For all the "Off-Roaders" amongst you.......

It's a long one - Video.

So don't bother watching it......... If your not "into" Off Roading, mud, water, oh and 4 wheel drive vehicle's, although there are a few 2 wheels and the odd three wheel machine!

John and Chris are down for the week on holiday, so Ian took John out for his first experience at "off Roading", Ian was a good boy and kept it gentle!

Mind you the "Disco" isn't kitted out or modified for any serious stuff (Off Roading) YET!

But as Ian said ..."Christmas is coming"

...Bongo's gone!

....The view from the top of one of our "humps" in the garden.

....As the heading says, the Bongo has gone to it's new home, so now I'm car less and have to share Ian's Discovery until we find a smaller doggie motor!
Hopefully we can sort that out this weekend or I won't be able to go and see Mum or have my agility lessons next week.

Now, I must go and mow the lawns - AGAIN

Oh yeah, we bought a second hand tent from the agilitynet site - before the "net" server went down! So better have a dumbie run at putting that up too, at long last a tent that so say "pops up" and can be put up on your own and you can stand up in it - fab.

another group "Ahhh" photo....

Mindy is now learning to wait!

Gosh Harry's ears do look big!

Very Early Morning Walk

Help!

Tips wanted:

How do I become more exciting to Harry, than a teenage boy and a bacon bap in the score tent on the side of a ring!?

I know how Andy Hudson feels now (according to the Hudsondogglets blog) when someone throws their treats on the floor outside the ring, for him and his new young small dog, Kizzy.

Harry started the course (Andy Hudson course too!) fantastically, came around the corner to go past the score tent (on the side of the ring) and past the start, to promptly run into the score tent to see his buddy waiting for him with a bacon roll in his hands - I didn't see who was in the tent at the time, but retrieved him and restarted the rest of the course and he did it beautifully of course! I finished gathered him up after playing with his tuggy for then the "Said "person to come and apologise and say it was all his fault, I must admit I nearly clouted him one! (only kidding)
So I asked "said" person, not to talk, touch or look at Harry whilst he stood talking to me, that was very hard for both of them! We met up later in the day so they could have their usually roll in the grass time together!
Yes I've tried rolling in the grass with Harry too and we love it - he is just too happy to see everyone and loves both two and four legged persons!
Maybe it's just time.
any suggestion greatly received.

Having said that, he ran in jumping class in the next ring, the tent wasn't so close to the ring side and with getting stuck in the flat tunnel and rather a wide "QE2" turn came 3rd. So he can stay in the ring and concentrate.

This weekend he worked a dream in both jumping runs and won one and came 3rd in the other one, I think he's started to read the courses now, so when I have to bring him around on his self, we do have a fight, until he realises we have turned back towards the rest of the course, his weaves are starting to get faster, but I'm sure there is more speed there to come (he is faster at home, but still not as fast as he runs) His agility run, I struggled to get him through a tight pull through, so will be practising more tight stuff, just reluctant to stop his speed, if you know what I mean. But I think as long as I finish on a blast, we might be okay.

Red had a couple of places this weekend, Still waiting for Buzz to have his 2nd clear round of the year!!!!

Mindy has been out and about meeting Ducks, chickens and a noisey cockrell, she is still clean in the house! Her sits and recall are coming on nicely, and I've started to get her walking on different surfaces and started on her downs today.

Toilet training!

I have read the books and listened to people’s ideas on how they trained their dogs.
I heard one the other day which I hadn’t heard before; which is daft as I do train this way! was to clicker train it – never thought of that one!

Well this is how mine, have coped with it all!

Cassie our first Collie
She was a star, she took only two weeks to house train; she was nine weeks old when we picked her from a farm near Bristol. I was working part time so that made it nice and easy to be around.

Red, took 9 months, yes, nine months, she suffered from separation anxiety, we tried an indoor kennel, which she hated (yet now she loves being in a confined space) and would destroy everything that was in it, bedding would be shredded and she would poo and pee in it, as soon as you opened the door to the house you could smell the stress from her barking, it was awful, she was a nightmare. Eventually we where able to start to leave her out of the kennel, some days she would be fine and then other days we would come home to find the curtains pulled down from the windows and seat cushions in pieces, she managed to get over the stair gate to get upstairs to the spare bedroom and poo on the beds! She still will now and again have an accident (Poo) usually when she is excited to go out for a walk or into the garden!
I know another Gemthorne that does that too!

