Also - seeing as I am still failing on the blogging front - thrilled with Ria who (at the end of October) got Best of Breed at South Western Gundog and then shortlisted down to the last 6 for Best in Show. Unfortunately for us, the show has decided to only award BIS and RBIS and no longer BIS3 and BIS4....which was rather gutting as she was being strongly considered for RBIS and I think would've been in with a good shot at BIS3 or 4!

So Rally Obedience has only been recognised by the Kennel Club over here since the 1st January of this year. It had found it's way over here in a small way with independent organisations over the previous few years, but they were all in completely the wrong area.

There was one to be held last weekend, and a few friends were going (planned Toller invasion!) so I decided to enter...

I only entered Elton because I thought that was probably enough stress for one day lol As the day dawned I had read the list of signs a couple of times, practiced once and done a lot of hoping that his obedience background would see him through! There was nothing on the list he wasn't theoretically capable of. Though thank goodness for the person that walked the course with me - I would have NQd almost before we even started, cos the first sign was a spiral which I would have done completely incorrectly!

Anyway, he was amazing and we only dropped 1pt on the main round (my fault - tight lead), but then I got flustered and messed up the bonus exercise (lost 4 of the 10pts and 3 of them were my fault! The other 1 was an out of position for him coming in to me so enthusiastically he overshot...), which put him out of the placings. He was actually on the same score (205) as placed dogs, but because I kept hesitating his time was slower. So now we can add rally to the list of breed, obedience and agility. It was very scary! But I suppose we ought to go for the other two Qs now :)

Well that was a summer of massive fail, as far as updates go! I'll try and do better now that things are starting to hibernate, it's been quite a summer...highs and lows, some fantastic results and some "if onlys" so here is a run down of highlights since my last post at the end of April -

Elton won Group 1 and Reserve Best in Show at Yeovil Limit in June
Group 3 at Okehampton Open in September
and won a heat of the Special Pre-Beginner Obedience Stakes qualifying for the Semi-Finals again, gutted that we can't get transport to the semis this year :(
Ria won Reserve Best Bitch at the Kooikerhondje Club Show in June
and Best Bitch at Paignton Champ in August
Sadie has won a couple of champ show classes
been placed in two heats of the Pro Plan Pup of the Year Stakes
won the Puppy Group at Blackwood Open in August
has also had a Puppy Group 2 & a Puppy Group 3

So what have we been up to apart from that...well I am obviously thrilled with Elton, he's excelled in both showing and obedience this year, and I do believe we are slowly winning the confidence battle. I took him to an obedience class in a village hall (as a one off, it was a Wednesday there was no agility on and a friend invited me; as we don't go to a club I thought it would be beneficial) and he PLAYED WITH HIS TOY! Such a massive deal, there were dogs he didn't know and it was in public...and he played :) It's still not really happening outdoors, but I am sometimes getting him playing in his agility classes now so slowly slowly catchy monkey...

Solei had his ninth birthday in July. We had the most amazing victory in August - we went to see the chiropractor, and SOLEI DID NOT NEED TREATMENT! This is the most incredible deal, he has always been "broken" in the past - doesn't matter if it's weeks or months, his pelvic..etc is always out...only it wasn't! I had accepted that because his injury was so old when she first started seeing him, it would always be management and he would always need work...but maybe we have cracked it! I bought him a Back on Track coat in July, so whether that has helped I don't know. He hasn't really been entered in shows, just two open shows in AV Veteran, plus he had a couple of agility runs at a couple of shows in June...and he has done the Pre-Beginner Stakes at two obedience shows. That's all! I think I have decided to retire him from obedience now, though if I can teach him any kind of left turn we might have a crack at Rally next year. He is still attending a weekly agility class which he enjoys, and I hope to try a couple more agility shows over the winter....after this summer I have decided he is not a summer agility show sort of dog! Mostly because he found them too big and busy.

