exciting events and facing the demons!

Sounds a bit dramatic for a Monday morning!
Its a beautiful winters day here, hard frost, blue sky- just beautiful! Winter has its grip on us and its going to get colder by the day now!
We have long periods here where we cannot train as the sand is frozen solid and its just too cold- so we have some plans to put on some workshops at our local indoor in the coming months to keep us going! (details will be posted on the website)  I love living here its so beautiful but the weather does tie us down with  potentially weeks of being snow bound just around the corner if the last two years are anything to go by!

At Camddwr Canine we have been rushed off our feet- its dog coat season so the orders and deliveries are in full swing!  We have a new member of our team- Clare Davies - Clare is a fellow experienced dog person, she has worked with bull terrier rescue for many years, has been involved in showing and also bred her own litters of beautiful bullies!  I am excited about Clare working with us and what she can bring to the team.
We are frantically getting ready for the exciting launch of our  all new website, this has been quite an enormous task but we are nearly there so we will be launching very soon! Our catalogue will be due out at Christmas also- and we have the opening of our new premisis here at Camddwr Canine and our new Retail store on 1 December! (Just hope the snow doesnt get in the way!)
so  a very busy time for us here!

Training the young woof is going very well and now at 9 months old, I can start his foundation training for Agility. I am continuing the groundwork for a running contact, and have hit a few obstacles along the way but most of this is just a learning process for me, and for Woof so its all good!  My plan is to have a run and a stop behaviour both on command-  I know others have struggled with this concept, but it is something I wanted to try so will post here of my progress, and lessons learnt! I am certainly enjoying it, and the buzz when it goes well are pretty amazing! He has started 'school' and will be attending a puppy foundation workshop with anthony clarke and Sian Illingworth on the 20th which I am really looking forward to- (hope mr woor is also!) Mr Tog has had a mating also- to a lovely little red try called Nell- a shanowl bitch owned by Jackie and roger Griffin.  so we are very excited and if all goes to plan, we may hear the pattering of tiny paws at Camddwr next year!

I posted a while ago about the mental game- and the struggles I have had over the years with' course block' and how this had affected my 'game'- With it being the end of the season, the opportunties to compete become less, and also we need to give our dogs that well earned rest-  Well here is a biggie- I think because of the issues I have experienced, I have always shyed away from team/ squad opportunites, sometimes its easier to protect yourself by not facing your fear, this is when these problems become self limiting and will ensure you become 'stuck' at a given point in your personal development.
An opportunty to try out for the Wales WAO squad was the perfect opportunty for me to raise my game and really face my demons! Anyone who knows me would be surprised at that fact that I decided to 'try out' - but it had to be done- the ultimate test for me, could I control my mental game and would my demons return?
I have to say, I was terribly nervous on the first run. I knew exactly what to expect from Lee Gibsons courses, Obstacle discrimination,  tunnel discrimination,difficult weaves surrounded by obstacles, fast open elements with lots of options for the dog- and thats what we got! I knew every skill would be tested here and at this level- quite rightly!
Noonoo was of her tiny box! She was jumping 525 height which does mean that she was going rather fast!  On entering the arena she screamed and screamed- no toys allowed in here so I had to improvise with the lead- I knew she had sensed my nerves (and probably everyone elses!)
I wont give a blow by blow account, but Noonoo did me proud- some really nice work, a couple of naughty off courses-  weaves were a bit of a problem for various reasons-in particular, my handling of them under pressure rather than the dogs' ability!!  On the whole she performed well, showed her strengths (and her weaknesses')  The amazing thing was I actually really enjoyed the trial- I handled the pressure and best of all, over 5 pretty challenging courses, I didnt even think about course block, the panic had gone and so had the disappointment!  I know I sound like an advert but if you are experiencing problems with your performance and have limiting beliefs about your ability- consider going to see a NLP Practitioner- It  has worked for me 'big style' and I am so incredibly glad I did!
The big news is- I have been selected for the Wales squad- and will be going to Belgium to represent Wales at the WAO in May! I wont be looking back, I am so thrilled, and will be working hard on our weaker areas over the winter to ensure we are ready!

