Last weekend I went to a two day obedience show. I'd only entered Solei - Pre-Beginners and Beginners both days - as Elton is being too much of a swine for me to want to try atm!

Saturday was an "if only..." day. It was a disaster from the start! Judging started at 9:30am, Solei was drawn first. Got him all in the zone, eventually asked why they weren't starting and the judge had got held up on the M5 so they had to start that ring at 10am. Put Solei away for 15 minutes and then had to get his concentration back again! Heelwork pattern was incredibly long for pre-beginners which doesn't suit Solei at all due to him worrying about the chair bumping and thus the longer we go on the worse it gets - but he was fantastic...so proud of him.

Then I went to set him up for the recall and a train went by (the field is RIGHT next to a railway track), so we waited (him sitting beside me ready) til it had passed. Then I was told to leave him, so I did.....at just the point another train came past. I was told by three people he literally jumped out of his skin, then came running to catch me up - she let me do it again just so he did it, but marked the first attempt so docked him every mark possible. It was just very unfortunate everything - timing/circumstances - (the recall was from the side of the ring nearest the track, with the dog's back to it) because I never had any worries about the trains with Solei, he didn't bother about them last year and hadn't bothered about them this year up until that point. Nor did he bother after that!

In stays a GSD decided to break it's sit stay and run chaos round the ring. Dogs were breaking left right and centre, the dogs either side of Solei broke and he stayed....until it pounced on him!! Thankfully he was faster, leapt out to the side and then came charging to me in the middle of the ring and threw himself straight up on my lap! Down stay was ok, they decided to repeat the sit stay but only half the time for all the dogs that broke due to it....and the Collie next to Solei broke it, and was prancing all around him...owner went after it, that came within an inch of pouncing on my poor boy too!

After that fiasco the stays for his next class were only 15 minutes away, so we did those and he was not happy at all...as the steward was counting down to last command, he got to 3 and Solei went down, so I put my hand under his chest and picked him back up - must've had about -.5 of a second to spare! Other than that they were fairly uneventful.

He needed a rest after that so I went to the tent about 12:15/12:20 to work him in his second class, and they'd gone to lunch! Lunch wasn't til 12:30! I couldn't stay until they came back (2pm!) because Ria wasn't quite right so I'd left her at home with dad - so I came home not at all impressed that I'd done two sets of stays - the second of which in particular he hated - for no reason (the first set I had to do because for some reason the judge hadn't put the first three scores on the board and I wasn't sure exactly what she'd docked him for recall, had I known I wouldn't have done them.) after he'd been such a good boy and worked so well for me.

You couldn't make that up could you? lol On the plus(?) side - his heelwork marks were some of the best of the day and he'd definitely have been placed were it not for that b****y train!!


Sunday I was able to arrive a bit later as we had no running order. Ria was much better so came this time, which made things easier - removed all time pressures!

Solei's Pre-Beginner round was pretty crappy, he was quite laggy/wide - but we had a clear recall lol. Combine the heelwork of Saturday with the recall of Sunday and we'd have been good to go!

His Beginners was a little better but still not brilliant - think he'd had enough after Saturday! We got through the whole weekend without anything untoward happening, but he still isn't quite right today.

So that was that! Not our weekend...hopefully the next show will be more successful. Next "big" one isn't for two months, so ages away yet!

We're into a really hectic couple of weeks now. Solei had a two day obedience show this weekend, so on Monday I decided I'd better take him to obedience as he hasn't been for nearly a year. So off I went....only nobody else turned up! The trainer cancelled as it was just him and me, at least it's only 5 minutes from home :-P Best laid plans! It's held up on the polo fields, so before we came home I did a very small amount with him on my own – a few steps of heelwork, a retrieve and then a couple more steps...well!

