Sennen's first ever KC running orders!

have arrived on the door mat this morning, still in shock that I'm not really sure whether we are ready, yep we can do the basics and we are going to learn a lot over the summer, yep she can weave beautifully IMO, A frame still needs work, dogwalk fine ss fine, we haven't done a "pull through" and still haven't shown her, her lead and toy maybe in a bucket... I think we will just learn those bits as we go along, she has been a total joy to teach and far easier than any of the collies or Puffs, will she be fast? don't know hard to gauge against a "Puff" she still prefers standard height to full, so we may just take a bit of time getting used to that, she try's so very hard for me and is so very naughty to live with... She still thinks she can be sneaky and grab her toy before the exercise is finished and runs around saying "you try and get it.. just you try", which then makes me laugh, but no doubt will be PIA in time! hummm

So her number is 305, does that mean anything to me NO, but it does to some people...
This little rescue girl has brought so much fun and joy to our lives...

And I cant thank Nicky and Jackie enough for letting her come to live with us...

Lazy sunny afternoon's..

Sennen having a rough playing session with her Dad!

Actually he is trying to get her belly exposed to give her a "Raspberry"!!

Now that's a face that has been on this planet before, well I think so.

Harry doing what he does best, sleeping! anywhere will do!

Grass having it's first cut of the year! watched on by Buzz.

"Sennen" Running AFrame

last video of the day, Sennen's slow motion running "A" frames, the 3rd attempt wasn't good, so she wasn't rewarded for that one and she knew it, look how slow she comes down the next time, bless her, love the last one.

We used Dawn Weaver method, you need to check her web page out for details http://www.dawnweaveragility.com/ or follow the link on the right of this page at the bottom.

She's not quite got all her legs sorted yet, but I must admit I don't train it lots, as she's still only 17 months, actually come to think of it the last AFrame she did was in a private lesson over a week ago!
I'm one of those people that don't train everyday with any of my dogs, they are pets first not machines! WELL MINE ARE.
I just hate hearing that some people not only do their dogs not go for free running walks every day but just get their exercise by doing agility, but also that they train their dogs 5-7 x a week, crazy IMO. Right I'll get off my soap box!

Catch up!

We are saying it with photo's today.
My last couple of posts have been all over the place and not quite how I planned them, but I ran out of time and lost my train of thought, so that was it and I couldn't just stop and not post it once I started it...so be it!

Anyway over the moon with little Miss Mindy who did her first 2 anysize runs and loved every minute, although I did see her look around for her Dad, which is why poor Ian cant come and watch her usually, as she leaves the ring to go and find him, but this show she couldn't leave....such a Daddies girl! anyway she got a clear round in the second run and I ran her without out watching her..no video for that run, just one wide turn, she was 5th behind the large dogs....So if you stop and watch her in the anysize classes I'd love a video of her, I wont ask you, but if you see us just video away...PLEASE, THANK YOU xxx

Been teaching Harry to hold things for longer periods of time, as he hates things in his mouth, he's doing really well. Well, well enough for me to take a picture with my little cheap camera that when you press the button a couple of seconds later it takes the photo...sigh...
He is celebrating having lived for over 5 years in Cornwall......Love his ears.

Well and here's Sennen taking it all in her stride! hummm a tired moment...Rejoyce xx

Sennen got in on the act!

Hummmmm

I was in the loo, less than 5 mins with the door shut.....

Just spoken to Elaine...we now have a plan, got to find some wind chimes! tell you later

Thank our lucky stars!

Ian thankfully survived this gate, having not been secured correctly blowing open in front of him as he was driving home last night, in the dark on a country lane, he missed the gate, but hit numerous 6-8 inch trees along the side of the Discovery and then stopping passenger side down in a 6 foot ditch, thank god he was in the Discovery and not my little car, it took him a little while to get out and run back to shut gate before anyone actually hit it...
Anyway the Discovery didn't look too bad until the recovery people came to get it out and they smashed the front window and put a chain through the doors to get it out and squashing the drivers side roof at the same time, so it's now a write off, as you can imagine Ian is gutted he has spent may hours and money getting it ready to rock and roll, oh they tried to drive it out and broke the diff too, not sure how they thought they could drive it out with only the two passenger wheels on the ground..but hey they did!
So we went and emptied of our personal belongings, also please that the both end dog guards where in place as they have taken a bashing from Ian's work tools in the back, but he walked away with no broken bones or cuts, so THANK YOU who ever you are looking after him and long may you continue...

Bet the sunroof leaks now! Only those with Discovery will laugh at that one!

