Keep thinking I ought to post and never quite got round to it...too hot! That's a lousy excuse but still, I can't think of a better one.

It's been an interesting few weeks. The most notable event is that Ria (finally) came into season last week! She was 16 months old on Saturday. So everything with her has gone on hold, she can't go to any shows/classes or out for walks (not worth the risk given she would really not appreciate another dog running up to her cos she smells good) and thus I've decided to have a complete break from agility for a few weeks. To be honest it's actually not bad timing from the point of view that I was considering having a bit of a break anyway, as we've been going at least twice a week for the last few weeks and I was starting to feel slightly burnt out! The last classes she did were not great, but they were the Wednesday & Saturday before she came into season so I'm hoping that was part of it. Wednesday's problems were entirely caused by the fact she decided the seesaw was scary, then the dog walk was scary because of the former. I've never had a problem with either before, but I know a season can make them all over the place, and this is her first one too. Saturday she just wasn't really concentrating/tuned in.

She was ok for the first few days but is now feeling sorry for herself! She's still up for a game of ball in the garden and I've been using the time to strengthen commands like left/right/walk backwards/heel position (static) and want to try and desensitize her to the chair - her heelwork position is just not and it's because she's worried about the wheels, think I've run her over one too many times :-X so we'll see where we go with that.

Solei is free to good home :-P He decided she was coming in 3 days before she did, and has been a royal pain in the butt since. Thankfully Elton has (so far) caused me absolutely no problems and all I have between them is a pen panel (obviously never unsupervised). Solei has been relegated to another room and is still being more annoying than Elton.

I had nothing planned (besides agility) the weekend before last, when of course I could've done anything as Ria wasn't in season! However, with Solei's warning on the Monday I took the opportunity to have a really good walk and so we had a long walk along the canal, which was even longer when we had to backtrack and add an extra loop to get round a gate I couldn't open!

Elton is still going to his agility foundation classes as I've paid for a block, Ria is most unimpressed she can't come too.

Solei has actually been very well for the last couple of weeks, not sure what to do about him - I'll give it a bit more time I think, I can't afford to start him back at the moment anyway. It's nice to see :-)

Went to Bath Championship Show last Friday, only had Elton entered and he was so bad :-( Arrrgh. He galloped round the ring, wanted to get his head down all the time on the stand, stood badly because he wasn't being compliant - I came out of the ring and almost burt into tears, and it was nothing to do with the (lack of) placing. Though there was a bright spot - Elton's son from his first litter was there and qualified for Crufts at his very first show :-) He behaved better than his daddy - sad state of affairs when a six month old puppy at his first show is better behaved than his three year old father who's been showing for two and a half years!

On Saturday Ria was meant to be competing in her first agility show, but that was off the cards as she was in season! I chose to go anyway to watch, and took both the boys with me instead to get them away from her and also give Elton some agility show experience - Solei has been to a few, but I don't think I've ever taken Elton. Half the people from Elton/Ria's club were there and we all had a fab day, though it was a bit hot!

Sunday was an obedience show - again Ria was entered and couldn't go, but this time I had the boys entered too - both in the Pre-Beginner Stakes and Pre-Beginners. So once again Ria was left at home with dad, whilst the boys and I went to a show (three disciplines in three days...)

Solei did a beautiful round in the Stakes, Elton's heelwork wasn't up to scratch but given (imo) he is usually very good it was still more than passable.

Pre-Beginner stays were before either of them had worked their Pre-Beginner rounds, and it was hot - Solei decided it was far too hot and went down in the sit - to which Elton decided that was end of exercise and wandered across the ring to me. Elton then did exactly the same in the down, with no provocation. Bit of a disaster all round! That was only the second set of stays Solei has broken in three years, the other lot was also a down from a sit on a hot day. I am mindful of the weather and don't always do stays if I don't feel it's in their best interests, I think his tolerance is less now he's older so will have to move the goal posts a bit! That said - at least half the class must've broken.

They later were both clear in their Pre-Beginner Stakes stays, so that was a relief - esp Elton, who I worked on last year and thought we'd cracked so was a bit concerned we'd gone backwards - time will tell!

Given the stay situation I decided to train both boys Pre-Beginner rounds. Solei's heelwork was so-so, HOL wasn't bad but HF ended up very laggy - however, he did the best recall I've had to my new chair, it was perfect. Fast, straight, accurate!

