Food shopping!

...I hate food shopping. So after many years of hating it, I decided to do something about it, with encouragement from friends - I tried on line food shopping, do you know what I enjoyed it, although the first time took far to long! the second time, 10Min's and it was done, you just have to be aware of your weights! so you don't end up with too small/too large amounts of anything...... the best bit its turned out cheaper, so far by £10.00, so I'm a happy Bunny.

Agility: What have I been up to. Well the big dogs have been having a rest from agility, lots of nice long walks and bits of clicker training.

Buzz I have started doing a bit of the Susan Garrett's Crate games with him, as he guards his crate from all dogs (except Red) - work in progress and the only bit of agility he is doing is, whilst the Dog walk is on low height I'm reminding him (as I have to do every year) where he needs to be, 2o2o and looking forward, great thing these clickers, it has taken two weeks of retraining for him to remember!

Here is a short clip of this weeks efforts from him, when it wasn't raining!



As for Mindy and Harry.
Harry is training on a Wednesday at Silverwell indoors, he started off not really very happy, but after 3 weeks, seems to be settling down, the jumping lesson is always better than the agility lesson, but having said that, most of his agility lesson last night was good. At home we are just doing running DW to get the speed up, it is on low height and we run around a bollard at either end and race each other up to the other end and throw the toy, which seems to work and teaching/showing him he can run fast over the top.
Mindy comes to watch and chat and seems to really enjoy her time with me in the arena, she goes through a few tricks and sit/stand waits and lots of play tuggy and fetching balls.
I still haven't made up my mind what to do with her contacts yet, as in 2o2o (all have been taught this method - so far) or 4 on the floor or just run like hell - she, I think would like that (running one) but I feel like, we might need somewhere to have a re-group around an agility course, she has a lot more "zest" than Harry, scary to try something new, especially on your own!
The 4 on the floor looks good, except Mindy doesn't like getting wet so trying to teach her to lie down on the wet grass on her little belly is going to be hard, I have been trying the behaviour away from the equipment, she is great using a mat to lie on, but wet grass! She did manage to lie down on the sand last night though. No doubt we will have plenty of wet weather to teach her it though!

31 "Sleeps" untill Christmas!

.....and 7 sleeps, until we can start opening the pockets on the advent calender!
Me addicted to chocolate - never!


Anyway, we had a busy fun packed weekend, I managed to get Ian to come walking with the dogs, so Saturday we decided to do our first walk since being down here on Bodmin Moor, we chose to start and finish at a place called Minions, which was great as it had "Tea Rooms" still open, the weather wasn't good, wet and very windy, Mindy added to the "Not good" bits by deciding to forget her name and charge off in the opposite direction to where we where going, chasing the birds and anything else she came across ummmmmm
So when Ian managed to rugby tackle her to the ground, she stayed on the lead - I'm hoping it was just the wind that sent her over the edge, as Red was going further away from us and running everywhere, although the boys where very good.
We started from Hurlers Halt car park and walked toward the Engine house and then walked off up a short sloop and around anti clockwise in a big circle returning past the stones.

Mental note. Must remember proper coats and hats.

I did remember the camera and got it out when it wasn't raining. Afterward we had hot chocolate and carrot at one of the tea rooms, which was lovely!














Sunday - we had another wet and windy, walk on the beach at Hawkers Cove, we where out for about an hour and half.
I think we over did it on the Sunday as poor Red, Sunday night was very stiff in getting up, by this morning, she was okay and she had another Cartrophen injection today at our vets in Roche.

When we first moved to Cornwall.......

Ian had a, 3 door 200 Tdi Discovery that, which back in Bristol he "off roaded", he had a Superwinch winch attached to the front, a snorkel for those deep water playing/trips out etc.

The Winch had been on all Ian's "off roaders" since I have known him! ....... a Range Rover, a 110 station wagon Landrover (which we travelled to Morocco and back, sleeping in/on and round it for 8 weeks - that's another story, which one day I may get around to telling you about! this was in between dogs) then, another smarter Range Rover automatic, leather seats etc. (but still dented enough to go off road and have a winch/snorkel attached)

We used to spend weekends away in the Welsh Hills, taking the tent and Cassie, our only dog at the time, we used to come home wet. muddy but happy! from the Range Rover, he went to the 3 door Discovery (picture above) which We had when we first moved down here.
Ian got bored with that and wanted something he could off road better so he bought a 90 station wagon Landrover, (off eBay!) which has been a great work horse, carting, wood/bricks/breeze blocks/sand etc. from A-B, but hasn't done much off roading, except around the garden! ............We have struggled taking all the dogs out in it, the "Smalls" sit on the front middle seat, which was fine but the two Reds struggled with not enough flat room in the back.

The picture shows it before, Ian put all his bits and bobs on it!














So along came the new arrival! a 5 door 300 Tdi Discovery, automatic.

