Jembear:
She was a good girly today, mummy made a mess of things a couple of times but learnt by the end of lesson that she had to run when Jem was in the weaves as this stopped her coming out to look where I was and also encouraged her to go faster!! She got a little bit carried away with her contacts so I made sure I worked them, something I was told I need to do in competitions so we don't loose them all together!!She also did some lovely go out work and a flick flack into the weaves. All in all I was extremely pleased with her and can't wait to get her to some open competitions this year!!!
Elliot:
Well we didn't work him too hard. We did some whole a-frames with the target at the bottom but have decided that he is only going to get the treat when I tell him touch and not get it when he demands it to try and get him listening more and only going when I say go (I think this is right - lel please correct me if I have got it wrong!!). We then did some whole dog walks and on the third one the target blew away in the wind but he still stopped at the bottom and put his nose to the ground and it was only then that he realised it wasn't there, this made me happy as it showed that he might slowly be getting the understanding (he did then do a couple of runs and bounces off later when we weren't training them - cheeky boy!!) His last dog walk was amazing, he flew down the down plank and almost skidded to a halt at the bottom :D We then did some weaves - he struggled slightly to start with because there were 7 but I think we finished on having 3 good sets (we didn't do them for long). We then did some jumping with him and when he is running along a straight line he flicked his legs out but then on the tighter bits or when he is not 100% confident he tucks up, although occassionally he changes his mind when in the air and knocks the pole, bless him!! I can't wait until he is fixed, he is going to be a cracking little dog!!!
Friday, 29 January 2010
Thursday, 28 January 2010
SMART take three
Well they are really pleased with Jem, she is progressing much quicker than they would have thought, I think this has something to do with me doing the exercises really regularly and being able to do them properly with her. Elliot is improving but not as quickly as Jem which is to be expected with him being worse than her and also because he gets a bit too excited when it comes to doing the exercises and so doesn't do them as controlled and properly as Jem. The only new thing to do this week is to hot pack Jems abdominal muscles and Elliots Pecs as these are what is causing them their most problems. I have posted a couple of videos of them on the water treadmill, I am really annoyed now that I didn't do this the first week they went but hopefully as this is only the third week the difference will still be noticeable. You can see that Jem puts a lot of weight down through her left front leg, especially when I am on the right of her and so consequently she didn't do as much as the physio would have liked. You can see elliot gets very stressed about being in their but he is loads better than the first week, although his stride is still really really short! Both of them did a really nice bit at the end (with elliot we had two of the long foam things in a v in front of him so he had nothing to lean on and couldn't put his feet on the non moving bit!!) which sadly I didn't get on video but there we go!! I have also posted a video of him on the strawberry line to show how he normally walks - like a looney!!! Also this time I worked out how to turn the sound off so in future when watching my videos you wont get burst ear drums :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGntn67c0ms - For some reason it wouldn't upload to the blog and after 10 attempts I gave up!!
Elliot has been "signed off" flyball again this week but is allowed to go back to agility so at least he will be partly happy although I know he secretly likes flyball best - I am working on him!!
Tuesday, 26 January 2010
Agility again!!!!!
Well jem was allowed to do agility again this week, mr elliot had to have at least one more week off, poor little man!!
Jem was a little bit naughty to start with, she got very excited half way round and couldn't weave, although we discussed later that this also had something to do with me hanging back too much, something I really need to learn to get over!! She was pretty good on her contacts after a little reminding, still not as fast and accurate as I would like, although I am sure part of this is because of her bad carpal joints. whether it was just me or not, but she felt like she was faster so hopefully the trips to Cardiff are already starting to pay off - you can definately tell her back legs are more muscley than they used to be :)
I can't wait to get elliot back to training and hopefully get them both back to flyball this weekend!!
Jem was a little bit naughty to start with, she got very excited half way round and couldn't weave, although we discussed later that this also had something to do with me hanging back too much, something I really need to learn to get over!! She was pretty good on her contacts after a little reminding, still not as fast and accurate as I would like, although I am sure part of this is because of her bad carpal joints. whether it was just me or not, but she felt like she was faster so hopefully the trips to Cardiff are already starting to pay off - you can definately tell her back legs are more muscley than they used to be :)
I can't wait to get elliot back to training and hopefully get them both back to flyball this weekend!!
