Training, Training, Training!!!!!

We have had a busy few weeks here, Dan’s business, SWAG, has been going really well this year – my dream of being a kept woman may come true yet!! LOL

After our workshop the weekend before last Dan decided to return to Channel weaves with Magic to get her confidence back up, so she has been running through those with Dan staying still, running ahead, running out to the side etc. Just a week on this and she is looking so much happier and has been doing some amazing entries (which I have to sadly add that the boys did not get first time!! Rubbish! )

As the channels were set up I decided to use them for the boys – I rarely use them as both the boys are like a bulldozer in channel weaves as they get very excited, but as they were pegged I decided to do a bit with them. I remember reading somewhere that someone else pretty much only uses channels whilst training – I can see why – with the weaves set a little way apart we were able to do more repetitions, they were more even in their stride and as it is just that little bit easier you can push a bit more.

Last weekend we had an Advanced Stride and Turning Workshop at SWAT – now if ever there was a workshop to be tailor-made for Thai – this would be it! So as soon as I saw the title I was booked on it! I have struggled greatly with Thai’s confidence in turns and take off point – if in doubt he will not take off – if he begins to wonder whether he might/maybe/should be in doubt he will put in an extra stride. When you consider he could do this around 5 times on a course – you beginning to talk 3 or 4 added seconds – not what we want!!!

Over the winter I have worked with him understanding what I am asking – this situation is not really Thai’s fault – I have changed the way I train twice since having Thai so poor dog is trying to keep up with the new rules – I am happy now that I have found a trainer that helps us and has a handling system which suits me which in turn has made me more confident in what I am asking and therefore we are becoming more consistent (no excuse with Phaze!!!!).

I was really pleased with Thai during the whole workshop – we worked on lines of 4 jumps and rear crosses, wing wraps, out command, shoulder turns (!!!!!!! – can sort of nearly do them!) and some ketschkers (still really liking these and hoping I will be able to use it somewhere this season). We then moved onto gridwork. This was very interesting, we had a range of different dogs and they all tackled the grids in their own way.

At this point I have to mention Magic, I always make fun of her as the mongrel but to be honest anyone would be lucky to have her you don't often get a dog that has that good a style over a jump but also respects the poles and knows how to use their power without being clumsy or not careful.  She really did look very classy going through the grids.

Another bonus of going to Toni’s is that the girls got to have a play J Phaze and Maid recognised each other straight away and were off across the field playing J If you didn’t know they were sisters I don’t think many people would make the connection they look very different – Maid looks like a mini version of her Granny Meg and Phaze looks more like Daddy Lenny – but they have the same LOVELY temperament J

Phaze is off to puppy class this weekend so she will get to play with Tarn J

Are you in it for the right reason????

Are you in it for the right reason????

I hope to breed from Phaze in a few years time – there are several reasons for this: I would like the experience of raising a litter, I have been on many waiting lists (and found several times over that all is not as it seems -unless you happen to be in favour with that breeder at the time then chances are you may get what you want), if it coincides that Dan and I would like a puppy at around the same time; I am not sure where I would find £1,500 from (although at the rate BC prices are going up it may well be closer to £2,000 by the time we look for another puppy!!) and lastly but by no means least I think Border collies are amazing and want to continue to improve the very good lines behind Phaze (with input from both her parents breeders who I consider to be very knowledgeable).

In fact as GOOD breeders I know they will WANT to be involved and share a sense of responsibility for their dogs’ current and future offspring. I know if I say to them I like the look of dog A they will say well bare in mind that dog is white factored, that dog does not have the best temperament ( there are certain things in a temperament that doesn’t bother me – ie I often compare agility dogs to sports horses - if we were all breeding Racehorses the fact they were a bit sharp and tended to get overexcited would not be a problem, however if they were so spooky they struggled to cope with life, generations continued to be a bit on the snappy side, nervousness, etc etc then I would be really looking for a dog that showed none of these traits – not one that was known to be very similar). In some cases I would not breed at all – it’s not like we are short of collies in the agility world at the moment – there is certainly a puppy boom at the moment!