Tooo late to post

....Sorry you are just going to have to wait until tomorrow, too tired to take photo's, but I promise I'll do it tomorrow after all the chores are done!
Night, night

News Flash ! !!!!

.....New arrival on Friday! Watch this space........ Oh and here's another video of Mindy and her mates playing on the dunes again.

......If it wasn't for the crunching of snail shells beneath your feet you wouldn't know you where walking on sand, covered in grass. ..........There are lots of rabbits holes - it does scare me watching Buzz charge around miss placing his long legs down a hole or two........ Elaine always said to us, if he makes it to two without breaking a leg "I'll be very surprised"! Well Auntie Elaine's he is almost 7 and touch wood, still has 4 long unorganised legs! Bless.

Perran Sands

......More walking and more socialising this week.
we spent and hour and half wandering around the dunes. I always thought when people said they walked on the dunes, I imagined loads of sand and a bit of grass and a lot of hard work walking, but the Sand Dunes at Perranporth are covered in grass and bushes! you can walk forever! You can see the sea in the distance, next time maybe I should try and walk down to it! it's great walking the dogs here in the rain, you still get wet - yes, but they stay clean - whoppy.

This week I walked all the way up to St Piran's church.

Thanks Lisa, for kindly allowing us (Mindy,Harry and me-I) to walk up there with all your Collies and Heelers - well until the clocks changed. Now I meet up with another doggie friend and her 3 Shepherd pups, we get to meet so many different types and numbers of dogs, it is great for socializing, although if you wanted to avoid dogs you could too!

Anyway here's a picture or two of them all, out and about, oh and another video!







Yummy rabbit Poo! Dogs.

Last Show of the year.....

...Well for me anyway!
Dartmoor Agility Club - I haven't been to this show for a few years, although I've entered it, many times, when the alarm clock goes off so early in the morning and it's pouring with rain and it's so dark - the bed I'm afraid wins! But this morning no excuses, I had a plan! I'd run the agility classes as they where first on and if I'd had a clear round (three chances) then rather than wait nearly 4 or even 5 hours for my next runs, I'd go home! and that is what I did.

I had a great morning, I really enjoyed seeing everyone before Christmas, and hearing of everyone news, as I don't get the "agilityeye" magazine, I don't seem to be able to keep up with what everyone has won or nearly won! Lots of "well dones" and hugs where shared. Not sure whether to mention those or not, unsure how people feel about seeing their names on my blog, maybe what I should do is just use first names and then everyone else can guess who????

But I do have to mention that Davids Sky has had pups, 7 months too late for me! I do love Shelties, but if he can't find a home for one of them, he knows where I live!!!!!
Young Lesley passed her AgilityClub instructors course.
...and Nikki came 10th today and Louise 12th in G1 classes -I'm so proud of you both.
Oh yes and Lorna with Cadbury winning another class! Well done to you all. and.....and.....and..........
great seeing Brian, Maureen and of course Louise and Flashhyyyy and Chris with my mate Troy I could go on, but I won't.
Oh yes, I will mention, Thank You to Nigel for my huge tin of sweeties - I don't know why, but I do - you shouldn't have, She says sitting here munching Merrily away!

Who was my best dog today, you won't believe it, but it was Buzzy, he was fab even though we had 5 on the DW, the rest was perfect for us, I'm still Buzzing from it now!
Red and Harry where clear, but not fast enough for places.
Red turned the wrong way out of the second tunnel, but the rest was spot on for a 9 year old dog, with mild HD, spondilousis (SP) and a heart murmur!
Harry was a little nervous about the whole inside thing, this was his first show inside and his second time at working inside (Wednesday night being the first) I did bring him in earlier on to walk around and try to get him to play and he seemed happy after a while, so I put him back in the car for a rest, anyway his run went like this: he went off from the start line heading straight at Clive-his mate, but I did turn him for the tunnel then up the DW at a steady trot, silly me didn't stand my ground for the weaves, I was going to cross behind, so we had a spin, the rest was nice but steady, hopefully after a winter of training inside he will gain his confidence, for future years, still can't believe he hasn't been competing for a year yet.

I didn't take Mindy, I thought it might be a little bit too much for her! She will come training on a Wednesday first, and see how she copes, she is rather wild!

Lara kindly brought my nice new tyre to the show, which has been on order for rather a long time, but it's here now - now I don't want to put it outside - its too clean!

Little sweet, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth pup, is off to the vets on Wednesday to have a couple of retained baby canines removed, I've also asked for hips to be xrayed and see how they look, and her patellas checked.

She had her eyes tested for KC/BVA and Glaucoma last week and passed. All the Crestie people, keep telling me to tape her ears up, as they are so close to being up - not as big as Harry's, I'm just worried in getting the taping wrong and her looking silly for a couple of weeks, I do love upright ears thou.
Thats it for now.

Here's a very short Video of Mindy and Harry out with their new palls, Perdy, Lucky and young Tally, just to show you, she has improved! Socially

PS. you might want to turn the sound down! HEE HEE

No Room at the Inn!