What a weekend!!!!

Well, what a weekend! Friday was fab. Got up & went for a run with Lily and felt good, although unfit but I mean to change that. 2 hours getting right up to date with our 1st business paperwork, R J Electrical Solutions Ltd, our main company nearing its 2nd birthday! Then did some much needed spring cleaning and left the house for some me time for a change around noon. Visited my best mate, and then my mum, did some shopping and felt chilled. Met Fern for a drink at our local then we all went out to see some friends and watch a band to finish the day off perfectly.

Sat morning, up early, sun shining and we (Fern & me) left the guys having a lie in and went out with 4 dogs for a lovely walk. Sun shining, pheasants in the morning mist, 2 red deer on the far side of a field stopped to watch us go by and we were looking forward to my friends wedding at lunch time. As we neared our garden gate, our landlords spaniels were all on our drive. Disaster!!! They pitched in to Lily. I had her on a lead and all I could do was spin her round, pick her up and wait for them to be un-ceromoniously scattered by their owner. I was gutted, and shaking. Poor Lily tries to avoid trouble if she can and is doing so well being sociable but is this a set back? All I can do is wait and see how she reacts at training on thursday. 4 springers at her tail probably hasn't helped! So wish we could move house!!!!! Anyway, no injuries thank goodness and the wedding was amazing, although I really just wanted to come home and be with my dogs. Poor Olli watched in horror as it was his mother & sisters attacking his best friend. What a confused boy!

Sunday we went to Cardiff to see our all time favourite band, followed them since the 80's and they were awesome!!!

So on the whole, a busy and emotional weekend!!! I need another 1 to get over it!!!!

Life is a roller coaster!

Ollis last training night.

Well I'm off to training in a minute and it will be the last 1 for Olli til after christmas. I think its better to do 1 thing at a time, and the shooting season starts in 2 weeks so he needs to focus on that now. He has only been on the shoot field 3 times at the end of last season, as he was only 8 months old, but he is a natural gifted game dog. He has been really enjoying agility, and I think next yr he will be competing and winning, but for now I need calm focused gun dog.

He is so responsive to me & the whistle and so keen I think this year he will be the top picking up dog in our shoot! So looking forward to the season.

Anyway, now I am starting 2 nights a week with Lily for agility so I will be busy!!! I should be pretty fit come Christmas!!!!

No more work til Monday either!!! Yay!! Friends wedding saturday and off to Cardiff to a gig on sunday so wont be bored!!!

Mid week moan .....

Well what can I say? Dogs all been out and happy sleeping now, Fern still sleeping, needing a lie in after 2 hard days at college!, the cats are in sleeping off a night on the tiles, and I have a million & one things to do but unfortunately have to go and run next doors office!!! 6am start for me!

Lottery tonight. Just a small win would be nice so we can move, have a small field for dog training, and I could concentrate on our businesses not have to work for someone else. Not too much to ask?

Oh well, dream on. I'll just escape into one of my fave places in the world, in my head and the day will fly by. Hopefully have afternoon off to take Fern out shopping and spend some quality mum/daughter time.

Ireland mmmmmmmmmm!......................

Lilys 1st clear!!! Controversially

Monday morning, oh wonderful. Still tired from yesterday and the weekends never seem long enough but I do have 12 large HGV drivers who will not be happy if their wages dont get paid today so I better go in the office.

Well what a day yesterday!!! Honiton show and Lilys second and after discussion with some fellow handlers I decided this week not to queue with her but to substitute my willing daughter Fern as "Queuer!" while I played tug away from the ring with Lily. It worked!!!! Took her mind off the other dogs around and started faster and more focused than last week. Got a silly 10 faults in the 1st class, totally my bad handling as you can see on www.youtube.com/feroda7, so headed for the steeplechase class with determination. A bit of a tricky mid section on this course, a pull through followed by a double front cross so I was nervous going in. Flew the 1st section of the course, pulled through fine, jumped 10 then 11 (I rear crossed in my panic but it worked!) around to fence 12 and acros the diagonal to the tunnel. At this point all we had was a snake line to finish and about then I stopped breathing. Lily did a perfect snake and across the last in good time! I was ecstatic!!! 2nd show and we had a fast clear!!!!............................