Sennen was spayed yesterday too, poor girl she has just had to get on with it, I stayed with her whilst she had her pre-med and was meant to go back sit with her before she woke up and then bring her home, Nikki came from Canine Remedial Massage for Mindy, so I didn't get to pick her up until 12.30. My vets are great, I did tell them that she had started to guard her crate and I was working hard to resolve this and hoped they wouldn't put her in a crate if there were any other dogs in the room with her (she's fine with people) any way when I got back for her there she was sat on a fleece with a duvet over the top of her in reception behind the desk, how nice is that, great vets Rock View, she is resting now with one of Ian's tee shirts on to stop her licking although I have not even had a look at it yet, I am sure once we have stopped flying around and leave it all to someone else, Ian will no doubt stiffen up and I'll have a cry (may be)

It seems to help having a blog to write it all down!

hummmmm

What do these 3 pictures have in common?
Well this is Jacob, who lives in Somerset and he is Sennen's litter brother, can you see the white GSD in him.....
and just to remind you this is Annie Mummy

So I recon the dad was a White GSD, dont you???

Sennen "go-on work"

I had forgotten you hadn't seen this, videoed it in June a few days after I had hurt my back (and just before Mindy hurting her's) and was I missing a weekend show....pig sick!
anyway I think she did great considering she was going to a dead toy and I couldn't run, no bottom shuffling waits here at this house !!!!!

...Just because, she can!

Had a weekend at home, it was great and relaxing, although we seemed to cram a lot in! from tractors rallies - auctions - to long dog walks - getting the caravan ready for it's summer guests etc.

Lots of things where being sold, from farm machinery, plants, tyres!! as you can see Sennen came too, she always has to walk on things and offers it automatically from tractor seats - to farm trailers etc. We did get some odd looks.

Speechless!

...all because I was playing around with my new birthday present (bought with Birthday money) Ipod Shuffle....Sennen decided to take the toy box outside and destroy it, along with the laundry basket!

So I got my other birthday present a great game for the dogs, she tried using her feet, but I insisted she needed to use her mouth to make it harder to solve.....10 mins later all games done!

No words needed!!

...always know what your "Pup" is up too!

three wise MONKEYS!

Sennen's learnt to play the drums!

Sennen is well and truly part of our family, we have gone a whole week now with the loo roll left on it's holder and the flannel only move when we move them, thankfully she's not so mouthy with us, BUT she still jumps 5 foot in the air to get your attention landing on you, which is a night mare, she will even do it to strangers, Ian's learning slowly to ignore her, when he comes in in the evening but he adores her, mind you it's hard not too, she's drop dead yummy! She's been measured, she's large just a little taller than Red, but way smaller than Buzz, thank goodness.

Anyway "agility" wise what's she been up to...not a lot, as underneath it all I didn't know whether she would do it and I wanted her to mature a bit, although she has been learning lots of tricks and balancing on alsorts of things and tugging and playing with lots of different toys, reminds me I must ask Lisa of www.bungeedogs.com whether I can buy a bungee handle as I need another one.......

I have just put together a game plan now for us and Sue with Holly have joined in too, for 20-30 min's of training now and again, they both have done, tunnels with go-on's through wings, seesaw "bang it" game and run to the end whilst it's up in the air and stay there whilst it lowered to the floor (taking the bang out of it) and walking on dog walk planks on the floor, with end postion, I'm doing it slightly different to Sue, but we can proof it all together so that's fine too, the famous wing wraps, that I keep hearing about till I'm sick of hearing, like it's something new!!

I am trying to teach myself different words for left and right wraps, but I have always found it hard as I don't always get my left and right right, let alone adding more words.... but I'm trying to get better and just maybe we will get to get it right on a course...... wont start the weaves for another few months or so, I am going to teach 2 x 2 like Mindy was taught, although I only had the book at the time and the dvd is well worth a look to see if it's for you. Personally I dont think anyway is wrong way to teach a dog agility, just different and I feel as long as your happy with how your teaching it, then carry on, but I do think you should be open minded enough to look at other methods, so you can make the right choice for you and your dogs, I love trying new ways of doing things, some work and some dont....

So I'm off to go and teach Sennen to empty the washing machine now!

Short and Sweet!

It's been a busy few weeks, Sennen been to Truro Market again, such a good girl watching the world go by, we stocked up on yummy cheese and veg pasties and I bought these tins to put some flowers in or.....I just felt I needed to bring them home, so colourful, yes I know they will rust, but they will give me lots of pleasure watching thing grow in them..... Ian,s bought another Disco off eBay, he wants the engine and gear box to go in his Discovery.....More work. Sennen has her own hot tub to play in...from Argos, I do have the other half if anyone wants it for a small donation! Harry's Hot Tub, filled up and ready to use, well actually it has been in use quite a lot lately, even Sennen has been in, she cant swim well at the moment just a lot of splashing....it's down in the agility garden so anyone that pops over for a session can play in it too..... I clipped Harry coat short or rather I tried to, but I couldn't get the clippers to cut, so I had to use the scissors, so didn't go to close in case I cut him....Helen tells me, I should have used thinning scissors, maybe tomorrow I'll have another go. Mindy been and had her eyes tested and got the all clear, so as soon as she comes into season she be off to see Cookie.....Scary!

