Wishing Everyone a Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

From all of us at Cadbury's World - Hope you all have a wonderful holidays.

Oh and here's my Christmas Pic....

Bah Hum bug

Well thanks guys for all your Christmas photos on your blogs... I know I said I looked good in a hat but M spent quite a while last night trying to take the 'right' photo for my blog, and I really wasn't in the mood.

It will appear here when I can get the camera off her.....

A weekend to myself

Ah, isn't it nice when you get a weekend to yourself..

Time when your pack leaders aren't telling you this and that

No practising weaving or jumping or recall

Just a snuggly warm bed - a kong filled with treats - a few toys and my own imagination!

D was away this weekend with the people dressed in green so i was left with M.... now I expected M to have me out training in all weather but no, she was busy too!
We had a quick walk on saturday morning which is unusual and then she popped me in the kitchen till really late (another unusual thing) but we spent time together when she got home and yes, she did make me practise my weaves then but she made it FUN!
Then a quick walk sunday morning, and again she popped me in the kitchen - this time with a bone! and D got back early but when straight to bed, he was sneezing all over the place... and then M came back and acutally paid me some attention!! Again the weaves were out but with the help of my cuddly bone it was great!

M has told me to say we are all ready for Christmas but she hasnt got round to taking piccies... when she does I'll pop them on... I look fab with a hat on!

Oh Dear!

Early Sunday morning M woke me and got all my things together for a competition... I'm getting used to this routine now, although I'm still not impressed by the early mornings!

We set off, and I settled down for a lovely sleep, but in no time we were stopping?! Stopping at A's farm!! Oh how exciting.... I thought we might be doing agility here but no M transferred me into A's car - never been in here before and Bob and Bonnie were in there too! So we all travelled the journey together!

M and A were very pleased at how well behaved we all were - even if we were in separate cages....

The competition however was a different story M was not happy..... I ran mentally around the first course (she took me out before finishing), the second course we eventually completed but with lots of silliness according to M, the third I refused to jump the first jump - didnt like the look of it! However the fourth course (last of the day) I managed to get round with just 5 faults!! M was pleased and I came 9th.

M has said that her new years resolution is going to be to take me straight out the ring at training if I run off and be silly to try and cut out the habit.... humph!

Courses

Here's a couple of the courses from the STARS show....

The steeplechase - lots of circles like the helter skelter - M hates these....

 

 The jumping course where I got 2nd!!




For those that dont know - 16 is a set of 6 pole weaves and 17 is a long jump.

Long time

Sorry I havent posted in a while - there have been gremlins in the internet again!!

Due to the dismal weather agility has been cancelled - frozen arenas etc!! but M is keeping me busy practising my weaves inside.. lucky me!

I've got another competition on Sunday so we'll see how it goes..... at work with D today! fun fun fun. 

We are all STARS

On Sunday M got me up really early and packed the car up for another competition. We weren't going far, 1hr down the road to Ringford but the competition opened at 8:30am!!

As like the rest of the week M wanted me to do some weave training before the comp, so she also packed up the six weave poles and took me to the park for a run and training - it was freezing! Proper white over with frost and pitch black at 7am!

So M had entered me for 4 classes, 2 agility, a jumping and a steeplechase. M decided she would run me first in the first agility class as it was quiet but she was very angry with me as I just raced round and round - we didn't even complete the course :-(
After that she took me on a really long walk round the quarry as the next class wouldn't be for at least an hour and I needed to get rid of some energy. She then made me stand around in the arena to get used to all the people and the dogs.

There were loads of people and dogs that I knew and some new ones - only one didn't like me, and she tried to eat my nose! The cheek of it!!

M has got some video of me on the jumping course but she's going to edit it a bit as its a bit long before putting it on here...

The second class was the jumping class which I managed a clear round on, although as you will see on the video M made a right hash of the handling (she was all over the place) - even she said it was a mess before she saw the video!
Here is all the pack leaders walking the course - they do this to try and work out where they are going to stand and direct from, and how they are going to cross between us and the obstacles etc.

 Depending on pack leader they might be faster or slower than you - the really clever ones can just stand in one place and use hand signals! M's really not that good yet, so she runs round with me.

So a clear round in the jumping class mean't I got a 2nd - M was sooooo pleased!

Unfortunately I then went on to do a rubbish 2nd agility course - running off to see people and then M was so frustrated she missed out a jump and got us eliminated - although she's not sure if we already were!

The steeplechase course was much better - I listened all the way round, unfortunately I just clipped the second to last jump and got 5 faults, which meant I wasn't in the top 6 for rosettes - but M was happy that I'd settled down again.

I'll put some of the courses on later in the week.

News

Wow another action packed week my pals.....

So after the miserable weather last week we've had more this week and its really starting to get me down being cooped up inside! My door is open yes but I don't want to go out!!!

