Go to work and come home ........ all in the DARK

So that's it, the clocks have gone back so we are in for darker gloomy nights, I walk the dogs in the morning in the dark and come home from work and walk the dogs in the dark, im sure it's very much the same for you guys, im already wishing for the summer to arrive.

So it's this time of the year when training becomes incredibly difficult, infact the only time I can do it is at the weekends, still it's better than nothing so im trying to have a full schedule for the dogs every week.

This week has been a very mixed bag of success, some brilliant stuff but also some horrible stuff.

Ronny: Well his weaves are looking awesome, I cant believe the entries he is getting, I even caught him steadying himself to wrap his neck around the first pole, I know that don't sound exciting but if you know Ronny then you will understand he actually only knows one gear !!! Ronny's training is going really well, he did some lovely box work sequences this morning, he did knock a few poles but I think my timing is slightly out which Ronny always watches like a hawk.

Keisha: Well she is a problem child at the moment, she was hitting some brilliant weave entries yesterday and this morning but last night at FCI training she was missing most of them, infact FCI training didn't go well at all last night, she has decided she knows best which is making running her a complete disaster, THIS IS NOT GOOD TIMING CONSIDERING BSD WC selection Day 1 is next weekend.

Zippy: What a little star, he is looking great and his A-Frame is really starting to take shape, infact his whole range of skills is looking so much better. Ive decided to just train Zippy on the same sequences as Ronny and Keisha, his weave entries are spot on and his jumping sequences are really starting to come together, we have just started to work on his pull throughs, he is slightly struggling with this one, he understands the 'in' part but to push back over the jump is the bit we are struggling with, ive got a few different things I want to try so hopefully we can put them into action next week.

Training troubles

It's a bit mad having all the weekends available for training now, my body hasn't quite adapted to training mode and I must admit im feeling pretty exhausted by the end of it, god knows how I managed to train 5 dogs last year, im only training 3 this time round and im just shattered.

Anyway, training so far is going to plan, well for most of it anyway. I seem to have this problem with contacts and as expected Keisha's A-Frame has taken a nose dive, with the selection day fast approaching it is not looking good.

I will be relying on the rest of our skills and thankfully the jumping sequences and our weaves are looking alot more promising.

Although Ronny and Zippy are not going to the selection day I am chuffed with where their training is at, Ronny is now hitting some fantastic weave entries which is something I thought he would never do, im still learning how to run this bl**dy dog but I think I have had another small (very small) break through, only time will tell. Zippy, who I absolutely adore running, is looking fantastic, his weave entries are looking great and are almost as good as Keisha's, he is really starting to drive through with his single footed action, something that he found difficult to do at the start of the year. I will try and get some video of them all in action over the next few weekends.

Happy 2nd Birthday Zippy

Happy birthday 'W' litter

Have a great 2nd birthday Reno, Speedy, Megan, Eva, Zippo and of course my lovely Zippy.

The Good, The Bad and The Annoying

This week has been full of action, some good, some not so good. Yesterday was horrid, work turned out to be a dreadful day and infact most of the week has been just as bad, im beginning to think my clients don't like me (as expected I hear you say), then to top it all off when I got back to the train station my car had a big fat parking ticket slapped on its windscreen, apparently I was parked too near a junction BUT I BEG TO DIFFER !!!

It has been made better by the good bits though, I have been spoilt as normal by my mum and dad, a new Kodak camera to take some snaps of my doggies, hopefully I will get chance to try it out over the weekend, I have also just ordered a new training aid, it's due to arrive early next week and im very excited, ive got a feeling its going to be a great hit with the doggies.

This weekend is planned around training, only 3 weeks left before me and Keisha try out for the BSD WC selection again, im feeling the pressure already and with the added worry of Keisha's A-Frame not being ready im beginning to doubt our chances this year, still we can only give it our best shot and if we try and get everything else as accurate as possible then you never know.

Training so far ........

The last two days of training has gone really well, yesterday we started back on our 2x2 weave training, Keisha and Zippy are on a refresher course where as ive decided to start Ronny on it this year in the hope he will learn to steady for the entry, I did start it with him last year but halfway through he picked up an injury and I was unable to complete the training, however, seeing the results from Zippy alone this year im definitely wanting to get Ronny sorted with hitting some tough entries.

