The Kennel Club International Show

Chi won the British Open and will represent GB at Crufts in the International event next year. He gained a 6th place in the qualifying agility round & a 7th place in the qualifying jumping round, showing gr8 consistency in his speed & accuracy.
Here he is in the final.........

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

EO - Germany

GO GB!! And GRATZ to:-

Bernadette & Hex 3rd Small Individual
Big dog team 3rd
Liah Gardner 2nd large Individual
Andy Sandercock 1st Medium Jumping

Gr8 achievements considering some of the circumstances - See OBay blog for a good write up of the whole event.

Yes it was fab to represent GB
Yes it was fab we had such good support from The Kennel Club, trip payed for uniforms provided
Yes our fans were the best any country could wish for
& yes people were extremely hacked off with what seemed like completely unnecessary travelling. There was unnecessary stress caused to handlers & dogs.

But on a lighter note some photos............



Chi in his crate for the journey



Tracy & Barry


Thank you Nic Josty for this photo - I love it it shows me queuing Chi for the turn and Chi taking the long jump on the turn - fab!



International team OBay - left to right, Hex, Chi & Unique from Denmark. Chi's half brother One from Denmark was also competing. Unique won the small Individual event.
They are all covered in mud coz it rained - very heavily!

I was very proud of Chi he ran extremely well and gained a 16th / 169 in the medium jumping event.

UKA Finals

A huge thank you to Karen Cole, Todd's 'Mum' for posting this clip of Chi executed his winning run at the UKA finals last Saturday. Follow the link below.......

http://just-todd-bykaren.blogspot.com/

I do beleive the Obay winning streak was kept in the family all weekend with Todd's wins at St. Edwards & some from Hex & Zen whilst on holiday up North with Gran'ma & Grandaddy OBay.

Busy! Busy! Busy!

Preparations for the Euopean Open in Germany are hotting up!

For more news go to http://www.caninetherapy.co.uk/news/2008/lisachi%20blog.htm

O so very close!

Hinckley Champ Show - 1stly Gratz to 'sister' Hex she is now a Champ! Well done gals :) Gratz also to Roger the intrepid Dutch man & our team mate at last years International Sheltie Championship, who won into grade 7.

Chi was on top form - I had a bad attitude problem, probably brought on by having to get up at 5am, drive 130 odd miles and not win MY ticket!!!! :) It's coming our way very soon I can see it it bright neon lights - Chi, Obay Truly Focused Champion Certificate.

We continue to get as much training, massaging & focusing in as we can in preparation for the European Open. The full time job's getting in the way tho :(

P'haps when sister Zennie does her prayers she coudl ask for a lottery win for her brother

UKA Finals

Chi has qualified for the UKA finals in July this year - Woot!

Is there no end to this dogs tallents I ask myself.....ofcourse not he's an OBay fed on Burns! :)

Here's the video of Chi doing a cracking steeplechase run followed by his UKA finals qualifying run. Note my arm movement just before Chi goes into the 2nd tunnel & how he is powering ahead of me near the end on the 1st run - very pleaseing! :)
Please listen carfully to the music it was especially chosen (a little toungue in cheek I guess).

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Push Threws!

Inspired by Leah, Nancy, Bernadette & their respective dogs I decided to give those push threw manouvers a try, (plse note another variation on the spelling - through, thru & threw! Bet that does someone's head in! :) ). Bernadette explained the principles behind the manouvers and here's the results........

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Chi certainly seems to understand the 'round' & I'm very pleased with his ability to follow my hand signals something Lesley Olden encouraged us to perfect - not sure we've perfected it but it's a very usefull ability. We just need to work on the smoothness & control and build up the distance from the jumps a little more & work it well both ways.

Can't wait to implement these on a regular basis :) watch this space.

Training Regime

Well naturally having been picked to represent my country I need to be able to do the biz & so have embarked on a regime of fitness. :)

Monday - Maybe yoga. Absolutely no activites for Chi.

Tues - set up a course in my fellow team mates 'yard' & practice, practice practice! Jog the short walk over the road from Bernadette's, timing it each week to see if i'm improving. Took 20 mins last Tues.
It is brilliant that Bernadette & I finally get to be on the same team - although I wish it coulda been Zen coming with us as well as the evil sexy Hexie!

