Good things about getting up at 6 am

...well, there is time to blog, there is a quiet house and time to write now we are a little organised.  Today,of course, there is the lunar eclipse, which is rather cool for a geek like me ;)

However, now - 0715; I can't see it, which is probably the answer to why the TV is filming it from Belfast.  I did briefly consider nipping up the hill to see if there was a better view, but with frozen roads and cars I decided that was not an option - especially in my PJs.

As I speak, the three dogs are playing happily with the toys.  Teasle is now playing with toys more than ever before.  She plays really nicely with Bramble and does set her straight, with just a nose and mouth around the paw.  In the evenings, Molly will grumble at her sometimes, especially if Bramble tries to get into bed with them. However, she mostly just gets out although they can now often be seen with the big girls in the bed and Bramble close by on the vet bed.  She also seems to be learning that evenings are calm times, not play times.  I let her in yesterday and the door was open to the front room. Bramble just set off to lie on the vet bed in the dining room where we normally sit with her and chewed gently on a toy.  However, she managed it into the bed with her mum one time.

Bramble is learning that cats are not for chasing or playing with.  On one sortie around the garden following Baggins she jumped over the leg stays under the garden table.  It was too quick for me to say 'Get over' but at least it is unlikely that we will have a problem with her jumping from the looks of things.

She now walks quite nicely on the lead and sits if not too excited.  She actually sat and waited by herself for her food, but that was a little too difficult this morning when she was hungry and I had to hold her.  Having said that, she is like her mum and not a greedy eater although she is desperate to eat Molly and Teasle's food.  Molly would grumble at her, which would teach her, but Molly's food disappears so quickly that there is no problem.  Teasle backs off and would let her eat it. I may well continue to feed them separately until she goes on to the same food.

The weather doesn't seem to daunt Bramble except in the evening when she is tired. However, we managed to reorganise the utility room last night, shutting Kiwi in her crate for the night, which she is used to; so that Molly and Teasle could stay in as it was already -5 degrees Celsius at 9 pm and we are a bit soft. They have been fine outside, with hot water bottles and heat pads but we decided it would be nice for them to remain a bit warmer.  Everyone was fine this morning.

Now on to another day, some work to do and 2 offspring home to entertain, or keep us entertained.  Happily, it means other folk to pop the pup outside although I do actually like to do it.  The highlight of the day will be the Christmas shop arriving then a family board game this evening.  Then, enough already please, bring on Christmas which should arrive with the final family members and Pom, Kiwi's sister.  It should be a fun and animal filled CHristmas.

Good Golly Miss Molly!!

Left to right: Simon & Zoe, Molly & me, Kim & Cashew, Geoff & Sally.


So, as you can see, the big smile says; Molly and I managed to achieve a Certificate of Merit at the East Midlands Gundog Club novice handler/ novice dog test this last weekend - 6th June.

It was a great day. I had entered Teasle (2yrs) and Molly (3yrs). Now Teasle only started training properly in November so is pretty much a raw recruit. Doesn't like jumping, nor water - well, until Saturday. I had been trying to get her into water for weeks. Got her up to her oxters in a small river on holiday - but swimming depth? 'I don't think so' says Teasle. So bad that Molly would swim into the deep water and drop the ball at Teasle's feet for her to bring in!!! Sweet of Molly, but not according to plan. Once I heard that there was water at the test, I was a tad concerned, so, after training on Saturday we went to the pond. I don't know what changed, but after a few ennis balls (her favourite) and watching Molly pick them, Teasle decided she would go. By the time Gaynor and Simon arrived, she had brought out a few dummies. By the tome we left, Gaynor had her not only picking dummies but handling on them in the water too. Molly had a good time too, getting on to the island to pick dummies too.

So we were all set for Sunday...

A rainy day, but it slowed down as we arrived although Sandra Braithwaite and the other helpers and judges were already rather damp.