Well Keisha and Zippy are flying through, they have had 100% success rate and are demonstrating that they really understand the entry point. Ronny has been amazing, so much further on than I anticipated and he too is hitting some great entries, he averaged a 90% success rate on his first session but today he finished on 100% success rate.

This morning we had our jumping session, straight lines and tight turns for Zippy with the scoop as the new skill to learn. Ronny and Keisha worked on the same but instead of the scoop we worked on "go round" the back of a jump, something that popped up quite often this year.

Training Training Training

This last week has been all about training, well mainly the A-Frame that is, Keisha and Zippy have started well and we have just completed all the ground work including the grid, today was our first opportunity to actually move onto the A-Frame itself. With the first BSD WC selection day fast approaching I am trying to rush Keisha through it, infact I make it 4 weeks this saturday before it arrives so not much time left at all. Well I decided to run Zippy over it first, I only worked him from the down plank and he got the target about 80%, he is quite a sensitive dog and actually doesn't like to get things wrong, so much NOT like his dad !!!

Keisha on the other hand hit 100% of her targets when working on the down plank which I was really shocked but pleased about, I decided I would go straight in and push her to run the full A-Frame, it was actually quite successful, she averaged 85%-90% success rate just failing on the targets when I was ahead and racing her, although the success rate was quite high tonight im expecting it to peak but then fall as training always seems to do, im just hoping the fall doesn't coincide with the selection day.

........... and im also conscious to the fact that im still using my training aid and I don't anticipate taking that away until at least december so it will probably be hit and miss on the day if she gets it. Realistically I know that 4 weeks is not enough time and with the added pressure of making sure all her other skills are up to standard it's going to be a hard slog to be at our best for November.

Anyway, last sunday was our first jumping session, Ronny, Keisha and Zippy are all currently working on speed, speed and speed and working at a distance, with them all moving up the grades this year I have found the courses to be quite naggy and tight, Zippy seems to have been affected the most and has lost the confidence to just RUN, so now it's my job to allow them to stretch out and take what they see for a change. I'm planing to keep it like this until christmas and then tighten then up before the season commences again next year.

Time Fly's

This week is flying by, lots going on at the minute, work is mega busy, no sooner do I arrive im leaving, there is just not enough hours in the day.

It was sad not to be at an agility show last weekend but to be honest being at home, going shopping etc etc felt like I had never been away. All the dogs are still on rest, im in the dilemma of when to start training, Keisha's BSD WC first selection day is fast approaching and we've got so much to do to prepare for it, oh man, why cant we have a 48hr day instead ???

Zippy is back to full fitness, he had me seriously worried for a couple of days, I cant believe it was all over a vet bed, it seems a bit mad !!!

This saturday mum and me are off to the NEC to see Grand designs, never been before so don't really know what to expect or if it will be any good, at least it is only up the road so it's not too far to travel. Anyway, lots to do, will update again soon.

Bed bother

I think I have finally found the cause for Zippy's nightmare week.......... his new vet bed that I brought him last week. I gave it him on monday night and on tuesday he woke up like elephant man, I then took it off him and he did improve over the next day, then it finally dawned on me that Ronny, Keisha and Puddy all had the same beds and it was their bed that set his second allergic reaction off. The vet bed must have been sprayed with a chemical that Zippy obviously doesn't agree with. Thankfully he is pretty much back to normal and there is no sign of it returning, who would of thought a bed could have caused that much agro, I guess I owe Zippy a new bed that is completely chemical free !!!

Poorly Zippy

This week has been horrible, Zippy woke up on tuesday morning in a bad state, his eyes had rolled to the back of his head and all you could see was his mucus membrane, I rushed him to the vets who diagnosed a bad allergic reaction to something, he was given medication and I was able to bring him home, wednesday he showed signs of getting better, his eyes were back in action but were just very swollen and glazed, he looked extremely tired but at least he was starting to look a bit better. Then yesterday dad called me to say Zippy looks worse than ever, I rushed home from work and took him straight back to the vets, again another bad allergic reaction, more medication and back home to rest, he is now on the mend again but im not sure what has caused the allergic reaction in the first place, im currently systematically trying to single things out but as yet nothing has come to mind, im just hoping I work out what it is before it happens again.