I actually had a problem with him working too far forward, which I never thought I’d say about Solei. If anything (especially on grass) he lags because he worries about the chair bumping. I’ve never seen him do such a diabolical heel position! He was so enthusiastic and up for it he was working too far forward, which then meant to look up at me his head was turned slightly backwards...which then made him crab and he ended up working in completely the wrong position – but he was so enjoying it! His retrieve was OTT – run out to item, not see it, run a large circle back to me, get sent out to get it again, eventually find it this time and mess about on the way back cos he was just too excited. So all that only lasted a couple of minutes, it was so nice to see him so enthusiastic but there was no point persisting with him – he was too all over the place, and I wanted to end whilst he was really enjoying himself – and so then he had a run on the field before we came home. Now THAT is the dog I want to bottle – though directing that enthusiasm into enthusiastic correct “work” rather than just all over the place would be good :-)

I don't usually let him off because firstly his recall isn't brilliant - he gets so focused on smells he ends up oblivious and it worries me that he'll get on a trail and go goodness knows where, and secondly (and mainly) because of other people's dogs! Not long after I got him he was chased by a husky, only escaped because there was a fence with a Solei sized gap in it - the husky stood there waiting for him to come back out, it meant it :-( They're just so small and vunerable. So he enjoyed that!

Then when he was back on lead I let Ria off....she's only been off lead twice and not for a couple of weeks cos I just haven't had the opportunity, so I was slightly apprehensive....she was fantastic :-D 100% recall! I've worked so hard on her recall, just got to keep it now!

Tuesday was ringcraft, it came and went! I still need more training, and she still needs to learn how to move properly - she either pulls like a tank so movement is unassessable, or looks up/back at me which throws her movement off.

Took Solei to agility on Thursday, he was fine - didn't take Ria because of having a champ show today, I just wanted to go there and back quickly!

So then today there was Bath championship show! Elton's breeders have been telling me to put him up to Limit since he came out of Junior (last November) but I wanted to hold off a bit for him to mature mentally. I kept saying I would when he was two....and now he's two! So he was entered in his first Limit Dog class.

I was very pleased to get a 3rd with him in a strong class, behind two very big names! He already has his Stud Book Number from his Junior Warrant, but had he not it would have got him his Stud Book Number :-) So he has it twice now!

He then also got a 4th in the Special Beginner Stakes, under a terrier judge who's first three choices were all terriers....so Elton was top toy too!

It was a lovely day, even stayed dry (unhead of for Bath) but a hellish journey home - coming south west at the beginning of a bank holiday weekend in lovely weather is not a good idea! What should have taken less than an hour and a half took three hours.

I appear to have stopped documenting every little thing I do - is this a good thing? Probably, for you :-D

So, last Sunday Ria went to her first show - just a little fun show, pups can't even do the novelty classes (prettiest bitch, waggiest tail..etc) at kennel club licensed shows until they're 6 months old, so I've been looking for the non-KC licensed ones! This one just had a few novelty classes, no pedigree.

It wasn't far away, so I was going to leave the boys at home and just take the girls....but Elton ended up coming too! Solei stayed at home, as he wasn't quite right after escaping at the show the previous day and being caught - he'd screamed on capture, so she must have caught him wrong :-(

Anyway - it was not Elton and Vale's day! The judge did not think Elton was the most handsome, nor Vale the best veteran or with the waggiest tail (shocking :-) unheard of!). However, she did think Ria was gorgeous and she won the Puppy class :-D She made some lovely comments, was very impressed with her for 15 weeks.

Upon arrival I discovered they had an agility course set up you could have a go over - just jumps and tunnels. At which point I wished I had Solei! So I put Elton round it, he was ok for the first couple of jumps and tunnel and then decided he'd had enough...I did manage to persuade him round, but I don't know what is going through that dog's head atm.

When I'd finished with him I asked them if they would be happy to put the poles on the floor and let me have a go with Ria - I've been desperate to do some agility with her since before I had her, but I couldn't find a puppy class and I'm not about to take her to a "regular" class, because even if they'd accept her there'd be too much she couldn't do. Apart from anything else, I really wanted her to see a tunnel! I haven't been able to find a cheap one, so she'd not seen one yet.

