and the run for home nearly killed me but we did it! She had a clear round! I was so proud of her and happy, she then had hugs from everyone and got very spoilt. The icing on the cake was that she actually won the class! Clever little lady. I am very happy today! I have no doubt that we are nowhere near cracking the issue with our weaves but they ARE improving all the time and thats enough for me, for now :)

Boo was also a total star, he is really working well right now. I ran him in three classes, he went clear in two (and went clear in his run off there aswell, winning that). His Agility was just a training round. The only non clear was totally my fault. Then on Sunday I only ran him in the teams which he went clear in aswell! He is just an angel and my boy. I love that dog sooo much! I also got a chance to watch lots of Boo babies run this weekend including: Java, Missie, Chase and Jigsaw. They are all doing so well and I am proud of every single one of them!

Good Little Hoaxey

Well, we had a good nights training again this evening. Hoaxey was a great dog and flew round the course for me, she is even turning well and is still giving me speed through straights and turns, her weaves and contacts were fab too! I love watching her through a tight fast turn, we had one last night where they were hitting a jump at an angle and then had to turn back on themselves over that jump towards the tunnel, she read the rear cross beautifully and when she turns she wraps her back legs under her body and twists at the sametime, it's a slightly odd way of turning (most neat dogs I see extend their back legs to wrap a wing) but it works for her!

The frustrations of a young dog handler

The weekend started off with a training session with Toni Dawkins on Friday, Hoax was first followed by Boo later on. Hoaxey was really a good girl, she ran very well and weaves, contacts etc were fine. Her weaves need more independance as she is still not staying in them if I run off too far and she stops too late on her contacts when I do the same so this is definately something we need practise on. Otherwise she was really good. She did her scoops, dig strides, wrong end of tunnel etc etc- I was so proud as she was turning quide wide when Toni saw us last and she has now improved a lot!

Boo was PM and was just fantastic. I LOVE that dog, great contacts, fab weaves, good turns etc etc. He really is working extremly well, despite lack of training from my side!

Well, this weekend was Wallingford. Saturday was grey and wet which meant I didn't get to run at all (I decided at the beginning of the year NOT to run when it is wet out as it isn't worth risking anything) so Boo ran pairs for Nic and teams for Stuart. He was a really good lad and went clear in both runs. My angel lad!

Sunday was Small/ Medium day which meant Hoaxey time! We started with G3 Agility. She set off flying and then cocked up the weaves... grrr. The rest was perfect so it was dissapointing but I wasn't too worried. Next up G3-4 Agility, Start was jump, weaves. Still went wrong! Then pairs and she set off so fast I didnt turn her properly at jump 2 and she overshot it- ah well- but then we STILL messed up the weaves! Finally a lovely G3 Jumping course, guess what- yup weaves again! The frustrating thing is that the rest is looking so good. She has her confidence now in the ring so is certainly quick enough, contacts are nice, turns, sendons etc but she attacks the weaves like a total beginner!

Well I know we need more practise and proofing on them at home. So this will be my focus for the next few weeks. I will also try very hard not to let it become an issue in the ring as she will just get more stressed about them so we will try to not worry.

Feeling a bit low about it today- especially with everyone elses successes this weekend- I am incredibly pleased and proud for and of them but wish we could just get round a course too! :)

Oh Boo ran pairs and got another clear round for me this time- we would have had fantastic runs except for the fact that Tassle went off for a five second mid course sniff! LOL we still came 7th!

Ah well- I still adore my little merlie girlie and I know she will be just fine soon enough!

Not much happenening

Well not much has been happening agility wise. We have been sorting out baby stuff mostly and dont seem to have enough time to do everything!

This Friday however we have training with Ms Dawkins at my mums venue- lets hope for sunshine! I cant wait!!!

What a weekend!

Well, this weekend was Scrambles show which I try to help Stu organise. I took a backseat this time, partly due to the fact that I am very busy at home and Stuart is not working!

Thursday AM I packed and got everything ready to go. Dogs in van and all I had to do was hitch up. Hmm caravann wont fit on towhitch as it hits the towing bar. Off to Halford to ask them to fit extension plate... oh we dont fit ANYTHING to do with the towbar- the helpful teen behind the desk says... Grr so new plan, I will go without the caravan and Nic will tow up after work on Fri eve. I will stay with Mum and Stu.

