Tis the season to be jolly........

No I'm not loosing my marbles - well to be debated.
No I'm not celebrating X-mas in July early; and
No my time machine isn't working and it's December again

So we've got the Western Classic coming up this weekend. One of WA's greatest and biggest agility comps of the year where you win clocks and plates and other goodies. If you win a class you also get your photo in the Canine news, which mine tend to turn out like something from Shrek - sure the post should read "princess Fiona with ............" That's what happened to my modelling career, the camera's wouldn't work right, lol - yeh right.

So I've got Diva and Mini entered in the teams event on Monday. Both in the same team, along with Brynn with Tom and Epic with Megan. No reserve as per norm.
I've got them in the individual events on the Sunday - think it's just their classes though and no opens (which I normally enter at the big ones - will have to wait and see the catalogue as I've had sooooo much going on - especially with work and not sure if I'm arthur or martha at the mo.

I like the classic - it's a good event. At night time too, which is much cooler considering the blistering hot conditions during the day - and I'm not just saying that because I'm Scottish - even the Aussies agree.

I had both Diva and Mini in last year. Wee Mini was in Novice agility and Novice jumping - this year she's still in Novice agility (lol - sorry Mini) and Excellent jumping - wooohoooo Minmin :-)))
My wee Diva was in excellent jumping and excellent agility - she's now in Masters for both - and may I add has her Masters jumping title too - go the Divster. We only have 2 passes in Masters Agility but we won't go there (silly handler, lol).

So on Monday I went into work and didn't get home until about 8.30pm. Had left the house about 7.15ish so it's a long day. Stopped off a HJ's to get a burger and also the dogs a cone each (they love the ice-cream). Got in with a normal overwhelming greating from them all. Later in the evening as I was sitting infront of the laptop (yeh I know workaholic) I noticed someone giving someone else a bit more attention than normal and that someone else not liking it at all).

What.....it can't be yet....you're early....way early......

So I got a tissue and done the check and yep - that someone is Samroc and that someone else is Diva. She's in season.

Just one more week - oh well, when you argue with mother nature you're not only gonna loose, you're gonna get beaten to a pulp.

I went and spoke with the vet regarding AI a few months ago and they said to bring her in when she comes into season.

I finished work on Tuesday and took her into the vets to be tested. Got results back on Wednesday and went back in on thursday to get more tests done. I've to go back in on Saturday and see the vet. I've got a feeling they're gonna call me in on either Sunday or Monday - just my luck. Oh well if they do then I have to go - it's my priority over a trial.

Sorry wee Mini - I'm sure you won't mind too much.

So fingers x'd "'tis the season to be jolly".

I'll keep the blog updated with any news.

I said heyeyeyey, I said hey - what's going on :-)

Well time flies when you're getting old :-))

It's now February 2010, and my last blog post was last year, lol. So what's going on - hmmmmmmm Well apart from having been REALLLY REEEAAALLLLY sick and getting better, starting back at work after having a nice break off, having to withstand consecutive days of heat above 43 degrees and of course starting a new year there's been heaps in my agility life.

Well Diva gained her Masters jumping title at the end of last year - wooohoooo. 1 down 1 to go. She now has 2 passes in masters agility - 2 down 5 to go, lol.

Mini's doing really well too - only thing was I thought she had her ANKC novice agility title - had stopped trialling her because we'd be in excellent which has the seesaw and we're working on that - turns out I was getting confused with her titles and passes with ADAA and she actually still needs one pass in ANKC to get into excellent - what the....... the worst thing about it was at the end of the year when she got a clear in novice agility I was dancing around and weeeeeeeee - shouted out at the presentation "title" and got a great cheer and clap - oops. So when she does get a clear (note I'm not saying if - finger's x'd, lol) then I have 2 options - 1 to take it happily and quietly and really be jumping for joy in my head - or 2, shout out "title for real" and get rotten eggs and tomatoes thrown at me, lol. Either way I want that pass now - come on Mini - and what's the odds I try too hard and will be writing on this blog next february - "mini nearly got that pass in novice agility ........"

I've been doing training with them and got a good wee routine now - Diva goes on a tuesday, both train on a thursday and Mini on a Friday. Samroc can have mondays and wednesdays all to himself, lol.

I've stopped taking Diva training on a Friday altogether. Until the club gets new equipment in I can't chance it with her - she goes too fast - and wee Mini is starting to pick up the pace too so it may be the case with her on a Friday too and I may have to switch days (or clubs) to take wee Mini's solo act.

I got a real fright a few weeks ago which made me sick to my stomach. I was working on the walk with wee Diva and working on sending her on without having to have me at the end - also working on speed - which she was doing awesome. On our last turn on the dog-walk (last turn not because we had done enough but because of the following) - she screamed up the up ramp, her back legs were just on the along ramp and the up ramp of the walk fell on the floor - OMG. After Samroc I get all nervous, anxious and sickly when I see things like this happen - so I continued on and went to the seesaw - I didn't want to affect her at all and as she had just gotten into the "safe zone" of the along ramp she wasn't injured. So wee Diva doesn't play on a Friday. Mini's not as fast as Diva but she's starting to get her speed up the more we do and the more it sinks in the quicker she's getting.

Apart from that all's good. I really need to work on my handling skills though. This is our biggest downfall in the ring. My fitness level for one is a major flop and is holding us back in heaps - then I'll blame my handling. You can train your dogs to be awesome, fast and accurate but that means nothing if you can't help them out in the ring - so........

New Years ressie(s) ........

1. work on fitness
2. work on handling
3. keep training the dogs in a regular routine

Aims for this year:

ANKC

Help Diva achieve her Masters Agility title
Help Mini achieve her Excellent jumping title
Help Mini achieve her Novice agility title
Get at least 3 passes in Excellent agility with Mini

ADAA

Help Diva achieve her seniors title
Help Mini achieve her Intermediate title

Agility general:

Have Mini doing all contacts well
Have Diva sending onto all contacts well Have Diva's seesaw down pact
Have Mini's weaves fast and independant - including doing a RHS weave - oh boy
Not have as much handling errors on the course by me - bigger oh boy.

Well that's the plan. So I don't have any photos to put on or many videos - I'm working on another movie which isn't complete as yet.

In the meantime I'll get back to dressmaking (that's for Simonne and Robin).

I've posted a video for my buddies Nicola and Steve. Nicola normally runs Sage (an awesome fast BC), but this time Steve runs her down in Albany in Masters Jumping and does a phenom run with her and wins the class.

Cheers for now and remember to have fun with your dog - play hard and safe and remember to have fun :-)))