Just want to post a tiny post saying still very stressy so not online a great deal. I still owe some people stuff so I haven’t forgotten about that.

We’re also looking for another dog, collie or lurcher a year or under. Can only rehome in the north east.
themodernlove@hotmail.co.uk or 07588454318 if you know of anything. Thank you!

My friends Garry & Tracy have now adopted their third aussie. I met him on Tuesday, poor lad - he has SO much show dog inside him that he hasn’t been able to be a real dog. He’s got very little muscle, no enthusiasm for toys or food. And by no enthusiasm I mean, threw a tennis ball right past his head and he didn’t even flinch or look at it, even when their youngster Dizzy dived for it. He doesn’t even run, just “show trots”, and he’ll only do that if you run away from him. Obviously I know most show dogs aren’t like this, but it makes me disgusted, it really does!

The boys name is Mac, who I believe is younger brother to Eric. The sad thing is I asked people how old they thought he was and they all replied 5+, he’s actually only 18 months!

You can also see Garry & Tracy’s new website on all three dogs, here:
http://www.aussieagility.co.uk/

Good and bad update with Marley, as you can see we took the dogs out and he managed two and a half hours with lots of breaks, but he’s developed new “patterns” on his belly.

He’s had the baldness for a VERY long time but only more recently has it been on the back of his legs. That new pattern is only a few days old though, not really sure what to do or look for!

I have to be honest I’m not entirely sure what I’m looking for here. However, this is my current worry.

Last summer we did (at an estimate) this about 3 times a week:

Wednesday, however, I attempted to do this again. We did the 20 minutes road walk, 10 mins in the small river and he was knackered. We walked another 10 mins to meet Nick outside school (lunchtime but he had no more lessons) and after a few minutes rest we headed off 15-20 mins walk to Nick’s house. There they were given water and rest. He was still absolutely crushed, he was restless because he had nowhere to lie but he was also too tired to be restless! I had rang my mam on the way up because I knew he still wouldn’t be better even with a decent break, and so she came and picked me up and he didn’t get another walk that day purely because he couldn’t.
I took heat into account, but 10 year old Gyp with an insanely thick and black coat was still raring to go, and the simple fact that they used to go for much longer walks in much hotter weather. I took lack of water into account, but both had been given a large amount and had splished and sploshed in the river. I took the fact that he’s more of a running free dog than a road walk dog, but apart from to do his business he didn’t want to leave the house again that day.

They’ve now been doing smaller walks since, half an hour to an hour or so’s run in the field and woods, but it’s not doing Gyp any justice at all. Luckily she isn’t destructive and is happy just to sit around but I do feel fairly sorry for her. I’ve opted for tricks for her which she’s enjoying but he’s getting very bored very easily. He does enjoy it, but once he’s had enough he’s had enough and he goes off to lie down.

He sleeps a LOT more, for a lurcher he’s always been a very demanding dog - you can’t sit still in the house! You have to be playing! No matter how much energy you have! But he’s just completely lost that. He just sprawls out all day until we go out or I try to make it a little bit more exciting - but he can’t last either.

His lesians have now changed from multiple medium & small sized ones to two very large ones. I’ll get a pic when I can.
His skin must be very weak at the moment as any “adventurous” walk we go on he ends up injured. He has gained hair but I’m pretty sure that’s from the medication (some coat thing idk) and definately not him getting better naturally. His underbelly is still completely bald and bits on the back of his legs are, too.
That’s all on his front! I highly doubt he’ll be at any shows. What’s upsetting me most at the moment is he really is trying, it’s really painful to see him so exhausted but still wanting to go. Obviously I won’t be pushing him whatsoever anymore but I don’t even know when to quit doing what or what this means or anything!

I haven’t done agility since.. I don’t know when. Exams are now over but I’m still as busy as ever.
If I have not replied to your email and you emailed me from the middle of May onwards I’m trying my very best to get back to you as quickly as I can. Whether that be photos or what have you, a lot of emails I had to skip because I just didn’t have time.

On a happier note, it’s my birthday on the 3rd so I’m looking for things I can get. I need help:
I’m going to ask for a 4/5metre tunnel, any cheap suggestions?
And a cool coat, which one do you think will be most effective for either of my dogs?

