As we start another year (or we were, when I started typing this - it's taken me a week!), it's time to look back on the previous one. This has been a year of highs and lows, denial and acceptance...and as I think back it seems impossible to think that some of the major events were within the previous 12 months! The sad note of the year was saying goodbye to Vale, our Labrador, at the beginning of November at the age of 14.

Let's go from oldest to youngest.

Solei
I have decided this dog will keep amazing me until he dies lol Love Solei. This year he has gone from strength to strength. Our relationship has grown and developed in a way I never dreamt would ever happen...life with Solei is good :-) Better than good!

The year started by dipping his paw into his first agility show. It was a UKA show and I only ran him in Nursery, but he didn't do anything really wrong and I was pleased with it for a first show attempt. There followed another three shows, the first of which was at the same venue (equestrian centre) and we ventured into the Steeplechase classes - he had two runs, he was over time for both and we had some sniffing, but overall it wasn't bad and we did get round. The other two shows were large outdoor shows on grass, and they did not go so well! He has been a bit iffy in certain places/situations ever since he was attacked over a year ago, and I think he just found the whole situation a bit overwhelming and stressful.

In July I bought him a Back on Track coat, which seems to have just tipped the balance...a combination of that, massage and chiro and I have a happy Solei! He even got a clean bill of health at the last chiro appointment and didn't require treatment, which I never thought I would ever hear. Quiet and consistent obedience year - just two shows, and two 9ths. Four breed shows, placed every time, but of course the highlights are VHC at Crufts, and then his Best Veteran in Show at Chepstow Open last month!

He has been attending weekly agility classes for most of the year, we both really look forward to them and his progress over the last few months has been amazing.

2013 goals
Overcome the scary cavern that is the chute Yes!! He has been doing it consistently in class for a few months now.
Learn to weave Nope, still fail ;-)
Get a Best Veteran Dog and/or a Best Veteran in Show Yes!! Best Veteran in Show at Chepstow.
Play(I want to be able to "turn on" his tug desire (which is awesome in the right situation) in any situation and with less effort from me to get it started. As far as I have tested this, I would say it's a success!


Elton
Most of his highlights seem so long ago now I can't believe it was this year, how long a year can seem! On the whole this has been a year of steady progress. I ran him in just the one agility show, a Not For Competition Nursery run at the beginning of the year where I just picked my own line round the outside of the ring and we were in and out in about 10 seconds - but it was positive, which was what I wanted. He has been making steady progress in classes, I think we have now conquered the dog walk...he has discovered he ADORES tunnels lol and he is now jumping full (UKA) height in class most of the time, though would still struggle to keep it up over a full course of 17-20. He can weave, but the weather has been against us practicing and it still needs more generalization and a reliable verbal (I spent so long not putting the verbal in because I don't want to do it too soon, that then I forgot to put it in at all...oops)

Obedience has actually been the most memorable event this year, despite the fact he attended just three shows. Our first was the "big" one - the Final of the Special Pre-Beginner Obedience Stakes at Crufts. He did me so proud to come 3rd, with Border Collies/Working Sheep Dogs surrounding him, also making him the Best ABC (Anything But A Collie), though they don't recognize that at the finals. The other two "normal" shows saw him gaining an 8th and winning a heat of the Special Pre-Beginner Obedience Stakes, although guttingly we weren't able to attend the Semi-Finals this year.

In breed he has been more lightly shown this year than in previous years, but has a two Best Phalene Dogs, a Group 3 and a Group 1 and Reserve Best in Show to his credit.

In October he dipped his paw into rally, and excelled himself getting a Q with a score of 205.

2013 goals
Be more confident with every piece of equipment by the end of this year than he was when he started Erm...semi check! Definitely check with the dog walk, and he couldn't weave at the beginning of the year and now he can. Seesaw is not being tried and the A-Frame we just haven't had opportunity. Chute is probably a bit better than it was at the beginning of the year.
The retrieve. :-P Seems to be carrying over well now, as much as I've tried :-)
Achieve his ShCM title this year Almost...he is very irritatingly now just 1pt away lol


Ria
What can I say about Ria...other than life is what happens when you're making other plans, and sometimes things just don't work out the way you intended!

She has had a successful show year - shown very lightly, she attended four championship shows and came away with two 2nds at Crufts (to the Best Bitch & Reserve Best Bitch), a 2nd at WELKS to the Reserve Best Bitch, 1st and Best Bitch at Paignton and 1st at Bournemouth. At our annual breed club show she won all three of her classes and Reserve Best Bitch, and she was Best of Breed at both Cornwall Gundog and South Western Gundog and shortlisted down to the last few for BIS at the latter.

Other than that...there is not much to be said really! When it's just her and me she is almost everything I want in a dog, there is so much potential there. When it's not just her and me she struggles to cope and she is nothing like the dog I know is there. She is not 3 til the end of January so she is still comparatively young, and I chose to let her more or less sit this year out and see if things improve as she ages.


Sadie
This year started with so much promise...and finished without! I had a fun 6 months with her as a puppy. Best Puppy in Show at her first two companion shows, at champ level qualifying for Crufts multiple times, winning a few breed classes, and placing in two very large and very strong ProPlan Pup of the Year Stakes classes. At open shows 1x Best Of Breed, 6x Best Puppy in Breed, 2x Puppy Group 3, 1x Puppy Group 2 and a Puppy Group 1. She has matured into a lovely bitch and I think would have gone on to do very well, but unfortunately for us her tail never came over her back properly! So once she came out of puppy I made the decision to retire her from showing, and we look forward to seeing what she produces in the whelping box - she will hopefully be mated in 2014. Such a shame, because I love her attitude and I think we could have had some fun in obedience and agility too - but she will not now be with me long term, and I can't justify the time and expense for a short/unknown period :-(