 I am lucky in that Phaze is looking to have a nice structure, is not white factored (this was a factor in me choosing her) and has a nice temperament, however if she was not all these things I know that Chel and Joy would help me find a stud dog which complimented her and would produce the best possible puppies. If I am lucky enough to breed I want to be like this with future owners, I don’t believe the responsibility ends when you pass the puppy on to their new life at 7 weeks old (that’s another thing I could go into but I won’t!) I want to be involved in future decisions so that well bred, healthy, well marked collies are bred.

I believe my reasons for wanting to breed have good intentions behind them. However it seems not everyone has similar ideals, some do not seem to combine many good intentions at all.
I don’t know who it is that should be feeling guilty – is it the breeder who doesn’t follow up on their offspring, the owner who just wants to make a puppy that is wanted by a ‘name’ in agility, the new owner for supporting these bad decisions by buying a puppy just because they want one of those ‘special’ puppies by that ‘special’ dog especially as that ‘name’ is also having one.

At the same time there are many responsible people producing some stunning puppies for all disciplines, I just think it is a shame that those that seem to be the most high profile are those people maybe making some unaided decisions.

Workshops and Foundation

I didn’t write anything here last week; it was not because I didn’t have anything to say. I, in fact, had quite a few views and thoughts last week but I decided to refrain from writing them down! It may appear in a few months as an impartial view on border collies and breeding on my blog but for now my thoughts shall stay under wrap – (well technically more loosely under a blanket having been shared with several good friends and knowledgeable BC breeders!)

Anyhow back to the SWAG dogs J

We went to a workshop at SWAT at the weekend, with Martin Tait as a guest trainer.

Having watched Martin run dogs at competition I expected to need our running shoes, however, we clearly needed our thinking caps on more than good shoes!

We completed some really interesting exercises that made you really think about what you were doing before, during and after an obstacle.

I have started a bit more foundation with Phaze up at the field. She is a funny dog – we mainly use restrains when training as there is no point testing your waits constantly and it excites the dogs more – however young Miss Phaze will shoot Dan a really dirty look (if she could say ‘how dare you touch my beautiful pink collar’ I think she would!) and promptly lies down in a perfect wait waiting for release. I was concerned by this to begin with as I really didn’t want to be releasing her from a wait into an exercise until I had proofed her ‘wait’ command, but she shows no sign of breaking it and shoots off the start line at 100 miles an hour so for now we are sticking with this. Interestingly her sister is exactly the same!!

I really enjoy teaching our youngsters how to play agility. The boys were always really keen, Cruze has the power and drive that you would kill for in any agility dog, Thai loves to please you so tries really hard at everything you ask. Magic, as a rescue we worked hard on her play drive and her wanting to work with Dan from a very young age. She didn’t have much natural drive or chase instinct as a puppy – but Dan worked really hard with her and now she finds toys so rewarding she is always the last to settle and will always try just once more and drop a toy in your lap in the hope you didn’t really mean ‘please lie down and go to sleep now’.

Phaze on the other hand had enough chase instinct coming out of her to fill the requirements of the whole litter! I feel that she has recently grown up from puppy to young dog – she will drive onto toys, return with toys, chase toys but all with more of a sense of purpose now. You can almost see her click a switch in her head from play to work – and she is very determined to show you that she can work just like the big dogs. I think she is amazing and I am so glad Chel let me have her.

We have been working on lines of jumps, wing wraps, figures of 8 with 2 jumps (when I say jumps I mean 2 wings and no pole at all) and a couple of tunnels.

I think some people find it hard to find a balance between working with your young dog and over doing it. However, I want my dogs to know they will work with me several times a week throughout most of their life. I don’t want to suddenly turn round to Phaze at 12 months old and say this is agility we are going to learn everything right now, don’t be silly I know you have only run around this field for the last 10 months chasing the other dogs – but now I want you to listen to me!!

So she gets her turn to come up by herself to the agility field just like the others and has 5 minutes of training. Which she LOVES J

We have an Advanced Striding workshop with Toni at SWAT this weekend. All the Motley Crew together so that should be fun J Phaze and Maid have booked in a play session as well – so I will try to get some video for next weeks blog.