So much has changed...

Since our last post a lot has changed,  we have moved 200 miles south to Maidstone, Kent. We havent had any internet since we moved, it only got connected this week hence our resaon for no posts. Thankfully it is all up and funning now and we have infinty broadband which is ace, so much better than the 1mb we have been used to in the past!

This is our new house

It is a lot smaller than our previous house but we have managed to squeeze into it ok. We currently have no secure back garden, we are working on fencing it at the moment but it has done nothing but rain really since we arrived! We are making progress with it though. Although we have no garden we do have this...

 

...a great big paddock! Its about 3 times the size of our one up in Lincolnshire! It is a bit hilly in places but there is a nice flat spot that will be perfect for agility. When the weather improves we are going to section off that area with stock fencing so that it's just for agility.

We haven't done any shows since we moved or any training yet for that matter, hoping to get on with some shortly. I have hired an indoor riding school to run some agility classes and have booked an extra hour each week to train our dogs too so at least they get to train even if the weather is bad. We are starting that in early March.

Now that we have internet we will try and post a bit more regularly so please check back soon :)

Great Start to 2014

Happy New Year!

We had an enjoyable and relaxing Christmas, the dogs enjoyed lots of yummy food and treats, some nice walks along the river bank and we managed to fit in one training session on a day with nice weather. Heidi skinned her pad so she was out of action for about a week but she is recovered now and back to normal.

Yesterday we headed over to Agility Nuts Show with Chaos. It was his first time competing at full height (although he has been training full height for about 2-3 months). I entered him in 4 classes but we only ran 3 as time was getting on and I wanted to be back to take the other dogs out before dark. His agility was first, his see saw was a little bit slow, something we need to work on but his dog walk, A frame and weaves were all good. We got round clear and finished 4th!

Next was Speed and Power. You do a timed jumping section, then compete the contacts and weaves to reduce your time. We got round the jumping part clear. He had lovely contacts but for some reason I got far too close to the weaves so he couldn't actually get in them and missed his entry, when I brought him back around to do them again he jumped a nearby jump so was Eliminated.

The last class we ran was Time Fault and Out Jumping, you run a jumping course until you get a fault or the time runs out. We got round the first time clear and onto our second lap before the timer ran out and ended up in 4th place again!

So pleased with my Superstar puppy. Only the third time he has ever been in the ring and showing great potential. I don't plan to do any more shows now until April, just lots of training with all the dogs to get them ready.

Below is a video of Chaos and Kody Training:

Merry Christmas

December Shows

We went to Agility Nuts a couple of weeks ago for Chaos to have his first ever run. He was such a good boy. He didn't really seem to like queing but once he got into the ring he relaxed and worked really well. Below is a video of his run.

Yesterday we went to Dog Vegas. All 3 dogs were running. Heidi was her usual wild self, her running A frame is really good though, it certainly suits her. Kody and Chaos only managed 1 run each as they had classes last in the ring and I needed to get back home. Kody got Eliminated as I got lost  (no change there!) and Chaos had his first clear round in the C1-4 Helter Skelter and finished 7th! He is such a good boy, im so excited for next season with him.

Show Catch Up

Last Saturday we went to Dog Vegas at Arena UK. I always forget how cold and muddy it is there! I actually only stayed until just after lunch but it was long enough for Heidi and Kody to have an agility and jumping run each. Kody had a clear in jumping and a couple of issues in the Agility but nothing major. Heidi had 2 poles in the jumping and a pole and took a wrong jump in the Agility class. Her running A Frame was fab though :)

Chaos was such a good boy walking around inside. I wasn't sure how he would be as he has never been inside for a show before but he was absolutely fine which was a bit of a relief! He took treats off a few people too and had a walk with his Friends Speedy, Jake and Leo.

On Sunday me and Kody went to an obedience show. It was the first time we had done an open show. I was so nervous! We did our Pre Beginner round and it wasn't a bad attempt, a couple of wide turns caused by me and he stepped off with me on his recall so lost marks there. His stays were clear though. We ended up finishing 10th out of 26 so not a terrible score. We did an ABC class which was a bit more of a training class but really useful. The judges in both classes said he is a very good dog that can do well, I just need to sort out my footwork as I get in a bit of a muddle! So lots of practice for me and we will enter another show in the new year.