I felt like a bit of a spare part on arrival at the show as I couldn't lift anything but we got setup ok and all ready for Fri.

What a scorcher- by the end of the day I was shattered but the weather had been gorg! How fab. Sat we started to cool down a little, Sunday we woke up to a few inches of SNOW! OMG we were sooooo cold today!

Anyway- all in the show went very well bar a few organisational hiccups I ran my dogs Friday and Sat and they were fab although my handling left something to be desired as it always does when I am helping and running. Boo managed a 4th and a 2nd and Hoaxey so NEARLY had lots of clears bar weave entries and handling mistakes!

Roll on the next show!

No Dog Stuff

Well not much doggy stuff been happening! We spent last weekend seeing family and sorting some stuff out for the baby. Just started to decorate the Nursery and buy cots etc etc- It's soooo expensive! LOL

Oh we also had our 20 week scan and we are having a boy! Nic is obviously over the moon, and as he has also started feeling him kicking (bluddy hard I might add) he feels quite close to little one. My belly is also growing LOADS now and is showing! Feeling like a fatty for sure! tee hee

Hoax and Boo haven't done much this week as I haven't had a chance. Nic has Linx back now after a visist from the Mctimoney so fingers crossed he will be fine for Scrambles UKA this weekend!

Well as I help Stu run the show, I am leaving today to help setup. We then have three shattering days but usually fun aswell. This year snow is forecast on Sunday- eek! So I have packed my hot water bottle for the caravan and will be sneaking the woofers in with me too.

Maybe the weather will change and we will have a hot weekend.... heres hoping!

On a high!

I had a fantastic training session with little Hoaxey last night.

We trained with Nic at our own club and just had a little group of four dogs. The dogs are all very different; there a mad red collie 'Flea', thoughtful BC 'Kez', sweet little Duck Toller 'Tag' and Hoaxey.

All the dogs are so incredibly different that it makes a lovely, lovely little group! Nic set us some tough excersises that I never thought I'd be able to do with Hoaxey, she was fab! IF I get my timing right her turns really are extremly good. I have to get places in advance for her though, the knack is to really trust her and send her out to work quite a lot on her own, then I can be there for her turns. She is quite aware of my body language so is good at watching my shoulders if I turn and does respond to that. I just need to make sure that I am turning early enough for her to see BEFORE she has commited to a line. We really had a great time- hope it continues!

Easter Celebration Show

Well Saturday morning we got up at 5.15am. Got dressed, packed the van and left home...

Forty five minutes later, driving through the snow and wind we decided, sod this, and turned around. We took the dogs for a lovely early morning walk and curled up on the sofa with the dogs draped around us, and a movie or two on our lovely big TV.

Sunday we had to go down to Easter Show as I had arranged to meet a lady, who has a bitch, that she wants to use Boo on. So again, up early but the weather seemed much better... hmm

Got there nice and early and walked a connections agility for Boo (once someone had explained it to me)! And Hoaxeys Agility class. Hoaxey first and she set off well. We got the weaves, yay, just round to the DW.. Little cow! She realeased herself off the DW! Now looking back I can't for the life of me remember if I actually told her 'target' which is her stop cue, if I don't say it I don't expect her to stop (it's to do with the way I trained her) so she can have the benefit of the doubt. Nevertheless, my brain was still back at the contact and I messed the rest up. Boo was very naughty in his Agility and he jumped off the AF. So I walked him out! Aargh- little sod- trains perfect contacts all winter- comes out into a show and bam! LOL. By that time the snow was getting very heavy I was cold and miserable... boohoo!

So not so good a start. If I hadn't had to wait around to meet Boos wife I would have gone home there and then.

I had lunch, relaxed and then walked Boos G7 Agility. It was a nice course but too twisty for Boo to do well in. Nevertheless he ran a lovely clear for me! Good boy Boo!

