Double Success For Lesley and Dewy

January is the first month in the HTM Competition year - and it was truly successful for Lesley and Dewy.

They were placed 9th in the Crufts Semi Final Qualifier for Heelwork To Music - with the top ten placed going through to perform in the final at Crufts in March.  A great position to finish in with plenty of potential to place higher!

And in the Crufts Semi Final Qualifier for Freestyle  they were placed 7th which this time meant they perform in the Freestyle Final at Crufts with again a chance to improve on this place!!!   GOOD LUCK LESLEY AND DEWY!!!!

Kath and Amber also competed in the Crufts Semi Final Qualifier for Heelwork To Music, After a very tough year with Amber sustaining two burst ear drums early in 2015, Kath knew her hearing would be impaired, and the KC Building with metal roof, busy chatter and lots of amplifiers could be overwhelming but she performed so well and reached a creditable 13th place sadly missing out on a final performance at Crufts.

Kath and Denby also competed in the  Crufts Semi Final Qualifier for Heelwork To Music however, Denby's confidence wasn't at its best and Kath withdrew from competition completing the routine to gain more experience for this sensitive dog and her.

Kath and Amber went on to be placed 3rd in the Advanced Freestyle Competition at the end of the day when sadly all the photographers had left the building!

Karen and Midge had a successful competition too as they were placed 3rd in Intermediate Freestyle.

Japan Welcomes Kath

Kath was lucky enough to be invited back to Japan for two days helping the HTM and Freestylers and for one day of judging in the shadow of Mount Fuji.

 The beautiful Mount Fuji.

 Asako, Kath's host, took her sightseeing on her arrival day directly after the 20 hour day of travel.  This brown snake was weaving its way through the lava from Mount Fuji.

 A typical garden in Japan - so manicured and very pretty.

 And a visit into the Ice Caves which kept Kath alert at less than Zero Degrees!

The organisers were busy setting up the wonderful facilities for the busy three days.   The performance area was 25m x 20m, with room for crating areas down one side of the hall.

and 5 or 6  warm up rings for the handlers to spend time before their training time or before competing. 

 A friend from last year and her pretty Papillon.

 Beautifully groomed Standard Poodles - so full of character!!

Asako checking the Trophies and all the prizes for competition day.  There were 17 HTM Entries and 34 Freestyle entries.

 The HTM and Freestyle Winner's Trophies!  Huge!!!!

Another friend from last year who was the winner one of the three "Kath Special Trophies" - this one was awarded for Best Costume which she wore for "Diamonds Are Forever".

After judging, Kath was asked to explain HTM in a 5 minute television interview which stretched to 30 minutes!

The venue was part of a Dog Resort Hotel where many people brought their dogs over the weekend to enjoy the facilities.  This was a very sociable lunchtime gathering of Long Haired Weirmaraners!

This lady is known to Kath too with her attentive Shiba Inu!

And Kath met this lady for the first time with her very talented labrador balancing a tub of treats on its nose!

And more helping time - this time a Toy Poodle

Translation took time and it was sometimes hard for Kath to keep the thread of what she wanted to say, but her interpreter, Hiroshi, was excellent.

Helping a Borzoi!!!   A beautiful dog and gentle handler.

Finding the right words!

An Australian Labradoodle dancing to "The Little Mermaid"

Attentive spectators!  Always good to see!

An eight month old Maltese Terrier - learning moves well under her handler's gentle care.

Emiko - Kath first met her at Crufts in 2001 and found time in the evening to meet up with her.

And her translator Hiroshi with his wife Akiko.  He did work hard over several days, but he enjoyed learning all about HTM.

The resort's pool where Asako's dog Pepper was treated to a good morning swimming session after the competition and training days.

 And of course superb grooming facilities for drying off.

 Asako then took Kath on an amphibian bus for a drive around and on Lake Yamanakako

More sightseeing before the drive to Tokyo - passing the fishermen on Lake Yamanakako

 Time to say Goodbye to everyone.

 And then a 2.5 hour drive back to Tokyo passing paddy fields and solar panels!

 Tokyo City with the main Government Building straight ahead.

 Kath's last overnight stay in Japan at the Airport Hotel Nikko.

The departure board for busy Narita Airport - all these flights were taking off within 40 minutes of each other!

Kath's trip home with an upgraded seat giving her a chance to sleep before arriving home after another 23 hours of travel!
Thank you to Asako for arranging and inviting Kath to Japan once again on a very memorable visit.  

Midge - Another Successful Weekend

Wow! Midge did so well at the weekend. 

Karen's amazing girlie is now qualified for Advanced HTM and Intermediate FS.

Thanks to Fylde K9 Dancers for a super show.

Oberammergau, Germany - A Return Visit

This was the third year for Kath and Karen to be invited to return to the beautiful "Passion Play" Bavarian Village of Oberammergau where their host Inge has fabulous facilities for the many dog training courses she organisers every year.  Her hotel "Hundesporthotel Wolf" is the centre point of the town - except every ten years when the Passion Plays are performed.

There are several spacious halls where the training takes place and once again, Kath and Karen were allocated Hall B.

Inside the roomy hall with  a non slip rubberised tiled floor and windows giving natural light down one side - the hall is approximately 50m x 20m and is perfect for training HTM and Freestyle.

A return guest was Sabine from Switzerland with her adorable "Snoopy".   Sabine had purchased a beautiful lead for Snoopy when supporting the Auction raising funds for Team GBR 2014. A delightful little dog, full of character who knows when to take "time out"!

 First on the list of "needs" from those attending was heelwork.

And of course how to keep your dog motivated whilst training so intensely, which another returning attendee, Barbara demonstrated perfectly!

 Barbara and her beautiful dog Pia.

Another candidate for Heelwork - this lovely young Blue Merle is usually chasing and catching frisbees so HTM makes a big difference!

And of course with such a huge area for training - everyone can be on the floor together with plenty of room for their personal space.

 Lunch break - and what a beautiful view.

 Snoopy perfecting his roll in a towel

And to finish - Sabine wanted him to be laid flat on his side - clicker training soon sorted this move out!

Midweek through the training and Wednesday was just half a day - luckily Karen and Kath were taken sightseeing by Barbara and her husband Kurt.  A chance to see more of this picturesque country.

They arrived at a Lake where Kurt thought he could hire a motor boat to take them around the lake, however he was to be disappointed as they were only hiring out pedalos!   Kath was suffering from a bad back (again!) but Karen and Kurt took to the pedals and off they went, only to be greeted by some wild horses who lived on an island in the lake.

This handler, Katharina, was another return attendee and during the year had given birth to a lovely baby girl. She certainly wasn't going to miss any opportunity to train and the baby was very comfortable in the sarong she wore.

 A very happy Claudia with Rufus the Frisbee dog who knows his reward very well!

And the week was soon over, finishing with a gathering around the hotel pool.  The weather had been remarkably good.

Time to say "Goodbye" to friends old and new - Kath and Karen thank everyone for supporting their training week and look forward to another return trip in 2016.