Wed - swimming with hubbie Tony. A good run up the field for Chi & 10 - 15 mins road walking

Thurs - Another jog that I'm timing near home currently taking 25 mins or yoga or occasionally agility training

Friday - early night to get up bright and breezie for a show more often than not. If no show then i'll treat myself to a really decent bottle of red wine occasionally.

Sat/Sun - if not at a show, pottering about at home and going for long walks. Massage for Chi. opefully more agility training over courses designed by those judging at the European Open so that we get the hang of their style and won't be suprised when we get to Germany in July.

Today we went on a lovely long walk. I planned and navigated us (Marion, Bernadette, Tim & Dennis) over fields & through bluebell woods for a good 5 1/2 miles :).

Chi's ruff is slowly growing back, his hairlessness is not so obvious right now - unlike his sister Zen who looks like a whippet!! Poor Zennie - but she was the cleanest dog on the walk today with no hair for the mud to cling to :)

I'm hopeing that using the stairs at my new job - 4 flights will also help me get fit for agility. I currently huff & pufff when i get to the top so I'm looking to run up those stairs by beginning of July arriving on the 2nd floor with out the need for oxygen!! :)

The next 12 weeks of my life will be dedicated to getting ready for our appearance at the European Open. Just like any top athletes Chi & I will be honed & ready for action. I am so very proud of our bond & ability to work so well together & of the chance to run for GB.

Gr8 News!

Chi will be part of the medium team to represent GB at the European Open to be held in Germany in July this year - WOOT!

This along with the fact that i have started a new job will be the reason for my lack of posting - i will be concentrating on getting ready for this event. Bernadette & i have already started to discuss our training regime - which includes checking her cupboards for 'naughty' foods since we must get our dogs & ourselves very fit.

Needless to say i am very proud :)

Training with Lesley Olden

Bernadette & I went training at Lesley Olden's the other day. We worked on the following. I'll post the course and then sequences using numbers coz everyone seems to have different names for different manouvers.





To warm up we did 9,4,5,3,6 then 9,4,5,3,9

We also did the dog walk, cloth tunnel weaves. The options are endless........

But the main event was:-1,2,3,4
1,2,round the back of 3, 4
1,2,4


We spent quite some time on this. Both our dogs were physically but especially mentally tired after this session and i certainly came away feeling that i'd sussed the different 'Q's' for each sequence - now just to practice, practice, practice............


Unfortunately we didn't take a video camera between us but hey! Half the fun will be sussing out how it can be done eh! :)

We have the try outs for the European Open team in 2 weeks. Needless to say we're hopeing to do well. Hopefully the loverly judge will be setting European style courses - our fav :)

Easter Celebration Camping

Snow agility!

Griz didn't bat an eye lid doing this out door jumping course - well not at the snow, she sniffed approaching friends on the wind then continued on the course.

Sat evening there was a snow storm luckily we have appropriate equipment & normally 4furry hotwater bottles!!! Billy was lent out to Tim & Marion for the night. Lucky Truly got to go stay at the OBay residence - camping really isn't her style at all!! So we had Griz & Chi to keep us warm. I had to put the equafleece on Chi over night and he loves the cold!



Our friend & fellow hard core camper Tim cooking up a very tasty bolognaise.

Front Page!

Imagine wot it feels like to walk into your local supermarket & see yourself, dog & girlie friend staring back at you! Well that's just wot happened to Bernadette & I yesturday.........


West Sussex Gazette

Please note we even have our Burns tops on, the logo can clearly be seen in the newspaper!

Puppy Sitting

OMG! It is hell on earth for a doggie enthusiast to be stuck at home while freinds & family are running at Crufts. No more breeding allowed if it's gonna clash with any major event plse Gran'ma!!

On the other hand it is something very special to be with day old pups. I've been using my nursing skills to monitor Zen & her pups today - nothing like a bit of hands on care :)

Zen wasn't very keen on my taking photo's she nudged the camera away with her nose and gave me a filthy look so i only took these then stopped.



Attentive Mum Zen with a bundle of pups under there somwhere............



The new batch of OBay's from left to right, Fat Head, Kelly Homes, Paula Radcliff & my fav at the moment Linford Christie.