Just Hoaxey left now. She had G1-7 Helter Skelter and Grade 1-5 Jumping left. I walked the HS and as she was early went straight off to get her. It was a tough course for a young dog like Hoax. As I was queing they started walking her jumping next door, there were seven dogs or so in front of me so Nic held Hoaxey in the queue and I ran round her jumping twice. I turned round to see ONE DOG in front of Nic! Aargh! Ran back over, played with Hoax and off we went. She negotiated the start quite well- good girly, accellerated round the outside, then. I got lost. I really shouldnt have come out the queue to walk her other course but had to as they started it by the time Hoax had run her HS. It didn't matter I got lost, we just carried on and pretended it was all ok. She was a little star, even doing a wall for me which she has never ever seen before.

Finally her jumping, it was a nice course for us. She set off and did the first bit beautifully. I knew I had to get her to shorted her stride at 9 or she would jump long and pick up the pipe tunnel. I asked her to 'steady' which she did perfectly, while I front crossed, then I made me mistake... I waited to post her in the collapsible before trying to accellerate to the end to get her over jump 11 which was offset. I jus was too slow and she checked back with me what to do, I then had to coax her over no. 11 and that put me behind at the entrance of 13 (pipe tunnel) she obviously beat me out of that and checked again. We got to no. 16 and again she just checked before taking the jump before the weaves- sorry Hoaxey! We were still clear but she had lost a little confidence by now and missed her weave entry. I took her back round and she finished perfectly. She really was fab here. She did exactly what I asked of her and listened and shifted when asked. I was over the moon with her last two runs and am sure another clear round isn't far off...

Oh also the lady who came to see Boo liked him very much and is going to use him on her blackrobin highlander bitch at the end of the year. She is a red tri BC 'Zeph'. I met her and her daughter Uno and they are just gorgeous! I am sure it will be a lovely litter!

Chippenham Sml/ Med show

Well ups and downs for Sundays show.

We started off with Med 1-3 Jumping (as per video) it was a lovely course and just six weaves. I brought Hoax into the venue and she was a little worried. She was hugging my arm with her paws which is always a sign of worry. The lady booking us in asked us not to play with our dogs in the queue as it was offputting for the dog running. The reason being was that we were queing inside the ring but cordoned off from the dog running by barriers. So in front Hoax had dogs queing and behind, to the left side was people watching with their dogs and on the right was the barrier. She started to relax on the start line as I could play with her but she wasn't quite switched on. The weaves were second and she just wasnt quite with it, anyway as she carried on round the brain started to relax and enjoy but she still wasnt quite my Hoaxey and felt steady for her :(.

Next was the agility (as per course plan below), I ran late in this and it was quiet up at that end, she set off nicely but a little slow again, at no. 6 I was planning on a FC but didnt quite get there in time so changed to hanging back, I think this gave her an odd cue and she flipped right round the wing of the jump. I carried on and pulled her round that far wing of 6 pushing her through to no. 7- messy but clear still! The whole way round the course she felt like she was seeing other lines and it wasn't her neatest or fastest run, I still didnt feel like she was herself. She however gave me nice nose targets on her contacts and tried bless her resulting in her first clear round at a 'proper' show! Bless!

We then sat around for AGES and had Grade 1-7 Ag and 1-7 Steeplechase. Agility first and she was feeling more Hoax like, we had a wide turn and she came out weave 11 but feeling quicker now! Finally the steeplechase, It was tough for a baby dog like Hoax (see plan, yes it IS the back of no 3 and the wrong end of the tunnel at 13)! Where I set her up she was next to the timer, this put her off a little and she came round the first jump, not to worry I carried on, she did the rest nicely including a wrong end of the tunnel without blinking and felt more like the Hoax I am used to.

I hope she relaxes more and lets rip when she works as I know there is much more under the hood. I guess its my nerves as much as hers too!

Anyway- also watched the amazing Dizzy- wow! She is fantastic and I have added a vid of her here. I think she is so far in front of Hoax in terms of competing and training at the mo. Oh well- no rush really :) We also watched little Marli running who is looking extremely good aswell!

Darling Don...

Well it was training at MAD last night and we had the lovely Don Curtis. He specifcally set up excersises including weaves and contacts so me and the Hoaxey monster got a chance to practise them- thanks Don you are a darling!