Now where did that week go!?

Sennen resting in the sunshine day after her "Op" yes it's all been happening this week...

She ate a squeaker out of toy along with part of the fabric toy too....two weeks later it appeared after a stressful 24 hours.....So we now don't have any squeaker fabric toys out to play with until she is older.....

We then found a warty/lump thing on her front foot that grew in the week and was making her lame, so she had that removed and 3 stitches in it's place...keep her quiet was the orders hummmmm, those that have seen Sennen "On one" will know how hard that is going to be...she hated the stupid lampshade that she came home with (why cant they invent something less stressful for them, than that?)...so Ian's socks came in handy......anyway she is not bothered by the foot, and hasn't had to wear the socks during the day-yet!

They decided to send it of the lumps for tests, as whilst she was sleepy I managed to look at all her feet and found a further two on her back feet....

So that was my week.....
Mrs woo, enjoying today's blue skys and warmth...

Can Dogs shape our lives?

Oh YES, take Sennen for example, she has taught us after at least 7 "loo rolls" destroyed to now put them on the cistern behind the loo up high...We are a bit slow here, we never caught her doing it, just the end result on the bathroom floor or our bed!
The coal bucket having been emptied on numerous occasions on to the only carpet in the house, has a new place to sit .....On top of the TV! the log basket having had wood taken out eaten or chewed up, is now in the utility room, behind a closed door as she has also been known to take the next mornings bones out of the sink in their bag and trot off out into the garden.....

She has taught us, a cry by the door means she wants to go outside, not neccessarly to have a wee, but a tear around and possible dig up a plant, chase the naughty blackbirds or worse still find some thing really manky to bring back into the house to eat......
But best of all she has taught us to laugh loads and remember some of the other dogs antics which I had forgotten about...

We always offer the dogs different types of foods, from wine gums to ice cream to a tongue full of wine to popcorn etc.....which has just jogged my memory of Cassie who liked to eat wine gums...but this day she chucked it around a bit and then we lost interest watching her....to the following day me having a panic that she had a lump behind her ear only to find an orange one stuck behind her ear! Ian and I laughed for weeks after that one and still do.....

Did you spot Mindy blending in well on the throw with Sennen?

Ps. She is also shaping the back of the sofa into a foot stool!

Freaky happy endings!

Love this picture! Tally and Holly trying to come home with Sennen and I, after a walk with Sue...

Many years ago we where walking in Priddy woods, near Bristol/Bath area.

I think Red was with us and Raggy baggy (who was another Collie that used to come and stay for 4 months of the year, every year whilst his Mum and Dad went on their Summer Holidays!)
Anyway we had been walking for a couple of hours and where just coming to the end of our walk, when we realized Cassie wasn’t with us…we called and called and quickly realized she wasn’t just going to turn up…we started back tracking, calling and about 10 mins of back tracking came across her just sat amongst the trees staring at us, we called her but she didn’t move, so we clambered through the under growth to find her sat next to a tree stump with her collar caught on a NAIL on a tree !

Thank god we found her, she didn’t bark or struggle……

Then this morning another freaky happy ending accident!

A thank god you where there moment!

I was in the bathroom, with the door shut, as all 5 dogs seem to want to be in there with you and it’s just too small and Buzz although he has a choice to be in the bathroom with us, has to be in the thick of it and he hates being confined and will fight, silly billy…
So I was in there with Mindy, with the door shut, when I heard Sennen being told off by Harry for being a pain (normal), added to the telling off noise I could hear a thud, thud noise, I opened the door (wished the camera had been nearer, because I doubt you would have believed me!) There was Sennen walking around with Ian walking boot attached to her “D” ring on her collar by the hook that you put the laces around! Swinging between her front legs, she thought it was cool and wasn’t panicking at all!

Bless them all, love them all...they make me laugh, thank GOD

Sennens puppy class trick

I have struggled doing this trick with the "puffs", but at least I have one dog that can do it!

Sennen had her last Puppy class on Monday, she was fab and such a joy....I had decided a while ago that I wouldn't carry on with it, just not enough hours in the day and as the nights are getting lighter, we have so much still to do, but we started on Wednesday going out for a walk with adult dogs for various walks and this week we went to Ladock without her pack to socialise with 2 x GSD (Huge), 2 x Lurchers, 2 x springer, a lab and a long haired corgi!, she was great, having never met any of them before, the only ones she wasn't sure of were the GSD's, but hopefully next week she wont be such a wuss and relax....anyway after about 5 Min's she had wormed her way into the heart of the Corgi and off they went playing.......

