The KNIGHTs Shelties

Well, I had quite a bad day today ...

I took all the dogs to the Common on the way to Bernadette for my lesson this morning. Seagull and Titan were wild, they didn't want to come to me when call. I didn't even raise my voice, it was raining and I was desperate to have a quick walk but Seagull just wanted to say hello to all dogs and Titan just wanted to pee on every single grass!!! It is not like them at all. They are generally quite obedient and easy dogs to take out walking.

I parked the car at the car park, put Seagull, Titan, Samber and Sizzle in the boot; Sing the front and realised Saturn was still standing from a distance. I called and he just stand still, not like him at all. He always follow me very closely and has no problem getting him in and out the car but he just wouldn't come. Then I shouted over to him: I am going, bye ... I saw him taking a detour, instead of coming straight back to me, he run into the carpark and take a big cirlce and there came a car. My heart skipped a beat! Luckily the car stop dead. When he came to me, I then to find he rolled in the bl**dy fox poo! YUK! He sure knew he did something very wrong and feel guilty and worried that I am going to tell him off!! So, I have to spend 20 minutes to clean him with baby wipes!! Arrrggghhh ... I don't mind we are going home after the walk but we are heading to Bernadette for our lesson, how annoying!!

The car was very low in petrol. The petrol prices is very high in our area, nearly £1.10/litter. I remembered seeing a small petrol station on the way to Bernadette which is reasonably cheap (then). I was hoping I can make it through the petraol station with 2 gallons left. If there is no hold up traffic, I should be safe, so worried all the way and finally got this cheaper petrol (96.9) at Bolney Village. Phew! Safe!

Got to Bernadette, just in time, and the sky turns grey! Got Sizzle out quick, hopefully we can get a bit more done before the rain comes. Did a jumping sequence, I thought I can work him with not a big problem but it turned out to be we were no good at all. He didn't understand the pivot turn, he kept going around to take the next jump; then the wrong end of the tunnel which I can't be there to call him off ... oh dear! Before we can make it perfect, the rain got heavy, we have to run into the house! After a nice cup of tea, the rain didn't stop but got heavier and the wind picked up, so we have to call it a day! I hope we can work on that jumping sequence next week!

The rain was so heavy, at some part, I could hardly see the road when I was on M23, so I have to slow down to 30mph! The traffic was ok, so we got back to Coulsdon without any delay. As with all six wet shelties in the car, it got steamy, so I roll down a jar on my window. I was waiting on a temperory light at Beddington Lane (an industrial area), there comes a big commercial lorry in speed, guess what? I didn't see there was a big puddle on the other side of the road, so you got it! The filty smelly dirtly water splash all over me!!! How stupid!!! That moment, I just wished I can jump in the bath immediately!!

Luckily I got home within 10 minutes, bath Saturn and bath myself, so we both smell nice and clean!

I thought that was the end of a bad day but nope! I pop into Sainsbury on the way to pick up Colin this evening. Just want to stock up few bits. I picked up two reduced items, one didn't scan the reduced amount, I didn't know at the time so I have to go to the Customer service to ask for a refund. I stood there waited for more than 15 minutes, there were a couple in front of me. I asked them if they knew anybody there and the lady told me the guy went to fetch somebody. After a few minutes, I saw the guy came back. I do not know what was their problem, it took ages, another 10 minutes has passed. There were a few people behind me, waiting impatiently and yet the guy still do something looks alien to me. There were so many other stuff around but no one want to serve us. I only want 49p refund! I got very angry waiting for 20 minutes and still not been served, then this lady behind me push pass me to jump the queue. Hey, I nearly punched her!!

Grrrrrrr ...

On the other hand, Sing played ball with me in the lounge after I came back from Sainsbury!! WooHoo!!!! I was worried about him last night. He looked very firghtened and unsettle when he came in the lounge last night. Usually, he march in like a trooper but since the accident, he was very careful, a bit too careful, I don't know if there is anything that spook him. I didn't over play with him, I am hoping to build that back slowly.

It was lovely this morning, sunny and a bit cold, so I decided to take Sing, Saturn, Sizzle and Samber for a long walk in the Common. Reason I didn't to take Seagull is he struggled for a longer walk and Titan will "attack" Sing when I play ball with him. With the recent disaster I had with Sing, I do not want to put him off from playing his beloved tennis ball.

