Last breaths of winter

We continue with our clicking and learning of new tricks, we still amuse our agility classmates (actually this relationship is completely reciprocal) and besides that we're working, studying… All in all, we have no shortage of action and sometimes it happens that despite of my multitasking nature there's too much of everything and my wires get mixed up… For example, the other day I was grumbling over the electrical gate that wouldn't open and then I realized that I was trying to open it with a clicker. And no, that doesn't mean that later on I tried to click Sambo with the remote control of the gate; but I did have our malign bird on my shoulder the other day when I went to get a frozen chicken for Sambo's dinner and I almost threw the wrong bird into the oven… /just kidding :) /.

A few days ago I told Gregor that I wanted to experience some real snow for the last time this winter, so we decided to go for a roadtrip to Pokljuka (where cross country skiing competitions are held every year). We went there on Friday and I'm happy to report that Pokljuka didn't fail me – it was Siberia. The snow was falling with force, the wind was blowing hard, the temperatures were low and there was even up to half a metre of snow on the ground. A true winter expedition, to tell the truth. Sambo had a blast and so did we. Happy and content to have experienced some hardcore snow for the last time this year, we drove home… to snowy Ljubljana. There was some heavy rain on the way home, but when we came to Ljubljana it was all snow. So we had a bit of snow at home too, although not much of it sticked to the ground. But the aesthetic effect was just as welcome :).

Put your paws up and your head down...



... and then we're also shy...



A wolf in Siberia...







Snowy sprint

The season has officialy started here. I can't say that the action has started since the action rarely takes a break here in Groenenland, but surely we have more of it now. We run, click and also agility trainings started again. Most of the old fighters are still with me, the rookies look fairly promissing and as an extra bonus I have Shenzi, Sambo's not-so-secret admirer who still loves him, of course, but most of all it seems that she really worked hard during the winter since she's flying over the obstacles and what's even more impressing, she got rid of her 'tunnelophobia'. Good work, Shenzi and hanlder Nuki!

Yesterday we went to our second trial this year. Unfortunately this wasn't as successful as the previous one. Sambo was back to being his old self – hyperneurotic and a stranger to contacts, maybe he managed to do one (by mistake, of course). Apparently I'll have to make the 10 min game of dogdeball an obligatory preventive measure if we are ever to move from our 'status quo', the second level with 2/3 of the requirements. Oh well, at least we had fun – but then again, we always do.

Today we had a completely new type of action. There was a fund raising run/walk for homeless animals and last year I wanted to go but I couldn't, so this year I wouldn't let myself be stopped by anything. And I didn't. I didn't let neither the bad weather nor my hurting hip stop me , I armed myself with my two guys and my running equipment and went to the gathering place. There I met with some doggie friends and soon an agility friend and I pushed our way towards the start line. After a minute or so I had second thoughts about being at the front cause I wasn't sure if behind us a stampede of runners eager to go, full of testosterone and Isostar wouldn't break free. Luckily this wasn't the case; we survived the start in a presentable shape got outrun by a few individual runners and a few runners with dogs, but otherwise we kept our good starting positions right to the end. It was a 2.6 km round and at first I wanted to run two laps but I quickly saw that one would be completely enough. Firstly, we ran on a harder surface than I'm used to and my hip started to complain, but most of all I missed one detail: in order to have my hands free I tied one leash around my waist, put Sambo on a harness and clipped his leash onto the first one. The system worked flawlessly for the first few metres. But then Gregor outpassed us on a bike to take a pic of us and foam came to Sambo's mouth, he started pulling as if he were on the Iditarod and the leash I had around my waist instantly turned into a corset. The more he pulled, the more my silhouette got baroque-like. I suppose you can easily imagine that after two minutes of running like this I saw that I couldn't last more than about 15 min of running without being able to breathe, so we unanimously decided to end our run with the first lap. Nevertheless, the quad Urška/Urška/Sambo/Lu with Gregor as the steersman fought well and ran and cycled across the finish line with our heads held high. It was fun, tough and adrenalin-fulled. We'll definitely repeat it next year, but I have to figure out a new system for around my waist so I won't look like a projectile snapped in half.

Until next time!

The beginning of our action in a torpedo style



A smile for the camera...



Victory! :)

Auctions, shows and triumphs

The last week has been quite vivid in Groenenland (as if that's something new). On Saturday I sacrified this year's first agility trial cause I had to go translate on a wedding. The bride is from abroad and when a foreigner gets married there has to be a translator present to avoid selling someone into slavery or something like that. I was a bit nervous since it was the first time I did it, but we got along so well with the registrar the first minutes I was there that the few pounds of excitement I had melted down and we successfuly sailed through the ceremony; and no, I did not sell the bride by auction among the wedding guests and the passers-by, so the day was, although tiring, a big success.

Sunday was just as interesting as I worked on the dogshow in Celje. As usually I was the ring steward in the shepherd's ring and once again I had a jolly good time, especially thanks to the judge, an older guy with which I got along really well and debated with about the dogs on the show. I impressed him with my knowledge, a keen eye when it comes to evaluating dogs and, definitely not least, with my 'nut grip' – there came a guy with a Beauceron to the ring and his dog would let himself be touched all over, but the good mood as soon as the judge made an attempt to touch him beyond his tale, which was apparently the limit. The judge was a man in the category 60+, so he made an effort twice and backed away swiftly, but he couldn't exactly chase the dog across the ring (in hope that he finishes with his face attached to his head). So I asked the owner if the dog would let me hold him. I offered my hand for him to get a sniff, he smelled it without much interest, and then I started petting him on the neck, shoulders, moved along his ribs and by the was bended my knees and got into a nice squat position. And when I felt that I was well positioned I performed the 'hand under the belly, hand around the neck' grip with which the dog can't turn around to bite the judge or sit down to hide his jewels. The manoeuvre was completely professional, but the situation had to be quite comical I guess – a pigmy seized blonde in jeans and a purple shirt wrestling with a 40 kg Beauceron male probably isn't the most commong sight, but it certainly impressed the judge, who gladly took the opportunity and attacked the dog's nuts, nad of course the public, who started laughing and congratulated me on my professional assistance to both the hanlder and the judge.

Considering all this you could easily say that last weekend was quite 'bitchy', but appart from the usual walks and runs Sambo didn't get much action. So we made up for it this weekend; first we went for a long walk yesterday and today we attended our first trial this year. The trial was in the equestrian club of Prestranek which we both like very much and apparently it likes us too since we always do well here. This year wasn't an exception! After almost 4 months without a training we came, we see and – well, almost won :). He jumped the second contact on the dogwalk (what a shock…), but otherwise he ran really well! He was fast, easy to handle and accurate, he found the entrance to the weaves without a problem and made turns like only he makes them ;). In the second run he also did really well but unfortunately he knocked down one bar cause I didn't call him on time. However, I'm very proud of Sambo, he did a really very good job (I have to admit I contributed a bit to a smaller degree of neurosis and consequently to an easier handling since I went to blow some steem out of him before we went on the course – with 10 minutes of catching tennis balls, bwahahahaha).

To end, a pic of our third place and the clips from both our runs.



First run

Second run