Travelling, Teaching and TV

This Well as the saying goes no rest for the wicked and the last month has been quite hectic with lots of events. After Crufts I had a short rest and then I had to prepare for my first trip of the year to Austria. Unbeknown to me I was flying out of terminal 5 on the very first day it was open ! as you probably know there was long delays and I think I was one of the lucky ones as my luggage made it out and back with me.

The first day in Austria I was taken around some of the sights by Karl who was organising the show. It was great to spend a relaxing day looking around but then I had to get my brain in gear ready for the next two days of judging. There were competitors from Hungary, Czech republic, etc so it was a very international field. Some of the dogs were trained to a very high standard and a handler with two Chihuahuas certainly showed what these small dogs could do. Following the competition, I taught a two day workshop which was very enjoyable and everyone seemed to have a good time. 

After being home only couple of days I went off to the Westglen show where I had Pogo entered in the first crufts semi final  advanced qualifier of the year. As I had been away Pogo had not done as much training as I normally would have done in the  build up to a competition and seemed she seemed a little "fresh" when I was doing the routine.  So I was delighted to find out she WON ! that's means we can now concentrate on next years routine already :)

The following day I taught a lovely workshop in Sherborne with an enthusiastic group of handlers and the following week it was down to Bridport for a cabaret evening then off to Barking for another workshop. A few days break before I had a special evening cabaret night to do in aid of the local RSPCA. I always like to support some of the local charities so all the money raised from the tickets went straight to them for their new building they require. in order to promote the event they had articles published about me in the local papers. The local TV picked up on it and sent a reporter down on the night and you can see the results below.

So more workshops to do and then of course the summer season of my dog display starts which as you can see from the events diary page it is getting quite busy!

Crufts 2008 - The Barnum routine

This year Crufts was going to be extra special for me as not only had my two dogs Disco and Pogo each qualified for their respective finals by winning the semi final heats at the Coventry show but also I had a top secret routine to perform. Everyone obviously knows now that this secret routine involved me partnering Mary Ray in her Best in show routine.

It all started last year when myself and Mary were performing our Me and My Shadow pairs routine at Discover dogs. At this event we were discussing what Mary was going to do for her new routine at Crufts and my "Circus" idea came to light. When you look at Mary's style of working I thought she would really suit the role of the ringmaster and of course im always happy to act the clown so it seemed a good match. My idea was to have a building routine which as you can see starts with Mary, then I make my entrance and we do some comedy things with us three, after this I would leave the ring to get my dog so that we could finish the routine with a short pairs piece. After discussing this further Mary remembered a track from Barnum which was instrumental as I had only got the version with lyrics. At first this version didn't seem right but after I had cut and pasted it around a bit, we had a track with four sections.

Over Christmas I started to look at the two pieces of music that I was involved with and put some ideas together. Just into the new year we both met up for our first session and we ran through the two sections I was to take part in. Obviously changes had to be made due to us and the dogs suiting various moves but overall it seemed to go well. As anyone who watched my routines know I like to have something slightly different in the routines and I was wracking my brain as to how we could end the routine with a surprise rather than just taking a bow. On the way up to Mary's I had an idea to reveal a banner from a cane. We discussed this when I got there and we both seemed to like the idea, so when I went back home I got to work on how it would happen. For a while we used a cane that split into half when I pulled it but this didn't seem to hold together well for the other bits of the routine so eventually as you can see we decided that I would pull the end off to reveal the banner with Crufts 2008 on. I must mention here Mary's friend Jan who not only sewed the banner but also made my trousers and bow tie so a big thank you to her for all her help with that and at the training sessions.

Another prop that we had discussed was having a circus step i.e. a circular brightly coloured box. At first we thought that Levi could sit on it and do various moves around it but then one day I had the inspired idea of me entering the routine by popping up out of it. After running this past Mary who thought it was a great idea, I asked my "prop man" Roy if he could set to work making it. Its great to have someone who is able to interpret my ideas and sketches into something workable. When I first got the box I was glad to find out that I had much more space inside than I thought but it certainly is a good job I am small !

Over the next couple of months the routine took shape and it was great to work with someone who has a similar mindset to me. When you train on your own it can get a bit lonely as you have no one to bounce ideas off of so having both Jan and Mary there allowed us to come up with ideas to problems we were having. The major problem I had was with the bit where the dogs do a three legged walk and we have to do a hop every few paces. It might sound simple but when you have to tell the dog to hop, keep in time with the music, count your paces, keep an eye on your partner I can assure you it is very hard !

The whole time we were training together we decided that we wouldn't tell too many people and even when the routine was announced in the big ring I thought it best they just announce Mary as otherwise the surprise would be lost. As Crufts came nearer of course the nerves started a little but I have to say I thought I would be more nervous especially as the best in show routine goes out live with millions on TV watching. I think it was the fact the I was doing a pairs routine which meant you were not on your own out there and I know Mary was more relaxed than she has been with this routine.

On the Sunday we did a performance of the routine midday and it went down well, we knew it would look even better under the spot lights of the best in show ring. As the time drew nearer I go into the box and was carried out to the middle, I then had to wait until Levi gets on the box for the second time to then pop out. As soon as this first bit finished I had to run and get my dog Pogo, then when the moment came we ran back in. Its amazing how quickly the last bit of the routine went and im glad to say that there has been nothing but nice comments about the routines.

