A week to go before the Copa España 2011

We are a week away from the Copa España U.C.A 2011 in Girona near Barcelona. We are going with 2 teams from our club "Club Agility Mitjanit" from Mallorca. In team A: Pancho, Dolça and Anya and in team B: Pepito, Lagun and Eliott. We will be running in teams and as individual too. Gordon, Frimousse and Wilson are part of our fan club, they are ready to cheer everybody one... A small video to introduce our dogs and their owners, enjoy :)

Brainy games for your dog

Physical activities are very important for your pug's health, but a mental activity is also a great way to add excitement in his daily life. We play with 3 mental games at least twice a month to keep their little grey cells active and it's also great fun!!! It's funny to see my 5 pugs use different methodes to work out how to get the food. We also play "hide and seek" or "fetch the correct toy", those activities are fun and there is not right or wrong... Have a go with your babies and enjoy ;)

Weekend training 2 weeks before the Copa España UCA

Just 2 weeks before the Copa España UCA on the 5th and 6th of November in Girona, near Barcelona. So this weekend we are working on 2 jumping courses sent by a friend and we hope it will help us get the right results in Girona... Thanks Marc ;)

I liked this course, it is a fast course with front crosses, serpentine, a pull through that I messed up big time you will see on the video!!!! and a few other handling manoeuvres, I really enjoyed today's training and my boys Pancho and Pepito did great.

This was Sunday's jumping, even faster!!! love it and my Pancho love it too!!!

The video of our 2 jumpings, on the first one you will see my big mistake i made with my pull throught on jump no5 to no6. The second jumping was fun and no mistakes, one run was enough.

Wilson's hydropherapy session

We went to the hydropherapy center to start Wilson's treatment for his hip dysplacia. This video will show you some of the treatments that can help your dogs.



Today is the agility exhibition show at Llucmajor near Palma, it's a nice day and we are going to have fun... Have a nice weekend everyone.

What's coming up this weekend

Today's training at home was great, we worked on what we planned yesterday and enjoyed every minute of it. The pull through was good but to reinforce the turn and make them tighter i need to use "Pan", it's the name I use in the ring to get his attention.

This is a video of the "one stride work" i like to do from times to times.


This weekend we are not training at the club, we have an agility exhibition organised by our club at Llucmajor near Palma. We are going to show the general public what is agility and explain what is involved when training your dog... We are going to start at 16h30, so if you are around, come and say "hello"... Have a nice weekend everyone :D

The pull through

Our weekend was a good one and the training of the "push through" was fun. I can see that Pancho really enjoys his agility when we get more technical with the handling, I can see his eyes looking around and he is very excited when i ask him for quicker changes of direction. On that picture you can see the look i see on his small face and his eyes searching for the next jump, I love it ....

We are going to start tomorrow's training with Pancho's start position. I'm changing from the SIT/STAY to the STAND/STAY. I can see that Pancho keeps his concentration much better and is quicker to start too.
Then we are going to do some ground work, i want Pancho to understand how to use his legs independantly with this type of low poles, then one stride line of jumps, which will help him to push harder on his back legs and adjust his footing and speed.


Then we are going to practice the pull through on this small course on both side.

Then we will move on to those 2 courses to keep practicing the "Pull through", again we will practice on both side.

Seminaire with Greg Derrett

This is a video of a seminaire with Greg Derrett we went to in March 2011. I made the comments on the video fun and they will direct you on our mistakes too... We learnt a lot and we are very happy with the outcome. We still practice what we were told and try to improve to make our agility runs as fun and successful as possible.

Weekend training

SATURDAY:

Pancho is felling much better after his cough, I have given him some antibiotics called "Ronaxan" since Monday, after 12 hours his temperature was normal and his cough nearly gone. So Saturday we are going to start nice and easy with:

* Sit/stay and looking at the jump ahead
* 1 course with front cross as a warm up



Then we are going to move on to the PUSH THROUGH with:
* one jump practice the push through
* and those 3 courses :

We are going to work both side of the 3 courses and reduce the distance between jump no 2 and 3 on the first 2 courses to improve speed on the ground.

SUNDAY:

We are going to practice on this course. Nothing crazy just a nice and controlled course, no speed involved.

Wilson dysplacia

Normal hip anatomy

In the normal anatomy of the hip joint, the root (the thigh bone) is connected to the pelvis at the hip joint. The almost spherical end of the femur head fits into the acetabulum. The bony surface of the femur head and of the acetabulum are covered by cartilage. While bones provide the strength necessary to support body weight, cartilage ensures a smooth fit and a wide range of motion. Normal hip function can be affected by congenital conditions such as dysplasia, discussed in this article, trauma, and by acquired diseases such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Dysplastic hip anatomy

Researchers agree that hip dysplasia is a genetic disease. If a parent has hip dysplasia, then the animal's offspring are at greater risk for developing hip dysplasia.

In a hip suffering from dysplasia, two things are commonly abnormal.

* The caput is not deeply and tightly held by the acetabulum. Instead of being a snug fit, it is a loose fit, or a partial fit.

* Secondly, the caput or acetabulum are not smooth and round, but are misshapen, causing abnormal wear and tear or friction within the joint as it moves.

The body reacts to this in several ways: the joint itself is continually repairing itself and laying down new cartilage. So the joint may suffer degradation due to the abnormal wear and tear, or may not support the body weight as intended. The joint becomes inflamed and a cycle of cartilage damage, inflammation and pain commences. This is a self-fueling process, in that the more the joint becomes damaged, the less able it is to resist further damage. The inflammation causes further damage. The hip condition is only one factor to determine the extent to which dysplasia is causing pain or affecting the quality of life. In mild to moderate dysplasia it is often the secondary effects of abnormal wear and tear or arthritis, rather than dysplasia itself, which is the direct causes of visible problems.

This is Wilson x-ray if you look on the left side the caput is not deeply and tightly held by the acetabulum. Instead of being a snug fit, it is a loose fit. On the right side the caput is inside but not held at it should be in a normal dog.

Treatments:

* A glucosamine based nutritional supplement may give the body additional raw materials used in joint repair and a low fat diet is a must. The less weight the dog carries the better.

*Reasonable exercise stimulates cartilage growth and reduces degeneration (though excessive exercise can do harm too), and also regular long walks in early or mild dysplasia can help prevent loss of muscle mass to the hips. Medication can reduce pain and discomfort, and also reduce damaging inflammation.

* Massage and physical therapy and acupuncture: Your veterinarian or the veterinary staff can show you how to perform physical therapy and massage on your dog to help relax stiff muscles and promote a good range of motion in the joints.

* Warmth and good sleeping areas: Most people with arthritis find that the symptoms tend to worsen in cold, damp weather.

* For more infos: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2084&aid=444

Weekend

We had a good training day on Saturday and worked on all we planned on Thursday. I was glad with the 3 courses but Pancho touched a few poles which is not a normal thing for him. Later that evening I had my answer... he started to cough and had temperture. I have noticed that his eyes had some discharge for about 2 to 3 days. Gordon was coughing 10 days ago but after 8 days of antibiotics he was fine, I guess Pancho cought the virus too. All my pugs are vaccined for the canine flu "Pneumodog", so tomorrow a trip to the vet is going to be on the cards. Wilson hasn't got his flu vaccine done yet and i really hope he doesn't get it.... Pepito and Frimousse were coughing this morning, it's the problem with the canine flu, its very contagious... So pugs quarantined for 5 days :(