The Weave Pole Challenge

We haven't practiced the weave poles since the time that i took that picture, so Oscar has totally forgotten how to do them! He never really did them that well anyway so its probably best that we re-train them again anyway.
This is going to be the 5th method that we have tried now! We have tried the channel weave when he was younger, Susan Garretts 2x2 method earlier this year (which went badly because i never actually had the DVD), the 1 pole at a time method(which was the most successful) and we tried using guides too (which also went badly because oscar either jumped over them or went under them!)
 
Now we are trying the simple,original 2x2 method!
We had the first session about a half an hour ago and it went brilliant! Oscar got it immediately,he is going through 2 poles with ease, and with speed! I know its only 2 poles but its a start.

So I'm going to try and train Oscar 6 poles by the start of next week, lets say by Tuesday. Its a challenge really and it started 30 minutes ago!

I'll keep this updated on our progress,i might even record a few sessions! 


( you can tell that it's my week off school, can't you?)

The Bank Holidays! Gota love 'em!!!

Who doesn't love bank holidays?!?! And to make it even better its Halloween break now too! 1 week off from school....thank god for that! It was definitely a long time coming,but its here now so hurray!

We never went to Kennedy Park in end, instead we went to my grandparents for dinner which was probably better anyway considering it was raining nearly all of Sunday. So I'm planning to go some time this week,or maybe agility class but I need to see whats going on first.

Seeing as it was raining Sunday i made it my duty to give Oscar a bath. He didn't look dirty on the outside but he definitely needed it! Not so sure he enjoyed it though,either way,its done for the next few months now!

He was so happy and innocent. He had no idea what was to come..... the dreaded bath!

Please can i get out now???

The bath did serve some purpose though,other than just to clean him.........


.....it turns out he is a dalmatian in disguise!!!!






Despite the rain yesterday i cleared up in the evening which made quite a nice sunset picture which i could not resist!

And thats really all that happened yesterday!
We did more stuff today though and hopefully we will do some more things this week.

Today we did some agility,and i got out my A frame,which isn't actually finished yet but i used it anyway! It turns out that Oscar LOVES the A frame,i couldn't keep him off the thing. Any chance he got he was up it,you pointed at it and he was like ' do you want me to go up it? Cause i will,as fast as i can,so do ya,do ya??? '

Look,i made my contact!

I can do this too!

But i really do love it up here!

The A frame has other uses too........

........ Its a good place to shelter from the sun!

We also played with his interactive toy,which he really likes to play with.

We are still restricted to on leash walks because the fields still aren't empty which is a shame but we still make the most of them and the natural surroundings too!

The Dog Days...or should I say School Days?

I really should apologize for my lack,or rather disappearance,of posts lately! One word........School!!!

2 months back at this point and Halloween break is quickly approaching, it arrives on Friday! The longest stretch of the school year without a break.......I think?? 

Oscar has been good, his usual self, if not a little more energetic when we come home from school,what with being alone for a while he just cant contain himself! 
We haven't really been doing anything too interesting since i went back to school,and we haven't been to agility training in about 2 and a half months either (bold agility dog owner indeed!!!) I keep meaning to go but there is always something going on during the weekends and we obviously can't go during the week, and school can take all the blame on that one!

We came very close to getting another dog recently. Our friends (we carpool to and from school together but its really very hard to explain) took in 2 lovely gordon setters who were badly treated and skinny. There is a male,Alfie, and a female,Beth, and they are,supposedly, pure bred working gordons. 2 weeks after they arrived Beth had,to the owners surprise, 6 puppies! Everything has been going well,apart from 1 death, and i had asked about getting one and it was all looking good but that soon fell through. They are planning on selling these puppies for €400 each!!!!! And that to me is totally wrong! These puppies are not KC registered,they do not know the father (because its not Alfie), the came from a rescue dog and they have nothing standing for them in terms of working achievements (the parents not the pups obviously). And not to mention no health tests (but they aren't necessary in Ireland) 
So its a no go on that idea.
But we still may be getting another dog. A rescue dog though,i think its better to rescue. So fingers crossed!

I really do not know what to talk about? I haven't done anything interesting in 2 months!
I did take some photos of Oscar and the horses yesterday.

Large,Medium,Small!

And i have a few more photos of some kittens that I'd like to share.

Hopefully we will be able to get to the JFK center some time next week. I think Oscar would enjoy the trees and the woods and the open space....Oh and the mini train!!!!! I'd love that too,it would be nice to have an outing with him and hopefully my friend can come too.  He cant be let off leash (not that I think I'd let him anyway) but we can use the long line.

So maybe there will be many more updates to come!