So its back to normal life now, no driving up the motorway every week for practice sessions which is a shame as you quickly get used to things. Thanks must go to Vee, Jean, Andy and most importantly my calming influence Penny for all their help at Crufts as I couldn't have done it without them. Finally a big thank you to Mary for letting me take part in the routine as this was the first time anyone else had been in the ring with Mary during her Best in show moment.

To view the routine click here

Happy times and hard work !

Well the last two months have been somewhat of a whirlwind with a hectic schedule of events. It started at the end of October when I had a couple of workshops to teach in the USA. I decided to go out early and stay with a good friend of mine Brigitte Sclabas and her many poodles. It was good to chill for a few days before heading off to Denver for the first of the workshops. I was picked up at the airport by Sue and Shirley of the Mile High canine freestyle group who then took me to hotel. From there I was taken out for a meal at a novel Chinese restaurant where all the food was cooked in front of you and the Chef we had certainly put on an entertaining show. The first day of the workshop dawned and I was picked up by Shirley, then taken to the venue for the weekend. The Mile High group had been asking me for a long time to come and teach for them so it was nice to meet some of the people who had been in contact. The first day went well and everyone was very enthusiastic. I was then taken out by another two members of the club where we had some lovely food and a super strawberry daiquiri ! As the second day dawned I couldn't quite believe the  weather, on the Saturday it had been very warm but on the Sunday there was inches of snow. It was quite a shock for the system being in short sleeved shirts one day and many layers the next. There were a few breeds that I had not had on a workshop before, the most impressive was a very large Borzoi who only just fitted through his owners legs. The group did very well with all the exercises and it was so nice to see some very well motivated dogs.

On the Monday I flew back to Brigitte's house in Nashville where I spent another few days before making the trip down to Atlanta. Sightseeing is not always one of my favourite things but we had a great time at the Atlanta aquarium a must for anyone going to this region. The next workshop was for the Dixie dancing dogs who are a small club who don't have regular classes but just come together for events such as shows and workshops. Some familiar faces were attending the seminar for about the third or fourth time which is nice as I get to see the progression they have made since the last time. All the dogs were very well motivated and had many had good drive and attention. The weekend went well and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

A short while after getting back to the UK it was time to make our annual pilgrimage to Discover Dogs in London. This event is great for the non dog owning public as it lets them see a representative of every breed of dog that the Kennel Club recognise. Also there are demonstrations of dogs at work as well as displays of the various sports that you can compete with your dog in. As usual I was providing the training displays in the training ring and would like to thank all the handlers who gave up their time to demonstrate over the weekend. It was a busy weekend as I also had to perform with Mary Ray in the main ring doing our Me and My Shadow routine which we had done on the Underdogs show earlier in the year. It makes such a change doing a routine with someone else as you don't feel so lonely out there in the middle of the ring. By the time we did the routine for the third time on the Sunday I think I probably was the most relaxed I have ever been doing a routine.

A few days to recover then it was time to pack the suitcase and fly to Denmark where I was judging and teaching two workshops. As I landed at the airport it was obvious who was picking me up as the first thing I saw as I came thought the doors was a welsh terrier owned by Mugge. After a quick drive around Copenhagen we arrived at the venue where things were being set up for the show the next day. I was looking forward to judging as Denmark has recognised the sport now and can award a champion title to a dog that has won three certificates.

The competition started early and I was joined during the day by two trainee judges who scored each dog then discussed with me what their thoughts were. It was nice to have some time in between dogs for a change as in the UK the numbers entering competitions has meant that you have to put your score down quickly and be ready to move on. The Heelwork to Music classes were on the morning and there was a variety of breeds and routines. The Denmark rules on the heelwork positions are the same as the UK except they have the additional positions of the dog between the handlers legs facing forward and back as heelwork as well. I had to keep reminding myself of this extra positions as for me between the legs looks so much like a freestyle move. After a light lunch we moved onto the freestyle classes where there was some good potential handlers in the lower classes which must bode well for the future of the sport. These classes were followed by some fun classes where I was very impressed by a duo of Beagles. The attention and attitude of these dogs was excellent, so it was no surprise to find out that both dogs were in fact obedience champions. The next two days were spent teaching workshops where we focused not only on the moves but also on the many other factors that go in to creating a good routine. I had a lovely time with these groups and would like to thank Annette and Mugge for looking after me so well over the weekend.

Back home and no rest for the wicked as I had to get packed up ready for a weekend of workshops in the west country. The first was for Yeovil dog club were many of the handlers had never done freestyle before and many of the dogs were show dogs. It was a warm friendly group and all the dogs performed well during the day. Having finished this workshop we drove on down to Sidmouth in preparation for the next days workshops. We stayed with one of the club members and were looked after extremely well so many thanks for that. Cheridah Stamford is well known on the HTM scene and she has a small group who meet on a regular basis so all the handlers had a good grasp of the basic moves. Although the hall is not that big we did various exercise to progress the dogs on a bit with their training and of course challenged the handlers with the non dog exercise.

After another workshop in Surrey and then a week later a cabaret evening for Barking dog club in Essex I finally had a chance of a breather. I always tend to have a break from teaching from the middle of December to the middle of January and this year it will be even more important as it is time to turn my attention to my own dogs and their routines for the semi finals in February. As you can see from the website we have a new look for the coming year which we hope that you like and I would like to thank everyone who had made this year so enjoyable. There is many things booked into the diary for 2008 and some exciting projects which I will tell you more about soon : )

To read news from the archive click here