Sod off rain...I'm going indoors!

This stupid amount of rain has been dreadful for so many parts of the country so I can't really moan much about lack of agility training but I am very glad that I have managed to get some indoor training in recently! Sparkle and I did Nicola Garrett training on Monday and it was a great course, a real challenge but one that had a lot of handling options. I really enjoyed running it although couldn't get the flat weave entry after the spread so that is on my 'to do' list :-) She ran the rest of it lovely. In the video below I have spliced three sections together to show the whole course. So pleased with her :-)




Brodie has just started coming back into work and did a couple of grids at the weekend...fair to say he was a bit excited!! Love his happy tail at the end!

Brooke is doing well so far...in fact there is so much stuff I want to record about her progress that I have made her her own rehab diary so if you want to take a look, click here

Leamington Rally

Sorry this is a bit out of order but I forgot to post about the Rally competition we went to at Leamington! The dogs were a bit rusty and so were we and it was a windy wet day which didn't help as the KC buildings shutters rattle constantly in the wind. Brooke came out and watched some of the action...not very calmly as she wanted to join in!

This is Matt in the ring with Brax...they got an excellent score of 190 and were just out of the placings. The rings were all back to back as you can see in the pic. Didn't worry the older two but it definitely made it very distracting for the younger dogs!

Spark got spooked by the shutters rattling before her round, then just before we went into the ring she saw two people she knows and got very excited. The photographer appearing at the ring half way thru her round finished her off bless her! She somehow got a qualifying score of 175 but was very distracted all the way round. I shouldn't have taken her in the ring and I'm still kicking myself that I did. I got her back in the building playing a few times thru the day which helped.

Brodie was my little star as always! His first Level 3 (off lead) and he got an excellent score of 197 and came 6th! He had some the exercises that he finds hard too. So proud of him! :-)

Last sofa pic from 2015...Sparks face sums up her day and so does Toads!! Brax isn't in it as someone else collected her rosette for us :-)

Braxway Boys 1st Birthday!!

We had the boys first birthday Party at my field just before their birthday on 6th January. It was absolutely miserable weather unfortunately and we all got soaked...not that the dogs seem to mind! Here are the boys posing (after running around!) from L-R Daddy Brodie, Blaze, Squidge and Maverick. All so handsome! 

We are so proud of how lovely these boys are, both in looks and temperament :-) And all showing great promise in their early agility foundation work!

And some dry pictures of the boys! Maverick (Braxway Ready to Rumble)

Squidge (Braxway Ready to Rockit)

Blaze (Braxway Blazing Ready)

Some indoor training and a very old video...

Over the last two weeks Matt and I have enjoyed spending time with each other and the doglets and I'm feeling quite lost now we are both back at work. We had the Braxway boys first birthday party at the weekend and although it was lovely to see them all together, the weather was awful and we all got soaked and cold! Pics to come in next post once I sort them out.

I hired the dog barn between Christmas and New Year to get a session in for our dogs as well and to take a step closer to overcoming Sparkles fear of cameras. Matt took some brilliant pics of the dogs that came training and got some nice ones of Miss Sparkly in the weaves (which he hasn't sent me yet!) As a thank you I let him run Spark and they both thoroughly enjoyed it :-)





It was also a good chance to try her turns on a new dog walk and I was really pleased with them...just got to do it in the ring now!!

Matt has been sorting through some very old videos over Christmas and found some lovely ones of our guys as puppies and my lovely Bramble (who is 13/14 in the videos) this is one of my favourites! I had forgotten how much Bramble sounded like a sealion!!

Christmas fun :-)

We had a lovely Christmas time and felt very spoilt with all the lovely pressis we received! Our physio Sally gave the dogs a toy each which caused a lot of excitement, even though Brooke couldn't play with her toy it made a nice pillow! 

Sparkle then stole it once Brooke was back in her pen-nice teeth!

Meanwhile Brodie had his sights firmly set on the squeaky penguin!!

Our little tree is very dinky but pretty...I got a cute sheltie ornament to hang on it from Squidge's Mum :-)

And for those of you wondering what the inside of the edible baubles looked like-he is one. They were soooo yummy! Thanks Amy!

Meal almost ready...

Brodie wondering if there is any ham for him!

After all the excitement in the morning, the afternoon consisted of napping!

As we didn't take enough crates when we stayed at Matts mums Brodie slept on the bed...smug boy!

Sparkle only joined him in the morning...she was a good girl and stayed on her vetbed!

Thanks to everyone for our lovely presents and cards, we really appreciated them. I also managed to catch up with some very special friends running up to Christmas which was such a treat xx

Let the rehab commence!!

It is exceptionally mild this December, hardly a frost in sight and a lot of rain! This was one of our rare sunny morning walks...these two are such pros at having their photo taken :-)

I have had a busy few weeks teaching workshops at my venue and for friends but last week I flew up to Edinburgh for the day to visit my Dad who was in hospital after a hip op. I met up with my sister and we had fun looking round the Christmas Market. It has been so mild that the ice rink pictured behind my sister had started to melt!!

Being incredibly talented, Amy had made gingerbread baubles with chocolate drops inside-two of my fav things!! And so tasty!!

The two older dogs are now on their agility holidays after being treated by our lovely physio. Sparkle has not done much agility as it has been too wet and muddy! We have a Rally competition coming up and Brodie, Brax and Spark are competing so will need to practice!!

There has been a lot of people posting photos of their dogs that they have edited using a cool app...have to say I had a go and was very pleased with how this picture of Toad turned out! I love how it has captured the shine on his coat

So the big news...

Brooke has seen the physio and she doesn't think there is an issue with starting her off with some teeny tiny walks and static exercises on her wobble cushion. So far she has managed to walk nicely almost round the perimeter of the garden (I time her so we don't overdo it!) The grass is long which helps slow her down and think about where she is putting her feet.

Brooke is such a special girly and so good that she is allowed into the coffee shop where I work. Here she is trying to get me to give her cake :-D and below her first go doing her exercises which involve standing with her front feet on wobble cushion amongst other things.

And please keep your fingers and toes crossed that she can get back to running around! 

Getting festive :-)

Not the best pic but the Christmas tree and decorations have gone up. Brookes pen is decorated as well and the tinsel matches her vetbed and Santa Paws stocking!

Brooke is doing well, she seems to be moving ok despite looking stiff but then that is to be expected as she doesn't use her muscles at all. She has a month of rest left before she can't start rehab work. She is such a good patient luckily! I have heard a few stories from people whose dogs have recovered well and gone back to agility so there is hope yet. This is my normal morning coffee session! Brooke getting biomag therapy and Sparkle the other side

The weather has been wet and windy and very mild for December. I have been so busy working that I have been doing six day weeks as have had a lot of workshops to teach at the weekends. I am looking forward to a lie in! I have had some lovely dog walks despite the weather :-)

I totally adore this photo!! Sparkle can't believe the shelties-she says she is working with amateurs!! 

Sunrise on the field and Sparkle almost getting blown away!!