Thursday, 14 January 2010
SMART clinic first visit
Well yesterday was our first visit at the SMART clinic in cardiff (www.smartvetwales.co.uk) and here is how we got on:
Jemma:
Well she went just because I wasn't happy with the extension in her hips. What they found was that this is because her abdomonal and intercostal muscles are tight, but they also found that she has an s shape when she stands - ie she doesn't weight bear evenly and that her muscles aren't evenly developed, apparently this runs right from the tip of her nose to the base of her tail and it is not a very common problem. She weight bears in the front end and has very little weight in the back end. Also when she walks she puts more weight on oneside but this is opposite to when she is standing and she stands rotated as well as uneven with her weight!!! Apparently because of this uneven weight distripution she finds it very difficult to turn corners/do circles and this is probably why we have had so many problems in obedience with her turns!! They also looked at her carpal joints and were shocked at how little range of motion she has in them and said if I hadn't done anything about it she would probably be lame on them within a year/18months and there is nothing they can do to fix them, scary thought!!!! They reckon she is going to be an interesting case to follow!! After assessing her she had some acupuncutre which she wasn't very impressed about to start with put soon just went to sleep in the corner!! She then went on the water treadmill to see how she really walks, and this just enhanced what they had seen outside - when she did it properly!! She did get the hang of it quite quickly but then thought she would try and cheat by putting her feet on the bit that wasn't moving, cheeky madam!! I have been given some exercises for her to do at home which involve slow walking and weight shifting exercises and we are back again next week!
Elliot:
Well, where to start, mr elliot has lots of problems!!! He has very little muscle and what muscle he does have has very little tone. When walking and infact with most of his movement they said he tucks his bum up and almost looks like he is going for a poo!! His main area of pain/tightness is his neck and shoulders and apparently it has been known before that this can cause hind leg problems so for now this is his main area of focus for the work that we are doing. However after his acupuncture, when he went in the water treadmill he was extremely unco-ordinated and couldn't do it, he kept trying to sit down when it was moving and they had to keep it very slow because he wasn't striding out very much bless him!! There is a slight concern that there is a neurological cause but for now we are goin to do the same sort of exercises as for jemma but with shorter periods of walking. This walking will be on a new harness they have given me which comes in front of his chest and you control from both sides so as to try and get him walking without pulling so he puts less strain on his neck/shoulders - this is probably why he hated the head collars so much!! Apparently neck tightness is quite a common thing in epileptic dogs, but they aren't normally this bad at the back end!! I have also been told to get him to have a massage on his neck/shoulders in the next few days.
Jemma:
Well she went just because I wasn't happy with the extension in her hips. What they found was that this is because her abdomonal and intercostal muscles are tight, but they also found that she has an s shape when she stands - ie she doesn't weight bear evenly and that her muscles aren't evenly developed, apparently this runs right from the tip of her nose to the base of her tail and it is not a very common problem. She weight bears in the front end and has very little weight in the back end. Also when she walks she puts more weight on oneside but this is opposite to when she is standing and she stands rotated as well as uneven with her weight!!! Apparently because of this uneven weight distripution she finds it very difficult to turn corners/do circles and this is probably why we have had so many problems in obedience with her turns!! They also looked at her carpal joints and were shocked at how little range of motion she has in them and said if I hadn't done anything about it she would probably be lame on them within a year/18months and there is nothing they can do to fix them, scary thought!!!! They reckon she is going to be an interesting case to follow!! After assessing her she had some acupuncutre which she wasn't very impressed about to start with put soon just went to sleep in the corner!! She then went on the water treadmill to see how she really walks, and this just enhanced what they had seen outside - when she did it properly!! She did get the hang of it quite quickly but then thought she would try and cheat by putting her feet on the bit that wasn't moving, cheeky madam!! I have been given some exercises for her to do at home which involve slow walking and weight shifting exercises and we are back again next week!
Elliot:
Well, where to start, mr elliot has lots of problems!!! He has very little muscle and what muscle he does have has very little tone. When walking and infact with most of his movement they said he tucks his bum up and almost looks like he is going for a poo!! His main area of pain/tightness is his neck and shoulders and apparently it has been known before that this can cause hind leg problems so for now this is his main area of focus for the work that we are doing. However after his acupuncture, when he went in the water treadmill he was extremely unco-ordinated and couldn't do it, he kept trying to sit down when it was moving and they had to keep it very slow because he wasn't striding out very much bless him!! There is a slight concern that there is a neurological cause but for now we are goin to do the same sort of exercises as for jemma but with shorter periods of walking. This walking will be on a new harness they have given me which comes in front of his chest and you control from both sides so as to try and get him walking without pulling so he puts less strain on his neck/shoulders - this is probably why he hated the head collars so much!! Apparently neck tightness is quite a common thing in epileptic dogs, but they aren't normally this bad at the back end!! I have also been told to get him to have a massage on his neck/shoulders in the next few days.
