Thursday, 26 November 2015

Tigger & Roo

Tigger
Okay, I'm going to give the short version of the story because it could take me hours to give the long version.

Back in the summer we fostered 4 tabby kittens handed in to our local vets. Two girls, Hawaii & Venice and two boys, Tokyo & Orlando. We weaned them and then our friend took the boys and we decided we could offer the girls a loving home, so we rang the vets to ask if that was ok. And they said no, a family had been waiting for two of the kittens the whole time! They never told us! So we were forced to give them to the family.

Baby Roo (aka Hawaii)

Baby Tigger (aka Venice)

The family were quite nice (or so we thought) and said we could visit anytime. Over the next few weeks we got photo's of them which was nice, (they also discovered they were boys not girls) and last weekend we visited them, there were a few worrying things we noticed, they were put out because they were marking in the house (which neutering would resolve, but the family couldn't afford it) and as a result one was covered in bare patches from a fight with a tom cat.

A photo of them on our visit


Then a few day's ago we received a text. They were moving house and unable to take pets, so would we like them. We said yes and we arranged to collect them the next day. When we arrived we realized they'd been in another fight with another cat (because they were put out at night) and had an injured tail. They also were free-roaming without collars or a microchip. They also weren't de-wormed or de-flead (fortunately they didn't have fleas). So we went straight to the vets, and there we realized they'd not been vaccinated and they'd been in a fight with a tom cat! And there is a disease they could have (because of being bitten/scratched by a tom cat whilst no vaccinated) and if so they could pass it onto our cats! So we had to have a blood test, which fortunately was negative, Phew! And then we had to microchipp, vaccinate, neuter, worm, de-flea them and check out their tail, which was a large vet-bill and a lot of worry, all this should have been done by the previous owner!
Nala, our other kitten.

It was very frustrating as we'd offered them a home (and we'd have done all this, and avoided the blood test etc...) and that they'd made us give them the kittens when they couldn't afford them, and before we took them back we weren't informed about half of the things they'd failed to do!



They are now doing fine and we've changed their names to Tigger and Roo (they were "Hawaii & Venice" with us their owners called them "Tony & Toby" and them "Billy & Bobby" so it's their 4th name change) . They are getting used to our cat's :) None of our cat's are very cuddly so I'm hoping Roo will be.

Roo

Here are some photo's, and yes I dod notice the "JazzberryJam Production's" on some of them insead of "JazzberryJam Photography"
Nala


Nala

Nala





Wilson's Video!

I'm really pleased to see Silvia Trkman shared our video! You can see it here:

http://www.lolabuland.com/2015/11/26/love-my-on-line-classes-2/

Wednesday, 25 November 2015

Our new game ...

As many of you know we had a few issues with Wilson working for toys before our Foundation's course, sometimes balls were fun other times they were booaarrriiinnngggg!

We made toys more fun and also did food-in-toys. We can work with just toys but it's erratic as to when, so I decided to try and progress from food-in-toys, (which he's pretty happy to work for anytime) which we changed to a fetch. He had to race to get the toy I throw for him and return it to me for a treat, simple. I'd been half working on it for a while but a few days ago we mastered it.

I filled a glove (not a good idea, the treats get stuck in the fingers!) with treats and threw it for him, he raced after it and I called him and when he brought it at least half way back (it was only a short distance away) I clicked and rewarded. Then we got it the whole way (still short distance) and then I swapped the glove for an empty one (swap for an empty glove straight after work with the treat filled one). Wilson went straight for the empty one and I rewarded. We can now do it with any soft toy, but he does occasionally need to be told a second time he really needs to get it! He sometimes does it for fun, he didn't bring it back a few times as he wanted to play which is good! And sometimes the reward is another throw or tug! I also can now hide and call him! So good! Because he does like toys I think it'll be easy to get the reward to be another throw.

We're also doing "happy tricks" which is a Silvia Trkman idea, you either use tricks that dogs do when happy and excited or even observe your dog as to what they do when happy for example, jump up on you? or spin? or bark? and you capture that behavior and name it. And tehn you use it to excite your dog before Agility etc ... Wilson we're doing bark, spin, jump up, rebound, bounce, side-to-side, touch & get-it.

Many dogs, especially retrievers (flat coats, golden retriever, labs) love fetch and don't need to be taught, except to drop it! Holly loves fetch (not sure why we never encouraged it) as did Skye (a foster flat coat) but Wilson not so much but he loves it now!

Running Contacts

There are two ways to get your dog to hit the last 90cm of the Dogwalk & A-Frame. 2o2o or Running Contacts. 2o2o you teach your dog to stop and wait with their two back paws on the dogwalk/A-frame until a release and RC is when you teach your dog to stride so they hit the contact point. RC is better for speed and forward drive, no loss of time or momentum.

I've decided to sign up with Holly for Silvia Trkman's RC, I chose Holly for this course as, I think she will be harder to teach RC to, unlike Wilson she is obsessed with Balls/Toys which is good but sometimes she get's so focused on having that ball thrown she doesn't think about how to get it. Wilson has had more issues with working for toys (although it's much improved and only getting better, I'll post about our new game soon) but I think he's more aware. He think's about what he's doing and how he's earning it. Also I've just finished a course with Wilson leaving more to work on and Holly's training needs more structure. I am going to try training him with what I learn from Holly and the RC DVD, and Agility Diaries, and if we have big problems there is another course next summer. Also Holly has more troubles with DW, A-frame and Contacts, she flies off, literally in the middle! And contact's make no sense to her, and Wilson I can work with 2o2o for now anyways.

So you'll be getting more Holly updates as this is part of the transition to me doing all her Agility. She's not my dog and I had been doing part of her training but it's had little structure and she is a super dog.

Also we're going to work with 4on for the seesaw as I don't like the way the seesaw bounces with their back legs on and front paws on, it can't be good for them.

Holly's Video



Sunday, 22 November 2015

Our Graduation Video!


We've been taking part in Silvia Trkman's Agility Foundation's Online Course for the past few months, and at the end of all her Courses you can submit a video of everything you and your dog has learnt, the video's are then all entered into a competition to win a free online course :-)

So here's ours :-) 


                  ♫ "We're still King's and Queens ...
                     Here's to everyone who said we never had a chance,
                     Here's to Us!" ♫

NEW VIDEO!!!

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Monday, 16 November 2015

Puppy Photo's - Wilson

A few of the Million baby photo's of Wilson as a puppy! More to follow, once I find them! I may even find some puppy clips to put in his B-day video!!! Anyway, massive cuteness-overload for now!
Click on link for writing part of post! When I met Wilson .. till now!

Beth + Wilson Xx


Wilson 7 days (the first photo I have, this pic always reminds me of when I first met him)
A little bit older, just as his eyes opened 
Sleepy Puppy

Pile of Puppies

Wilson (far left)
A favorite of mine x

One of the photo's we were sent when we had to choose between Wilson and Pinky 



The photo that made me cry, I love this one too 

Before we picked him up

Handsome Boy

Sunbathing

Him and his equally crazy sister, Bunny  

First Day Home

Happy Puppy

In the daisies

Beautiful 

Cuddles! He still does that now!

With Holly

Sunbathing with Holly

My Baby

Sweetest little Pup

Quite a bit older, Cuddles!

Handsome

Stacking