16. February 2010 by admin.

I have had a wonderful weekend.   The workshop on Saturday was extremely busy but Marie Miller, Jacqui Carter and I had a great time teaching.  I was exhausted by the end and we had a relaxing evening together.  I left Jacqui and Marie downstairs and went to bed early and was up feeling refreshed on what was a beautiful Sunday morning, keen to get training with Cookie Dough Dynamo. Marie and I are putting together a little display for some summer events to show people how easy it is to train dogs through fun and games and my little dog was a star.  I finally got back home around 7pm and watched Strictly Come Icing with Tony and Daisy as we are avidly supporting Emily’s friend, Emily Atack, on the show.   This morning I am back at my desk catching up (apologies for the delay again Liz) and planning the next few days.  I have more filming scheduled for the end of the week and my equine dentist is coming to stay tomorrow so that all my horses can be checked and treated.  I have opened a couple of emails from people who were on  the course with me in South Africa and one is from Oscar’s owner Adi reporting all the brilliant changes her dog has made. Yipppeeeeee.   I really, really love my job.

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16. February 2010 by admin.

I left temperatures of 38 degrees in South Africa and now it is 2 degrees in Surrey where I am staying with my best friend Janine.  Daisy and I arrived back in England on Wednesday morning and it was freeeeeeeezing.  I literally dumped my suitcase in the hall, shot up to the farm, went home, slept and left early the following morning pausing only to kiss Tony as I won’t see him until Sunday.  Such is our life. I filmed all day yesterday for This Morning and was back in the studio live today with the delightful Peter Andre and Kate Thornton.  I was covered in snow as I slid down the drive to my waiting car and the Kruger seems a very, very long way away today.  I have just got back to Surrey and will now drive down to Reigate to meet up with Emily for lunch as I haven’t seen her for over two weeks.  From there I will head down back down the motorway to get ready for the workshop I am teaching tomorrow at Tilley Farm.

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16. February 2010 by admin.

It is almost impossible to aptly describe the vast, stunning vistas of the Kruger Park.  The Park is home to a wonderful array of birds, animals and plant life and as it is the summer the vegetation is lush and green.  It runs for 352 kilometres along the border of Mozambique and roughly equates to the size of Wales in terms of overall size.  To be a part of this extraordinary existence, even for a few days, is a truly magical and unforgettable experience. Our senses are constantly filled with wonderful aromas, spectacular scenery and sounds that are a far cry from the calling of the wildlife at Tilley Farm.  We have been getting up at 500am each day to leave our camp to watch the animals heading for the glittering waters of the rivers and water holes and have been listening to the animals at night over the other side of the river that runs alongside our lodge. We have seen lions, elephants, hippos, white rhinos, kudu, impala, bush bucks, wildebeest, water buffalo, giraffe, zebra, a lone hyena, fish eagles, ground horn bills, water buck, ostrich, wart hogs and more. What can I say?  Not a lot.  I’ll let each picture speak a thousand words.  Enjoy.

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16. February 2010 by admin.

The clinic finished yesterday.  I had a wonderful time and the feedback has been excellent. I will miss everyone.  All the dogs made huge changes including Oscar.  He stopped barking and kicking off at the slightest movement towards him and stayed calm and focused even when other dogs and people were passing closely by him .  In my experience dogs that have concerns about movement around them or towards them are often carrying s significant amount of tension through the neck - the same is also true of horses.   I taught the group the importance of working slowly and mindfully around the head and upper part of the neck for spooky dogs and it had a pretty dramatic effect on Oscar. I really love my job.

Daisy and I went to lunch with Lindy who runs the horse courses here in South Africa and we called in to see her stunning horse Casper.  We had had a great evening with both Lindy and her husband Rick the night before (love these people - thank you both for the wonderful meal and great company) and Rick has offered to lend me a super duper camera lens for our trip to the Kruger National Park.  We then went shopping with Eugenie before doing laundry and packing ready for an early start tomorrow.

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16. February 2010 by admin.

We had a huge electrical storm today which hit at lunch time.  At one point I thought the tent was going to take off.  I was half expecting the Wicked Witch of the East to fly past and spent the lunch break working on a little Dachshund named Benjamin who was shivering and shaking with fear.  He settled so well he was able to sleep as were the other noise sensitive dogs and it is so satisfying teaching owners such a peaceful and therapeutic way of helping their dogs to overcome their concerns. I love my job.  Have I mentioned that before???

Daisy is a wonderful assistant and has been helping to sell the books and equipment at the training for Eugenie who is organising the trainings and being a wonderful hostess. We have caught up on sleep now as the first few nights here were lively to say the least.  We obviously didn’t get much sleep on the night flight over, then just as I was nodding off in our first night Eugenie’s house a HUGE cricket landed smack on Daisy’s pillow.  Daisy doesn’t do bugs!  So not much sleep again that night as she ended up in my bed.  At 3.30am the following night we were woken by the ferocious barking of Eugenie’s dog Harley, after an intruder broke into the house.  Charming.  Fortunately no one was hurt and nothing was taken and the dog was aptly renamed Harley the Hero.