We went as a group to the 4th test - our first. I was second in with Teasle. When I got to the peg for the test my heart sank a touch when I saw the small jump, but I tried to be calm about it and think I succeeded. The dummy was just behind the fence, thrown with a shot. I sent Teasle, her going off a tad smart if i'm honest, and stopped at the fence. No amount of 'get over' or 'go back' impacted and she wasn't listening to the whistle. Gaynor called to me to call her up and Debbie Hall, the judge, agreed. She was also kind enough to let me take Teasle up and get her over the jump, the dummy thrower also very kindly helping out.

I got back to wait to find Molly had been whinging :( we worked on that for the rest of the day and I think we got somewhere.

When it was Molly's turn, she, surprisingly, didn't go straight over and didn't really respond as she should to the whistle. However, she did eventually get over, get the dummy and return. We also got some marks which can't be bad.

Our second test was test number 1. We had to walk the dogs slowly at heel, stop and have them sit while a shot was fired and a dummy thrown out at 90 degrees. We then heeled to a further stop, left the dog and returned to where we had stopped for the shot. Recalling the dog they had to stop and wait until they were sent for the dummy.

Both Molly and Teasle did very well at this although I do still need to work more on Molly with her slow heeling across ground. She tends to pick her way around the thistles rather than stick close by me!!

Our third test, at the top of the field, consisted of a mark, thrown by Rory with shot, followed with a blind with shot being thrown as the dog returned.

I'm afraid Teasle really didn't perform as she could have. I thought she had marked the dummy, but sent her on her name, also pointing her in the right direction. She went back and chased around, but didn't really get her nose down. She didn't respond to the whistle and another very kind judge Morris Sargeant, asked if I minded if we called her up. I was actually about to suggest the same as I told him. However, he also suggested that we give her an easier retrieve . It took two throws by Rory but she did eventually succeed.

Our final test was at the lake at the bottom of the field. The first dummy was thrown into the lake, visible through a gap in the cover around the edge where we were stood. A second dummy was placed as a blind, straight up the track at 90 degrees to the first. A shot was fired over it. It took a few moments but Teasle She came back and I caught the dummy!

Turning her around, I sent her back, she went through the small fance and was just about to pick up the dummy when a shot rang out and Rory threw a dummy back at the top of the field and that is when Teasle showed how she can run!!! Off she went at a rate of knots and from what I could see, nearly go the dummy!!! As she ignored the whistle I ws sent to the fence to keep recalling her - I saw her way out on the rigt and called her name and she turned to come towards me, getting to the edge of the lake and cutting off the corner by swimming across to where the original dummy was. She picked it up and I ran back to the peg in time to take it off her!! A big thank you to judge Chris Winfield for directing me and being very patient!!

Molly was reluctant to get into the water at the gap, I don't know why, although Gaynor suggested that it was the water lillies putting them off - there were a lot. However, once she got going she did really well and went back for the other dummy easily.

When we got back to the car for lunch, they showed they were both really thirsty. I made a mental note to carry water around even on a small ground - they might both have been a bit more responsive if they had had a drink.

I sat back and relaxed and was rather stunned when Sandra came through and called Molly's number for a run off.

There were 7 of us - 4 being Gaynor's trainees. Geoff, however is an experienced handler so in the novice test while Simon, Kim and I were novice dog / novice handler. Our test comprised at a retrieve over the same dip they used for test 1, a mark with shot thrown from behind a tree at the other side of the dip. Molly went out well, but ran around the tree. I tried to handle her; she did stop but I sent her out left when I should have sent her back. I did get her into the right area eventually, but not as well as I should have. ...and we still managed to gain our award. A big thank you to all those who set up the tests so we could have the opportunity to test our dogs and to the judges: Morris Sergeant, Chris Winfield, Laura Marsh and Debbie Hall who were so kind and helpful and helped us to achieve. As always a big thank you to Gaynor who trains us with such patience and fun, stretching us and our dogs.


What did I learn?

• I need to tighten up heel and whistle work even more.
• I need to take a litttle more time setting them up.
• I need to be a bit tougher with the Teasle dog - she can do it, don't let her get away with silliness.
• I need to make sure I have water with me for them.

So, here's to next time

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!