Elton did the most fabulous HoL, which would've been the lowest mark of the whole class (I asked the judge to mark him - lost 1), a nice recall and then got completely distracted for HF, he's not done that before but still! It'd been a long weekend, especially the day before being very long and very hot. The first stretch of heelwork was down towards the ring entrance and there was quite a lot of activity, he stopped for a couple of seconds to watch and I right turned without him! After that it took the majority of the round for him to really focus on what he was meant to be doing, though I think the last stretch was quite nice.

Elton played with me in the ring, and Solei did some nice play outside :-) In the Pre-Beginner Stakes they tied for 4th & 5th. I opted not to run off with myself as it was hot, so settled for Elton 4th & Solei 5th! So all things considered, not a bad day.

Had the most fabulous agility session on Saturday. Over an hour where I had a couple of jumps, 6 weaves (though we never got that far), access to the aframe and seesaw and was left to my own devices :-D

I'd devised a rough plan beforehand, the aframe was a bonus as I didn't know I'd be able to use that.

So we (Ria & I) started off with the contact equipment, as it was in the main part of the field and not the side bit I usually use. She's done tons of end work but - bar one encounter with a lowered seesaw - only did her first piece (a lowered dog walk) a couple weeks ago.

Seesaw - Very pleased with this. Second time doing a seesaw in its entirety and first time at full height. I let her bang the end down a couple of times first so she knew what to expect (esp as she's only been doing the dog walk recently, didn't want her to mistake it and get a nasty shock!) but quickly progressed to her off lead and me on either side and slightly varying where I was in relation to her. Contacts held up nicely too :-)

Aframe - This was interesting, she's done a small amount of end work, but never been over it. We started on lead, she wasn't too sure the first time but it was rubber which helped (previous encounter was painted) and it wasn't long before she was doing that off lead too. I swapped sides a couple of times but didn't want to do too many repetitions. It did highlight an interesting dilemma with the contacts - I've done 2o2o with her, had thought I may like to reteach the aframe as running at some point in the future, because personally I feel it's (physically) better for the dog...however, she was getting speed over the aframe that made it very difficult for her to stop on it, and I don't want her slamming into the bottom either! If I insisted in a 2o2o she was much slower, though I know that could change. I prefer the running, but have never taught running before and also don't want to mess up the rest of her contacts, which are currently very good (and I want to keep 2o2o for now to give me a bit more time!) Decisions...think it'll have to be 2o2o cos I don't think I have enough access to equipment for running.

Then we moved on to jumps, at which point Elton got to come out and play too! Started some work on Developing Jumping Skills (well, such as I've been able to work out from YouTube as I don't yet have the book) and with Elton I played around with sending him to a target over 1 and then 2 jumps as he needs a lot of work on driving ahead, also did some jump work with me next to/in front of him on both sides, as jumping is still a relatively new skill for him. Not at full height yet. with Ria I introduced a 3rd jump and mixed things up - sometimes sending her on, sometimes pulling her back after 1 jump, sometimes pulling her back after 2..etc

I can honestly say it was the best outdoor session I've ever had. Ria's focus was almost 100%.

Then on Sunday we had the first open obedience show of the year. I'd entered all 3 in the PreBeginner Stakes and the boys in Pre-Beginners too. Very mixed day!

I trained Ria's round because she's nowhere near ready for competition yet. I have also neglected to do any practice at all since Crufts, and it showed. Oops. It wasn't the most productive round ever, but it gave her positive ring experience, and she did do a lovely recall.

Solei was not brilliant at his last obedience show (UK Toy) and I was worried because that's his favourite venue - nice hard surface indoors - so I thought if he's not good there then.... but both the rounds were actually well suited for him, and I was very pleased with him bar the last stretch of heel free in Pre-Beginners where he lost concentration completely so I don't think he's ready for retirement quite yet!

Solei and Elton both did nice Pre-Beginner Stakes rounds, and then I missed the stays :-( gutted is not the word. I'd had Elton down to work his Pre-Beginners round, by the time he got in the ring it was not long before stays and they'd moved the stay ring and it was completely hidden, so by the time I'd gone back to the car to get Solei and then had to ask where it was cos I couldn't find it I got there just in time to hear last command.....insult to injury everybody said to me after I should've said something and they'd have waited! With stays Solei would've been 6th and Elton would've been 2nd :-( Only consolation is Elton didn't lose 1/2 a mark less or he'd have tied for 1st and THAT would've been awful!

Elton was an absolute star...his first open show Pre-Beginners round. He was terrible to get into heel position before we started, I think because there was a large black dog working in the ring next door that happened to be by the ring rope next to our ring as I was by the ring rope next to their ring - if that makes sense! - but once I got him into position and we started, his heelwork was lovely. He got a 3rd, after a run off for 2nd/3rd :-D

And that was my weekend.