Blogs

I have some favorite blogs; ones that I look at everyday. I find them almost like reading the newspaper in the morning, entertaining and educational also. Some blogs I only check once and awhile; they are the ones that are mainly outlets for brags. There is nothing wrong with those blogs, they are just different, not as interesting for me to read everyday, but I like them to keep up with what friends and acquaintances are doing. Then, of course, there are the blogs of my own pups and those I like to check all the time!

Some blogs just make me laugh or cry as they are so honest. It seems as if the blogger is just chatting with me,the reader, from the other side of the world. You will see many of those blogs on my blog list. They are there because I enjoy reading them.

My favorite blogs discuss training and my most favorite ones discuss puppy training. I love to watch the blogs that bring on pups and their training right from the start up until competition. Ones like Elite Forces of Fuzzy Destruction. This blog details training and competition with videos AND she has a new puppy! With some of these blogs I can see what worked and what did not and it helps me decide what I might like to do with my own dogs. Those are the honest blogs, the ones that tell the bad and the good! Actually many of these blogs have shaped my training over the years. When you train on your own often, like I do, it is nice to watch how other people train and handle. I liken it to training days; I sometimes get more out of watching other people and what the trainer advises them than I do when I run my own dog. Watching videos and reading training discussions on blogs can be done in my own time and when I have few distractions. That is why I enjoy it so much.

Anyway another one of my favorite blogs is The Dog Blog!. (As an aside the blogger, Sassie, is getting a new puppy soon and I look forward to watching that puppy grow and learn as she is an interesting trainer!) While I like to watch her training and competition videos; today I just wanted to share a blog post from Sassie that for some reason just hit me as particularly insightful and I thought some of you would enjoy it. You can read it at
Want some Advice?.

Since I find any blog post without video or photos boring; here is another Pink Croc Bed photo! This time we found Pax asleep in the croc.

Supadogs Final 2009

Last weekend we competed at the Supadog Final. The other day I was looking at the videos that Dennis took of the runs. I was very pleased with Zen's performances but I laughed when I saw the end of the video. Thank goodness Ian kept his dog on lead! I never even noticed what nearly happened nor did Zen even show that she noticed. A good reason to have the start and finish line further apart I think!

Zen won this class and it was great to be out running her again. She has been on a break since the World champs and her last show before that was nearly 2 months ago!

Photos from Austria

A german friend on facebook posted some action shots of her dog from the world champs. So I asked her for links to try and find ANY action photos of Zen. So far not much luck. :-( If anyone knows of any out there please let me know? Sometimes I think Zen has a action shot photo filter on her because the photographers either never seem to get photos of her or the ones they get are blurry.

So I am searching photo after photo of any photo that has a tri sheltie and nothing. But I found this! This must have been taken after our last run. I love Zen's face which says "Enough of this love stuff let me run again!"

Zaz and Itz Training Oct 2009

I haven't said too much about Zaz and Itz's training lately. Mostly because it is only just starting to come all together now and we can begin focus on obstacles. The pups are now nearly 11 months old and I feel that they are mature enough mentally and physically to do most obstacles fully. The only two agility obstacles that we will be waiting on will be the A-Frame and the Weaves.



I have struggled to find appropriate classes for the pups especially as I need TWO classes. Thankfully Nandy has put on a puppy class that is just fabulous for Zaz and I have found a local class (with all small dogs!) for Itz. Now I am a happy trainer!

While I mostly train on my own; the pups do need to get to places to experience other dogs running and get on other equipment. And it is just nice to socialize and see how other people are training. On the other hand I am so protective of my two little girls and worry about them getting hurt by out of control big dogs; so classes scare me also! How many times have I heard about a dog getting bowled down by another dog during class and it either ruins the dogs enthusiasm for agility or damages it physically. I am lucky that so far all the dogs in my classes seem friendly and calm. Itz is probably the one most likely to chase at this point!

So the next few months are going to be focusing on the pup's training. It is a very exciting time to watch them each develop and show their potential. Watch this space!

Reminiscing

I have been going through old photos that I brought back from our New York house. Dennis has scanned some for me (the old days of non-digital!) We have some changes going on right now and it makes me want to look back at happy days.

I thought it fitting to start with the above photo of Joy taken at Liberty State Park with the Twin Towers behind her. Those were the pre-agility days when I would spend my time at breed and obedience shows. I always loved the show at Liberty State Park because the obedience was inside and the breed show outside. Joy was the greatest dog to show in both breed and obedience as she was up for anything. I still miss her...



My best New York training buddies had golden retrievers. I love this photo of a very young Pax with Viva, Bounty and Teddy. The funny thing is that, for no reason, Pax (as only Pax could do) took a huge dislike to all Golden retrievers! But you couldn't tell that from this happy photo. I think it was taken during the time that Pax had begun to suffer from seizures and I thought I would lose her. Thank God she is still with us 12 years later.



This was the England-four. These were the 4 dogs we orginally brought over to England with us. It was an exciting yet scary time and I am glad we made the leap. Monty had just joined our household around that time and almost returned him to his breeder instead of bringing him over to England. I bought Monty when he was 1.5 years old and had only had him for a few months when we decided to come to England. I thought his breeder would want him back instead of letting him go to another country where she would lose the chance to breed from him. I was in the process of turning him over when I just broke down in tears and told her I really wanted to keep him. She went into tears and said she really wanted me to have him but thought I did not want him. So we both cried and luckily I was able to take him to England with me. Without Monty I would not have Zen nor her gorgeous pups Zaz and Itz. I think I made the right choice in bringing Monty along!

Little Mouse and Pink Crocs

I have just returned from a trip back "home" to New York. It was only for a week so it seemed like it was hard to pack everything in. But my main concern was finally getting to see the little "Mouse". Mouse, now re-named Zinna, was that special hand fed puppy from Zen's litter 1 1/2 years ago. I have not seen her in person since she left England at 10 weeks.

Zinna has stayed the size of an actual mouse and is officially the smallest sheltie ever produced here at OBay! She is only 10.5" and 7 pounds. That is sheltie breeding for you! You never know what will come out!

Here is a photo of Zinna and me. (If we had any better photos I would show them but we only had my little camera with us.)



And little Zinna's face in a photo taken on our boat trip around the lake. Look at those perfect sheltie ears!



Zinna bought a present for her mum Zen's achievements at the World Champs. Well really I think it was my sister Terry that bought it but I go with what I am told! I have to honestly say I have NEVER seen a dog bed like this before! haha Unfortunately Zen refuses to lay in it and says she was cheated. Her puppies on the other hand love it!

Enjoy!

Itz is most often found in the croc bed with her head hanging over the side. How can that be comfortable?





Zaz likes it also but is more refined in her positioning in the bed!