Beanie’s Comeback

Posted on July 5, 2009 by Susan

Today was racing day. We headed up nice and early so that Beanie and Biggles could get in some private runs before racing kicked off. In the first run we gave the Biggly Boy a 9 yard head start and he trounced Beanie! So he’s definately getting faster!

We hadn’t planned to enter them into the propper races but as it was the Scottish Beagle Club annual BBQ very few Beagles turned up. It was just Beanie, Biggles, a little dog that was there for the first time and a very BIG boy called Brodie who’d been once or twice before. We all figured that Brodie and the other little boy (who’s name I don’t remember) wouldn’t be able to keep up with Beanie so there was no fear of any inexperienced dogs interfering with her. It was a great opportunity to start building up Beanie’s tollerance for inexperienced dogs on the race track without any risk of setbacks. We were all in for a BIG surprise but it worked out very well!

In the first race all of the dogs started from scratch (i.e. they started on the same line). Beanie got a very slightly late start and Brodie quickly tucked in behind the lure and ran like the wind. All Beanie could see was a big Beagle bum and as she tried to find space on the track where she had a clear view of the lure. The other little boy bounced around excitedly getting in her way. My heart sunk. This was exactly the situation we didn’t want. But then I realised her body language was a bit different this time. Instead of looking as if she’d gone in a huff and given up she dug in and fought her way through to find a clear ‘lane’. Brodie was rapidly dissapearing into the distance. He had a huge lead but she and little Biggles chased hard and looked happy and confident.

Brodie in white, Beanie in red, Biggles in blue

Novice Brodie wins by a mile!

Beanie in second place and Biggles in third place

For the next race we decided to start Beanie in lane two and Brodie in lane one. This gave Beanie a better chance of tucking in behind the lure. This would put her in a strong position where she didn’t have to fight her way accross lanes for a view of the lure. Hopefully it would help build her confidence. Brodie did exactly the same thing as Beanie had in the previous race – he ran across the track trying to get a good view of the lure. But Brodie wasn’t put off by other dogs in his path – it helps to be big! Beanie managed to hang on to a very tiny lead until they neared the finish line. Then Brodie’s thoughts started to turn to how he was going to get this pesky little dog out of the way so that he could get in behind the lure. Strictly speaking he should be focusing on the lure and not looking at Beanie (but it’s perfectly normal for inexperienced Beagles to do this). Beanie was put off by this and backed away at first (no doubt because of her experiences earlier in the season with some particularly naughty Beagles). But then she gave him a quick verbal warning and held her ground. Brodie crossed the line first again, but Beanie had faced her demons and they were still good pals!

Beanie asserts herself calmly instead of taking the huff!

In the final race Biggles and the other little boy were given a sizeable head start. Beanie and Brodie were setting a very fast pace and the others weren’t getting a look in. Brodie’s dad “accidently” gave Brodie a late start and Beanie got a two yard advantage. Initially, Brodie closed the gap a little and was hot on Beanie’s heels. But Beanie dug in and fought hard to maintain her lead.

I washed my face this morning and couldn’t do a thing with it!

As they approached the finish line Beanie managed to open up her lead a little and won by a good three yards. A big boost for her as she didn’t know she’d been helped a little by Brodie’s dad (traitor!).

It was a fantastic confidence booster for Beanie and a great lesson in how to calmly deal with dogs on the race track that don’t yet know all the rules. Beanie loved every minute and was absolutely desparate to race again, but Brodie had to go home. Brodie is quite an athlete and in fair races I think he’s going to be a very hard dog for anyone to beat – especially when he’s got a bit more practice under his belt. But Beanie is going to thoroughly enjoy trying! The race officials are talking about keeping experienced dogs separate from the new dogs which I think is a very good idea. We won’t be in too much of a rush to enter Beanie into propper races as we don’t want any setbacks but we’ll certainly try and organise lots of races with dogs that she’s comfortable with.

A big thank you to Brodie and his mum and dad for helping out our little girl!

Happy Birthday Cuillen

Posted on July 4, 2009 by Susan

Beanie and Biggles’ monthly swim with buddies Tess, Clara, Tara, Jamie and Cuillen was due today. And as luck would have it the date coincided with Cuillen’s 2nd Birthday, so what better excuse for a Party!!! This time we were joined by Val (our obedience teacher) and her dogs Lucy, Anna and 16 year old Star. Jamie and Cuillen brought along their house guest Mouse.