Noonoo ran for Australia last year, and so has been before-  (Sorry Simone for stealing your dog!) Stuart, Binka and Tog are also in the squad  once again - Binka taking the on the spot win with 5 clears!! and tog doing some stupendous work in the 650 cat - We have a very strong squad, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.  A huge thankyou to the management team for giving me this opportunity!

Night night Mr Mousie dog!

A sad, sad day, On friday we had to say good bye to a dear friend.
Moel Mick the Mouse- only 10 years old was released to the angels on Friday. It was so hard to say goodbye to him, even though now we can take comfort from the fact that we have taken his pain away.

Mouse came to us at about four months old.   A sheepdog in every sense of the word, he was scared, and timid and he spent the best part of a week running under the side board! Mouse was a very large - quite over grown dog with an over shot jaw which made him look like a mouse when he smiled- so he was named 'Mouse!'
I have to say, this dog caused me more tears than any dog I have ever owned- he was in reality, a herding dog- probably would have been a good one too if his antics on the farm was anything to go by- he herded everything! Cats, birds, sheep , dogs in fact anything that moved, or that might move if he stared at it long enough¬!  Despite his herdy gerdy tendencies, he was very loveable and kind with the nicest temperament.

He was a very difficult dog to train,  A very driven dog, yet his spatial awereness and co ordination  was a bit of a challenge, as he rarely seemed to know what his back legs were doing-  many many grids and laddres later, Mousie improved, but boy was he hard work! I have to say that Mousie challenged every moment of my training and made me question my methods, my ability and from a training perspective, tested my patience to the absolute limit- However, we never gave up on him , and his amazing drive and bidable nature kept us plodding on- and I think its fair to say, this dog taught me more than any I have ever owned, or trained. I learnt humility, I didnt have the right to have a 'good dog', a 'winning dog' or indeed an easy dog! He taught me to understand far more about  how dogs learn, about stress in training and how to read a dog- I searched the world of sport for help with proprierception, balance and skill exercises, and spent hours trying to work out what it was that made Mousie tick!  He really didnt seem to retain information - going from one training session to the next we found  that there were huge gaps in his understanding so continuous re mapping of simple skill exercises was done on a weekly basis.  Mouse never became the most consistent dog in the world- his problems with understanding and seeing weave entries continued his entire career- but we did manage to have a great deal of fun! In his early days when he got it right, it was fantastic and he won - managing to get to g6 and even 1 win towards 7 and some great rounds and alot of fun! His achevements were so much more valued than with any other dog I have had- purely because they were so very hard to achieve-and for a round to be clear, everything (including my handling) had to be spot on! His movement sensitivity was incredibly unforgiving and even a twitch in the wrong direction resulted in a pole or a run by! Latterly he ran for my daughter Nia, and they shared a great understanding between them- 
10 months ago, I noticed Mousie start to slow- and his chest seemed enlarged  and with this came erratic breathing and no stamina. Mousie was then diagnosed with chronic heart problems and Dilated Cardio Myopathy. Most probably a congenital disorder, I do wonder if maybe this accounts for some of mousies problems ? I guess we will never know- In the past 2 weeks Mousie lost weight and his symptoms deteriorated- I think we knew that this would be his last trip to the vets- so we said our goodbyes and thankyou's for sharing his life with us and teaching us so much.
Mousie is now  resting and peacefully sleeping with his friends in the field, Run free my friend- Life is so quiet without you xx

Mr Woof and his ears!

Wow what a beautiful day here at Camddwr! I really love this place at this time of year- I took the opportunity to take some much needed shots of Mr Woof - I wasnt incredibly successful- but managed a couple of nice ones- the others are of disappearing bottoms etc!  He is growing into a handsome young man, surprisingly not a big dog, but a real little charachter!
We are also very proud to say that his mum 'pip' owned by Sandra Adams, won the CSJ Novice final that we ran last weekend at Bakewell- more news on that later, but all I can say is - WOW she was absolutely stunning! If Mr Woof  has inherited some of her amazing talent-I will be more than happy!  Anyhow- Here are the latest shots of our boy-Note to self- dont try and take pictures while all the dogs are zooming round the paddock- whilst its good distraction training, and wait proofing- it also turns into a bit of a circus!
I reckon these are his ears to stay, although the other one does put in an appearance when he is excited lol 

The blank canvas and the comfort blanket!