We met Carmen’s stunning dog Barrick today. What a joy he is.  Carmen has certainly done an excellent job in training and socialising him.

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16. February 2010 by admin.

The weather is glorious. Almost too hot in fact but we have plenty of shade in Carmen’s garden so can escape the confines of the large marquee and cover the ground work exercises without worrying that the dogs and their owners might expire half way round the labyrinth.  As a horse owner I found it easy to understand the concept of ground work for dogs when I first discovered this work but for some owners it can seem a little strange.   Everyone has a good skill level already and I am thrilled with progress everyone is making.  The dogs are all coming along well and the combination of leading exercises and body work TTouches are settling even the bounciest hounds.  We have a wonderful German Shepherd dog named Oscar here who is attending with his owner who is on her fifth clinic of TTouch Training.  He is a nervous, defensive dog that cannot tolerate people approaching him and he is a wonderful demo dog for showing how we start the steps to introducing a second person to him at a very safe distance.  All too often dogs like this are labelled as dominant and some owners are encouraged to escalate their own behaviour in order to push the dog into submissive behaviours but this is so dangerous and wholly unfair as the dog will either shut down, giving the appearance that he is coping when he is not, or escalate his own behaviour as he becomes more panicked and afraid.  His owner Adi, is wonderful with him and I have every faith that he will progress well through the week.

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16. February 2010 by admin.

Daisy and I are in (very) sunny South Africa.  The weather is lovely and day one of the clinic is over.  We have 26 people on the course and a nice variety of dogs, some of which are worried by thunder.  Hopefully their owners will have picked up enough skills by the time the summer storms come so that they can help their dogs through what can be a very distressing time.  It has been a few years since I was last here and it is great to reconnect with some old friends.  The clinic is held on a property owned by a wonderful lady named Carmen who I met when I was last out here and it is so lovely being able to catch up with her again.  Carmen is a gifted dog trainer and she owns a stunning wolf/Malaumte cross called Barrick.  Whilst I would not generally recommend the wolf hybrids as pets, if anyone is going to raise a confident, calm and friendly mix it is going to be Carmen.  I can’t wait to meet him later in the week.

As I have written before, I keep bumping into people that I haven’t seen for ages and on the flight over I was stunned to see Sam Maxwell (Richard’s wife).  What a small world! Brilliant to see her again - it’s been far too long.

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29. January 2010 by admin.

I am hastily finishing this blog as I am horribly late in sending it in. I have been running around working with clients and getting ready for my trip to South Africa as I leave tomorrow to teach a five day dog clinic. Daisy is coming with me and we will also spend a few days in the Kruger National Park. Daisy hasn’t been to South Africa before and I know she will love it. It is warm there and although I am stupidly excited when it snows, I have to admit that I am ready for some better weather.

I have one more report to write up for my last canine client, three more pictures to take for a dog magazine and I must find the time for a quick nervous breakdown. I also need to pack. It would appear as though every television company is planning to film around the same time so it if it all comes off it looks as though my days in the Kruger will be the last chance I have to chill out. I don’t have any other time off in February and all the clinics kick off here in March. I also need to work on a routine with Cookie Dough Dynamo as we will be doing a few displays at events this year and have two days filming booked the moment I return - and then more as we move into Spring. We are looking for animals in need of help so if you want a free session and are happy to be filmed please visit my website (there is a link to Tilley Farm opposite under ‘Blogroll’) and email me the details, which I will forward to the relevant production company.

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29. January 2010 by admin.

I arrived home early this evening after a fantastic trip to London to watch the opening night of Six Degrees of Separation at the Old Vic, in which Tony is starring. I LOVED the production. The set is stunning, the writing is brilliant and everyone was outstanding. Of course I am biased but I am also honest and wouldn’t rave about something I didn’t enjoy. We had a wonderful night catching up with old friends at the first night party – some of whom I hadn’t seen for over twenty years - including the brilliant Janine Duvitski who starred in the television production of one of my all time favourite plays, Abigail’s Party. I had mentioned Janine in my mother’s Eulogy last year (it’s a long and funny story) and it was so lovely to see her again. It is weird how so many people keep cropping up from our National Theatre days.

Obie Abili, who plays Paul in the play, is definitely going to be a very successful actor and he has the nicest personality too. I really can’t be doing with those actors/actresses who think that being rude to everyone, and that behaving like a petulant child is an appropriate way to behave. Fortunately we do not come across too many of them. So watch this space as I have a feeling he is going to become very well known.

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29. January 2010 by admin.

Just as our snow was melting we have more! Yes, yes, yes. More tobogganing today and I can hopefully hone my steering skills. They were a little lacking last week and as Emily and I were hurtling down the hills on the well worn toboggan track I realised that we were totally out of control and heading for the post and rail fencing and the stream, so we bailed out!

Of course there are emails to respond to as Mags has made it to the farm and has forwarded my more pressing messages. I have been shortlisted for the television show that I went up for in December. Hurrah! Filming dates may clash with my spring trip to South Africa but I shall keep everything crossed that it will all work out. I also have requests for articles, questions and answers for Horse magazine and interest from two more television companies, so I shall enjoy the last few days of being snowed in as my diary is already filling fast.

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