Bluebells in Wakerley Woods

I am so pleased with this photo. Could have done with the dogs posing a bit better, but The woods are beautiful!

Who's a pretty girl then!

...and this is how pretty a 13 year old Tosh can look!

Molly resting!

This is how a Molly looks at the end of a long, hard day. In the favoured 'doughnut' bed acquired from Freecycle!

Just a-training in the Rain tra la!

Here I am again, either I have no life, or, as I would see it, better to bore the computer with tails of fun and frolics than people!!

I set off for another solid training session with the Mollster, only really this time. I worked out that as she is very nearly 2 and she doesn't tear around as much as she did, that she can take more training on her walks and it will do her good. Accordingly, I took all my dummies - 8 in all and set off. Walking out to the car neighbours were out and Jill said hello! I was really pleased that Molly didn't really even look at them and got into the car. Of course I had to chat with Jill and then it started to rain. By the time I actually set off it was drizzling unplpeasantly, and me with only jeans, no salopettes today! When I got up there it was raining quite heavily. However I was not to be daunted and the dogs didn't care so I set off to drop dummies around the field (too lazy today to put them out before getting the dogs out!); and the rain came down and the hail started and eventually I remembered that hail is not all that safe, coming from cumulo nimbus (thunder - and more importantly lightning - producing) clouds. So I set back, but intended to pick the dummies first. Molly was a bit skittish and had to be handled onto the first simple dummy. The same happened on the second dummy. I had her sat a few yards from the dummy when Gaynor called to say that 'Mouse', her lovely Norfolk Terrier, has had 7 puppies!!! She is so tiny and looked so very round last time I saw her. I can't wait until training on Tuesday so that I can see them. Molly had to be reminded to sit as she showed signs of wandering off since I was ony talking, but then stayed until I had finished. She picked up the dummy and the hail slowed to heavy rain. We turned round and set off back around the field. I set all the dummies down on the way round, reciting where I had left them! This has to be better than 'Brain Training' I love the DS, but this is like a memory game and more fun being outdoors!

We then stopped in the middle of the field and Molly was wondering what was up when I sent her 'back' but away from where we had walked (usually she is retracing our steps as I drop it, walk on and then send her back). She went eventually and took a right with encouragement to get the first dummy. The second was a straight back but quite a way and out of site. I was really pleased as she came back over the brow towards me with the orange dummy. However, she happened to come back over another dummy and swapped. She stopped and put the grey oval dummy down when told but I had to go to her to get her to pick the original and bring it back to where we had been. She then picked another well with some handling although it was straight back. I went to pick the one she had swapped, so that she doesn't think she can have them all; but she found it before me and picked it up - just to help! Another two retirieves, one from a pond and we were done. The weather was still threatening so we didn't go to the other fields, but both dogs looked as though they had had enough, we were all drenched!

Roast Lamb for tea. I made a victoria sponge for pudding but used low fat Flora. However I then found cream in the fridge that needed eating before it went off so beat that up and put it in with the jam. Sort of defeated the purpose, but is was very nice and the first treat I have had for 3 weeks, so what the heck!!! The Alli should help!

You want help training your dog?

Did I mention, if you want a great Dog Trainer and live close to Leicester UK , Gaynor Gent is the person you need. You can find her at www.mistigrigundogs.co.uk .

Blog for weight loss!

Yes, the blog worked - I had lost 2 lbs this morning!! Therefore I am writing another post now!!! Lets see if I lose more by tomorrow! Well, after meusli and banana, tomato roll and squash and potato topped with a small amount of low fat cheese followed by fruit and 0% fat yoghurt I feel quite smug. Especially as Molly and I have been out training most of the afternoon.

We were down at the sheep field today - courtesy of fellow trainee and farmer Geoff. One thing I am sure of, Molly won't bother to chase sheep, she just ignores them. She wasn't too happy about getting over the stile, but Gaynor and I manhandled her over. Maybe next time she will jump it. It has to be better than us getting her over and she regularly jumps fences that high. We were a select group, the three remedials: Mel and Eve, Leanne and Lucy, Molly and me as well as Sian and Bertie, of whom Molly is quite fond:

The other day whilst training, I had had to chase and catch Molly and have a short discussion about her behaviour. I then called her to heel and walked confidently back to my place with Molly close by. I didn't take too much notice when someone shouted, "Can you get your dog?" I did look down however, and was shocked to find that little brown body simply not there. She had dropped off at the end of the line to flirt with Bertie!!!

Anyway, she was a bit better today. Whilst waiting for everyone, she stayed with me until they were quite close before being overcome with the need to say hello to 'Aunty Gaynor'. However, when I was sent to put out dummies, she broke away to follow me not just once, but twice! Silly girl! I replaced her the first time, Gaynor spoke to her the second time!! When the dummy launcher came out she was pretty steady. She marked them well and retrieved them straight there and back. One was lost after rolling down the hill into the hedge. I finally got her to go through the hedge and into the stream and I was very proud when she came bursting back with the dummy!! We then had dummies fired and then retrieving the blind dummies and tennis balls. Molly handled reasonably well, but it still needs some work. I was pleased with her holding marks. I think she is good at this. This is a very good thing because she has been known to get me out of a spot or two when I haven't been paying attention, talking at the back of the class even!:-S

We had to manhandle her over the stile again at the end of the session. Something else to work on.

