March, the show season starts...and CRUFTS!

I have been so bad at updating the blog recently. I admit I have had a lot on my mind as I decided to sell Diva (or actually was pushed to a decision by the hasty departure of a field mate) My riding days are over due to lack of time and a very dodgy back and knee. I will be very sad to part with her but it is the right decision for both of us.

At least the weather is improving slowly and means I can get more training in. I took my two and Dolly spaniel to Dog Vegas show at the start of March and although I could only stay for the morning I still managed to squeeze five runs in! Brodie ran past the dog walk in both classes which is so unlike him but I think there were reasons for both (one was totally my fault!) Dolly jumped really well but weaves were our downfall and the dog that got 2 out of 2 clears was Sparkle! She won the Graded 5-7 jumping and came 2nd in the C1-7 jumping, so proud of her! Videos here

Then less than a week later Brodie and I had the excitment of Crufts!! Although being reserves we didn't get to run, we had the best time cheering on our team and were very proud of how well they did WINNING!! What a brilliant result and well deserved. Icing on the cake was getting to run round the main arena with Brodie for the lap of honour :-D What an experience! Third year that Jenni and Rommy who I train have made it to Crufts so very proud trainer as well! I haven't got a link to the video but its on the Crufts official channel. 

Here are some photos from the big day...

Toad trying on his amazing team kit, sponsored by Doggystyle

Toad and his best mate Rommy :-) Toad looks very serious and Rommy looks very happy!

Lian had these amazing cup cakes made with our dogs on them!

Blingy harness!

Pic courtesy of Linda Gore....me and Toad, Lian and Sonic, Jenni and Rommy, Chantal and Savannah, Sammie and Penny. Our team kit was sponsored by Agilitywear and the ESSC Working Section

After Crufts we looked after Maverick as his Mum was showing at Crufts. He settled in really well and thought Brax was worth flirting with! Shelties waiting for breakfast

And Mav, Mama Bean and Daddy Toad :-D

Busy times for the Burdett doglets!

 I know that Brooke now has her own blog on her journey back to fitness but here are some pics of what she has been up to being a 'normal' dog again! She is enjoying walks with the others again (on lead)

She saw her son Squidge when Sparkle went for a groom and also met Happy the Maine Coon kitten...she loved him! 

Shelties begging for food? Never...! :-)

Brodie has been enjoying his Rally training...to the point that he barks when its not his go and bounces around like a lunatic! He has been wearing a coat today as its so chilly. Since I last updated my blog Toad has turned 9 and Sparkle is now 3!! 

The countdown to Crufts has begun! How awesome is this logo for my team kit...Brodie has some very fancy stuff to wear as well!

So given that Crufts and the show season is fast approaching I have been starting to do a bit more training with the doglets...they have been doing balance work and road walking but I'm stepping up their agility training more now when I can. Brodie did some great team training with the rest of the team on a crufts surface and Sparkle and Brax had a session there as well. My field is ok again now so looking forward to getting back doing more! 

My little cuties this morning...

Miss Sparkle and I went to Scrambles fun show again and this time Dolly's owner brought her and Dixie to compete as well. It was great to reward in the ring. The girls did me proud with Dolly winning the C4-7 agility and Sparkle winning the C4-7 jumping! Little Dixie got a clear round at her first ever show :-D 

Dog Vegas and crazy agility shelties!

We have had some beautiful weather and frosty morning but so pretty yucky rain as well! These are some pics from the nicer days :-)

Toad looking so handsome!

I have actually been able to get out on the fields and walk them after 4pm!

Happy doglets on a dry day!

I have managed to do some teaching and the dogs have loved racing round the field again. I love Brax in this pic, in position to chase Sparkly! 

I took Dolly and Sparkle to Dog Vegas recently and it was a really nice show but so so cold. Jenni was competing Rommy and Squidge had fun watching the action-he is so sweet taking it all in!

Dolly was a good girly and won Grade 4 jumping despite a detour at a tunnel! Not bad considering we haven't trained in ages!

Little Sparkalina was brilliant at her first Grade 5 show and won the Graded 5-7 jumping! She also had the fastest time in the C1-7 jumping but had a pesky pole down as I front crossed. This is homework for us! We got the cutest trophy :-D 

The older two shelties are back from their agility holiday and loved doing a bit at Dans. They were both bonkers! This is Brax having a run round...not bad considering she is 11 in March! 

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!!