All the dogs were defleaded and wormed, yesterday, so that's off the list of "to do's" but unfortunately poor Miss Mindy reacted to Drontal plus and was very sick, we were supposed to be going training and it took me a little while to suss that what it must have been, so we stayed at home.....

Anyway she's better today....phew.

The ground is so waterlogged here, although I have managed to train the smalls, the big dogs can wait a little bit longer as I've not entered any shows until Easter, Buzz is winding down to retirement and I am amazed he has made it to 9 years old, still competing and looking good in a round about way, that only Buzz can do!...Nick fancies doing his last few runs so that's me off the hook.....then he can stay at home with Red (although if she is fit enough I will enter her into the odd local anysize)

And now we "sit on the computer" waiting for shows to come up and madly sending entries off, hoping to be one of the few lucky ones that gets camping, especially as this year will be my last at doing the far away ones, it's been great having Aly to car share, fuel share, food share etc. We get on so well and she knows me better than myself I think sometimes, she has a great sense of humour and she can cook...perfect, but next year, Nick will have his Harrjak pup out and will be wanting to go with Aly, and we all cant fit in my Berlingo!......but it's been fun and I cant thank Aly enough for putting up with me and the "Puffs"

Mind you if there is any one out there, that thinks they can fill Aly's shoes, I'll think about it!
just send me a message....

"Sennen" puppy training at 12 weeks

balancing on a paint pot!
and a video clip, that Ian kindly videoed this afternoon for me, except I cut out the tugging/play session, just so it wasn't so LONG to watch

Happy New Year - 2011

Welcome to the New year, I hope all your dreams, hopes, wishes come true for you all!

I did have loads to tell you, but today don't have much enthusiasm to write much so it may just have to wait for another post, you never know I might get into the swing of it once I start typing.

Sennen Pup, grows before our eyes and now her hind legs are taller than Harry's this morning at nearly 12 weeks,but she has a long way to go to catch up with Buzz, Buzz looks even bigger in this photo!

We have found some new/different walks within 20 mins of here at long last, some clean, some not so clean, these photos where taken at the end of this mornings new clean walk!...Yes Sennen came too, stayed on her lead and carried part way.

Sennen will have been with us 4 weeks on Sunday, she has "not been what I expected", I was assuming as her Mum was a greyhound/whippet/lurcher and Dad I'm pretty sure was the white GSD, she would be calm and quiet, a nice blend to bring in with the two "hard to live with Collies" but she "ain't no wall flower" constantly biting, chewing, mouthing, jumping up at you! constantly wanting to do something whilst she is awake or she will find something you don't want her to do...to do!

She runs along with her mouth open and what ever is at her height goes in, whether it be curtains, trousers, washing on the line, flannels, towels, plug sockets, loo brushes!, toy basket, books, fleece covers, especially the ones covering the sofa that the "Puffs" are sleeping on pulling them off the sofa (the puffs and the fleece) hands, hair, the list is endless, she will stalk you like a cat and when you least expect it she jumps on you, she charges from great distances to jump on you, she uses her front feet to paw at you, grab toys out your hand, we have even see her bite at Buzz's trousers as he ran past, she is that quick that if you, open a cupboard door and go to shut it, you hear her yelp as you have shut her head in it etc......

So as you can tell we have lots of work to do.

I seem to have spent the last 2 weeks saying "ouch, no, you bad arse give it back" I permanently have treats and a tuggy in all of my pockets (I have big pockets!)

What has she learnt........sit, down, starting to wait, tug for England, play ball, retrieve ball, stand on and in bowl, moving around the bowl is coming on better than the "Puffs" she is better clockwise to anti clock, she twists both ways, walk backwards and is learning to turn tight around the washing line, gives a paw, rolls over, heel work coming on nicely as most walks are out on her own. skateboarding, weave through my legs, most of these she can do in various places. She has been to Mole Valley farmers and met sliding door, manikin's and shopping trolleys, the wheels are great for biting, we don't do that any more, she has been to Pets at home, Asda, she has met, ponies/horses/donkeys/chicken/men/women/teenager's/prams...no children yet, she is a little too bouncy for small ones ATM.

She has now been told off by everyone, stolen toys out of everyone mouths bar Red, but I am sure that wont be long, she uses the surprise tactic to do it!

She is great fun and both Ian and I, thank Nicky and Jackie for letting us have her, not that we wanted another dog, but I did want an ABC!!

More Puppy photo's

10 weeks old.........

Ian thinks her ears will go up!

but I think they would have done so by now, if they were!
At last asleep, look at that lovely pink tummy...

Her mate Buzz, the only one who hasn't told her off yet!