We started off with some fast sprints round the outside using all three contacts and Hoax was great. She regognised the seesaw and DW without a problem this time (she has been confusing the two) and did them nicely. Her seesaw is already improving, she is stopping about a foot from the end now instead of stopping three foot from the end so is nearly in FP by the time the SS hits the ground. Much better! AF and DW were good although still more speed needed- but then I guess we will always think that!

We also worked a lot of weaves, Hoax finds weaving very tiring at the moment so I dont like her to do too many reps. we did straight line starts into them and also some left handed entries. Her straight entries were lovely, she is really checking stride to get into them (thanks for noticing Yvette) x Her left handed are not so good- but that'd ok, we can work on that.

Overall she was really good, we were both shattered when we got home but happy. I feel fairly ok going into our first show this weekend...

Happier Now!

Well last night I decided to stay at training and work Hoax in Nics group. I love training with Nic, he is picy as hell but always gives you a way to fix it so you feel positive after his training sessions.

Hoaxey was a very good girl tonight (besides doing the 'medium merle belly slide' on the start line) which I had to keep correcting. She is so twitchy on her starts/ waits and I am not sure I will ever change that. I think her start line will be a constant challenge to me.

Her speed was good tonight including contacts. She was very quick accross the ground. I havent worked a small dog before but find she is easier to 'lose' mid course. I always know where Boo is, I can hear him, see him out the corner of my eye and feel him jumping. Hoax is light footed and seems to jump silently, because she is never above knee height it seems much harder to know where she is, unless I am literally watching her. Therefore running ahead and leaving her to jump a fast line is hard for me as I can't really sense what she is doing!

We also have a small issue right now of the mix between speed and tight turns. I have done quite a lot with her getting accelleration out of turns. which is fine until you have two in a row. It means she completes the first turn nicely then puts power on immediately making it near impossible to get another neat turn. I guess this is the downside of a medium collies- they commit so early to a jump (jumping long and quite flat) that a turn has to be well cued. However, after rattling on about this I am not to worried. She is gaining confidence and I would prefer her to be a quick dog rather than a steadier one who watches me all the time.

I found it so intresting watching the Mediums at Crufts this year and comparing Hoaxey to the top dogs. Minx is still probably the fastest dog I have seen. I don't know what she was like at full height but she just skims accross the ground so very fast. She must be scary to work as she just doesn't waste a split second in the air or anywhere else she seems to win if she goes clear regardless of the odd wide turn! I also loved watching Jo Lathams Jinny, she is so elegant when she works and really stretches over jumps, she has the speed again but seems to have some lovely turns when she knows they are coming. Lisas Chi was fantastic at Crufts, I think his weaves are quicker than any medium dog out! He looks like he works so well on that surface and just didnt seem to have trouble with anything! They did make it look easy!!!

The thing all the quick medium collies seem to have in common are they tend to drift quite wide unless the KNOW the turn is coming. I think it is to do with jump trajectory again. The shelties running in medium however don't seem to have that, they jump quite a lot shorter and although are really fast don't seem to have the same issue at the collies. I wonder if it is to do with stride length? (But I have heard that one little medium merle called Dizzy is coming out who has speed AND the turns)!!! I think I will be having the jumping long issue with Hoax. I have always encouraged her to stretch over jumps which she now does, she can bounce a fair few distances and does so on quite a few excersises and courses. Just wondering if you get that with shelties or if they tend to add an extra stride?

Anyway, Hoax did the excersises really nicely bar the odd turn- I think they are fantastic excersises for Novice dogs and hope we keep the same setup next week!

Moaning Mand...

Ok, ok, so I missed Monday this week! Sorry Mand- happy now? LOL

Being self employed is fantastic- it means you get to take time off when you want... being self emplyed is pants as it means when you take the aforementioned time off, you have a TON of work to catch up on aswell! Not only are we keeping up to date with the Embroidery business but have also now begun Printing T Shirts and are adding more private agility lessons onto our diaries! Have a peek at http://www.sew-what-uk.com/ I think they are wicked!