Jasper came to stay at the weekend - yippeee! He's grown a bit but not much, but he remembered me so we had a romp around the house and he really likes my puppy tuggy rope.... M had put my rope away cause it would be too big...
He wasnt very quiet over night though... maybe cause he was scared in a strange house!

M was away all weekend so I had D and Jaspers pack leaders to myself until they went out with Jasper and left me at home :-(

They were going to a Christening a long way away and didnt want me cooped up in the car all day - where as Jasper is still too young to stay at home all day so he went with them - lucky him!

Tuesday was training night and M thought it might get cancelled again but it didn't - it was REALLY windy though, it blew right through my ears.... Oooo not nice! Ma was not happy with me at all that night, she says I was taking the mickey out of M for not completing the weaves nicely but I really couldnt concentrate..... Ma said that I needed to practise the weaves EVERY day! so that I know M means business!!

Well I didnt think M would do it! but she has been... every morning before breakfast she sets the weaves up in the living room and puts me through my paces and every night when she gets in from work she does the same!!! I'll be all weaved out by next Tuesday!! Mind you she is giving me lots of treats for doing it - so I'm happy....

Bring on tomorrows competition so I can race around like a lunatic!!

M is also trialing these at the moment as healthy snacks for herself at competitions.... get yourself a free one on her... http://www.graze.com/p/PT9B658.

Scottish Weather getting me down

So much for training last night - we got a call at 3pm from Al to say that training wasnt on..... the steel barriers around the car park were being blown over so there was no hope for our plastic/wooden jumps!!

So a whole week off cause M & D are away over the weekend so no training then!

What I shouldn't eat

So after excitement of the competition on Sunday instead of coming home and eating dinner, I came home and ate my poo (M says I am disgusting!!) unfortunately this meant that then when I did eat dinner I threw it back up again!!!

M and D were sooooo not impressed and then refused to give me any more dinner.  **cries**

I was soooooooooooooo hungry the next morning my tummy was rumbling really LOUD! thankfully M did give me breakfast and it was scrummy.


______________________________

Tuesday I was back at agility (M had said I could have this weekend off to catch up on playtime and sleep) Ma was teaching us and as I was in the late session it was lower graded dogs so we got to work at making us run faster... I run really fast when theres no jumps in the way!

We had a long straight run of jumps followed by a turn and then a flick-flack (jumps placed parallel next to each other  and you have to jump over them in opposite directions) Ma said we did this really well although now M isnt shouting at me to jump everytime she's lacking in encouragement!! hahaha she'll never get it right.
We did this exercise a couple of times with and without toys, and in both directions.

Then we moved on to a jump, tunnel, weave, jump, seesaw run, breaking it down to start off with. I was very good, Ma was impressed with my weave entries and I hardly missed a weave at all, only when M got too close to running past me!! another mistake M!! 
I had a great night!!

____________________________________

M was right I've had this weekend off, and very relaxing it was too - already to back into training on Tuesday night though...

What! Another competition

and so quickly moving on from my sick spell (M had her fingers crossed that I would be feeling better) on Sunday we did the longish drive over to Newcastle again to Cleverpawz.

M had decided she was going to enter me in all four classes again today but sadly we were on our own as A is very busy on her farm and has competitions later in the month, therefore no photos...

M knew I was trying my best to be good but I still couldn't hold my excitement in, and so the first 2 classes were written off (I had M guessing as to whether I would get eliminated in the second, she thought not but I did)

Thankfully I pulled myself together and M put her strict stance on (so I knew she meant business) and we came away with another 4th and a 9th in the 2 jumping classes.

Everyone at training is very pleased that I am making progress, and so is M!!

Heres a couple of courses from the competition:

The first is an agility course graded 1-7 which means although everyone runs the same course prizes are awarded within your grading (i'm still in grade 1)
This had a dog walk, a tunnel and the A-frame in it.

The second is an agility course combined 1-7 which means everyone runs the same course prizes are awarded irrespective of grade. So you have to hope that the higher graded dogs assume they know what they're doing and go wrong. ;-)
This had a see-saw, a tunnel, a 6 pole weave and the A-frame in it.

Free Advertising

M & D have asked me to add a link to their business on my blog...

The cheek of it - free advertising I tell you, however I suppose I do get to live here for free!!!

Check out www.surplusandsafety.com which is their 2 businesses 

Surplus and Safety: A military surplus clothing site

Army Landrovers: Ex mod vehicles for sale, hire and repair along with transportation services

Oooo Sicky puppy

Thursday I was sick!

Yep, M & D woke to find the whole kitchen covered in the yucky stuff, me having thrown up over night all over the place.

So D decided to try and feed me a bit of breakfast which of course I wolfed down as usual - I was hungry!!