However, the judge walked over to me in my screaming, emotional delerious state to inform me that he had given me a 5 penalty for Lily "leaving the ring before fence 12 and going around the post holding the ring ropes" I was devastated. I hadn't noticed, couldn't possibly remember as i was doing a rear cross at that point when it should've been front cross so I had to agree with the judge. Totally crest fallen but still, I thought Lily did a fab clear so I put it down to experience. But, and its a big but, Roger my better half had video'd my round so at home last night we sat down with a cup of tea and watched.........................Lily do a perfect clear round, inside the said post by at least 2 feet!!!!!!!! At no time did she go outside the ring. Its such a shame because we discovered from the secretary of the show that we would have got 15th place if the clear had rightly been awarded, which out of 180 dogs in only her 2nd show is pretty damn good. I feel robbed but more determined than ever. Hard lesson learnt that you are at the judges mercy!!!

Nearly the weekend!!!!!

Well its thursday, and thank goodness my last day of the week. Working 4 days a week does make life so much better. More time with my dogs, training and walking, learning all the time and thats me not the dogs! It amazes me that although my favourite girl Lily, who is a leggy sleek collie (is starting to compete now and we're hoping for a clear this weekend), my "working" gun dog Spaniel, (who is just 14 months and has proved himself outstanding at picking up pheasants at the end of last season), is looking faster and even keener at agility!!!!

Problem is, the old school gun dog people said I couldn't train a decent gun dog to do agility................. red rag to a bull I'm afraid, but even I am suprised just how much he is excelling at it. Started proper weave training with him last weekend, and already got the idea of the 1st 4 poles being upright, and at 90 MPH!!!!! Lily you got to watch your back! Although in fairness at home Lily is very fast too, she just needs to build that con fidence when we are out in public.

Oh well, back to the grindstone for a few hours and then get ready for show on sunday! Will we get our 1st clear? watch this space!.............

Well what a fab weekend. I have been to my 1st show with Lily and it was by no means a disaster! My handling let her down a bit, (nerves did get the better of me) and she was a bit unsure of all the other dogs, but this is a dog who had to leave her 1st training session after 5 minutes because she was so totally frantic and wired!!!

I am on a high. She has the potential to be a good agility dog, maybe not top grade but certainly mid way. The thing is, most important to me, she tried and gave her all. She is genuine, and if she can she will do her best to please me. So many dogs I saw over the weekend who were just p"*& takers. No intention of trying at all.

The other big note from the weekend was the amount of people out there, who are quite honestly bad handlers, who blame their dogs! 2 or 3 times in the sace of 10 minutes on one ring we heard, "bitch" or "you idiot" screeched at the poor dog who was trying to work out through pure telepathy where he was meant to be going! Some of these guys were really hot dogs, who in the right guidance would be 1st class, but unfortunately had morons for owners who just expected them to mind read. My handling was poor, but I know that and I know I can improve but I would never blame my dog!

Oh well, "ther'es nout so queer as folk"

Onwards and upwards. I had a blast and I will continue to do so.

Love Lily, she is my heroin. xx

Well its friday and I have millions of things to do in not very much time!!!

My 1st agility competition tomorrow with Lily. Oh god, why did I ever get back into this!!! Retired from shows 7 years ago, and they were only really for fun with my fab but not too fast Sprollie. Now I have a potentially fast & mental collie, and I dont know if I can do her justice!!

Hopefully her nerves will cope better than mine and we can have some fun.

Training last night and she was on good form so fingers crossed!!

Mental note to self, pack plenty of toilet roll and ice!

Oh well, off to start packing all the camping gear. Forgotten ow much you have to remember to take when travelling with pack of dogs & husband and Daughter and Daughters boyfriend! Bacon, bread, tea, coffee should see us through, oh and bottles of wine, nearly forgot.

Will let you know how I get on!

New adjustable weaves! Saves buying channels and standard weaves, 2 in 1! Great for training and re training. You gotta have a set!!!:-)

What we do!

Well if you are an agility Well if you are an agility enthusiast lke me, you may be interested in our equipment. Its kennel club standard and quality but not prices to match! Its all hand made to order and we will deliver to most areas for the cost of diesel.

Hope you like what we are doing!

A Dogs Life

Well I'm very new to this so I'll just say watch this space!

I witter on about all sorts of stuff, especially my dogs and my family so if you're interested in my working dogs, or any of the Agility equipment we build, say Hi!!