Crufts! I LOVED it! Alright, so I have done Crufts before but the surface this year felt fantastic and the crowds and competitors were as great as ever! At first glance, the course looked awful on paper- horrid angles and all sorts of traps- aaargh! Upon walking it it had a much better flow and I was quite looking forward to it. My biggest concern was 2-5 as I ALWAYS lose Boo on these things as he tends to drift wide and not watch me- he didn't he was perfect! Ok so he didnt stop on his contacts quite how I planned but he really did run well- you can see in the vid he glances at me after the bottom of each contact, thats coz I thought he'd stop and as he hadnt was standing still and saying nothing!!! The standard in the teams was so high this year that nothing other than four clears was really enough to get through. We had 5 as a team so didnt quite make it but the dogs and handlers were great- well done guys! All in all Boo had a great day. He loves Crufts, Olympia etc so he came home grinning!

Sunday we did a training session with Stuart Carter. I worked Hoax and although was pleased with her, it doesnt feel we are making the progression that I had hoped for. We seem to have stopped improving for a bit now. Oh well- hopefully it will get better again.

This week I am not training Boo at all as I want to concentrate on Hoaxey. She is supposed to have her first show at Chippenham on Sunday so am hoping to work her at our club on Wednesday then at MAD on Thursday. Maybe I will get some confidence back.

Anyway- enjoy the vids etc! There are more on http://uk.youtube.com/user/gemmahanekom

Crufts

Well Boo-man has Crufts this Thursday. He has qualified for Teams! We have Stu & Storm, Mum and Tyke and Sue and Sassy also as part of the team.

My friends Heather and Michelle are travelling with me and grooming for the day. Then Friday we are going up as a group of five girlies just to natter, shop and watch! I am really looking forward to my Crufts days as I have been working very hard lately and looking forward to a day just enjoying and induging.

Thursday should be good aswell. Boo adores being taken out for the day and he LOVES mad places like Crufts. I know he will be a good boy and a happy lad when he is there. We have been working hard on consistency lately so I have quite a bit of confidence heading towards the day in the knowledge that if anything goes wrong at least we have done our prep :)

I have my bag, passes and camera ready to take. All that is left is to clean the van out on Wednesday and fill up with fuel etc. Give Boo his bath and groom (leaving his nails loooong) and put his crate, leads etc in, ready for 5.30 set off! Ouch!

Oo forgot to say- we as Sew What have sponsored our clothing so we all have wicked polos to wear :)

Monday Posting

Ok, so I don't know why I always end up just posting on Mondays but there you go!


Had a good week and weekend.


Thursday Hoax had Agility at MAD we did a short agility course which I really enjoyed running. It was big and fast and Hoax really flew round, including nailing some nice independant contacts. I was very pleased with her this evening- although our turns seem to have been sacrificed for speed right now!

Martyn also dropped Eddy off Thurs night as we are dogsitting him whilst Becky has her babies!

Friday Becky had the twins by C-Section. Mum and babies are doing well and Martyn is now Dad to two little girls, Mia and Niamh (Neeve). Both babies are around 7lbs- how on earth did Becky do it!?!

Saturday: myself, Heather and Sophie had a lesson with my mum. We began with some jumping sections which Hoax did very nicely, she felt a bit steadier today which allowed me to get much neater turns. We then went onto weave excersises, I have posted some of these below. I was really pleased with Hoaxeys entries- she got them nicely and without me intefering. She still doesnt like me getting ahead too much though so this is something I must work on. She got really tired at the end and started to get distracted- it's annoying when that happens as I wished I had ended the session 10 mins earlier whilst I was still happy. In the end- the final excersise went pretty badly- but she was tired and there was no point in pushing her so we quit then- it felt we ended on a downer :(


Sunday was obviously Mothers day, so we went over to Walton On Thames and took Mum and Stu out to dinner. My brother came too and we went to a GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen) they do the BEST and BIGGEST burgers there! Afterwards we went back to Mums and had a play with Kandi- Stus new pup. She is so fantastic- full of play and no fear at all, def my kinda pup- Oh and shes cute too!

Nice weekend

Well Saturday I was lazy and didn't do a thing except chill with the woofs, we had a lovely day on the sofa, relaxing and resting. I wasn't feeling great so it seemed like a good excuse to watch movies and hug my woofers!

