New boy Cash & what we’ve been up to in a year of knowing each other!
Please meet my lovely new dog Cash! Aquired from the Cheltenham Animal Shelter on the 14 August 2011. He is a Lab/Staffie cross who was approx 1yr old when I got him, he is now nearly 2. Cash has spent a wonderful year with me, I couldn’t wish for a nicer dog! When Cash arrived he was called Hudson, I changed his name in case he had had any previous bad experiences associated with it. When he first arrived Cash was a bouncy out of control lad with too much energy and hardly any training. I have worked hard teaching him what is required of him but he is a quick learner and I have given him plenty of jobs to do to channel his energy. I run a dog walking and training business so what more could an energetic boy wish for!! He thought all his xmas’s had come at once and would bounce about 5ft into the air everytime he saw another dog when we first started on our group walks! Now though, after a year of walking with sensible dogs and interacting with them in a controlled manner, Cash has turned into the dog I always knew he could be, even on that first day of meeting him when he was nuts!!!
The highlight of Cash’s week is his agility training, his enthusiasm is outweighing his ability to engage his brain sometimes but we will get there and I know he will be awesome. In August 2012 we went on a search and detection course (see post CSI 2012). At home he has been learning numerous tasks such as fetching my slippers, taking my jumper off and bringing me anything I drop, shutting the door and tidying up (this training has come in very handy for my disabled boyfriend). Cash has also met THE QUEEN!! well kind of! we went to stay in a lovely village called Chute in Andover during the Jubilee weekend and the village was decorated with Royal scarecrows! Take a look at the photo below!!
In August 2012 we also went for a fun packed week of training and exams down at the Harper Adams University College in Shropshire with the PDTI. Cash learnt to escape from our tent on day one, leaving me running around the field at 3am in my pyjamas trying not to wake the campsite as I got him back in!!! Little monkey! Anyway the week improved as Cash passed his Silver and Gold Kennel club awards and I passed my Instructor exams. It was a tiring week but great fun!
In September 2012 Cash had his first run at an agility show, I entered him at a lower height in the casual jumping class, as he was not being judged for competition, it was just a chance to train in a different environment. He did very well with only one fence down and one missed altogether! But it was his first go so its all good practice, it will be a while before he’s ready to run a full course of agility equipment.
By Feb 2013 he was ready to enter steeplechase maxi at the Cheltenham show. Yes we got eliminated but look at the fun we had! Check out the video below!!