Buzz (another Gemthorne) he took about 6 months, not as bad as Red. He “lets off wind” like an old horse! He can walk down the road, or jump of the sofa/bed, making all sorts of noises - I promise it’s not ME!

Harry was another star, he joined us at 13 weeks and I would say that within a month he was sorted, he is now known as Mr Iron Bladder and has been known to last 14 hours without a wee, especially if it’s wet outside!

Now Mindy, well I’m shocked, we have not had an accident in the house or her kennel since she arrived at 8 weeks! And she will have been with us for two weeks on Friday. Whether it was because we picked her up on the Friday and went straight to a camping show (in a tent) so she had no option but to wee/poo on the grass outside, this week I have even left her on her own for 4 hours, I don’t know why, or whether me writing this “is the kiss of death!” She sleeps at night from 10 straight through to 5-6 am, the first week she would cry about 2-3am to go out for a pee, then she would return to her bed until morning time.

Mindy Pic's!

Mindy has been with us nearly a week!

She has had her nails cut - Thanks to Gail for doing the deed and Alison for the clippers!
Had a bath, been to the vets for a check up, met a man and a walking stick, with a loud voice!

she has learn't her name!

Oh and been told off by Red, for chewing her tail!

All Grown UP!

From this - to this


Suddenly, my baby boy, Harry has grown up, he is two now, where has the time gone!?





Because look what's arrived!















Meet Mindy, yes it is another Chinese Crested powder puff''et!

Spring Watch

Both Ian and I love watching “Spring watch” on BBC2 every year and this year was no exception, we decided to join in with a few of their tips on how to encourage wildlife to your garden and as we love watching the birds feeding from the feeders, which we have located in various places around the garden, we thought we would attempt to make a few bird boxes – Yes, even I used a hammer and off course I got to paint them too (outside of the boxes only) Ian’s boxes that where made free hand were rather large, so I got the measurements from the web site and made some suitable for Blue Tit/Robin rather than blackbird, woodpecker ones!
Not that we have seen any woodpeckers here – Yet !


We had strong winds over the weekend and unfortunately it was too much for one large tree which fell over into the garden at the top near the house – I was very sad and “Mrs Grumpy" all day long. I wouldn’t let Ian chop it up, I made myself do it later on in the day, Yes we get some wood to burn in the winter, we have had to cut so many down since we have been here and I have a soft spot for trees. This one seemed so strong and healthy,we had put some feeders in the branches and enjoyed many an evening watching the birds feeding. That's life, I know.

Ian, started on the foundations of the new sheds today, thankfully the digger helped dig the trench, that's why we bought it – to make life easier.

I worked all the dogs on Saturday, before it rained. We tried doing some “grid” exercises (my interpretation of it!) and also an “S” shape line of jumps, this exercise was mainly for Harry, to get him to see things at different angles and pick up on them, he was good at picking up on the jumps, but I struggled turning him at the end to come back down the line of 6 jumps – it was like turning the QE2. So this morning I did some wrapping around wings with food and a clicker, then a toy and then progressed on to using my "stop arm" as a “Q” – Charlotte on her web page (Red’s mate Ricky, on my links) has done a great video of teaching Ember it, when she came to stay with her, this was totally alien for me, as I have always worked my dogs from behind, I’m gradually learning it! Red is great with it, this may be because now that she is slowing down, I can be nearer to her, Buzz can’t cope with it at all, too many hands/arms moving around and he hates me being anywhere near him (some times!)
Red has her second injection tomorrow, she is becoming a lot more relaxed now and not quite so "Mrs Angry", she has been playing a lot with Buzz, so I think she may be feeling a lot happier. Harry is missing out, as she only wants to rough and tumble with Buzz, he seems to only get to play with us or other dogs at shows or at club, perhaps we will have to get him his own play mate!!!!!
Watch this space.

Time Flies

Buzzy being Buzzy!

Another week has pasted – I’m sure time goes quicker the older you get!