Sunday we travelled to Catherson Stud which is the home of UpAndover for an agility match with them. Simon and Lorna Peachey judged and put up lovely courses for us.

I ran Hoaxey in Nursery Agility and Jumping and Boo in 6/7. Boo was up first and did a beautuful agility run with fab contacts. He hit the seesaw sooo fast and jammed his breaks on at pivot but just didnt get any grip and kept sliding right off the end poor sausage! Then Hoaxey up for the jumping- Lorna had set a blast that was a big circle round the outside then a change or direction back to an inner circle then a short sprint finish. Little Hoax flew round and I just had to steer gently- it was a quick course and you felt like they were slipping away from you but we held it together for a clear! Whohoo!

Back to Boo for the jumping- he ran ok but with a wide turn and knocked pole- ah well he worked well anyway today. Hoaxey set off fast in the Agility. She didnt even blink at the AFrame which was the first trap after 2. The turn onto the long jump was awkward because they couldnt see the long jump and it was at a rear cross, she started to pull in a little so I had to correct her line- she took this ok. I think at jump 7 I must have begun to move becquse she started to pull off again- I corrected her line but pushed her wide towards the tunnel! Whoops! I wanted her to respond to the F/C so took her over jump 7 again- she exectuted it perfectly this time and flew accross the DW to nose target. Next trap was jump 10 to AFrame- people werent seeing this line and the dogs just needed a call to move their line. Hoax ran this well and DID see the Aframe but responded to the fact I was heading towards the tunnel and her verbal call and shifted her line towards the tunnel. Towards the AFrame I knew I wanted to get ahead of her for the last two jumps because of the angle. As I recalled her I just saw her hit the up of the A- sail over the apex and without touching a foot on the down ramp land right at the bottom holding on with a paw then reversing back to nose target- she tried soooo hard to stop I couldnt be angry LOL!

Overall both dogs worked well. Hoax won the Nursery Jumping which was great, coz not only was she competing against all heights, but the large dogs even jumped medium. She ran it in 17.91 - four seconds ahead of second place! Clever baby girl!

We enjoyed the day very much and came home tired and proud of my woofers

Boo Babies- Yay!

Megan (Harrjak) has now had her pups from her last meeting with Boo! this is a repeat of a fab litter born a few years ago. She has had 2 boys and 4 girls- all tris, one red tri (bitch). They are all well, healthy and are clasically marked. I will update my site soon. In the meantime have a peek at Chels site http://www.harrjak.co.uk/meglitter2.html and here is the first born boy-aaah!

Shattered but happy

Well. What a great weekend. UK Agility was great. Boos Agility was first and I ran NFC. His contacts were lovely and solid and he really worked well. Hoax then ran her jumping, the start was jump- weaves, she hit the weaves fast and didnt wrap her body back for the third pole so we reset her weavs, she did the rest of the course very nicely with some sendons and bounces- what a good girly. Boos jumping was ok although he had a pole. Hoaxey did a really nice agility run and if I hadn't run NFC would have been clear. I was really impressed with a few bits: Her start she ran straight up the line, allowing me to cut accross slightly, I saw lots of dogs pull in early so was really pleased. Then 8/9 to seesaw. A lot of dogs headed for or went onto the AFrame. I was determined to trust Hoaxey here so from the DW I just sent her off to run the two jumps on her own so by the time she came over 9 I was already nearly at the seesaw- she didnt even blink the wrong way! Then we had jump to weaves. I wanted to let her find the entry so decided to wrap her around the far wing of 12 and let her find her own entry- she did this perfectly! The rest of the course was neat and fast- yay!


Sunday saw us training with Toni Dawkins. We had quite a big selection of standards so each excersise took a while to get through. Hoax worked her contacts nicely- well Toni didnt slag them off too much so they must have been ok! LOL Toni gave me some help on timing which was our only real issue. If I cue Hoax properly, then she reponds just fine. Toni said it is fairly typical of medium handlers. Medium dogs seem to pick their line really early so it is up to us to show them where they are going in plenty of time. Toni mentioned that Hoax works simular to her own medium collie 'Minx' so could see where I was going wrong and why. I really enjoyed it and took home lots of tips and things to practise!

