Gilberts Gallop
The Forest Magazine - Articles
Articles written for The Forest Magazine about Fun 4 All's growth and my own dogs. Rupert's antics will make you howl with laughter!
The Forest Magazine By Helen Taylor
No 1- May 2010
Welcome to the new dog page. Let the fun begin.......
To introduce myself, I am Helen Taylor, owner & instructor of the ‘Fun 4 All Dog Club’ that I set up in 2008 with the valued help and support from a friend, Sue Foster.
Some may have read about me in the Your Dog Magazine. I was one of three featured diarists published each month throughout 2009. It had been a memorable year to have in print.
It covered the planning, conception and growth of the club and the unforgettable antics of Ella, my Labrador cross, Measles, the very elegant blue merle Great Dane and my lovable rogue, but extremely naughty black Labrador, Rupert. He is, on the whole is a pretty typical Labrador; however, his lust for food has taken him to the very limit, and his antics have gained him his own fan club. The diary concluded in March when I met with the other Your Dog Magazine diarists at Crufts 2010 for the final photo shoot.
It was in spring 2009 that I found myself looking for a new dog club that could offer a variety of non-competitive fun activities.
Sue and I both wanted it to be in a safe environment with a friendly, sociable and relaxed atmosphere. It was important to us that the club didn't put competitive training first, as it had to be Fun and we meant for dogs and owners.
I had been an agility and basic obedience instructor for 3 years when I qualified to become an ACAI Agility Club Approved Basic Instructor.
With that under my belt, I have begun to mould the Fun 4 All Dog Club into a club I have always wanted.
Everyone is welcome, so don't be shy. Why not call today to find the right class for you and your dog?
Flyball
Having a fast dog is one thing, but if you are like me, running is too much of a challenge. Flyball is an ideal alternative; dogs of all sizes love it.
It involves running, jumping, and retrieving; it’s motivating, fun, fast and interactive. It’s not only a great activity for dogs; it can also offer some excellent training opportunities.
SEND AWAY over the four small hurdles
CONFIDENCE-building to have the courage to leave its owner
RECALL your dog, motivating it to run towards you. This is when you can call that very special word
COME, training can be fun after all
Don't worry if your dog isn't yet interested in a ball; you can start with its favourite toy or treat for motivation, and with the netting barrier on either side of the hurdles, it channels the dog, keeping them focused.
The Forest Magazine by Helen Taylor
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No 4 - August 2010
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A Dog's Birthday Bash & Birthday Cake!
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Birthdays come and go every year, and the same old quandary: what to do.... a party, meal, night in, or let it quietly pass by? Well, it was my '50-something’ Birthday this month, and it was suggested that it be celebrated for a change.
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What better excuse to have a ‘Dogs Birthday Bash’! With the permission to go ahead to use the Agility field at The Bulls Head, I set a simple ‘puppy height’ safe course for both dogs and kids, ordered the soft drinks and sent out invites by text and email.
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It turned out to be a very memorable night with half a dozen children, 33 dogs and as many adults; it was a perfect way to celebrate.
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All but a few dogs were off lead, either being ‘taught’ by the kids to jump, running through the tunnels or chasing a ball. I caught out of the corner of my eye Googie the miniature schnauzer, hopping discreetly over the jumps, trying to look casual; I thought he secretly really wanted to run the whole course as fast as he could!
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Julia’s little girl, Katie, was sternly telling Labrador Wispa to sit on the A-frame whilst Great Dane, Zara, who thinks she’s a Jack Russell, runs with Jasmine the Collie, Labradors Phizz, &Toby, Gracie the English Pointer and young Tilly the Saluki cross chasing the ball, franticly being thrown by Michael. Meanwhile, in the ‘adults’ corner, the very sweet, but shy rescue dog called Noodles finds her feet attracting the males. She had the full attention of ‘ready if you are’ Retrievers Pendle and Brambly, Jack-y boy, and not forgetting to mention the small but very handsome Dylan Dog. He was being very vocally shouted at to leave Noodles alone by his sister, Ruby Tuesday.
