We were meant to be outside at obedience on Monday, but the evening arrived rather wet. After last week I ummed and ahhed about whether to go or not. Had we been outside I wouldn't have been so bothered, but the class is large at the moment and in the hall it's all a bit much. In the end I decided to go and see how many people turned up and then decide.

When I arrived the numbers were just ok, so I decided to take her in. It was definitely an improvement on last week :-) She is very sensitive, but then as a breed they are. She managed to loop her lead under a chair and almost pull the damn thing on top of herself! Luckily my reactions were actually present (for once) and I caught it before it landed. She was ok, but very jumpy for the rest of the evening - even something like her lead rubbing on top of the gate was scary!

We have some work to do now, because I've been offered the opportunity for her to take her Bronze Good Citizen Award in August. We need a bit more practise in the training environment, cos it's all so exciting and loose lead walking goes out of the window initially. I also need to do some more stay practise with her - she has very good stays, but I haven't asked for one the duration of a minute yet. Aragh, scary!

Ringcraft was inside again on Tuesday. Pup was rather all over the place! I cannot crack this moving...partly my fault, I need to do more practise....but either I give her head and she pulls too much and/or sniffs the floor, or I get her attention in which case she's looking up at me (often still moving ahead so she's looking back over her shoulder slightly) which throws her movement off. We only have a month to sort it now, which is five ringcraft sessions...not long! Though obviously we will practise away from ringcraft too.

The weather was nice yesterday afternoon, so I took Ria for a little walk....part on and part off lead. She had a lovely time charging round in circles when off lead, though I do wish she wouldn't insist on doing so on concrete....I try, but she's terrible for running around on surfaces I'd really rather she didn't and I'm concerned she may be doing damage. I took a cone, dumbbell and target with me....didn't use the target, tried sending her around the cone a couple of times which was fine....and discovered dumbbell needs more work! She wouldn't do a clean retrieve, though in hindsight I think the surface didn't help - the ground was quite long, and she was having trouble picking it up. We also practised some loose lead walking....might get there eventually! She has yet to learn the balance - she either pulls, or does competition style heelwork (well, it's far from that - her position is terrible lol - but in so far as constantly looking up at me....which is not only unsustainable, but not what I want!)

Today we visited the garden centre again! We wandered around - again attempting the lead practise! - and Ria encounted an African Grey in a cage which she wasn't at all sure of (and let us know!). In the clothing department we came across a full length mirror, which again she's never seen before. She couldn't quite work it out to start with! Was a bit unsure, then tried to get it to play, then checked behind it to see where the other dog was hiding...and gave up!

I took the opportunity to do some practise with some dropped items - there was a pair of gloves on the floor which I asked her to pick up for me, and she did :-) Likewise with a metal thing off a display (had a bit of trouble grabbing hold of it, but got there eventually! She's struggling with metal at the moment - will pick it up, but is having trouble getting hold of it properly) and a plastic bag :-) Very proud of how she's coming along.

She was admired by many, and I'm starting to wish she was a more common breed! Almost everyone asks what she is, and when I tell them you can see them thinking "what kind of designer breed is that?" or else that I'm making it up entirely! I suppose it doesn't help that is a strange name. I'm thinking of turning her into a Border Collie or BC cross :-P

She hasn't been to agility at all this month as I pay by the month (only way I can afford it :-P) and the first two Thursdays of the month clashed with shows, so as I wouldn't have been able to attend I've had to skip the whole month! As it's a five week month they're doing a clear round night next week (a month only covers four weeks, so in months with five weeks they run a pay on the night clear round night) but I don't think there's any point in me going, chances of Solei running one course and not going under the jumps are very slim...never mind 3 or 4 courses! And once he starts going under he won't go over unless you lower them so he can't. That's Solei - never put effort in when you don't have to! He was always the same to show, couldn't be bothered to keep his tail up.

But she is going to watch at her very first (not attached to any other event & indoor) open show tomorrow...that'll be interesting!