Monthly Archives: November 2009

Lazy November

  By Leanne | November 19, 2009 - 4:02 pm | Agility, Dylan, Kim, Training
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Dylan and I had a really lazy training session this week, which was a very bad of me considering we have Wilmslow this weekend, which is our first competition in 6 weeks and we probably should have done some more serious training. I had intended to be good and work on wing wraps and proofing Aframe contacts. It didn’t happen! We did some lovely wraps on Medium to warm up, did a little bit of contact proofing, but then just had 30 minutes of blasting courses and being spontaneous.

I do feel a little bit guilty about doing that, but not too much. We have worked very hard over the past month or so on improving Dyl’s turns, and speeding up his contacts. Sometimes it’s nice to have a night off; besides, Dylan makes me laugh and he is so very enthusiastic about it all, so we never have a “wasted” session.

Kim is running brilliantly at training, although she only does 5-10 minutes at the start of the session. She’s sassy and stroppy and just blitzing everything in sight. We are entered at Wyre in December, but Kim may just come to run around the field and bark a lot. I miss her, but I miss her more when we’re on course and hating it.

I find it very hard switching between the two dogs, but it’s getting easier. Kim can turn on a sixpence, even in midair, and she just looks like one of those wick youngsters at the moment, super streamlined and fast. Dylan isn’t quite like that! He can’t turn anywhere near as sharply and he just doesn’t jump as fast as Kim (he can however outrun her on the flat!). But I can cue Dylan a lot earlier, for example for a tight turn or push/pull. Kim shuts down on early cues.

Wilmslow Saturday, Stocksbridge Sunday, and I would like results but would be happy with enthusiasm and effort even if it goes wrong. Remind me I said that on Monday …

Showbiz Mol

  By Leanne | November 17, 2009 - 6:33 pm | Mollie
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So maybe showbiz is a bit optimistic, but Mollie did go for her first ever grooming today. We do brush her regularly, but she has issues with her skirts and belly being touched. It’s possible to give her a light once over, but any serious brushing and she gets very upset. We can normally keep on top of it, but for whatever reason her coat has been very wild this autumn. We took her to a groomer who is also an old friend, and so she knows Mol’s quirks already. No point in traumatising anyone else!

Before Shot

Before

After Shot

After

It was a brutal cut, but we’re going for practicality and comfort here, not class. Mol definitely seems happier!

Mud Mud Mud

  By Leanne | November 14, 2009 - 7:17 pm | Dylan, Flyball
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I may have mentioned this last year, but Dylan cannot run in mud.

I find this both frustrating and kind of funny, I have to admit. He feels so slow, because he really isn’t going anywhere when his legs move, which is incredibly frustrating for both of us. On the other hand, he is clearly trying so hard and clearly just not moving, and it is kind of entertaining to watch.

Boxwork was pretty shocking, a whole variety of turns, usually 3-footed but a few 4s. I did keep reminding him, but the ground was torn up quite badly, and after I watched Kim struggle to execute in her perfect turns, I figured it was a bit of a lost cause. Let’s hope he gets it back for Stocksbridge next weekend!

ears

Royd Edge

  By Leanne | November 9, 2009 - 3:34 pm | Dylan, Kim, Mollie
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Rain coming over the hills

The dogs had a blast this weekend on the moors.

Football frenzy

Mollie vs. KimWe have to walk past the derelict mill first though, the graveyard of dead footballs. We found four this weekend.

It is rough under those paws, but the broken glass and dangerous spots are confined to the far corners, so the dogs can play. Dylan and Kim and football #2The road provides access for the mill, which nobody goes to, and for the one lonely farm, so the only traffic is dog walkers and horse riders. The people mad enough to go out in the rain.

From there it’s a quick walk up to the moor proper, and we took the top route, walking up the side of the valley before dropping down to the river.

The heather and ferns are knee to waist high all up the hillside, and it’s so funny to see the dogs bouncing through it. There’s just no other way to travel, and the tiny narrow path just isn’t any fun! I find it extremely entertaining that Kim is the most at home here. She used to walk here all the time when she was young, and she also used to go to all the fell races to watch my sister, so she finds this kind of terrain a breeze. Mollie uses her usual tactic of just barging through, and Dylan struggles, despite being the leggiest. He found his feet eventually though.

river

DylanThe river was running fast. It’s not deep, but the current is very strong in places. Mollie and Dylan had to fight to keep their feet a few times, but nothing dangerous. We used to come here in the summer when my sister and I were young, and swim in the river. The rocks are very smooth and slippy, and we used to slide down the river from pool to pool. Dylan learnt this game as well, although it appeared to be unintentional.

Attempting a portrait Attempting a portrait Take Two Attempting a portrait Take Three

Girls vs. Girls

  By Leanne | November 8, 2009 - 5:36 am | Dylan, Jet, Kim, Mollie
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Dylan has a super cute quirk of resting his head on things. His head is the perfect height for resting on people’s laps, so he does that all the time, and looks up at you with big sad puppy eyes. This usually means he wants a cuddle. However, he also rests his head on other things, like a chair, or a bag, or a stair, and he doesn’t want anything from it. It’s just that the object is there, and damn, his head is just too heavy for his neck to carry around all the time.

Kim & MollieKim has clearly been observing this behaviour, because she tried it today. She really wanted some cereal, and tried all her other super cute tricks to get some, and eventually rested her tiny little head on my lap with the big pitiful eyes. She’s never ever done this before, but I’m ashamed to say it worked, and she got a few dry cornflakes. It was just too cute, even though I’m fully aware she’s a manipulative little bugger.

She’s also a complete grass. Mollie had somehow found a tennis ball in the kitchen this morning, and we were in the lounge. The dogs were shut in the kitchen to dry off, and Kim just spent the whole time kicking up a fuss. Eventually I got up to see what was wrong, and she ran straight over to Mollie (who was chewing away, blissfully unaware), and gave me a look which quite plainly indicated that this was Breaking The Rules.

Ball confiscated, Kim smug, Mollie sulks. Kim and Mollie do not have a happy and loving relationship; it’s a game of one-upmanship, which I have to say Kim almost always wins. Kim is the beautiful but evil witch queen, who has all sorts of subtle little traps laid, whereas Mollie is a little soldier, with a smile, a sunny disposition, and a killer body slam. It’s constant warfare in our house.

I have to admit though, this is why I like girl dogs better than boy dogs. Dylan is smart, occasionally manipulative or sly, but he doesn’t have the forethought for strategy that the girls do. I love working with that. Plus, y’know, bitches are bitchy and sassy and just generally awesome.

NB: <a href=”http://susangarrettdogagility.com/”>Susan Garrett</a> posted on this topic (boys vs. girls) and it’s generated loads of blog responses on a similar theme. How can I resist jumping on the bandwagon?