M was still off work so when I hadnt thrown up 2 hrs later she gave me a bit more, which was lovely....

An hour later and I was still keeping it down so M feed me a bit more at which point it all came back up - M was very happy that I managed to do that outside though - what a good puppy I am.

That was it M said, no more food, but she did put a bit of milk in my bowl of water so that i would drink a fair bit.

I then spent the rest of the day lying on M or as close as she would allow - she even sat on the floor so I could snuggle in closer..... I was not feeling good.

but you'll be pleased to know I was fine on Friday!!!

M thinks I might have found a stray bit of wallpaper paste to lick up (she's been decorating again apparently)

Excitement continues

No-one told me but we were having visitors to stay over the weekend!

I was sooooooo excited when they arrived cause I do like visitors.. Friday night the arrived and M made me sit and wait while they got in the door - hahaha you should of heard my tail going 10 to the dozen.

I got lots of fuss but then they all sat down and started chatting so I had a quick kip. It was M's parents who were staying - they're not really dog people but they like me!!

Saturday even D was at home and when I got woken up M's parents were still there. They had an action packed morning - not sure what M & D and her dad were doing as they were upstairs most of the morning but they kept coming down stairs to paste paper or something - anyway M's mum kept me company - throwing my toys and she was cooking something that smelled lovely...Mmmm

In the afternoon I showed off my weaving skills and had a play in the garden although it was a bit chilly.

Sunday we all went to meet up with D's parents and have a ball with Wispa and I even got a bone - a proper one!

What a good boy

This has been M's phrase since Sunday!! 

I'm enjoying all the attention and praise I have to admit and even at training on Tuesday I was the good boy and M was the one being told off. 
Apparently shouts at me too much when running the course - she's got to shut up! I don't need to be told at every jump to jump.
 I'm glad someone else told her that and not me!!

Me and my rosettes!

 

Competition Part 3

There was a course called Helter Skelter that I wasn't entered for because M says it makes her dizzy - its only made up out of jumps and tunnels and goes round and round in circles...

Here's A and Bonnie doing it....

My last course was the agility. M was hoping again for non-elimination as when she walked the course she saw lots of places I could go wrong - i.e heading for the tunnel or the A-frame (my two favourites)

This was the course
 
 M was really pleased with me cause I listened all the way round and didn't go wrong once - my FIRST ever clear round :-)

AND i came 2nd!!!!!

Here's some of my pals doing the course....A and Bob and then Ma and Breeze

Competition Time Part 2

The next course in the competition was a jumping course, this could and did include a tunnel and 6 pole weave (thankfully not the full 12)

It was quite a tight course with various places where I could trip M up so she made sure she walked the course a couple of times to get in her head where she would like to be standing to make sure I was going in the right direction.

This was the course....

 It was the circling at the top of the course that gave M the most worry but I did it perfectly - well I didn't get eliminated anyway. I got 20 faults; refusing jump 6 (I went to get some fuss from the time keeper), I knocked a couple of jumps down and then I missed the weave entry cause I caught sight of S (the judge) I hadn't noticed him till then!

but M was really very proud of me!!! 

No one was around to take pic's of me running so here are a few of my pals running the course....
This is A and Meg

 This is V and Jake

Thi

This is A and Bob

Compeition time

So after my very exciting time on Friday/Saturday M disappeared on Saturday afternoon for a couple of hours leaving me to have a good long sleep....

Fairly early on Sunday M woke me up - no lie in for me apparently and she got all my agility things together and popped me in the car.

5 minutes down the road and we pulled in to our usual agility centre - Oo goody I thought. Well M took off my seat belt and told me to stay put, she'd be back in a bit.

A couple of minutes later and she was back and took me out for a walk. The equipment was already set up and lots of my pals were already there too, with a few strangers starting to arrive.

M took me back to the car and got me settled with my bed, water and my tuggy rope and left me there for a bit until she was ready for the classes to start - it was our Fun Show!! I remember this from Easter (although it was better weather today!)

My first class got underway and it was called Double contact agility - now this wouldn't be allowed in a kennel club competition but as it was our fun show we thought the extra practise with contacts would be good so this meant in this course we would have to negotiate the dog walk, the a-frame, and the see-saw twice.

M was very worried that I was too excited, but I did try very hard - although she wasn't impressed with me running off to retrieve my lead part way through the course!! Well I am a retriever after all!!

This was the course....

 I only got 10 faults on this course plus 8 time faults which is my best round yet - M was very pleased! 
and then we found out I'd got a 6th place rosette!!!

Here's a few of my pals doing the course tooo........... 

This V and Rosie...

Above is A and Bob barker

 Above is Ma and Breeze, my M almost didnt manage a piccy of Breeze as she's sooo fast!