Ria is still proving a challenge! She's been doing really well in the show ring, which is great. I have temporarily pulled her from agility classes (mostly for financial reasons), she usually gets 5 or 10 minutes on lead work during Elton's class...though that said, last week she went off lead and was much improved :) Didn't run right off once. We were doing weaves which helped, she is usually so much better with weaves because she understands what's expected...too many options with jumps! I don't think I will ever do obedience with her, I don't feel it's fair to put her in a stay ring. If I can wean her back from the treats and still get her focus I think she'd be great at rally, so hopefully an option for next year...or the year after!

Sadie is now 11 months old and is lovely, sooo full of character and when I look at the incredibly outgoing, happy little dog I have now that throws herself at everyone, I struggle to process the scared little puppy I had when she first arrived, who was terrified of almost everything, spent most of the time when we were out hiding under my chair and wouldn't go near people! I am pleased with how she is developing, but unfortunately her tail is still holding her back and I don't think she is ever going to make quite the show dog we hoped for. It also doesn't look as if she will be with me long long term, so I made the decision to not pursue other avenues with her so I could concentrate on Elton and Ria. She will probably be mated next year, and fingers crossed she produces well.

Think that's pretty much it! For now...

A rather belated Crufts 2013 round up...an action packed three days for me, being there Thursday-Saturday.

Thursday was the least eventful day, with just Elton in the YKC obedience. Possibly the less said about that the better - he was completely overwhelmed once in the ring and although his HoL was okish, when we cut the cord (removed the lead) he sat there and decided it was too scary to move! So I called it a day - no point stressing him, C'est la vie! Though having only one obedience class and no breed judging that I was interested in gave me time to do some proper spectating and shopping, so there were plus points!

Friday was Toy Day - breed for Solei & breed stakes for Elton. Elton's stakes were in the same ring where he had lost it the previous day, but in a different context (and on lead lol) he was fine and showed very well. Didn't get anything, but I knew it was the wrong judge for him...just nice to qualify. Solei went well, remembered what to do and although he was unplaced in Veteran Dog it was the nicest Veteran class I've ever seen in Paps - there were 17 dogs entered and a lot of quality. He did then go on to get a VHC in Good Citizen Dog :-) So happy me - a card at Crufts is fantastic.

Solei age 8.5yrs at Crufts 2013 (Photo Yulia Titovets)

Saturday was the "big" day - the Finals of the Special Pre-Beginner Obedience Stakes. I have had little else on my mind since Elton got through the semis in November! Oh and did I mention - one of the motors in my chair failed and the part was taking forever to get back in stock, so I was without a working chair for 6 weeks...it was finally fixed on the Monday as we were off to Crufts on the Thursday!! I was just slightly stressed. Having been unable to do any proper practice I had one session with him (he was a very good boy) and then that was that - our Crufts preparation!!

(Photo Yulia Titovets)

Saturday was also Gundog Day, so Ria was in action in the Kooikerhondje ring! I was really pleased with her - she got a 2nd in Post Graduate Bitch to the Reserve Best Bitch, and a 2nd in Good Citizen Bitch to the Best Bitch. Good results!

Elton was in the ring early, having been drawn 2nd - couldn't decide if that was a blessing or a curse!
Nice to get it out of the way I think - though we had stays at the end of the class. After Thursday's disaster I could not have been prouder of him, the ring was right in the middle of Crufts with scores of crowds, and flyball being run just down the hall!! but he was a star, I came out of the ring thoroughly satisfied with how he had worked - whatever happened. As it turned out, the marks reflected what I felt!

The scores nearly halfway through the class

By the end of the class he was lying Joint 2nd, surrounded by Border Collies/Working Sheepdogs (BC/WSD)! That was the most terrifying stay I have ever done in my life...but all clear. So then we had a run off for 2nd/3rd. I was not all there by then lol and I knew we hadn't done enough to win it, but 3rd was beyond my wildest dreams...there were BC/WSD in 1st, 2nd & 4th, so he was the Top Anything But A Collie. What a result :-D



So all three dogs came home from Crufts with placements, I spent far too much money and have fab memories that will stay with me for ever :-) Even now, 7 weeks later, I still can't quite believe it happened! But there is no doubting who the star of Crufts was :-) Dog in a million!

I'm clever, yes?