I cant wait for the weekend to begin...

Whohoo! It's the weekend!

Hoax and Boo have both had a good agility week. Hoax flew round courses all week gaining more and more confidence. I don't think she is the speed demon some mediums are but hope her neatness will make up for it.

Saturday I am going to Cheltenham for a UK Agility show. Purely to 'train' Hoax and Boo in the ring. Yawn- an early start just for training!

Sunday we are having Toni Dawkins back over to train us- yay! I really like training with Toni and am sure she can give me tons of tips to help with Hoaxey. I missed out on workingwith her last time she came over as Hoax was in season so have kept my little girl wrapped in cotton wool this week in total determination NOT to miss this one.

Oo also I guess I should post a pic of Baby Hanekoms first ever photo shoot. Here is my scan photo (How clear is that)! taken at 12.5 weeks (I am 15 weeks today and wondering when I will fit back into my jeans) boohoo!

Wonderful Weekend

SATURDAY Well, we started the weekend with a mini Crufts practise session with Boo, Storm and Tyke- Sassy sadly couldnt make it but I wanted to practise some courses and contacts. I was generally very pleased with Boo. his waits, contacts and weaves are all good and he is listening well to me. I just am practsing working him steadily ad clear which is all you need for the teams. We followed this with an Agility Lesson from my Mum. We go there once a month and work Una (Heather), Jinx (Sophie Macbeth) and Hoax for an hour. This week we did weave entries with Channels, a mini course with recalled and sendaway contacts with some snakes and turns then some straight line weaves and some rear crosses. I was so pleased with Hoax, she seems to have mostly cracked her weaving, bar the odd hiccup, he sendaways, wing wraps, rear crosses, fans etc all worked just neatly! Her contacts were nice aswell. The biggest issue at the moment is distinction between the seesaw and the dogwalk. I have always had different verbal cues for each but she just isnt realising what she is heading onto. Her DW when she knows what it is is lovely, SS the same. But she flies the seesaw then 2nd time realising what it is a a little shaken she creeps it. DW she creeps then bails off the up as she cant figure out why it isnt tipping! Aarggh! Well lots of DW then SS reps I think!

SUNDAY Good day today, both Hoax and Boo worked so well. Boo had 3 clears from 3 runs which is totally what I wanted- not the fastest ever but then I wasnt puching for speed, just consistency. He still managed a 3rd and a 4th though in the Jumping and Steeplechase. the surface also made Boo slip quite a bit which is extra good practise for Crufts! Hoax was a little star. She balked a few times at the DW in the Agility (SS issues again) so I helped her with that as soon as she realised it didnt tip she ran straight into nose target position. The rest of the course was foot perfect- she worked her turns and sent round the fans so well! Jumping started very well and except messing up in the weaves this time- she worked the rest of the course as a Clear Round! Her straight lines and turns were even fab. I walked out the ring pleased with her but worrying a little about her weaving- I thought we'd cracked that! Final run was the Steeplechase. Don set a flat out straight up M shape course using tunnels and a fan for the turns. I think some people over handled this so I just worked the whole course with a few rear crosses. She flew round clear! We had some nice bounce strides where needed and a few neat turns on her fan. I was so happy with her and she loved it- we both finished the day grinning. I had to leave early as I was shattered but was over the moon to get a text from yvette saying Hoax had won her class!!! Whoohoo! Times were hard to gauge as it is all run on manual timing. Timekeepers changed between classes and sizes so I can't realistically compare Hoax and Boos times as I know manual timerkeepers can be out by a few seconds depending on when/ where they stand/ press the button etc. It just felt great and thats enough!

All in all, both dogs had lovely, secure waits. Good contacts and not one pole or off course Elimination in all six runs x I Love my dogs!

Planning, prep and more training

Well I finally managed to get hold of Dave Ray this week ref. having the same handler throughout for Olympia qualifiers. He confirmed what I suspected in that ONE handler must run the dog from qualifier to semi to Olympia.

Baby Hanekoms due date is the 08.08.08 which means Hoax semis which are at KC Festival on 08.08.08 are OFF for me... boo hoo hoo. So that means Nic gets to run my princess in her first season for Olympia Qs. I must try not to be too harsh on him!!! LOL.