Life is never dull with a Chocolate Labrador!!!

Minimising Me!

So, I really decided that this was it, I will lose that unhealthy extra stone I have been carrying! Off to Goa next week! So determined was I that I bought the ‘Alli’ tablets being advertised – bloomin’ expensive too! I had met someone who had done really well on the prescribed version of them which gave me added hope.
So, off I went to buy them. I had to go through the humiliation of a weigh-in in ‘Boots the Chemist’ to check that my BMI put me in the group to take them. It did! Only just, but it did! So, off I went home with great determination and a pack with tablets and all sorts of information. I weighed and counted and put together an excel program to count up my daily food! I bought slimming magazines with recipes in them and decided I would try them out.
One week later, yeah!! I had lost 3 lbs. Nothing else had gone down, however, I had grown half an inch!! I think I stood a little taller on the machine! However, it was similar to what my own scales said so I am going to save my 70p and weigh in at home now.
So, to the second week, trying to be good but without the patience to do the food diary and count everything up. Not an ounce off! Is this to do with not measuring? I was hungrier and forgot the tablet a couple of times, but I ate low, almost no - fat food and nothing between meals. I guess the proof is in the pudding – that is the one around my middle!
Week three then. I don’t really feel like measuring and counting so I going to try blogging. Let us see if that will help!
Day 1: Cereal, homemade soup (Weight watchers recipe) and Pork, squash, potato and cabbage – Slimmers World. All this after an extended walk and training session which I have already mentioned. For a snack – 90 calories of snack a jacks popcorn.
Let’s see how this goes!

A full week of training or - 'Let's see if this'll work!!'

This has been quite a week for training. On Tuesday the class was held in the evening. The remedial group arrived a little early. For Molly the aim was to stop her running in after a mark when Gaynor said ‘Karen’ so that I could send her. She had worked out that I send her shortly after being given the word! That was sorted quite quickly, which was good. The fact that I spent much of the rest of the evening chasing her down when she didn’t respond was less good!

So, on Thursday evening the remedial group met again, together with Gaynor’s Blitz and Ronnie with 1 year old Richie. Alistair came for the first time to watch, but mainly to look at the kennels as we are looking to put one out at the back. Partly for the pups if we ever get that far and also for short term accommodation. If I get to keep the pup I want from Molly then there will be two of them and it will be a tad easier for the morning poo.

As Alistair was there he brought Tosh out to watch. She was interested and so, since Tosh had been very keen when we went to the pond, at the end of the evening Gaynor threw her a dummy. Of course she turned her nose up at it!

Today I set off in the rain to do some concerted training. In the first field, I set out three dummies and called Molly to sit and sent her back, after throwing a dummy out to the left. I stopped her every so often on the way back and then she retrieved it well. Next was back and left. It was not in any of the ‘usual’ places, but she handled well on to it. The third was further left and she found that easily. When she returned, as I couldn’t remember exactly where I had thrown the other one, I sent her for it – took about 3 seconds!!

In the next field I dropped a dummy way back for Molly to fetch from the far field, over a hedge. She has done this often but not so far. However, she went straight out and back. Two more long retrieves, sitting and taking some direction, but the rights and lefts were off. She wasn’t listening.

I decided that I should remind her about direction. I sat her and told her to stay. I threw one dummy over her head and Tosh shot off as did she. I grabbed her and put her back and Tosh, for the first time in months decided she was going to retrieve! I threw it to the left, to the right, behind and over and each time Molly stayed still, resigned, while Tosh retrieved them all!!!

So I set up a long retrieve, dropping a blind and then throwing a dummy she saw, walking across the field and throwing a dummy in her sight over ‘the’ fence. I sent her back, and she went well with three stops on the way. It took a while to get her to go out right. Well, she hadn’t seen one dropped there, but eventually she went and found it. Getting her to go back and then left to the dummy she had seen me throw was harder. I got the impression that she had forgotten it. I had to get up there, but eventually she did it. Over the fence to collect the rugby ball dummy was a piece of ease.

After a well earned run, in the final (and also first) field, I sat her down and placed the dummies behind and to the left and right, not too far and Molly did some good retrieves and whistle work. All that is left is to get her to work like that at training tomorrow!!!

So, Why a Chocolate Labrador?

OK, so why a Chocolate Labrador? Good question, and not one I can really answer. I was feeling broody for a new dog as my old labrador, Tosh, was getting very slow on our walks and didn't even look as though she enjoyed them. I love to walk but don't do it unless I have a dog for company. So I started looking at the rehoming labrador site on the internet and started to see the chocolate variety. That was it, I wanted a chocolate labrador!

I knew that I wanted to train the dog, for the obvious reasons first and then, as a hobby it would be lovely to enter tests and trials if I could.

So the hunt began, for a chocolate labrador with a working background! I found some a way away on the other side of the Severn Bridge and with a good working background, I did book one. However, I then found some nearby from a lovely lady called Jane and with a working dad who had a photo on the internet that mellted my heart. That was it! Booked.

Then I waited and I waited. I was so excited that I rememebered wha it was like to be five years old just before Christmas again. Goodness knows what I will be like if any of my children make me a Grandmamma!!

Eventually, on 19th June 2007, I got an email with a photo of my girl!!! She was the only one which saved all the pain of selection! - a good thing!