On a fine but frosty day, the drive Cambridge and plenty of chances for dog training ending up with taking him to Bury, near Ramsey, to Cromwell Farm boarding kennels for an obedience class.
Earlier the drive over to pick up Della from school where she had just returned from her trip to the London Science Museum.
I got Sally's help in dropping off the revised Cambridge Street plans to Pathfinder House whilst she was there this evening and hope that they will now be approved.
Another fine but frosty morning as I again got out with Sam in time to walk the girls to the bus stop. I let Della walk him on the lead and he is quite obedient enough for her. Then his walk proper during which I avoided the water as it was so cold but did get him to do some retrieving and jumping as well as more obedience work. Then in the car with him and off to Cambridge with Diana for the morning coffee with her parents in Eadon Lilley.
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After letting Sam walk around the park by the river, the drive across the city to buy computer accessories at Evesham Micros and to get toner cartridges recharged at Supercharge. We joined up again before lunchtime and, after stopping off at the dog shop to get a new retrieving aid, lunched at the Little Chef and then home. Some work this afternoon in my office and several telephoned answers to outstanding problems and then out with Sam again for his afternoon walk rather earlier than usual.
Before it became too cold and near to dusk, I made him do some good water retrieves; the furthest he has done for a long time. Once he is in the water for the first time, he is quite willing about the rest but it is getting him to start with that is my present problem. A good dry off and groom upon his return and then into the Discovery for the drive over to pick up Della from school where she had just returned from her trip to the London Science Museum. I was not sure whether or not to feed Sam before or after his first evening obedience class and so telephoned Jim Bird for advice and did so as a result.
After tea, the drive over to Alconbury Weston to meet Bob and then on to Bury, near Ramsey, to Cromwell Farm boarding kennels for the class. This was a completely new experience for Sam who was normally asleep at this time and I had to settle him down with a whole host of dogs confined within the space of a brick-built, concrete-floored outbuilding and talk to people at the same time. A routine of sitting the dogs in a circle and then walking them to heel on the lead with sits, stays etc building up to longer sits and lays at a distance.
Each dog then had to walk to heel in and out of the others and all of this Sam performed quite well. However, he was either anxious to urinate or wanted to mark his presence on the place and so I had to watch out and stop him all the time. When he had to come off the lead for his own performance, he inevitably disgraced himself and will have to learn. I was advised that I was being too anxious and giving too many commands by voice but then who would not have been? The journey home to find Diana still up and about and then to bed earlier than of late feeling quite drained and tired. I got Sally's help in dropping off the revised Cambridge Street plans to Pathfinder House whilst she was there this evening and hope that they will now be approved.