Crazy Weaver!!

We were at the first agility show of the season today just before the qualifier tomorrow, the sun shone down (woo, no rain!) it was lovely to catch up with so many friends that we hadn't seen in so long, and Kiah worked really well within the manic atmosphere of the show, a couple of poles down, but in the wider scheme of today with what we had to deal with in the courses, I was mega pleased with her. We even received a lovely compliment from one of the judges about her ability which was really nice - especially as it was the course that couldn't have been described as our best run of the day!

Today's post though is about her super-obstacle of the day, which has got to be the weaves which we had in two out of our three courses today. The first was an excellent weave entry - most people had helped their dogs out by doing a pull round but I wanted to try a quicker way so after letting her curve around the jump she found the entry and completed them perfectly. The second was in our jumping course (see picture, look at those crazy legs!!) was a very fast entry and weaves to 'nothing' which she did brilliantly too. Clever Ky-Pie :)

Final FCI Training

...Didn't go quite as well as I had hoped it would with time swiftly coming along to the final selection day, as it always helps if you can go into something with a bit of confidence of what you can usually achieve. I was always entering this year's qualifiers with the knowledge that we haven't got the experience yet, and the view that we were only going to get some of that experience in readiness for later years, and with what Kiah has shown me already I'm not going to be disappointed if we don't make it through.

Some of the sequences/courses that were set on this training session were awesome (as has every one of our lessons has been, very big thank you Nancy we have learned so much), the problem is me really!! One issue that Kiah and I have is that she is just TOO responsive - not something that anyone would normally worry about - but I'm far slower to react than herand it would be useful if she helped me a bit sometimes, and didn't getting angry with me for getting it wrong!! Overall I have been pleased with our progress and learning, and though I'm a bit nervous about Sunday's qualifier we'll give it our all!

Wet Worthing

There's only one word that can describe today and that is very very wet! Me and the dogs (Alex was working, AGAIN, stupid shift work job) took a trip down to see my mum and spend a nice day with her chilling out - even Kiah gets to have a cheeky snuggle up on the sofa - and catching up as I hadn't seen her in a while and it was lovely... apart from the weather! Fortunately mum has a large garden so in the brief intervals when it stopped the doggies got to have a mad run around and I got to take a few pictures - Yahoo smiling and Kiah scowling as I point a camera in her face yet again! Kiah likes to play chase around the fruit trees and Yahoo likes to do his 'death rolls' on his squeaky toys so they both wore themselves out ready for lunch/jumbone time. In the late afternoon it did clear up a little so I took them both up to the seafront for a nice long proper run around which they both enjoyed and stayed fairly clean (bonus!), we've got two tired happy doggies this evening!

Happy Valentines :)

Another lovely weekend made even nicer by the romantic day 14th February that is St Valentines which was yesterday, it is a little commercialised now - says the cynic in me, but you don't have to spend loads to have a nice time. It is however a good excuse to spoil/be spoiled the lovely other half in your life and spend some quality time with each other... and that's exactly what we did, with cards, words and gifts including my 'Boofle' as seen here, he is very cute and the kissing dogs card which is just adorable and really thoughtful too as I had very briefly pointed its cute-ness out in the shop, a good few weeks before!

Just a quick word on Saturday as that was good too, I was a lot more contented with Kiah (and me) at training, we were working and gelling together a lot better, we got some good weave entries and a couple of super tight turns and I was very happy with her jump work - the only poles down were due to my handling, so she was a good girl, really pleased.

FCI Training Part 3

I've been a bit more reluctant to update my blog with the results from this session's training simply because I don't feel like Kiah and I were working together particularly well, and it's so frustrating as it feels like we've taken one step forward, but two steps back... especially with things that I know she can do - her weaves being one of them, I'm pretty sure its her favourite piece of equipment but it was proving a challenge on Sunday. However we had a good time (why NOT have a good time, its just a hobby, if you're not having fun, why do it!?) and there were still some positives to take away - there are always positives - such as Kiah keeping her feet up, improving her wait, some good turns, and a really tiny thing, her 'out' command starting to take effect since practising.

Before anyone thinks incorrectly, it was me and Kiah that I was disappointed in this week, and certainly not Nancy's training as I appreciate all her knowledge and time, especially a few key points that she always manages to notice, its amazing the little things that a brilliant trainer can see, pick up and help you to improve. We have one more training session in 3 weeks which will hopefully bring bits from the last three sessions all together, fingers crossed! Anyway at the moment I am seriously thinking about starting to possibly change a few things around so that I can have a better balance of things within my life, so will keep you all updated on that too :).

Playing with Photoshop

I was lucky enough to be given Corel Photoshop/Paintshop as one of my Christmas presents and due to various other time constraints I have only just taken the time to start having a play around with it. I've realised how little I know about the program as a whole, it is a whole new set of 'tools' to mess about with!! After a quick look at the book that came with it (where's the fun in reading that!) there are just so many hundreds of things to do within it, that I haven't yet even begun to touch the surface of what clever photo-enhancement type things that I will...hopefully one day... be able to achieve with some of the pictures I have taken.

So, of course the first 'victim' of my photo editing has to be a picture of Kiah. It was a photo I had taken over the park which as I couldn't get down low enough in front of her, happened to have a load of trees, houses, lamposts and general rubbish in the background, and you can hopefully see the result of how I managed to make it all 'disappear' by using the clone tool. I do get a brilliant feeling when I have taken a photo that I am really happy with, and then that it doesn't need any type of editing (as I think editing should only be done to enhance rather than change), but there aren't many like that, so programs like this can be such a useful - and precise function - to be able to use for those photos when there's a pylon, tree branch or similar coming out of the side of someone's head! For my first attempt on this photo, I'm quite pleased with how it turned out. Now time for more investigating to see what other things I can do!

"Did Someone Say Agility!?!?"

Of course I'm talking about the start of the agility show season 2010... what else?!?! Now the snow has finally packed its bags and gone (not that I mind the snow, just the chaos it brings!) and very slowly the nights are starting to get lighter too, we can start getting back into our weekly training so getting both of us a bit less unfit, and thinking about mine and Kiah's hopes and plans for the coming year.

The shows have all started to slowly arrive ready for entering, got to keep an eye on the websites to make sure I don't miss the closing dates - done that before! We have already entered three shows, and obviously they are all at Kiah's new grade 5 so they are going to be a real challenge for us, I know some courses will be a real step up from anything we have encountered before so it is definitely something to work at, but definitely enjoy! We have also signed up for Boot Camp in May as we had such a great time last year and it will also help me with one of my aims which is to improve my handling. Generally though within grade 5 I'd really like if we can get a few places and though various people have said that we will easily win out, I am in no rush to do so, we have a lot more to learn first. Roll on summer!!