Buzz’s results are back: basically the report says that: He (Vet) can’t really comment on pulmonary infiltrate on these films (x-rays) but there is nothing grossly significant!
Conclusions in association with history supplied:
I recognize a syndrome in Border Collies, which may fit this case. Unfortunately it is not properly documented so the name I give it in my report is “hot border Collies syndrome” affected dogs lie on their fronts and pant excessively, appearing to be week and have difficulty continuing exercise. The mechanism for these presumed hyperthermia cases is not established so management is the only option.
A muscle biopsy may give a definitive answer, but this is a difficult thing to get done on a practical basis.
You should consider other possible causes including intermittent arrhythmias, neurological problems and musculoskeletal pain.
Treatment of these: a short course of NSAIDs

So I can continue for a long as we see that he is not stressed (if we start seeing him stressed then we need to stop doing the things that are stressing him), cooling off before and after exercise might also help, I do already do the after exercise, but hadn’t the before exercise but he is sitting on his cool mat with a cool coat on at shows!
If signs start to get worse and he starts to cough etc. then we need to go back to the vets.

Prognosis – few cases are “cured”

Red started her Cartrophen injections to-day, the information on that said she may be a little quiet for the a day – not a chance she charging around guarding the front gate, but boy is she bad tempered.

Friday was spent mowing all the lawns, clipping the hedges and weeding (well I think they where weeds!) and changing the agility course that had been up for a week.

The weekend was spent being Ian’s Mate! Hold this, pass that etc. The Barn is now finished and has racking shelves, clock and now a dartboard fitted! Next project is the area in front of the sheds/barns, which in the winter becomes a nice mud bath, so we need to put something down, Ian wants to put chippings because it’s cheap, I hate chippings, Cornish chippings are all granite down here and would cost a fortune up country, but its white! You can get the other more colourful stuff but the price difference is silly! One of my friends has just invested in the Grass mat stuff, to do part of her drive. Hope that works, much nicer than looking at chippings!

Sunday – Ian took me too our local Vintage Tractor Rally!!!!!!!
Including, bikes and steam engines, ferret racing, lurcher racing and a dog show!
I should have taken my camera! (May-be not) I get the dreadful feeling Ian wants to change his hobby!
But they did have a little car boot sale and I managed to find some future garden pots, they are old iron drain pipe tops, I thought they may look nice on the end of the only concert stone wall that we have (the other shed) I said I could paint them black, Ian said green! Ummm we will see who wins that one at a later date.

Bloggs

I’ve been trying to work out why we do them?

Keeping in touch with friends and family, was my main aim. One tends to blab away about nothing sometimes and then realise the world can read all about you! Where you live, what you are doing, when your be away. Now that is scary and be warned not to put too much detail down just in case someone out there really really wants to know! And if they do, they can come and ask you in person.!!!!
Scary

My blog came about because of Lisa (she knows who I’m talking about)
She was doing one for her pups, “its ever so easy” she said (if it is so easy, why haven't you updated yours!!!) and that was that really.
I always used to keep a sort of diary when I was younger, well I say a diary it was more of a journal I suppose.

When Ian and I took time out and went travelling for 2 months (after my dog Tessa had gone to doggy heaven and before Cassie arrived, we where without dogs for 3 years!) I left my full time job, which I hated as an assistant manageress of a large shoe shop in Bristol (that was such a long time ago!) Ian’s boss kept his job open for him. We packed our 110 land rover and off we went, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Spain, France and back to the Uk – I kept a journal of where we stayed, how many miles we had travelled, what we had eaten, how the LR had behaved, what the weather was like, how much it cost us! Etc. What is strange is that little pink book has come all the way down to Cornwall and hasn’t been looked at by Ian or I since the day we came back from France! (Mind you, Ian couldn’t read it even if he wanted too – as my hand writing is so very bad – Mum say’s I’ve taken Dads hand writing!)

Family have rung up and said they had fun catching up with what we have been up too and then I heard from friends that “Joe Blogs” came up them to say had they seen what I had to say about….. bla bla bla yes I am surprised at who does actually read it and how they found it!
But then I realise that I too enjoy reading other peoples blogs, mainly people I know, or have heard about, catching up on the agility side and what they are teaching their new young dogs – whether it be a Collie or a Chinese Crested (not that I have found mainly blogs for Chinese Crested!) I love reading about their latest courses they have put up in the garden to train and how they handled it etc. It gives me the push to go out and put something like that up for “me and mine” to practise on.

I haven’t worked out how to put one of those counters on it yet, so we can actually see how many people check in to see what we are up too, the one that also tell us what countries they are all from, looks great.
Maybe someone will email to tell me how to do it? Or even make a comment or two.

