Alice Springs Success

The first day at the Alice Springs show went well for Hannah, she got 12 more points towards her championship title, and I got one more pass in a Gamblers trial. Don't ask about the ADX or JDX trials.

The pic shows me going over a bar jump at full speed, just before I did a wrong jump in the JDX class.

Hannah has had her drugs reduced for the first time after her relapse and she is doing very well. The show judges were not bothered about the bare spot on her back and they both gave Hannah a Challenge worth 6 points each.

We start again tomorrow only this time Hannah is in a Novice Obedience trial too.

Outback Tollers

This is Hannah's first trip to the outback, so I am showing her all the tricks I have learned during my bush experience to the Cape York Peninsula. The pic shows us just north of Port Augusta having a break from travelling.

There are many things a dog needs to know in the bush, such as if you pick up a stick and it wriggles, let it go - it is probably a snake.

Tasty morsels lying around could be a Fox Bait. Little insects have nasty stings. Crocodiles live in the rivers, so don't swim unless a human goes in first! There is lots to show her, luckily she is a quick learner.

Hannah's First Novice

Hannah is feeling a lot better on the extra steroids, so much so that she went in her first novice trial. The individual exercises were done very well with only losing 8 points. The pic shows Hannah coming in on the Recall and is just about to sit.

The stays were going well until the end of the one minute sit stay. Kathy was actually on the way back when Hannah lay down. It was a warm sunny day, and she was a little tired as a result of the drugs, and Hannah could not hold the sit any longer. The three minute down stay was done easily, so Hannah missed out on her first Novice pass by about 10 seconds. "Missed it by that much" as Max Smart used to say. Still, it was a good effort for a pup that has a heavy medication and has only just completed CCD last week.

Relapse

Hannah has got her SRMA back again. On Wednesday night she was a bit sensitive, and by Thursday morning she could not move her head again. The Vet has put her steroids up to a high level and she is feeling a lot better. The pic shows me watching over her after she has had her drugs this morning.

A relapse is not uncommon but she was doing so well we all thought she was over it. This just means that it will take a bit longer before she will be completely recovered and back to being a happy Toller.

Hannah was going to try her first Novice trial this week end, but it looks like we may be a scratching.

Tiffany passes a JDX trial

Tiffany has passed her first Jumping Dog Excellent trial. It was not pretty, but it was a pass. The pic shows her clearing the spread hurdle at the start of the run. There was a twisty bit in the middle that caused a panic when Tiffany went one way and Keith wanted her to go a different way, but they sorted it out and got round with a couple of seconds to spare.

I spent the day resting on my laurels from my CCD title on Saturday. My drugs have been reduced again, I am feeling a lot better, and we are back to playing full time. We got hold of a cardboard box and shredded it all over the house, the toy box has been upended and all the toys are spread everywhere, the house is in a continual mess, but we are happy.

Sherbrooke Highway Hannah CCD

Hannah has passed her Third Trial in the CCD class and is now a Community Companion Dog. She did it with 2 first places, and 1 Second place, in 1 week. Not bad for an 11 month old puppy!
The pic shows Hannah running in to Kathy on the Recall exercise.We all got a bit nervous when the dog next to her in the Stays gave her a long stare, but she just turned her face away and refused to play. That is holding her nerve, and keeping her mind on the job.
Keith will not put me in trials yet because I keep dropping the dumbbell and take too long to drop in the recall, but just to encourage him, I did it right in the practice today.
We are going home to celebrate Hanna's success tonight, and get ready for Agility Trials tomorrow.

Tourist in Whyalla

We spent the day seeing all the sights of Whyalla, and we had Freki with us too. He is just one pass away from being an Obedience Champion.

Our first trip was to the wetlands where we walked round the lakes, then to Flinders look-out for a view of Whyalla, and finally to Hummock Hill. The pic shows us at Hummock Hill overlooking the Marina.

In the afternoon we went to Point Lowly and then round the coast to see the Tuna Farms. We had a walk on the beach, but it was covered in rocks so it was not good to walk on. Now we are home and ready for a sleep.