Anyone else get scared as well as excited by this prospect?
Woof is now nearly 8 months old, so I can now start training his groundwork for agility in earnest- and so I am setting about putting together a training plan to give me some focus and direction. (sorry if thats nerdy but thats the way I like to work.)
His drive is really good and natural- His focus is brilliant for his age, and his charachter is rather amusing and fun to work with - I love him so much!
Training wise, most of the stuff we are teaching at this stage is just small fun tricks/games that will teach him some skills that he will later find useful. I think I enjoy this stage the most if I am honest- the blank canvas stage! HOWEVER, it is also a tad scary- This sport of ours is moving on at such a pace, that you would be a fool not to try and evolve with it- and I am doing my best to do as much research as I can without overloading the grey matter and confusing myself to the point of distraction! 
 I have been competing in this sport for a very scary 20 years! Yes that long- and we have had a good degree of success along the way, my spirit with each new challenge is renewed, but there is always that comfort zone- the training skills that I hold dear, the methods I know will work, the comfort blanket  that I just know I have to leave beheind- Do you know what I mean? Its not just about learning lessons and doing things differently, I think sometimes it really is about taking the step into the unknown and being evolutionary- trying new things, treading  into new territories and leaving the comfort zone behiend!  I am determind to do it, but it does feel uncomfortable I have to admit!
I am talking contacts at this stage, and later I guess the same will apply to my weave training- do I get the old channels out? or do I try something new? Undecided on that one!

Contact training
Taking steps into the unknown-I am totally out of my comfort zone with this one, and I feel a little bit naked! I am  trying something very new! it feels very strange I have to say.   The biggest problem for me with learning something completely new is that you have no problem solving ability- no where to go to work things out- whereas using a common method (or one that is known to you) is so straight forward, and hails few risks in terms of getting it wrong.

You could go down the path of 'if it aint boke...' ie why use a new method if you have a perfectly good one that works- good point and one I may come back to - but I really want to stretch myslf as a trainer too- and of course you have to evolve, or you become part of the past.

Today I felt quite vulnerable in my training- I moved on too quickly with his  dog walk groundwork and hit that very point of 'oh shit-now what' He really didnt understand what I had asked, and hadnt generalised accross what he had learnt at the previous stage- I quickly re- coiled back to an earlier lesson and we both felt more comfortable-  The feeling was a little odd - almoast as if I wondered whether Woof  had noticed that I wasnt actually au fait with the method-(there's that nakedness again) and perhaps therefore not as confident-  I am sure those of you trying something new will know these feelings well-  but it was a place Woof and I hadnt been to before, and I will have to try hard that we try not to go there too often. We finished our session on a good note- one we both understood -but I now need to think very carefully about moving on and build in many more steps to my groundwork in order for Woof to move forward confidently!

Another task I have set myself with woof is to get him out and about to as many different training situations as I can- Yesterday I went to visit a freind in Holmes Chappel, and so took the opportunity to take him with me and play in her paddock. Her dogs were watching and  vocally cheering us on from the fence- and I was really impressed with woofs' attitude! Totally focussed, and very much un phased by the change in surroundings at all! We did some sendaways, recalls and positions and they were all spot on! Clever woof!  In November, I have two  workshop foundation training sessions booked with him - both of which involve travelling, and also I will soon go and  stay with a friend to do some training too - so plenty planned for the months ahead to ensure that we really take our training on the road!
Bye for now

Love this pic of Mr Tog and Stu at the WAO- not to self take some more of Mr Woof so I can add them here!