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In the food and drinks area, you could see Ella ‘working’ everyone for a piece of cake or a treat she could wangle from them; of course, she never gets anything at home. She would very proudly tell you, though, that Rupert taught her all the mugging tricks in his book; for that very reason, Rupert wasn’t invited. Measles, my beautiful...butter wouldn’t melt in your mouth (ha ha what a fib!) Great Dane, in the meantime, wanders around like the perfect hostess.
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The whole evening was a big hit, and we all headed home dogged tired!
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Have you ever considered celebrating in a different way?
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If you want to have a dog party, please consider the safety aspect of having a group of dogs all interacting together. You may want to consider the dog's breed types, nature and their level of social skills beforehand. You can build up a dog group by asking your friends one by one to join you on a walk, bringing all your dogs together gradually. When you have a number of dogs out together, make sure all the owners help to manage the dogs within the group. Some dogs wander off, have poor recall or issues with bikes or joggers; it helps to keep the group in a relaxed social theme if you know you are all keeping an eye on each other’s dogs. Stay together and support each other if problems arise, and don’t forget to choose the most suitable place for a large group to walk without imposing on others.
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What else has the Fun 4 All Dog Club been up to this month?
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We have been busy fundraising for the Animal Aid Centre at Huncote and for Marie Curie with a special Agility & Flyball event held at Staunton Harold. This was the first year for Jo Bland to arrange the sponsored walk and dog event; it was a great success.
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Why not keep up to date on what’s happening, take a look every month at www.fun4alldogclub.co.uk
The Forest Magazine
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No 6 - October 2010
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What a fabulous experience it was to appear on Michael Ball’s new ITV afternoon show. Measles and I set off to the BBC London Studio with friends Sue and Julia, with her Great Dane, Zara. Sue helped with the dogs and carried every treat known to man to keep the dogs on their best behaviour.
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Michael was warm and friendly; he made you feel you had known him for years. It was evident he is a genuine dog lover by the way he greeted the dogs with such high exuberance. Our hearts shot to our mouths, we both took a sharp intake of breath and a quick look at each other, knowing we’d had the same thoughts flash before us, ‘oh my goodness.....help, what are they going to do to him?’. Sometimes you never quite know what they’ll do in a new environment. Will it be just a bit of extra slobber, or maybe fear would make them drop to the floor never to get up again; worse still, a nip or even try to run away, dragging us flying behind them or the ultimate jump up to pin Michael to the floor to look him in the eye?
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Oh well, you just can’t help thinking of all the horrid things they could do, and then bless them, they take you by surprise. Measles was fine in his company, soaking up all the fuss and attention. I did omit to tell him you’re not allowed to stop fussing over her until she’s ready! Zara proved to be the real star by not putting any one of her four paws wrong all day.
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At 11 am, we had a rehearsal; it was the only opportunity to plan what equipment we could fit into 22 square feet. What we hadn’t planned for was the stage being on three different levels. Never mind, like true professionals, we managed to produce the smallest Giant Breed Agility course ever produced, we used 2 jumps, 1 set of 5 weaves, a wall and a table...perfect!
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We spent most of the day wandering around the set. We had our own dressing room and ‘runner’ to make sure we were in the right place at the right time. We thought she was new to the job because she wasn't very good at it. Not only did she lose us on many occasions, but she also couldn’t find our dressing room.....poor girl. Mind you, I had my own worries; I had the extra stress of when Measles would carry out her bodily functions, if you know what I mean. I didn't want Measles to appear every year in ‘It’ll be alright on the night’, I howl every time they show the episode of Blue Peter with the elephant doing what is natural. It was first shown in the late 60s, er..... not that I remember the first showing of the programme, of course!
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Anyway, it all went well in the end. Measles had a short nervous jitter after knocking down a jump, but Zara was stunning and stormed home the clear winner. If you missed the programme and want to take a peek, it’s on my website. It’s just a bit of fun, so no high expectations.
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What else has been happening? The Bulls Head Charity Fun Day & Dog Show raised money for the Air Ambulance and Leicester Animal Aid. Fun 4 All Dog Club raised £50 for the Charities, so a big thank you to everyone who paid to have a go at our flyball and Agility.