So, carry on everyone writing your blogs, I love them.

Now I must go and do some work outside - if I can get that darn strimmer to jump into life with just one pull of the cord! otherwise Ian will be home saying that I have spent all day on the computer! ummmm

Cousins Across the water!

...I went to see my Mum up in Dorset yesterday and my Cousin David and his wife Margarite where over from America, thankfully they are used to dogs as Mum has two retriever's and I turned up with 2 collies and a puff! and my Brother has his 4 dogs, 2 dobb's and two collies for them to meet! Dave and Margarite have a Rotty and a Lab. So by the end of our visit they where well used to other breeds!

Ian has almost finished the new shed, so now we have to empty the other 3 sheds into this one, so we can knock them down and re-build those out of brick! Good job Ian has a digger!
Check out Ian's scary mask on the welder - if you can see it!

Agility wise:

Well Harry pulled it off again, staying in the ring for both of his classes and winning the 1-5 jumping (yes we actually had a class this weekend, without having to compete against the 6/7's, not that I mind!) and his agility was totally my fault, I decided I wanted to practise crossing behind him when he entered the weaves, I just got my timing wrong and nearly kicked him - Poor dog.
note. to my self, must practise harder weave entries.
Red was 2nd in her 6-7 agility, which surprised me as we had a long run to home with a long jump and spread, she has never been good with that, she took off too early for the long jump, but managed to sort her self out for the spread. The Vet called and wants to start Red on a weekly course of Cartrophen (spelling) injection and see if that will help ease her spondylosis, so we start that next week. Thank fully I have some great friends out there in the agility world, that will tell me if they think its time to hang up her boots, if I don't realise it before them. There is nothing worse than watching a dog (whatever grade) struggling around a course, when they could just have a go at any size or retire altogether, I watched a German shepherd this past weekend that should be doing any size, I was surprised that the judge didn't say anything to the bloke! perhaps he just doesn't have the same friends as I have!

OMG - I've got a job! - video

.....It's all been happening here, well sort off. I've gone back to cleaning, ugh but it is money! Cleaning caravans down on the beach. Not much else you can say about it really, cleaning is cleaning, but with the money, well I can go to a couple of extra away shows - so I have entered the Agility Club show in July, whether I can get Ian to come with me - we will see. So my cleaning days are on a Monday and Friday, I can take the dogs with me so I do and then I do a couple more caravans before I've had enough, I don't stop for coffee or lunch so I can be home early afternoon and have time to walk/train my doggies.

We had a weekend show, well it was actually two shows back to back down at the Wadebridge Showground, Saturday - it rained/drizzled most of the day, I really don't enjoy agility in the rain, but I really needed to get back on track with my merry bunch, Harry doesn't seem to mind doing it in the rain, he acts as if he has just come out of a bath and does a few laps of honour, he really is a crowd pleaser and when we get it together I think he will live up to his name "Heads up its Harry" He got a 3rd in a jumping class on the Saturday, it was only my handling that let him down. Bad Boy Buzzy, was just Buzzy, we added a few jumps in most classes and contacts (what contacts!) Red, had clears but no places. ....It was great seeing everyone from Clifton AC and a few friends that we hadn't seen since September last year. Happy New Year to you all!

Thank you, Charlotte for videoing my lot, it is so nice to have these videos, Ian says he doesn't enjoy videoing as he can't see what happens! So now I have to work out again how to, add the videos to the blog in the right size, I do struggle with this sort of thing and running three dogs, especially if there is more than two rings! I'm told it get easier, luckily I have friends saying "have you walked this ring yet" I nearly missed walking one of Harry's. Hey Ho, here goes with the videoing.

I think this will be the last video for a while as Ian will be too busy to come to any of the shows over the next few weeks - we have a mains water leak - we need a digger!!!!!!!

Anyway Here is Buzzy Bears Agility


and Here is Didderly Do, Mrs Woo or Red! Agility.


..and last but not least here is the Puff! Harry Agility.

...I know I let him run his contacts, but if you had seen him the day before when he stood at the top of the "A" frame had a look around then came down slat by slat, and he walked up the dog walk, you would understand!? we are back to 2o2o this week! but I agree I didnt leave him waiting long at the start, so I will have to remember that one!