Pool Problems

We have been using our pool quite a bit since we got it, a few times a week at least. On Wednesday last week I pulled back the cover to discover it looked like this...

...bright green like Shrek's Swamp!!! Not good news. The rest of the day was then spent trying to tackle the problem. I emptied out 2/3 of the water and gave it a good scrub, connected the filter and pump (which I should have done from the start) and then re filled it. Unfortunately it was still quite green. I ordered a load of chlorine and algaecide which thankfully arrived by 10am the next day. I put in the required dose, not expecting much to happen really, turned on the pump and went into town. When I got back I was amazed by the results...

...a sparkling clean pool! I have then this week been reading a pool water management manual that I got from work and the pool will next year from the start of the year be regularly treated with chlorine which should make the original water last the whole season.

I have returned to training for the past two weeks with the dogs. Heidi and Megan are continuing to train at Lucy's but as I cant really take all 3 to the same class on the same day (its just too much hard work) I have joined another club with Kody on a Wednesday and we are really enjoying it and it is certainly testing us.

This weekend we have had no weekend agility, instead I have been at work for 2 days then my mum and dad came up yesterday until today. We have walked the dogs on a couple of lovely long walks and they have had a splash in the pool too and are now pretty shattered. We have got a busy few weeks ahead of us now and we are likely to be offline for a while but we will update you with our news once things have settled down again.

A chilled weekend

It was my weekend off this weekend and we have had a really nice chilled one. Yesterday I took the dogs for a really good long walk up their favourite muddy stream, as it was hot they all got very wet, muddy and smelly! (You can see by looking at Heidi's muddy legs in the photo) We got back and they all got shampooed before they were coming anywhere near the house. I then spent the rest of the day doing housework, ironing and baked the dogs a salmon cake (which the seemed to love!)

Today we have been to Agility Nuts. Its been forever since we went to a nice small show. It was really relaxed, lovely weather and I think me and all the dogs enjoyed themselves and...we had some good results!

Megan got a 10th place in jumping and had a pole in her Helter Skelter class. I also took the opportunity to do some dog walk training in the practice ring today too and she had about an 80% success rate, only failing when the tunnel was after it!

Heidi has been a good girl too, 3 poles in jumping and 3 poles in Helter Skelter but then a cracking run in agility, no poles! She did slip off the end of the dog walk though so I put her back on. She is really running so well in agility classes now, i'm so pleased with her.

Kody couldn't let the girls take all the glory though, he had a pole in jumping this morning and I got him eliminated in agility (too many tunnels confused me!) but he had a fab run in the Helter Skelter finishing 4th! What a clever boy. (I tried for ages to get his ears up for the photo but he insisted on having them flat to his head-he thinks the rosette is scary!)

Seaside Fun

Today I have spent a good amount of time grooming the dogs. With the exception of Megan they are all losing their coat by the handful at the moment. Still a couple of carrier bags of hair later they should feel better.

This afternoon as we had no plans I decided to take them to the beach. It has been a little while since we last went and as i'm working all weekend I thought it would do them good to let off steam. The beach was actually quite busy compared to normal although we had our own section down by the sea and nobody bothered us, most people were up by the sand dunes. The dogs had a good game of ball down by the sea and splashed around until they were too tired to carry on then we had a slow walk back to the van and they are now all fast asleep.

Happy Birthday Kody Bear

Today was Kody's 4th Birthday. He had some new toys, a giant space hopper that squeaks, a frisbee and a new ball, all of which he seems to enjoy playing with and hopefully he has had a good day.

Our new dog pool arrived yesterday and I set it up but as the dogs had been to hydro yesterday morning they couldn't test it out until today. I had built a ramp to help get them in and out but unfortunately it's too light and floats in the pool. Still getting them all in and out was easier than I thought, they all enjoy swimming so are quite happy for me to lift them in. They were even more chuffed when they realised I was getting in too!

It is currently filled with cold water but in about a month's time we plan to move it indoors for the winter and heat the water so we can continue to use it without injuring the dogs.

The video below is them today, its a bit messy at times as I was in the pool with them trying to hold a camera and throw a toy. Good job its an underwater digital camera as it got soaked and dropped a few times.

Must find a more boy coloured harness too, they all had to share a pink one today!

Scunthorpe Show

Today we have been to Scunthorpe show and only one word can describe it really, pants. (could think of others but not suitable to post here!) Not the dogs fault at all though. Megan had 2 lovely runs, both had a wait at the start which I was so pleased with, in 1 she had a pole and missed weave entry, in the other she chose the tunnel over the weaves (no surprises there).

Heidi only managed 2 runs out of 4 and both of them she didn't get past halfway before being removed from the ring for not listening. Poor Kody I just couldn't get it right with him at all in his runs, in the first one it went well until I blocked his view to the weaves so he took them from the wrong side and had to re do them. In the second class I didn't help him with his entry and so missed it and then developed weave issues where he just couldn't complete them so I just ran him to the finish. I walked the ABC qualifier and was convinced I would end up taking my eye out on the long jump pole as there wasn't much space to turn, when it came to run where I had been so concerned about it, it obviously went wrong and I nearly ended up over it instead of the dog! It went very downhill after that and Kody's weave issue continued as he came out after 6.

Then came the thunder, lightening and heavy rain so I decided as my heart wasn't in it we would come home. The sun was shining lovely here so I decided to do do some Dog Walk training with Megan. I had hoped to put her over the one in the practice ring at the show but as it rained we didn't bother. I am keen to practice it in as many locations as possible over the winter months. Anyway the video below is from today's training, it is still a work in progress but at least there are no massive leaps into space which is what we had before!!!