Well this is good - we haven't even started and I've already failed! Though in part that's due to major connection problems which is resulting in very brief and sporadic internet access - and sad to say, when I am online I have rather more urgent things to do. Typing this, the thought just occurred to me that I can write the entries offline and then it'll only take a couple of minutes to post it - so that's that excuse gone now :lol:

Elton has just two weeks of puppy classes left. We're looking forward to our last class, when we get to forget about sits and stays and play around with the FUN stuff :lol: I tend to weave some into our sessions anyway....he knows spin both left and right, and we're working on this really cute slide backwards - which is probably ruining any attempts at stay :lol: but I'm not too fussed about that...his stay is more or less non-existant (for other reasons) and yes he's 9 months old (today! Happy 9 month birthday Elton!) and really should have some kind of stay, but we are working on it and he'll get there in his own time...he's still a very bouncy immature puppy with the concentration span of a flea! He's the eldest in our puppy class by quite some way, yet last week towards the end he had totally lost concentration and was ignoring my commands, whilst these 4 month old puppies were still going :lol: I also have a 17-month-old Papillon called Darwin - who wasn't mentioned in my previous post because he belongs to friends and could be going at any time now, but I've had him since March 09 - and he took forever to get any kind of concentration span. Even now it needs a lot of work; it's still not brilliant!

Elton and I have had one breakthrough. At shows we've had big problems walking on a lead - I can practice all I like, but once he gets into that ring instead of a nice controlled trot he goes bounce jump skip hop gallop wheeee! :lol: I don't want to spoil his fun, because he's obviously enjoying it and the last thing I want is a robotic dog that's lost all enthusiasm by the age of 12 months...but now he's 9 months and no longer considered a "minor puppy" I thought it was about time we got on top of it! I'm not going to count my chickens before they're hatched, because at 7 months he had a couple of shows where he went much better, but at ringcraft last Tuesday he went better than ever :-D and then yesterday I took him to a show and he moved really well there too! So hopefully now it'll be onwards and upwards.

As for Solei...well, he's Solei lol. I haven't done a whole lot with him over the last week or two, I've been so tired. Last Wednesday I started a cleaning spree which was rather an undertaking! It took me the best part of two hours just to scrub down the (not large) puppy pen, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Unfortunately I've still got rather a long way to go.

The good news is that we're finally allowed to progress to the next class! Our club has 5 classes - the 8 week puppy intake, then four levels of constant "turn up as often as you like" type classes. Solei has been in the bottom of these since I started attending last May. Ever since then he's been more or less "too good" - our one sticking point is the retrieve. His stays are lovely, he has a good recall, he walks nicely on a lead..etc. The classes are done on a badge type system where there's a list of exercises you must complete, each of which must be done correctly twice...and then you move up. Though that in its self can take a while - you don't get a chance at everything each week, and it can take weeks from passing the first time to being able to attempt it a second time. Solei has all of them except his second retrieve, and has done for months! I went through a period at the end of last year where I only went once or twice over the space of a couple of months, cos I'd just lost the enthusiasm! Because you choose when you attend, the class sizes can vary enormously - I've been there on weeks where there have been just 4 or 5 dogs, but our record is 20(!). The week after the puppy classes finishes is generally busy as a lot of the puppies come up to the second class, then after a couple of weeks the numbers tend to drop back again...Average for a long time was probably 7 or so dogs, then in the latter half of last year it suddenly went up.

Anyway, I digress! Last September our regular tutor went on a break, and although the "replacement" was very good, he was much less focussed on individual dogs and progressing up into the next class. Two weeks ago our regular tutor came back...week #1 she was obviously watching Solei, week #2 she asked if I wanted to move up :lol: So when Elton finishes his puppy class (the classes are concurrent, so if Solei moves up now I can't work them both), Solei will be going up! It's rather nervewracking, but I'm also excited to finally be pushing him more. The current class is basic pet obedience - walking nicely on a lead, up to 1 minute stays in any position, waiting for food until they're told..etc. and working towards the Good Citizen Scheme Bronze. At home Solei and I are doing competition heelwork (on & off lead), 5 minute sit stays and semi-out of sight and have started out of sight down stays :lol: This class takes you through Good Citizen Scheme Silver, all of which he *should* already be capable of (we have issues with control when we're any where dogs have peed...:P), so we'll see how it goes...I don't think he'll be out of his depth (touch wood!).

So yes, that's that!