CSJ Novice Agility Final -Winners trophy

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More news of the CSJ Novice Agility Final to follow:

Csj final

Well to go with this lovely image juist posted we are off to bakewell to host the csj novice final tomorrow, good luck to those who have qualified this year and let's hope the sun shines I will give some updates after the event
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Reflections-and the mental game!

Well I think its kind of sad in a way that the season is drawing to an end: Yes I have plenty to do with a new pup to train, and the new business premisis here to move into- so why on earth am I sad? Well- I think perhaps my best moments of this year, came at the end of the season! Celebrated though they were, I just wish there was more to come as I am feeling motivated, and excited about the sport- more than I have for a long time! Why is this? Well- I have had an issue that has been nagging away at me for years, getting in the way of my enjoyment, and also restricting my performance and also my confidence. I have always been prone to mental blocks under pressure. Although I have to say we have always done pretty well over the years, and I have been incredibly lucky to share my sport with the most amazing dogs! It has if I am honest, always limited my own self belief in what I could achieve.
After a very frustrating run in a champ final at Weardale show, I decided enough was enough! Noonoo was running an absolute blinder and it was all just going too well- concentrating on the difficult element coming up, my mind switched off and BANG! I was lost! All over, and  with that dreadful feeling of failure, I left the ring. I decided  there and then to crack this- I am a pretty determined person once I get the bit between my teeth- so I was sure I could sort it out if only i knew how!  Welll - amazingly the answer was not so far away and following on from a few questions, I found Anne Coppley- a very skilled practitioner in Neuro linguistic processing (I hope I have that right?) Anne offered to help, and as she was an agility competitor herself I felt sure that she understood what was happening and agreed to work with her to try and resolve it. I think I always believed it was just the way I was wired- I had the same panic in other situations during my teens and school years, so I could recognise it, but just thought it was some kind of dyslexia or lack of brain skill on my part. I have only had one session with Anne, and I cannot tell you how thrilled I am- We went off to the Festival and then onto DIN - I wasnt expecting miracles but I was hopeful that it would have helped- It had! Working on my self image, Anne had enabled me to become a confident and postive handler! I had more clears than usual, my confidence grew, and my performance went from strength to strength! I managed to tackle some difficult courses without getting blocked, and I felt AMAZ|ING! At Dogs in need, a friend also leant me a small but powerful book by an american gold medalist in the shooting arena - With Winning in Mind- its not just about winning, but anyone wanting to improve their self confidence and performance - I cannot recomend it highly enough!  It wouldnt have helped on its own , however-I think this backed up all the work that Anne had begun and I was 'away'!  I was enjoying Agility more than I can ever remember! We didnt qualify for the classic finals but we werent far off and with 3 out of 4 clears, I felt very proud! I even managed a clear  and a 7th place in g7 with Stuarts Mr Tog! You know the most reinforcing thing was all the comments from people about my handling and my performance- I could not have been happier! 

Wyre was our next event, and the weather was dreadful! We decided not to do all of our runs and just concentrated on the champ class- this ring was holding up OK in the mud, and we both decided to run this one and if the dogs coped, we would continue. They did, and Noonoo managed a lovely clear, and a 5 putting her into the champ final! Would my demons return? This was a test of tests for me, and I dont think I was even nervous! Determined, positive yes- but I was OK- I was running about mid way, so I watched a few dogs but not too many, stuck to my plan totally and WOW! I was so thrilled! I think I actually enjoyed it too! did I win? NO! Lee Gibson won the ticket and I was thrilled for him and Scot- but little Noonoo ran her socks off for me- and I got to jump 16 and  over steadied her, pulling her off the jump! I wasnt disappointed, I was very proud of myself! so - you can see why I am actually a bit sad- I just dont want it to end!  I was so hopeful for a call up to the Semi's but it didnt happen (shame! )  Is this the same person that used to cringe when her name was called out in the champ final running order? -I will continue to build on my confidence and my performance and hope I will be able to take on the challenges next year in the same way!  In the meantime, if you have a problem that is getting in the way of your performance or enjoymnet of your sport- go find Anne- I cannot recomend her highly enough!
Bye for now,
Ann
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