Wednesday 31 August 2011

Monday 29 August 2011

Great Bank Holiday Weekend

Just back from the Shooting Stars flyball competition. We all raced in the open competition on Sunday.

Auntie Breeze and Dare both raced in the same team and got a fourth place. I think that Dare has been really working on his box turns.


I also raced on Sunday in a new open team with some new team mates. We raced against Chips team (and beat them.) We got a second place in the Division and Chips team also got a fourth place. So I had bragging rights (for a day!)



This is a YouTube video of me racing, I am the third dog racing in the second race clip. I think we are going to be a very fast team!



Then today both me and Chip raced in a Multibreed flyball team.

In Multibreed flyball you have to have four different breeds of dog racing at the same time, in open you can race any sort of dogs together.

So with me being a English Shepherd and Chip being a Patterdale Terrier it meant we could race with a Border Collie and a crossbreed teammate. We were racing in Division One... So no pressure on us !


This is another YouTube video of me and my teammates racing. I am the second dog racing and Chip the last one.



We actually won Division 1, winning all our races with a best time today of 17.73 seconds !

As you can see I do enjoy pulling my tuggy when I finish racing a leg...



Saturday 27 August 2011

Rest day

We have some more flyball this weekend but not today. So we have a bit of a rest day to recharge our batteries.

I am keeping an eye out for any spare food that available.



Chips taking the opportunity to check out the local cats from the vantage point of the front room windowsill. (I think its a bit catlike of him...)



Auntie Breeze is probably upstairs on the bed and Dare is keeping out of the way under the front room table.



Can you please stop disturbing me with that camera ...


Monday 22 August 2011

British Flyball Championships 2011

Wet had a great time at this years British Flyball Championships. It was a bit of a trek all the way up in the Midlands at a place called Arbury Hall near Nuneaton in Warwickshire but it was a very picturesque venue.


And guess who this English Shepherd is?



Its my Dad Adam he races for a team in the North of England so we tend to only see him at the British Championships. He is quite hansom apparently.




Auntie Breeze and Dare both raced in the same team on Friday and they got a 3rd place in their division which was a good start to the weekend.




I raced with my team on Saturday and we got a 4th place in our Division which was exciting (and hard work).



One of my jobs apart from the running is to encourage my team mates just before the racing starts.




Chips team then raced on Sunday and of course he showed off with his spectacular box turns.



And his super speed for such a little lad on the way back from the flyball box .



His team also got a third place but they were racing in division 8 so the result is very impressive.

This is a video of Chip and his team mates racing yesterday (he is the little dog running last)





Wednesday 17 August 2011

Willows Tail

This is Willow who is a very small Terrier who normally lives near us with my Mums Mum.


She has just spent the whole week between the two Fairview flyball Tournaments camping at the venue.



She had never been camping before and had never been to a flyball tournament. Willow also had a go in a flyball starters competition when she was there.


Looks like she had a great time.




Sunday 14 August 2011

Flyball Fairview week 2

We were all back at Fairview again this weekend for a 2nd tournament at the same venue as last weekend. Its the last weekend before the British Championships so we were all fine tuning our box turns and crossovers.

This is me racing down to the box.


Four feet on the box, ball already in mouth and turning.


Just of the box accelerating away.

Up to full speed again.


And this is a dogs eye view of my running up to cross over with a teammate.


We had another successful weekends racing Chips team came second in their division, Auntie Breeze's team came fourth in hers and me and Dare got a first place in ours with a new fastest team time of 18.99 seconds. I was very qick again this week with a 4.28 second run and a few 4.30's runs as well.

Just to prove I am not the only one of my pack with a good turn this Auntie Breeze today in mid box turn.



And a video of Chip and team mates yesterday, he is the last dog in the video clips.



Sunday 7 August 2011

New Fastest Time

We were at flyball racing again today. This time at Fairview Farm in Stockbridge which is about an hour away by car. Its down the M3 Motorway in Hampshire.

As you may have noticed I wear a liitle bit of equipment when racing. As well as the team harness I also wear some leg protectors which help to look after my stopper pads and dew claws. They also help support my joints when turning on the flyball box.



Speaking of flyball boxes we had a new one for racing today, all the way from Belgium. The Club brought it back from the European Championships last week.

Chip seemed to quickly get the hang of it, this is him doing one of his spectacular turns on the new box
.


And going super quick over the jumps.



We all had a very successful time today. Auntie Breeze's team got a first place in her division and Chips team got a fourth place in his.

Me and Dare raced in the same team today and we also got a first place which was all the more impressive as we were seeded bottom of our division.

I also got a new personal best race time of 4.20 seconds which most flyball people will tell you is a very quick time. I also did quite a lot of 4.30 second times today in races as well.

This a Video of me on our new flyball box today which must have helped improve my times.




We are back at the same venue again next week, hopefully the weather will stay fine again for that weekend.

Monday 1 August 2011

Cool Chip

When the weather gets hot Chip likes to have a splash about in his (own) special red paddling pool.




Chip does seem to concentrate very hard when playing in it.




So much so that he doesn't always notice what the the rest of us are getting up to around him.



Which is a bit of a surprise as I didn't know Terriers could concentrate !