Like many of their relatives including Uncle Chi & Granddaddy Monty this little OBay demonstrates the family sleeping upside down trait. You know you've got a genuine OBay if your puppy does this!!! LOL

I s'pect there's loads more news on the OBay site with regular updates. I'm off back to work tomorrow and will miss them dreadfully. Hopefully my next major input will be taking them with me to work to do some socialisation.

Crufts 2008

Gran'ma had cakes made for us all to share. Johanna had Danish flag cakes & we also had ESSC Tristar cakes - they all got eaten before i could take a pic!



Chi meets Wallace outside crufts



The ESSC team set up. We looked gr8 in our specially designed T shirts, very smart. Hopefully Lian will post out team runs so check out The Knights Shelties blog. We all had a gr8 day with all dogs performing brilliantly in the conditions.

Below the highlight of our day - winning the Crufts Singles. Chi was awesome, i couldn',t have asked for more and get tear pricked eyes every time i think about it! He had the fastest itme of ALL the dogs competing over the saem course with a time of 32.6 seconds! If he continues to perform like this we will have a fantastic season so fingers crossed.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It was such a buzz winning & knowing that so many people will be sharing our success, especially my Mum & Dad, Lesley Olden who we train with, friends who were present or supporting from home and ofcourse Gran'ma who had to stay home to look after sister Zen who is about to drop puppies.

The Haka

For some time now i have had a version of The Haka on my ipod as one of my motivational tracks for agility. For those of you who are not familiar with it here is a link to quite a good explanation on You Tube. Those of you who watch rugby will know what it is but may gain interesting insight into the meaning of The Haka by watching the clip




P'haps we should have an OBay Haka for Crufts & the start of the season :)

Gottle of Geer!

Those crazy Danes think of everything & isn't this a gr8 idea, personalized beer! Johanna bought Zen some puppy milk boosting beer :) Try saying that after a few bottles.



"I'll get right too it and start drinking the puppy milk elixia straight away" What a consciensious Mum.........

Me tippsy no way!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Toni Dawkins Training day

Oops! Forgot the camera :(

Had a gr8 afternoon at Sue's guided by Toni Dawkins. She really made us think about how to handle courses different ways. I have also adopted a similar style to Toni for sending Chi over jumps in front of me and 'Q'ing him to turn left & right before he jumps. Don't know who originally thought of this method but i know Nancy Hudson gave me gr8 insight into it on a 1:1 training session at the end of the season.

Sorry no pics or vid. but i must say i can highly recommend Toni's training sessions, they are both positive & rewarding for dog & handler!

Sheep Herding

Who says we not naturals - a picture speaks a thousands words you know :)



Surely a truly stunning example of how woman & beast balance to control the sheep!


My Mum's a natural you know :)



O! These sheep are quite interesting after all.........

Borra Da! (Good Day)

Chi & his 'pack mates' have been over the boarder to Wales to visit Billy's Gran'ma!





Beautifull Wales! Where Chi's fitness regime continued on the beaches when the tied was out. He was poopped after....

Pre Season Fitness

Spurred on by my fellow bloggers I too have started Chi on a pre crufts fitness regime. Not sure we'll be doing the 4.5km daily road walking like Johanna!

Any form of excersice needs to be balanced to produce all round results so with this in mind Chi will embark on a regime that includes swimming x 1 weekly, road walking x 2 - 3 weekly for 10 - 15 mins at a trot, sprint training up the feild with a tennis ball on dry days for about 15 - 20 mins, long walks well 4 - 5 miles, Agility trainign at Gran'ma's or club working on techniques, jumping excersises, massage x 1 full body per week & every morning skin rolling, neck stretching x 2 daily following operaation need to ensure he doesn't stiffen up & plerping at every other available opertunity (lazing around relaxing :)).

Only 6 weeks to go!

The 2 jump sequences that Gran'ma found (see OBay blog) are brilliant and are helping me to really consolodate my arm signals.
Next weekend we will attend a Lesley Olden course analysis training session - more for me than Chi.

Amazing Friends & 'Family'

Today Bernadette presented me with a cheque for a substantial amount of money to put towards the cost of Chi's cancer surgery. This money came from a 'secret' training day held at Sue Dennison's sand school, with expert tuition from Nancy Hudson, food created by Lyn & Les & all organised by Gran'ma Bay! It sounds like it was a gr8 fun day of training & we're quite envious we couldn't come!

I can not express enough the thanks & appreciation for this very kind donation - you are all such good eggs :)