Tosh and Molly wonder what will happen next!!

Molly being told to 'Go Back'

Training Week!! or ...'maybe this'll work!'

This has been quite a week for training. On Tuesday the class was held in the evening. The remedial group arrived a little early. For Molly the aim was to stop her running in after a mark when Gaynor said ‘Karen’ so that I could send her. She had worked out that I send her shortly after being given the word! That was sorted quite quickly, which was good. The fact that I spent much of the rest of the evening chasing her down when she didn’t respond was less good! L

So, on Thursday evening the remedial group met again, together with Gaynor’s Blitz and Ronnie with 1 year old Richie. Alistair came for the first time to watch, but mainly to look at the kennels as we are looking to put one out at the back. Partly for the pups if we ever get that far and also for short term accommodation. If I get to keep the pup I want from Molly then there will be two of them and it will be a tad easier for the morning poo.

As Alistair was there he brought Tosh out to watch. She was interested and so, since Tosh had been very keen when we went to the pond, at the end of the evening Gaynor threw her a dummy. Of course she turned her nose up at it!

Today I set off in the rain to do some concerted training. In the first field, I set out three dummies and called Molly to sit and sent her back, after throwing a dummy out to the left. I stopped her every so often on the way back and then she retrieved it well. Next was back and left. It was not in any of the ‘usual’ places, but she handled well on to it. The third was further left and she found that easily. When she returned, as I couldn’t remember exactly where I had thrown the other one, I sent her for it – took about 3 seconds!!

In the next field I dropped a dummy way back for Molly to fetch from the far field, over a hedge. She has done this often but not so far. However, she went straight out and back. Two more long retrieves, sitting and taking some direction, but the rights and lefts were off. She wasn’t listening.

I decided that I should remind her about direction. I sat her and told her to stay. I threw one dummy over her head and Tosh shot off as did she. I grabbed her and put her back and Tosh, for the first time in months decided she was going to retrieve! I threw it to the left, to the right, behind and over and each time Molly stayed still, resigned, while Tosh retrieved them all!!!

So I set up a long retrieve, dropping a blind and then throwing a dummy she saw, walking across the field and throwing a dummy in her sight over ‘the’ fence. I sent her back, and she went well with three stops on the way. It took a while to get her to go out right. Well, she hadn’t seen one dropped there, but eventually she went and found it. Getting her to go back and then left to the dummy she had seen me throw was harder. I got the impression that she had forgotten it. I had to get up there, but eventually she did it. Over the fence to collect the rugby ball dummy was a piece of ease.

After a well earned run, in the final (and also first) field, I sat her down and placed the dummies behind and to the left and right, not too far and Molly did some good retrieves and whistle work. All that is left is to get her to work like that at training tomorrow!!!

OK, so why a Chocolate Labrador? Good question, and not one I can really answer. I was feeling broody for a new dog as my old labrador, Tosh, was getting very slow on our walks and didn't even look as though she enjoyed them. I love to walk but don't do it unless I have a dog for company. So I started looking at the rehoming labrador site on the internet and started to see the chocolate variety. That was it, I wanted a chocolate labrador!

I knew that I wanted to train the dog, for the obvious reasons first and then, as a hobby it would be lovely to enter tests and trials if I could.

So the hunt began, for a chocolate labrador with a working background! I found some a way away on the other side of the Severn Bridge and with a good working background, I did book one. However, I then found some nearby from a lovely lady called Jane and with a working dad who had a photo on the internet that mellted my heart. That was it! Booked.

Then I waited and I waited. I was so excited that I rememebered wha it was like to be five years old just before Christmas again. Goodness knows what I will be like if any of my children make me a Grandmamma!!

Eventually, on 19th June 2007, I got an email with a photo of my girl!!! She was the only one which saved all the pain of selection! - a good thing!