A great time was had by all! We had a lovely birthday cake, party bags and Cuillen and Jamie even got into the spirit of the party by wearing bathing caps and snorkels! All the dogs in our little group enjoy swimming but it’s also a great chance for them to hang out with a bunch of other nice dogs and brush up on their socialisation skills.

I don’t think Val planned on having old lady Sky in the water, but at the last minute she decided it might be good for her. It was lovely to see. She was apparantly quite a swimmer in her day, and it really seemed to give her a little boost. She swam really well and she was looking very perky after her swim.

There isn’t much footage of Tess, Clara, Tara, Beanie and Biggles as they were in the pool first and the camera was fogged up with all the steam.

It’s the Biggly Boy’s birthday next month – we’ll need to think up something special for his party!

A Big Day Oot

Posted on June 28, 2009 by Paul

Glasgow’s annual East End 5k fun run was held today in Tollcross park. It’s a special race because it’s one of the very few that allows dog owners to run with their pets. Last year I ran with Beanie; this year all four of us entered!

Initially I’d considered using our cani-cross gear to let me run with both Beanie & Biggles hooked up to my belt, but field tests in the park quickly put me off this idea. It is after all very difficult to run when your legs are trussed up by dog leads and your two Beagles have decided to have an impromptu tail-pulling contest. So we decided to split them up, and I chose the Biggly Boy as my running partner while Susan went with Beanie. We were joined on the run by Susan and Cuillin from the Glasgow Dog Training Club.

Cuillin, Jamie, Biggles & Beanie before the race

Building on her recent doggy tailoring experience Susan made some small adjustments to Beanie & Biggles T-shirts (yep, all entrants – even dogs – get free T-shirts) that made them fit better around the lower body. It’s just as well she did, because as Cuillin’s owners found out dogs really don’t see anything wrong about peeing directly into their racing shirt. ‘Nuff said!

As race time approaches Biggles is resolutely focused on the start line. Beanie is resolutely focused on the burger van.

The warmup in full swing…

The race (or “big day oot” as the organisers called it) attracts all ages, fitness levels and species

This year the race started quite promptly, and we quickly cut along the side of the course to escape the heaviest concentration of runners. The first half of the run was uneventful and Biggles and Cuillin easily picked there way through the slower joggers. In the second half there were a few interesting moments.

For starters, Biggles discovered that the dog training club stickers we’d fixed to his lead felt nice in his mouth and I kept having to extract them and the lead from his frighteningly efficient chewing gear. Then we encountered a roadside photographer and Biggles felt the need to give him a stern woofing. Next we passed a very large and noisy Rottweiler who seemed keen to escape from the confines of his garden. I quickened my pace at this point and Biggles kept his head down – until that is we’d got about 20 yards away at which point my brave little boy gave the Rotty a stern woofing too. Unfortunately Biggles, Beanie and Cuillin weren’t so brave when we passed a drumming band that had set up along the side of the road to spur everyone on. It was great for the humans, but all of our dogs found it a little scary. I just kept moving purposefully to get Biggles past it as quickly as possible and it was quickly forgotten.

As we neared the finish all the dogs responded to encouragement from the spectators and put on an extra burst of speed. Cuillin crossed the line just little ahead of Biggles, and Beanie was next across the line. Here’s a little clip of Susan and Beanie on the home stretch:

All human finishers got a goody bag but additional prizes were also handed out at random, and as luck would have it both Susans got one!

The medal winners, and all of them stubbornly camera-shy

Susan#1 gets her prize

Susan#2 gets hers too

The 5K was over, but the “big day oot” was just getting started. Just before we left there was a carnival procession put on by kids from local schools, and agility displays and other attractions were planned for later.

I don’t know exactly what it’s meant to be, but it’s green and some kids made it :D

As we headed back to the car one more challenge lay before us.. a field full of banana skins, stray chips, half-eaten hot dogs and assorted food wrappers. Beanie and Biggles had their heads down the whole way as they tried to find these discarded treasures; we had our heads down too, in the hope of keeping said items out of our dogs’ mouths.

A field of dreams for any self-respecting, speed-swallowing Beagle..