The people running the ring were really impressed with her :-) I asked one of them to hold her at one end of the tunnel whilst I called her through, as she'd never seen one before. She ran around it to start with, then realised I wanted her to go through it and she was really good at them after that :-) I did the whole course with her, she got a bit distracted by the end (puppy concentration span!) - and I ran out of sausage which didn't help - but there's definitely a lot of potential there! I hope.

The next day was her second obedience class. Nothing much to report; we went, she was pretty good, we came home!

She was good at ringcraft on Tuesday, but someone said she was slightly lame so I hope she's ok....I can't see it.

Other than that I don't remember last week....I have the memory of a goldfish at the moment :-(

This morning she had her first visit to the garden centre! I've been wanting to take her for a couple of weeks, but it wasn't convenient. She was very good, though wasn't sure about the birds in the aviary! They were a bit scary to start with, but she's not a bird fan (think I need to show her the books about what she was bred for lol) so I stood there until she got over it!

Can't believe she'll be four months old on Thursday....they don't stay little for long.

So proud of my little rocket man :-)

We went to the South of England Papillon Club's open show today. I'd entered Elton in Yearling Dog, and Phalene Dog - special significance to the first as Yearling is at least 12 but not exceeding 24 months....and today is Elton's second birthday <3 So the last day he is eligible for Yearling.

I had no idea what this judge would do, and in the current climate I was in two minds about whether to enter or not - I eventually decided to go for it, partly because it was Elton's birthday! We took a (human) cake - rocket shaped, naturally :-)

Anyway, back to the show - Yearling Dog was one of the bigger classes of the day, and he won it! :-D Also going on to win Phalene Dog and Best Phalene Dog. I haven't shown him since the Pap Club champ show a month ago where he won Post Grad Dog, so I hope this may be the start of a good run and hopefully this year he'll pick up a CC or RCC :-D

When we got home I realised he'd done what must be an almost unique double....last year at the same show he also won Yearling Dog (& Phalene Dog and Best Phalene Dog!) - because of the 12 month span of Yearling unless dates are moved it's almost impossible to win the class two years running at the same show - Elton managed it because he was 12 months and 1 day for the 2010 show, and as I say; 24 months exactly this year!

Oh, and dad survived puppy sitting duties lol

So I shall end this post with.....

I fail these days :-P It's hopeless when I don't write every 2 or 3 days cos it all gets forgotten!

So last Friday (6th) I took Ria for a short walk along a cycle path. Had her off lead for some of it, but it was very busy (pedestrians & bikes) so I didn't like to have her off long....though her recall was superb :-) We practiced walking nicely without pulling when she was on lead - then I carried her the rest of the way once she'd lost concentration.

On Sunday she came to her first obedience show! I was very pleased with how she coped :-) She trotted around and was much admired by lots of people, didn't seem phased or overwhelmed - not keen on the rubbish bags, but it was incredibly windy!

Monday I took her to her first obedience class....I'd asked a couple of months ago if there was a puppy class, but their next one wasn't until June. Having worked with her at home I felt she was of a decent standard to go into the class they progress into after the 8 week puppy class, so I asked the instructor if she'd be happy to have her...and she said yes :-) So at the grand old age of 14 weeks, Ria attended her first "big girl's" obedience class!

I was very pleased with her, she was fantastic for a baby at her first class <3 We had a spot of bother with the "down" command (it's been the most difficult command to teach her so far, and she'd only just learnt it - at which point she started going into a down when she was meant to be sitting, so I stopped. Thus it's a newly taught command I haven't done any work on!), but she did some lovely walking, super attention, lovely recall and once I got her to lie down a fab stay :-)

Tuesday was ringcraft again. For the first time I queued up with all the big boys (week #1 she was so overwhelmed I kept her on the little dog side, week #2 was a match so not applicable - this was week #3!) and she was fine :-) Not too sure of a couple of the Alaskan Malamutes, but certainly not a quivering wreck! I need more practice than she does at the moment - haven't quite got my head around how best to handle a puppy on the floor rather than the table! She keeps ending up on two legs when the judge is going over her! The chair is just too big and inviting to not jump at...