As it was lovely, so I took my camera along not knowing the battery was very low! Doh! I only have limited pictures but it is good enough for me to mark the dogs have a lovely walk with me.

a very happy Sing with his tennis ball

Samber loves to chase alongside the dogs, shamed that I can't get her to play with ball/toy. I tried very hard though. When she first came to live with me, she was very interested to chase the toy I chuck it for the boys. She picked it (or steal it from the boys) and run away with it and never bring it back; then when she settled in, she is not interested in the toys anymore!!

you see what I mean, she is like a shadow to all the dogs

I love winter training day. I only started doing winter training days two years ago and I just loved it. I've got to practise what I need to improve from the last season and also to learn from different instructors with their methods, then I will start thinking which one suit me and my dogs better. Also, it is a good way to bring a young dog out to do agility in different places, different equipments and different people and dogs ...

This afternoon was our very first winter training day with Andy and Nancy Hudson. These two are the top handlers in this country and they both run shelties too! I have signed up with Sizzle on this training day. We were in a very nice group of 3 Border Terriers, a JRT, a Sheltie and a Beagle. We started with the Drilling with Andy in some simple jumping sequences. Sizzle was a bit slow to start with but he soon pick up his speed again after a couple of runs.

We did the weave entry but Sizzle kept pulling out at 10th/11th pole, Andy told me Sizzle didn't like me to go past his shoulder, so when we did the weave again, I was careful to either hang back a little or stay at the same level as his sholder and he completed the weave nicely. Now, I have something to work on ... to run ahead of him and make sure he is still complete his weave! We have also learned to stand upright (a lot of small dog handlers like to bend over to be at the dog's level and I did that a lot eventhough I am fairly short!!!) and to stay in a nice distance away from the dog when he weaves, this is also to teach the dog to do the obstacle indepently.

We also did the wrap the wing. After a couple of practise, Sizzle wrapped the wing tight and perfect and we also got to learn to use the command left and right correctly. We also did the cross behind after the tunnel to jump sequence. I am very pleased with Sizzle how he picked up the things so quick.

After an hour and a half, we swap to Nancy to do the contacts. Sizzle loves the contacts. I guess I reward him everytime he did a nice contacts. This is also make me feel sad and guilty that I didn't reward him enough in Jumping.

After Sizzle missed his running DW at the recent show, I was a bit taken aback about his running DW. I started training him to run his contacts and I know the risk and I want to stick with that but how am I going to imporve his running DW? Sing is much easier dog to train but I am not given up on Sizzle. He is a challenge for me.

I have been practising his running DW this week at home, only 3 or 4 reputations a day, not more than that and I am very happy with the result. I want to prove that he can do the same at different places and today it proved my hard work has paid off. We have done a few DW and he has not miss a single one and he hit the contact point the way I want him to hit. I only reward him with his toy once at the bottom of the DW and he was shocked about the reward coming his way. I did verbal priased a lot.

We still need a lot of work on the see-saw. He still try to jump off before the see-saw tilt.

Overall, I am very happy with Sizzle, he really is a fantastic dog to train.

Sorry no photo or video, I did asked Colin to bring the video camera, hopefully he would film our work so I can watch it at home but he didn't do any of the filming.

I thought I would share this video of Sizzle did the 60 weave pole challenge back in early September at Paws in the Park. He missed the last weave pole which was a shamed but I didn't want to redo, it is very long and tiring weave:

Now, I have a little trouble with Sing ...

If you could recall Sing was poorly last Thursday? He hurt himself mysteriously before the Shrewsbury show? Well, I think it was me played the ball badly with him and he got injured very badly. Sing and I have a silly routine ... every night, when I have my dinner, I always sit on a little stool in front of the TV having my dinner on a little table. Sing always bring me a ball, so I chuck the ball for him at the same time eating. This has been going on since I have him as a puppy. That Thursday, we did the same thing but after a couple of throw, he yelped. To whoever that do not know Sing, he is a very tough strong dog, he hardly yelped eventhough he is in pain. So when I heard him yelping, I thought he must be really hurt but he wouldn't come to me, so I went over to stroke him. I didn't see what has happened to him, this is why I didn't make a big fuss and didn't realised it badly affected him the next day.

This week, I went back to my usual dinner time play with him, he wouldn't want to fetch the ball I throw, not like him at all. Sing lives for a throw of tennis ball. He even hide or run away when I throw the ball, very funny. If Colin is there, he will run to Colin for protection!!! He is fine playing ball in the garden and in the Common but definitely not in the lounge. We have tried so many days now but everytime I took a ball out, he ran away. I guess he must have been very badly hurt. I wish I have seen what has happened so I can help him to get away with the phobia. I am very surprised with Sing's reaction to it as he never is a sissy dog.

I am feeling very guilty and sorry and hopeless.

these two are Ypra's little girls, you can see the boys here

These autumn photos I took last weekend at Mitcham Common made me smile:

crazy Samber likes to bounce!!

she is always so agile, maybe is a little too agile at times!!