Thank you!

I thought I’d post on why I’m not actually posting much recently, it might also be helpful to those of you I’m responding rather slowly to, too. This will probably be very personal, kudos to you if you read it.

So what’s going on at the moment? Well most of you know all the exams are going on and I’m finding it the worst I’ve felt in a while. Obviously with all my issues they are bad to begin with, but last week there was a lack of communication with the school and ended up in an office with one arrogant prat (and I don’t give a crap if he reads this, he knows I don’t like him) sitting calmly and seemingly quite cheerful whilst I sat and held a panic attack right infront of him. He didn’t seem at all uncomfortable that I couldn’t breathe, my whole body was shaking and even my mam was crying. I know how attention seeking that is, but it’s now made all that stress that was relieved come right back and it’s my actual exams now so there is no time to calm myself back down. I seriously don’t know if I will walk out of this school with any GCSE’s at all, and that’s really not an exaggeration.

I talked about Gyp getting into grade 2 an exessive amount but to be honest I don’t seem to have anything else good to talk about, so that’s why I boasted lol. Marley somehow (although we don’t know how, everyone who walked him didn’t see or hear a thing, and when we found it it looked at least a couple of days old) sliced his chest open. It looks as if he got caught in barbered wire as it’s a long line, and then he must have stopped, tangled & ripped it off as there’s then a big whole. That could be totally wrong but we can’t think of anything else that would make that sort of mark. His skin was inflamed when we found it but we cleaned it up and it decreased quite a lot. He didn’t flinch with it though, as I said we didn’t notice it until he lay down and showed his belly!
However, just before the weekend he went off into the woods and came back & his ripped all his back leg open. This time he can feel it, and because of the state he’s in at the moment his skin really has to fight to heal it. He’ll now be out of action yet again for at least a month. This is so fucking annoying and well.. terrifying. He’s also much more tired, but I’m hoping that’s just the steroids because he also has sudden bursts of energy (which are quite interesting, to say the least). Other than that he’s not showing any signs, but I just wish he didn’t end up with so many cuts and bruises because they CANNOT be helping his skin.

In terms of my panic, because of the particular scene mentioned above I’m just not myself at the moment. I’ve been angry at everyone around me and I’ve been sick quite a lot this week. I keep having dreams where I just can’t get into exams or when I do something absolutely, incredibly, terrible happens. It’s horrible, particularly when I wake up, be relieved that it’s a dream only to realise exams aren’t over so it all comes back again. Despite that, I feel like I could sleep and sleep and sleep. I just can’t get up in mornings, some are fine and I actually wake up and not be able to get back to sleep, but at the moment it’s more regular that I’m quite happy to sleep all day. I can’t even revise without throwing up. I absolutely hate this.

I am, however, incredibly grateful of my boyfriend who is struggling with his own exams, too. It’s a little difficult to have to comfort both him and myself but I think I’m mostly glad I’m not in this alone. I think the worst thing ever would be if I was arguing with him at the same time, so I’m so bloody glad I can control my attacks enough not to intrude on our relationship. I have slipped up a couple of times, but other than that I’ve been fine. I can’t wait for this all to be over!

/end rant. I’m sorry, my councelling sessions have become less and I don’t really have anyone to directly talk to, and even if I did I don’t know how far I’d get.

Anyway, I know I owe people photographs and I have various emails to reply to I figured it’s worth knowing I’m fairly busy at the moment. But I do promise that when exams are over (mid June) I’ll get my arse into geer! Thank you so much for everyones support and those of you going to the effort to ask about Marley and/or myself.

xx

Wheeeeeeeeee! How happy am I?!

She was absolutely fab, I couldn’t have asked more from her. Her first run I messed up on, I always make a mess of my first. I slowed down too much near the end so she knocked the pole (or rather crashed into it!). BUT the day got much better and we ended up walking away with a second in something, I can’t remember, then a first in jumping and.. a first in agility! Making us grade 2! Whoop!