Took her back into town on Wednesday, which was all really positive :-) A motorcycle passed us and she didn't freak - reacted, but not really badly - and she even walked a little way - no dramatic incidents, all positive socialization :-D

Agility as usual on Thursday, she played with a Border Collie puppy a couple of weeks younger than her - but she was a bit full on for Ria!

Dad is puppy sitting tomorrow whilst I take the boys to South of England Pap Club open show (just Elton showing) - so that'll be fun for him!

Oh dear, haven't written anything down for a week and now I've lost myself! This'll just be for the boys, I'll cover Ria next time.

After some thinking I took Solei to agilty last Thursday - very controlled, and with nothing he could fall off and do himself any damage. He was so good! Especially to start with, drive and enthusiasm that don't usually go with Solei....wish I could bottle it :-)

The next day I took him and Elton to the park for a bit of obedience practice before the show on Sunday. His heelwork was a touch laggy, but his attitude was super! I actually managed to get him interested in toys and was able to reward by throwing a toy and then having a game of tug :-) He was enjoying it all so much, he even wound himself up to the point he took off in a couple of large uncontrolled circles lol and then came back once it was out of his system!

Elton wasn't quite so positive, his attention was all over the place and he was almost impossible to work with. However, we did manage some progress with stays!

On Saturday I wanted to get Elton out again because I really wanted to run through the whole test he was meant to be doing on Sunday. I did some stay and recall practice in the garden in the morning, which went well. Then I took him out in the afternoon....oh great! He was terrible. Couldn't run through it because he was being such a little sod, so ended up abandoning it and crossing fingers for the show :-P

Sunday dawned fine but windy. The show was on the edge of Dartmoor, so very exposed and the wind was horrendous. The show was in the weirdest little village, an estate in the middle of nowhere with no-one about and sheep and ponies roaming loose! Bit creepy lol

Anyway, Elton and Solei were both in the Pre-Beginner Stakes, and Solei was in Pre-Beginners too. Solei had been drawn to work 3rd in the Stakes, so I got there early. Bless him, it was so windy Elton actually got blown off his feet at one point. I've never seen him do heelwork quite like he did then, and I'm sure a lot of it was due to the wind....he's not the biggest of dogs!

It was....a bit of a disaster! The stakes are a special class, a mixture of the Kennel Club Good Citizen Scheme Bronze Award and the standard Pre-Beginners obedience class. One of the exercises they use from the Bronze is the gate, only the gate was too narrow for a wheelchair. The judge wouldn't tell me what was acceptable, so I had to guess and I didn't guess very well - Solei lost 3 marks, even though he did nothing wrong. So it must have been my method! We also lost 2 on the exam, which was again my fault. End result a not very acceptable score lol

On the plus side I'd learnt what I needed to improve on for Elton - kind of! I was expecting him to be terrible, and IMO he was - but I've always thought Elton is REALLY good when he's concentrating and working to his potential, so apparently Elton's terrible isn't so terrible lol. I fixed the exam issue (cos I knew what the problem was) so we were clear. I tried a different method for the gate which was slightly more successful - we only lost 2! lol

The stay for the stakes is only 1 minute long, but a minute is a very long time when you're in the ring....Elton stayed :-D Such a relief after the previous weekend.

End result, Elton tied for 9th/10th place! So we had a run off, which he won :-D Can't believe he beat Solei, and got a 9th place (28 entered). I just so want him to get over this go back to the Elton I had 6 months ago :-(

The Pre-Beginner stays saw the only rain of the day - just after we'd set the dogs up the heavens opened! Luckily it was just a shower, and soon stopped. Poor Solei has done lots of stays in the rain lol so he wasn't bothered, if unamused!

Then I worked his PreB round.....and I had the not-seen-on-grass Solei! He was wonderful....his heel on lead was superb, his heel free was not quite as good (not unusual - the longer heelwork goes on the worse Solei tends to get cos it gets scarier lol), but still not bad....his recall was gorgeous, but above all his attitude was fantastic! He wasn't *quite* as good as his other "light bulb" moment on grass last July when he had a 2nd, but close to - he ended up 8th, and they were only placing to 6th - he was only ¾ point out of the placings, which was a bit galling - but he got one of two judge's special award, and I was so pleased with the way he'd worked which is the main thing.

