Rex

Rex by name, Rex by nature..

When I was little my Great Uncle had a black and white working sheepdog called Rex who I absolutely adored. When he passed away I decided that I one day I would have a dog of my own and he would be called Rex...

Rex is a Springer Spaniel cross Labrador and was our first dog. Unfotunately he was very ill just after he arrived with us and was rushed off to the vets. Thankfully he made a full recovery but all the extra attention he had recieved whilst being ill resulted in this little man developing mild seperation anxiety. It was hard work but we eventually managed to rid him of his problem behaviour. We wanted to change those carpets anyway..

He has turned out to be a wonderful dog. He has settled into the role of the old man of the pack and he prefers nothing more than an afternoon nap or a good chew on a bone. He can be a bit goofy at times and also has a certain annoying stubborn streak in him, not to mention selective hearing!!

He is a water baby at heart and loves nothing more than a good swim - in the sea, a lake, a muddy puddle or the pool.

 

Agility

Registered Name: Ruffs Black Thunder
Class: Allsorts

Rex started agility for fun at the end of 2004. Although he was first to work off-lead he refused to use his legs and actually jump more than medium height - why should he jump when he can just walk under it right? Finally in September 2006 he decided that he could jump full-height after all.

Rex started competing in independent shows in October 2006. He didnt get eliminated in his first class so that was better than I expected.. Hes very gung-ho and usually gets sidetracked by the spectators, the ringparty...well.. pretty much anything really. Rex just does agility for fun now.

 

 

Pet Obedience

Rex, being our first dog, was probably the one we made the most mistakes with training wise, but also probably the one we learnt the most from too. When he completed his puppy jabs we enroled him in puppy classes at our local vets, and then continued with pet obedience.

Hes always been quite good when he applies himself, hes just not too fond of the waiting around at classes and gets easily bored. He has passed his KC Good Citizen Bronze Award and we hope to maybe do silver with him at some point.

Hes learnt a numbver of tricks such as play dead, crawl, beg, gimmie 5 as well as more formal obedience work such as retrieve and sendaways.

 

 

CaniX

For almost as long as I've done agility I've wanted to get involved in CaniX but initially all the events were held a bit too far away. I started off with a cheap hands free walking belt took to the tracks of Shouldham. It wasnt long before I upgraded to the proper gear - and worth ever penny.

In 2010 we entered our first event at Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. I ran Rex & Pip on Saturday, and Rex & Blaze on Sunday and we managed to win our category.

We were lucky enough to get accepted for the Crufts 2011 CaniX, ending up 6th against some very strong compeition and lots of bigger dogs.

I really cant recommend CaniX more. Its a great way for you and your dogs to keep fit & have fun.

See the CaniX page for our results.