There is no point in him running Boo as he just can't work the way Boo needs to be run. I will just have to hope that at least Large dog semis are on varying dates so hoping bump isn't too big!

Boo is back after his two month break over December and January and is so happy. He spends his lessons woofing and wagging and is flying at the moment. I so enjoy working him, his enthusiasm, and drive at agility make working him a dream!

Hoax is also continuing to improve. I am now happy enough with her seesaw to run her in the ring and she is finally feeling happy straight line weaving. We went onto the V Weaves for her so she could learn to stretch her stride for single pacing. I have not by any means trained her for single strides as I always thought her stride length too short for it, but she has chosen to single pace and it is my job to help her with that. We seem to be mostly there now although she still makes mistakes. I think I will keep having to pop back onto Vs for the next few weeks to keep her stride correct.

Lots of Agility booked for this weekend- Yay! I have a lesson with Mum on Saturday which I share with Heather and Una and Sophie and Jinx. All three dogs started in the same puppy class with Nic so it really is a fantastic group. I love training with Mum. She is so positive, and unlike a lot of trainers is adaptive to yours and your dogs capabilities and comfort zones. Boo I know how to run, I know that he is much tighter and faster with me working in front and turning him into me. Hoax I am just not sure yet. She does some extremly neat wraps away from me and then lovely turns towards!

The I have Corton Ltd on Sunday- I will make sure Boos contacts are bombproof in competition aswell as at Training and work Hoaxeys contacts etc aswell. It's a fab show to start pups off at so we will wait and see how she does!

Hoax, Boo and Agility confidence!

Well the princess (Hoax of course) is twenty two months old now and is just feeling like we may be getting ring ready. I forgot when training a dog that it is really two steps forwards, one step backwards.

I am fairly pleased with her jumping and turns. I was quite careful with Hoax to train both from pretty early. I did lots of straight lines into tunnels etc and seperatly did wing wraps and fans. I have now brought them together and am pretty happy with it all.

Her weaves are coming on now and I think she is going to have a lovely, low, single stride action through them. Contacts are ok- not great but ok. I guess contacts are always a work in progress.

I WISH I was a more confident person. Is it just me who analysys every aspect of my dogs working abilities? Straight lines: "that didn't feel fast enough, why was there an extra stride instead of a bounce". Then I go away and work on bounce jumping which she does fine. Turns: "Was that tight enough, could I make it tighter, was there enough speed out of the turn, if I asked for a tighter line would I loose the speed"... and on it goes!

All the above get thought through daily with Hoax. As they did with Boo when he began. I really have no idea yet if my princess will be competitive or not. One day we will work and feel quick and neat, the next feels like she is holding back with her speed and I worry that she won't be fast. I guess a lot of the worry comes from knowing that people will be watching her when she comes out. When Boo started I had been away from Agility for years, I hadn't really ever trained a dog on my own and no one really knew me.

Boo surpassed ANY expectations I had. I LOVE that dog for his sweetness at home and total biddibility and drive for Agility. I really never expected to do what we did, but here we are, and expectations are so much higher for Hoax. People are so sweet when they say that they can't wait to see her work, but that feels like such a lot of pressure!

Well Hoax and Boo are very different and I suspect their results in the ring will be different aswell. I must remember thats Boo was cr&p his first season and we just trained really. I will try not to put the pressure on myself and Hoax and just have fun out this year!

Wow, what a lot of waffling, I will probably decide to edit this post later on when I read it back and think... "Huh"?!?

Why not join the blogging community...

so everyone seems to be starting blogs now and seeing as I spend so much time pouring over them, stealing agility excersises and generally enjoying them. I thought I may as well join the crowd.

I already have my website but don't like to put tons of text on there- just the odd update is more than enough, so I guess this is a nice way of keeping things updated.

I will probably go on and on mostly about Boo and Hoax as I spend enough time analyzing them myself. The odd natter about Nics dogs Kaos and Linx might appear of you are lucky... oh and possible the odd mention of Baby Hanekom if I get REALLY bored... more of that later!