12th March 10

Yesterday we went to Crufts! Can hardly believe that we've actually shown at Crufts, it's still sinking in. Thanks to Sandra for being brilliant company on a frustrating drive up there and back! Almost missed our class due to the M1 being closed due to an accident, we were delayed by 2 and a half hours, walked in the doors of the NEC at 11am to find my class already started and the judge halfway through. Luckily the bitch grad class was the biggest of ALL the boxer classes with 24 entries and no absentees which meant I had time to slot in at the back and still get seen by the judge. Considering Lola had been in the car for so long and then went directly into the ring with not even a stretching of legs, she did brilliantly, am so proud of her. We didn't get placed, but WE SHOWED AT CRUFTS! LOL :) It didn't sink in til I got home last night, it was the most manic day ever and I am so glad I went. I'm even starting to forget that I spent 10 and a half hours driving yesterday. Well, OK, no, the memory isn't fading that fast, but I'm sure it will ;) Bit like childbirth eh?! Just remembering the good bits, had a fantastic day and I'll never forget it! :) Next show - Maidstone in a fortnight. Now that's a journey I can cope with LOL :)

21st February 10

Brilliant day at Ardingly today, Lola won the Post Grad class, I'm very proud of her, even if the judge did comment that she nearly lost it due to how much she was fidgeting!

7th February 10

It's been a while since my last update, but no news is good news :) The Open shows have been few and far between over Christmas but they're gearing up a bit now and we're using them to practise in as much as we can ready for Crufts.

The extention and new kitchen & conservatory on my house was finished just in time for Christmas, it's amazing how quickly you adjust to living in a bigger space, it's like it's always been there! Great for the dogs, another room to leave their muddy footprints in :)

22 September 09

We really enjoyed Richmond Champ show this year, there was a great crowd of friends and the weather was kind to us, if a little too kind as it was rather warm! Such a difference picture from last year!

Am continuing the training with all 3 dogs, but I have to say that if I don't have a treat in my hand, they take absolutely no notice of me! LOL Need to spend the entire time with a bum bag on I think!

Sadly one of my hens had to be put to sleep last week, she was rather poorly. This then left me with one lonely hen so I had the choice of getting some more or rehoming little Maggie with someone who has chickens. I decided to rehome her, but I have to say that my garden is a very lonely place and I miss the excited clucking that used to happen when I approached the girls with a tin of sweetcorn!

We've got the builders in at the moment, building an extension out back. They've dug trenches which are really quite deep ready for the foundations. Dylan and Tia have no hesitation in taking a flying leap straight over and into the garden. Lola, however, is a coward won't go near the edge. She stands a foot or so away and peeks over from a distance, decides she doesn't like it and then backs off again.

We had a lovely day at Eastbourne & Dist show the other day, really nice crowd of people once again, it was great to catch up with them all. I love the social aspect of showing possibly more than actually being in the ring! We really cocked up (excuse my language!) this time though and did our triangle back to front, so the judge couldn't actually see Lola. She did let me go again, but oh what a silly mistake to make. Just glad it wasn't at a big champ show! Luckily I do see the funny side and can laugh at my mistakes! There was me thinking I knew what I was doing.... how wrong was I?!!!

Hello Barbara! Hope you're well!

30 August 09

Well, we did in fact make it to Bournemouth Champ Show. My youngest brother was kind enough to keep me company for the day, though think the world of dog showing has left him kind of dumbstruck ;) Didn't get placed at Bouremouth but had a lovely day. Shame about the traffic coming out of the showground - 1 hour to do 1 mile... we just wanted to get home!

Today Lola and I have been to Horley & District CS Open Show at Ardingly, where Lola got a 2nd in a lovely class of 4. Had a lovely day just chilling out a bit and having a natter with the other boxer people. I think our next show is now Richmond, looking forward to that.

I had Ewa Highland out last week (behaviourist) to tackle the growing problems between the 2 girls. As Lola is maturing, she's challenging Tia for top spot but Tia isn't so willing to give it up. We're going right back to basic training. As with almost all dog training, it's more training the owner rather than the dogs... I need to be a stronger leader, so we're working hard on the training every day. Ewa is coming back again next month. Hopefully I'll have made some headway into what we're doing at the moment, the dogs are all definately enjoying it anyway!

3 August 09

Bournemouth Champ Show is coming up next week. Am undecided whether to make the trip down there as have not long been back from holiday and can't bear the the thought of another long drive, but Lola, having spent a week in kennels while I was away, has lost a tiny bit of weight and looks absolutely spot on, and I'm wondering if I'd be silly missing it as she looks so good at the moment! (In my humble opinion LOL!) Watch this space.... I doubt I'll decide whether or not to go til the night before!