Monday, 11 January 2010
Snow & Agility Nuts 10/01/10
Well the snow has annoyed me a lot because it has meant that loads of my lessons have been cancelled :( It has however made me buy myself a digital camera as there were plenty of lovely photo opportunities!!
Agilty Nuts comp:
Agility
Jemma:
Well she was a naughty girl, it was dog walk - tunnel and she flew off the dog walk, into the tunnel, over a jump and over the a-frame, half way down realising I wasn't with her and had told her to stop, so she creeped to the bottom and stopped there!!! Needless to say she got taken back over the whole dog walk and made to stop on the bottom, and then we did two jumps to the end!
Elliot:
Well I decided to just do the a-frame with him and then the jumps afterwards as I knew I stood no chance with the tunnel at the end of the dog walk - he did the a-frame and flew off it, then did it the other way, flew off it, went over the jump, in the tunnel, over the dog walk, flew it, turned around, went back over it, flew it, went in the tunnel, over the jump, up the a-frame and flew it until I got hold of him!!!! Little tinker!!! We then left the ring!!
Snakes and Ladders
Jemma:
She did it beautifully, two gorgeous dog walk contacts, but then I crossed behind her a bit late at the end and she ran round the last jump :(
Elliot:
Well, once in a sit ready to go he saw Nat (the judge) and took off, over a jump and went to say hello - my theory to this is that he thought she was pen (she was all in agility nuts gear) and that he was in the field!! So anyway,we were eliminated before we even started!! He then ran well, although on the long straight he ran round a few jumps - not really sure why, and then on the way back he went in a tunnel but as we were already eliminated I didnt bother taking him back, he did the end bit very nicely though and took the last jump!!
Jumping
Jemma:
She ran really well, but I called her to keep her tight on the last turn (180 degree turn) and so she knocked the pole she was going over and the next one!! Her time however was yet again jsut over 1.5seconds slower than the winner - am really hoping the SMART clinic can shave this off for us!!!
Elliot:
Cant really remember what happened with him, he was elliminated but I think he ran reasonably well.
So, overall a reasonable day, just a few niggly bits with both dogs - I really need to work on Elliots wait/focus when he is in group lessons/at competitions!!
Agilty Nuts comp:
Agility
Jemma:
Well she was a naughty girl, it was dog walk - tunnel and she flew off the dog walk, into the tunnel, over a jump and over the a-frame, half way down realising I wasn't with her and had told her to stop, so she creeped to the bottom and stopped there!!! Needless to say she got taken back over the whole dog walk and made to stop on the bottom, and then we did two jumps to the end!
Elliot:
Well I decided to just do the a-frame with him and then the jumps afterwards as I knew I stood no chance with the tunnel at the end of the dog walk - he did the a-frame and flew off it, then did it the other way, flew off it, went over the jump, in the tunnel, over the dog walk, flew it, turned around, went back over it, flew it, went in the tunnel, over the jump, up the a-frame and flew it until I got hold of him!!!! Little tinker!!! We then left the ring!!
Snakes and Ladders
Jemma:
She did it beautifully, two gorgeous dog walk contacts, but then I crossed behind her a bit late at the end and she ran round the last jump :(
Elliot:
Well, once in a sit ready to go he saw Nat (the judge) and took off, over a jump and went to say hello - my theory to this is that he thought she was pen (she was all in agility nuts gear) and that he was in the field!! So anyway,we were eliminated before we even started!! He then ran well, although on the long straight he ran round a few jumps - not really sure why, and then on the way back he went in a tunnel but as we were already eliminated I didnt bother taking him back, he did the end bit very nicely though and took the last jump!!
Jumping
Jemma:
She ran really well, but I called her to keep her tight on the last turn (180 degree turn) and so she knocked the pole she was going over and the next one!! Her time however was yet again jsut over 1.5seconds slower than the winner - am really hoping the SMART clinic can shave this off for us!!!
Elliot:
Cant really remember what happened with him, he was elliminated but I think he ran reasonably well.
So, overall a reasonable day, just a few niggly bits with both dogs - I really need to work on Elliots wait/focus when he is in group lessons/at competitions!!
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