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Now that autumn is on its way, we have to plan the changes to our evening classes. It will only be a few weeks before we move them into the weekend. Ideally, we would like an indoor winter facility for evening Agility classes. An indoor equestrian hall or similar would be ideal. Please ring if you know of one who may be prepared to hire it out a couple of nights a week. We have already booked the Markfield Community Hall for Monday morning, Wednesday night and Ibstock Palace Hall on Sunday afternoons for Rally and fun classes. As always, Agility and Flyball are the hardest hit in winter.
The Forest Magazine By Helen Taylor
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No 7 - November 2010
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Agility, Flyball, Rally Obedience, Home Boarding and now we have.........
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‘Fun Activities, Clicker Tricks and Life Skills’ classes at The Markfield Community Centre every Monday morning and Wednesday nights. So what does all that mean? Well, have you ever wondered how a small clicker box that produces a loud, sharp, audible sound would help your dog with his everyday life skills or on the agility field?
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The first step is for your dog to understand what the clicker can produce for him. The best type of reward is a food treat such as sausage, cheese, liver-cake, etc. If your dog isn't food-oriented, then a toy, a short burst of play or a positive verbal or physical contact is just as rewarding as any tasty treat. The next stage is for your dog to understand what he has to do, to make that ‘magic’ clicker box give out the audible sound to get his reward.
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This is when it can become a challenge for the owner to watch, wait, handle the treats and click the clicker at the precise time, little pooch gives you the wanted behaviour! It’s fun learning new skills, and you’d be surprised how tiring it can be for your dog, not to mention satisfying from getting all the yummy treats!
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So what’s planned for these new classes? Well, Wednesday night I went armed with a bag full of clickers and cards of ‘how to dog tricks’ to hand out; so any trick would be possible with time and patience. At the end of the class, I set the group a challenge to practice at home for the next week, each dog had to learn a new trick.... a bow, leg weaving, target disc and target stick training.
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Unfortunately, the group didn’t let me escape from a challenge, so I had to teach Ella to stand with her two front paws on a stool and move her back legs around, circling the stool. Eh, that will be interesting for Ella, my superfast agility girlie; still, I know we’ll both have fun learning together. Over the next few weeks, we will introduce using a clicker for a ‘solid’ agility weave for rhythm and entry, Click to Rally Obedience, Heelwork and even a bit of fun with Temptation Ally and Musical Sits!
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The nights have drawn ready for the clocks to fall back an hour. This marks the end of our outdoor night classes until next spring, but the weekend Agility and flyball classes continue whilst the weather and land conditions permit. The grass is already prepared for winter with a ‘stylish longer than usual haircut’, even the moles have been asked to move to new quarters with the installation of the environmentally friendly mole scarier. We moved all our fencing and equipment to a field that weathers really well in wet conditions. We like to keep the classes going for as long as possible, mainly for the dogs, so if the weather turns horrid at the last minute...we just go for a walk instead!
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Before we know where we are, Christmas will be here, ‘jingle bells all the way’ to skiing holidays and thoughts of next year’s summer breaks. When you commit to having a dog in your household, it can be a dilemma. What do you do when you go away? Of course, if you are like me, you forego holidays abroad and take a ‘pet-friendly ‘UK holiday instead. I have my favourite places where the beaches are quiet, long and sandy. I've listed a few on the website in the links page www.fun4alldogclub.co.uk
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I suppose if you don’t take your dog with you or you don’t have a friend to help out, two other options are Kennels or Home Boarding. If using a kennel in the winter, please do check out what provisions they have in place and ask what actions they take, if, like last year, the temperature drops to -10Ëš.
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Home Boarding is a ‘home from home’ service offered by many private householders and budding dog walking businesses. Again,n make sure you are happy with the arrangements, ask to visit the home and meet with the person who will be responsible for your dog; this is a criterion for a License in the North West Leicester District area where I live. Also, ask to see a valid Pet Business Insurance; you will have to sign permitting for your dog to be off-leash for most policies. If you are satisfied that your dog will be on his holiday, you’ll certainly enjoy yours.