She just seemed really happy, and I’d been a bit nervous because she just acted really snobby at training and as if I was asking her to do something stupidly big. But nope, she didn’t miss a single weave and even her jumping style looks a little bit better. I’m not happy with her aframe contacts, there are a few times on the video below where you can see she self releases herself. She’s fine with the dog walk though, so I presume it’s that she isn’t bothering to stop herself in time. Need to sort that one out! I don’t really want to get into grade 3 because I want my pup to start from scratch, so I might just start reinforcing her contacts in the ring rather than worrying about getting a place.

I was pleased with Sunday too, although I hadn’t gotten much sleep and I was knackered so missed juniors and the 1-3 agility. Not bothered though, I’m bloody pleased with what I got - I walked away with yet another 1st in 1-2 agility and another 2nd in 1-3 jumping!

She has done me SO proud, I know it’s only grade 2 but this time last year I thought I’d be lucky to get a clear round no matter how I’m doing at the moment! Everyones commented on how her weaves have come on and how much her speed and enthusiasm has improved, too. And everyone moaned at me and rubbed it in my face that I didn’t want to compete with her lol!

Ran pairs with Leanne (err, sorry love haha!) and met Emma again - to which Bailey discovered an absolute obsession with G (who as with any dog, she was disgusted by this, poor Bailey!). Also met Nat and Gina, then briefly Kirsty and Brenda! Lastly the absolutely lovely Suzanne - went to meet her pup and within no time my black-dog-powers had conjoured Millie and Tyler to either side of me haha, they were gorgeous, and Bailey is maad!

Congratulations on everyone and their placings, and thank you to Leanne for taking the photos of me running & Tracy for filming various things!

Just a quick update on his weaves..

Again this is NOT the Susan Garrett method. I don’t have the DVD and am doing some (godforbidomg) luring! He’s now doing two sets of 2×2, at very gently set angles, but he’s going through them fairly speedily. Right hand is still a little awkward for me, but I’m working on it. Video below.

Video should open in Windows Media Player

I’ve been starting off Marley with the 2×2 weave method. However, since I don’t actually have the DVD method, I’m not going to say “the way Susan Garrett did” because if this turns out to go terribley wrong it’s unfair on her! He’s just my experiment dog though, so I don’t feel the need to wait. He was doing really well, entries don’t really seem to be a problem though there was a bit of running past them and not turning in quick enough to them. Left hand is easy peasy, he’ll get it from any angle, but when I’m right hand I find it really awkward. So we did mostly right hand and after a while I adjusted a bit better, as did he.

I’m just copying what I can see from youtube, however from Crate Games I know there will be SO much more than meets the eye. I did want to dabble in this before I get the pup though, so I fiddled with it a little bit. There are videos but he was shattered by the time I got my phone out so they aren’t very good! He really enjoyed it, I hope this method is a little bit more for him than the others I’ve been trying.

Since he gets bored easily, I discovered just guiding him in there or pointing doesn’t do anything (although I doubt it’s encouraged anyway, but he’s not a very distance dog yet!), he just slowly mopes through them. However I take him back from the poles and push him backwards (away from the poles), then he runs even faster to get to them. I would say we’ve gotten to about a 30-35 degree angle on right hand, which for Marley is fairly good.

I am, however, stupidly busy at the moment, so I don’t know how much I’ll really be able to do this. Definately not in 12 days, anyway!

Videos open in Windows Media Player and Realplayer.

Part 1 only. Haven’t finished the second batch yet!

Large Graded 1-4 Agility :: 5th

This was pretty rubbish, don’t know how we came 5th but apparently we did! Sorry for my flailing.. I was being over cautious of the mud as earlier I’d fell over.

Large Junior Agility :: Eliminated

Err.. not very good..

Dogs training 09

The dog’s training so far of this year, the last videos are my faaave, her weaves look lovely.

At the moment hotmail is being a little tinker, as per usual. It’s done this before so I just need to wait it out.. and it doesn’t usually last long. So would just like to say thank you so much to everyone who emailed me about my show, I really appreciated your comments - and to say that I have read or at least recieved your email. I will email everyone back as soon as I can.

Also just to say if you’ve emailed about the weekends picture’s that I have recieved your email, and you will get it. If I can’t send emails back within the next week I’ll use my google account.