Dog Agility

Last week Lilly and I ventured out to the next village to "tryout" for the Club.

Of the dogs there I think that Lilly did very well. no constant barking or trying to get to the other dogs.

the first test was just to walk in a large circle with the other dogs that we did fine. Until they asked me to take the head collar off. I use the head collar to stop her from pulling. We then had to get the dogs to lie down and stay while we walked to the end of the lead. This Lilly can do but not with everything going on around her. She just wanted to know where I was going!

The next task was to weave through the dogs to find out if they would react to the them. This we did fine, if not for a little pulling and because she was pulling she was putting pressure on her neck, when she finish pulling she coughed, I was asked if my dog always coughed like that! I did think it was a silly question as I had been there for at least 20 minutes and she had only just started to cough after I had taken the head collar off. Anyway Lilly ignored the other dogs while they walked passed her. At one point she was even watching the other dogs actually doing the agility course.

We then had to do the "sit, stay and come" this was all while another dog was playing half way along the course. Lilly sat, she stayed (for a little while), When I looked over my shoulder she walked a little towards me. So I made her sit again and walked quicker to the point. Then called her.

The finial test was the tunnel. She had to be held by the trainer and I had to go to the other side of the tunnel , it was only set to about a foot long, and call her. when she realised where I was she came sprinting through.

At one point we were told to take out our toy and play with the dog. Well Lilly's favourite toy is a ball. I was then informed that a ball was the best toy to bring as it did not allow you to interact with the dog.

So with all that I have been told about what would be expected:

• I have to teach Lilly to walk on the left side and not just the right.
  
• I have to teach her that playing tug with me is more fun than a ball.

I have found a tug toy for a pound! and I have brought two books;

Expert Obedience Training for Dogs by Winifred G. Strickland. - I find this book quite amusing, it was written in the 60s but updated for the changes to the American regulations. But if any of you watch Cesar Milan (The Dog Whisperer) i contradict some of the stuff that he says. So I will try to keep him in mind when I read this book as I think he has the dogs best interest at heart.

The beginner's Guide to Dog Agility - this book is fun and even tells you how to make some of your own jumps.


We Lilly and I have started to do lead work after we exercise and we seem to be getting used to walking on the left but it is still early days.

1 Month On

Well I can not believe it has been a month since I last wrote on here.

"What have you been up to?" I hear you ask.

The Salsa dancing went well even if I felt that I didn't dance with Hubby very much. We have finished the eight weeks beginners course that we were on, so we have decided to give it a break for eight weeks to give Hubby a chance to go back down the pub and win at the quiz again.

In the mean time I have received an email from the local dog agility group and they have invited me and Lilly to try out to see if we can be trained, I will be off doing that on the 19th and I am looking forward to it.

I have been playing COD 4 again but I don't think I will be getting COD5 I think having the game less than a year with so many weapons I have not quite mastered them all yet. The clan also need some players on the old servers. I have been doing quite well and getting to the top of the board at the end of the games.

My employer sent me on a management course for two days. I found it quite informative and I hope that it will help with my "communication" skills. My boss didn't award me my full salary increase because he said that I was not a good communicator. He awarded the rest of the company 5% and I only got 4%. Well I have been making sure that I talk to him everyday and keep him up to date with what is going on in the team. (I hope he will get sick of me soon and tell me to stop communicating with him). The course has given me the taste for learning again, I am not sure what I should learn but I think it should be work based so that if I want to I could move on from this job.

I have only 4 more months to save and then I can book my motorbike lessons. I can not wait for it but I have to book the written test for the motorbike first. I feel a little nervous about that as the hazard perception test will be a little hard. One persons hazard is not necessary the other person! Well if no one buys me the books for Christmas then I will have to get them myself and set myself a time scale.

I am feeling a little ignored by Hubby the last few days. When we get home we both go on to our computers and play games read emails etc. But even when he is off the computer sometimes it takes him a little while to answer a simple yes and no question. I sometimes think that he is sick of the sound of me. When he talks to me I show interest and I listen to what he has to say, but I don't feel that i get the same back. I have to say through he has been better at the chores, when I get home from work he has lite the fire (after I had to ask him to make sure it was done before I got home or I was putting the central heating on!) He even does the washing up from the night before sometimes! (oh what I would give for a kitchen that is big enough to have a dishwasher in it). I can hear you thinking "What do you do when you get in?" Well there is the dog to walk, which I do in any weather and light or dark. I cook the dinner and get ignored while eating it as we sit in front of the TV while eating. I have tried to get us to eat at a table but in the winter it is difficult as the table is in conservatory which is not heated and has little light in.