So from a bad start, the day actually ended very positively!

We need more motorway travel! Ria found it somewhat alarming, I think since the motorbike incident as she was ok before - it's cars travelling at speed, especially if the engines are particularly noisy/revving or sound like a motorbike! Or motorbikes - she's really not happy about motorbikes. She still seems to be ok with more "regular" traffic so we'll get there. (I hope!)

From her point of view the show was really good - she dealt with it quite well, although she found some bits a bit scary (still not confident of barking dogs, for example) her confidence increased as the day went on, and she was even going up to big dogs to say hello :-) She is incredibly submissive - a lot of it is spent on her back, and it's rare she gets off her tummy - but she's doing it!

I even had a couple of people comment on what a lovely temperament she had and what a bold little puppy she was :-) So we can't be doing badly!

I put Solei in the obedience, and then at the last minute changed my mind and put Elton in too. Solei was awful....not as bad as he'd got to by last August, but after starting the year so positively he once again left me wondering if it was time to call it a day. Elton...well. His heel on lead was a little ropey, his heel free was "fantastic" (so said the judge!), his recall was quite good annnnnnnnnd he did a dumbbell retrieve :-D We still haven't cracked the sitting at the end bit, but he did the rest perfectly.

I thought his stays would be ok cos they were only short (30 sec sit 1 min down - in training he can do double that easily, he's only been in the ring once but then he did a 1 min sit no problem and broke 1 1/2 minutes into a 2 minute down). No, he decided to follow me to the middle of the ring - I think he lasted 2 seconds! He's never done that before. Though I realised after the only time he's ever done stays in competition was all toy dogs and I've never practiced stays outside before. Oops.

Anyway, Elton breaking stays wouldn't have been so much of a problem if it weren't for the fact he wouldn't come close enough for me to pick him up, I was limited as to what I could do (cos of the chair - didn't want to risk moving for disturbing other dogs, and of course I had Solei in the ring too). Despite the fact he was wandering round their feet nobody (stay stewards) actually stopped him (so not impressed) and he wandered over to the other side of the ring, where a GSD thought "OH, LUNCH!" and pounced on him. Ok Elton shouldn't have been wandering, but he did nothing - he was just standing a couple of metres away not paying this dog any attention at all. GSD owner reacted very quickly (almost too quickly...) and pulled the GSD off almost as soon as it landed on him, Elton screamed, put his tail down and came running back to me....he seems ok (physically anyway - god knows mentally!) so I hope he is. I don't even want to think about what could have happened if the owner hadn't reacted that quickly.

I was told a couple of days later that that dog has done it before (well that explains the quick reaction...) and not only that, but the owner had the cheek to ask the judge if the dog had lost marks for breaking stays!! Um...yes! (They don't usually mark them if they're "interferred with", but that means another dog physically going up to them....not standing a distance away and your dog thinking "lunch!")

Yesterday Ria attended her second ringcraft session. It was match night, so I'd taken her to watch - they do normally have a baby puppy class, but it's usually 4-6 months - and she's not 4 months until the 26th. I usually take Elton too, but I'd been dropped off and I couldn't manage them both on my own! So I went up to pay for me and they asked if I wanted a form, I said I hadn't brought anything I can enter. They told me to put Ria in the Puppy Walk anyway!

So Ria did the Puppy Walk :-) Along with 3 other puppies. She wouldn't let the judge see her teeth but was very good when I did it, was ok at being gone over and then bounced her way around the ring with a few strides of nice movement in between! She was wonderful, exactly as a baby should be <3 She did a fantastic stand at the end of her up and down, and stood ok the rest of the time - legs weren't perfect, but she held it well! And she won! :-D Her first competition and her first rosette...<3 at 3 months old! Very proud.