Monday 29 September 2008

So very sad.....

...Unfortunately, you may already know this, but Bernadette and Dennis lost their beloved Sheltie, Hex. Bernadette and Hex, where an amazing team together and brought a lot of joy to people all over the country, that got to watch them. I learn't such a lot, from them both.

Hex, was just needed somewhere else.

Our thoughts are with them all.

Tuesday 23 September 2008

Not going to Blog......

......It doesn't seem right to tell you how much fun I'm having, what we've been up to etc, when poor Bernadette Bay with little Hex (see other blogs I view/links) is so poorly, not that I know Bernadette personally, but I've followed this partnership for a long time and Bernadette has always had time to answer my emails over training issues etc.
It certainly knocked me for six when I heard how poorly she had been - Mushroom poisoning.

Yes I know life goes on and all that, but some times it is good to stop, be quiet and listen to your own thoughts.
...so that is what I'm going to do-for a little while.

Hugs to Hex and Bernadette.

I'll be back.

Monday 15 September 2008

So what have I been up to with Mindy?

Lots of Play, Socialisation and Clicker training.

She has learnt a lot quicker than Harry, that to play tuggy and fetch the ball is fun, it took me around 6 months before I could say that Harry would play with me almost anywhere, Mindy loves to tug!

We have Clicker trained the:
Sit, down, touch a target, lie down on her target, run to her bed/cage and sit in it.
Turn/spin, to the right and left.
Give a paw-whilst sitting and standing.
Jump onto my lap.
Stand on a home made wooble board!
Figure of eight, through my legs.
She sits in a washing up bowl, stands on the top of it too. Not sure why I taught her that!
And we are learning how to push the skate board along the floor, which I did try to video, but it is hard to do this at the same time as helping her. Have to wait until Ian is around to video.

She has just started to learn the “Elephant” trick.

We are both learning to run around in circles with her on the inside and outside of me, not for long as I’m too fat and unfit.
More Play

She is experiencing:
Standing and walking on/across different surfaces-wood, plastic and metal, sand chippings mud, puddles, water!
She is learning to swim-in Harry’s Hot tub (when it’s warm enough)
More play

She has been handled by, lots of agility strangers and left with them whilst I’ve walked courses! Met the Vet, young kids, old people and walking sticks, people with umbrellas, big hats and cameras and she has taken this all in her stride, she loves people – so far.

Things that I’ve noticed!
She is quite “Yappy” and around her mouth area is very tight, she doesn’t like you touching that area either.
Its great, my friend who is a ttouch practitioner is helping me with lots of tips and she is getting a lot better, although not yet totally relaxed about it, work in progress.

She gets worried if dogs appear from nowhere whilst out and about, she doesn’t cower, but barks at them!
I can help her with this, as long as the person whose dog she is barking at, is willing to help me, I ask them to walk with me, “dog, person, person, Mindy” just for a min or so and then she is fine with them.
I was talking to Lisa about this “thing that Mindy is doing” and she sent me a passage from a book, which made a lot of sense about when they are teething things that where fine one day become the scariest thing the next day and to keep up the socialization, well I think this seems to be whats happening to Mindy.
I took her to Bovey Tracey Dog show and she was fine although she was cheering the dogs on doing agility, she met lots of dogs, all shapes and sizes, got left with various people no problem, then the following week, whilst out socializing she started to bark and lunge at dogs.

This morning I noticed her bottom front teeth missing, she is well and truly teething now, cant wait till this stage is over, she must be so soar, she is picking up and sucking on socks ETC! and cardboard.
She doesn’t enjoy her grooming session yet, but we are getting there and if I want to try and keep her coat longish! Then we need to keep at it!

Otherwise she could end up looking like Harry – he is not a PARTI POODLE


Here she is targeting her "Pringles" lid.

The Gang together

........ Must practise that wait!

Saturday 6 September 2008

Show cancelled due to weather!

Fancy that! another show is cancelled due to the rain. It is so sad for those having spent most of the year organising it and for those looking forward to a weekend in the Dorset country side! lets hope they will be able to resheduel, not that I think I fancy camping in the Bongo in the middle of October - we will have to just wait and see.

Any way it meant that after driving back home on the Friday, I could spend the weekend with Ian. We went for a lovely walk this morning, in Cardingham woods, this was Mindy's first long walk, it's a nice gentle wood, with large gravelled tracks, we followed the bottom route around (shortest) which followed the river up one side and down the other.
The woods I normally walk in, only has a few "human" tracks, I tend to follow the animal tracks, the Collies love it and I think Harry does too, Mindy has yet to do this walk, she will have to wait until she is 6 months-ish.

Anyway here is a little video from our walk and our first group photo, just shows I need to work on Mindy's wait! Please excuse the videoing I should have given the camera to Ian, he is better than me!




Photo's too follow, after I have sent them to Mum to edit their "Red" eyes, if she can, good old Mum!!!