Wednesday 30 April 2014

Brooke goes G5!!

Brooke had a very successful weekend with Matthew at WBSDS show at Newbury! She managed to win both of her C3-5 jumping classes making her G5! I was not able to go as Brodie had hoovered up some chicken in my field on Friday so we were at the vets on Saturday bless him. He is much better now luckily! As I couldn't be there I asked my lovely J9-ers if they could video Brookes runs. So here are her two jumping runs thanks to Paul, Maria and Jenni :)

I apologise for all the videos and rosette pics on the blog recently, I'm sure its a bit boring but I use it as a diary to record the doglets progress. Its just that they have been very clever recently and I'm very proud of Matt and Brooke! The other J9 doglets competing did very well too, Rommy got a 5th in a jumping and Chester beagle got a few 2nds-just knocking on the door of G7!!


and the other run


Here is Brooke getting sofa time to herself!


And the others having a snuffle in the field last week-this was before the chicken incident!


And guess what Sparkle has been learning to do recently?!



Tuesday 22 April 2014

Easter Celebration and UKA

We have had a lovely weekend and seemed to have planned it well weather wise! I taught on Friday in the sun all day which was lovely, off to Easter Celebration on Saturday and lazy day on Sunday when it chucked it down! Yesterday Jenni and I went off the UKA Easter show as Matt wasn't feeling great :(

It was only Brooke running at Easter Celebration out of our doglets but the rest enjoyed wandering round the rings. Sparkle seems to be able to cope with it much better now and hasn't (touch wood) screamed at a dog running yet! Matt and Brooke had three classes, two agility and a jumping. She came 2nd in her Graded agility with slightly held contacts and 8th in the combined agility as she came off her seesaw a bit early but then hopped around underneath it doing handstands! Her jumping run was a shame as she came out of the weaves. Here is her G1-5 agility video-love her seesaw!!



UKA Easter show had lovely weather too luckily! Jenni kindly offered to drive as we thought we would have a first go at doing teams with Chantal and Savannah (who is Brookes half sister). Our team was called the 'shouty shelties' as they do like to make a bit of noise round agility! In UKA teams each team member does an individual agility run and then you do a relay as a team with a baton. We had so much fun!! All three dogs did a quick clear in the individual run over their normal height of midi and the relay was run at toy height. Toy height with over-excited dogs was crazy but entertaining! As a team we had a refusal but were still quick. Didn't think in a million years that we would win but we did!! Off to the UKA Grand Finals in December-yay!! Thanks to my team mates and their shelties for such a fun day :)


Having their picture taken before the storm came! From l-r... Savannah, Rommy and Brodie. I love the fact that the two tri's look very serious and Rommy looks like he is laughing!


Brodie was so tired that he didn't notice Bracken getting into bed with him!


Brooke and Brodie with their results from the weekend-Matt is most excited about the fact that he won an Easter egg!! Sparkle kept trying to join in and I told her that she has to win her own rosettes to be allowed!


Tuesday 15 April 2014

Shuttleworth and IFCS practice


After a awful week what with Max going back to Scotland, my car accident and then some old woman driving into Matts car while I was using that, we needed some cheering up at the weekend! Thanks to all my lovely friends and of course Matthew for their company and concern, I really am so lucky to know such great people! On Saturday we went to Spring at Shuttleworth and it was only Brooke running as Dolly couldn't fit in our little car! Brooke did some amazing runs with just one little thing in each of them but she did manage a very respectable 9th in C4-7 jumping-video below.


I must say I am very proud of all my J9 doglets and their handlers at the show! Jenni and Rommy won agility and jumping making him well and truly G5! Chester beagle came 3rd in C1-7 jumping and 3rd in G6 agility. I'm sure his last G6 win is not far away :)

On Sunday we went to Lians to practice running some hard courses in preparation for the IFCS World Champs next month. The shelties were amazing and little Brooke held her own trying out the courses too. She likes to commentate as she goes round the course as you can tell!! A big thanks to Lian and Colin for having us to visit and for these gorgeous photos.


My Brodie in the weaves-love the concentration on his face!



Flying hamster! Brax was really up for it!!


The sheltie gang going to the Netherlands! From l-r...Brodie, Brax, Sizzle and Sonic. Sheltie power!! :D


Sparkle didn't do any agility on Sunday but had a lovely time playing in Lians garden. She found a great friend in Seren who is a month younger than her-they were so cute together!


Playing is hard work!




Monday 7 April 2014

Thank goodness for the doglets...

 I am having a bit of a bad time at the moment, just one of those weeks I guess but I wish I could fast forward to the weekend. Last Friday I managed to drive into the back of someone who slammed their brakes on for a cyclist. Me and the other driver were fine but the cars didn't fare so well. One of those things but really annoying as my car is my travelling office and dog transport! The other thing happening tomorrow is Max pony starts his travels back up to his old owner in Scotland. I will miss him dreadfully but its for the best and I know that he is going to be spoilt to bits. A few other things to stress about at the moment as well but I can always count on these guys to make me smile!





This is Sparkle doing her first ever big girl jump! She is now 14 months and I am training her on small height and need to get her up to midi really. I am going to pop her over the odd medium jump as well. She only jumps a couple of times a week in short sessions which is plenty what with trying to train weaves and contacts too! Spark has just started doing weaves in earnest, she has figured out her entries quite well and is back to front to all our other dogs finding flat entries easier than wrapping the first pole. Her running dog walk is looking lovely so I'm going to giver her a couple of weeks off that to see if she remembers her criteria.



Matt did some contact training with his girlies at the weekend (due to having no car I couldn't go to what I'd planned) This is Brooke doing dog walks with Matthew not moving much on purpose to see how much she understands her job. She loves it!