13 July 09

I bought Lola a new soft toy - it's a cow. And when you squeeze it, it moos. Lola seems to love it dearly - she carries it around in her mouth all day, but when she accidently squeezes it too hard it Moos, and then she drops it on the floor and looks at it crying and whining. I think she thinks she's hurt it! Wondering if this has been brought on by her recent season, methinks she's adopted the cow as her own, bless.

It's a bit dog eared (cow eared?!) now as you can see, but she adores it :)

8 July 09

We went to the LHCBC open show on 21st June and I was pleased as punch at our 3rd place. Last year we got 3rd out of 3, so this year 3rd out of 7 is a huge improvement! At Whitstable & Dist CS open show on 28th June I was really pleased with our 4th place in a strong post grad class. It was a baking hot day, Lola didn't want to bait and certainly didn't want to move around the ring at anything more than a plod! It was a good day, really enjoyed meeting up with everyone again. We get a bit of a rest now - I have Ardingly on 19th July and then Bournemouth champ show in August.

I'm off on my hols at the end of July... it did occur to me to look up what dog shows were going on before I booked, but then thought better of it - the kids wouldn't have been impressed! We're off to the Isle of Wight with my brother and very much looking forward to it.

Lola ate Luca's birthday cake the other day... the whole thing. I told her off but she just wagged her tail. Then threw up. Again. And again. And more. Thankfully normal service has now resumed.

9 June 09

I've decided that it's time to retire Lola's diary site and in it's place put this page so that I can still update you with my ups and downs of the dog showing world! Below are all the entries from way back when (Jan 2008!) so that there is a complete history! A special thanks to my stalker Barbara, nice to know someone reads my rants! :)

I'm just going to keep the guestbook on this site going now, it's confusing with 2 on the go! Please feel free to leave me a message before you leave!

Sue, hope you got my text - thanks for the card, I've been showing it to everyone!! Thanks to you and Nicky for encouraging me all the way through! I'm really enjoying this whole experience, can't wait til the next show (LHCBC open show) and am still on cloud 9 at our qualifying for Crufts!

7 June 09
I just had to update this page after the great day we had today. It's been a great couple of months actually, with a 2nd in April at Beckenham Canine Assoc in Maidstone, a 2nd in post grad at South of England Agricultural Society Open show, and then today at Southern Counties Champ Show, we got a 3rd in a very strong Yearling class, which qualifies us for Crufts 2010! To say I'm over the moon is an understatement, I can't stop grinning! So glad Nicky, Sue and Sandra were there to see it as they've helped me so much since I started showing just over a year ago. What a brilliant day!! :)

6th Jan 09
The dreaded lurgies (Jo, not Lola!) meant we missed our first open show of 2009. What a great start to the year! Next show I have booked is Dartford & Dist on the 18th in Maidstone, so fingers crossed we make it to that one. It's been MONTHS since we did a show! October to be exact!

Lola's starting to fill out more now - I've been playing around with her diet and fingers crossed (thanks for the recommendation Linda!) I think I've got it spot on... time will tell anyway.

The dogs all enjoyed Christmas and all the extra people that were around for a few days. One of the kids got a set of chocolate russian roulette - where 11 sticks of chocolate are the real thing, and 1 is made of stinking hot chilli. It got put safely in the bedroom with strict instructions to keep stair gate closed at all times, but of course kids being kids, the dogs got up there, and I don't know which one had it, but the box was empty when I found it. Chocolate on it's own is bad enough for dogs, let alone the red hot chilli! Me thinks one of them (who didn't own up to the crime I might add but it was one of the girls, so either Tia or Lola) might have felt slightly icky for a couple of days!

Happy New Year from us all to whoever has been reading about our trials and tribulations throughout 2008. I probably won't update this page so much now, though I'll put up any show results on the Spicebox site. Happy 2009!

13 November 08
Lola is a year old today! Thanks for the card Sue, it was lovely, much appreciated :)

2nd November 08
It's been very quiet with no shows since my last update. I was thinking I'd really enjoy these free weekends, but I'm bored silly, and have instead had to entertain the children with things like visits to Thorpe Park, and parties and things! I'm sure they're grateful of my attention, but nonetheless, I miss my shows. Then to top it off, rally was cancelled last week, and I really look forward to rally, so I'm missing my doggie fix! Today I took Lola up to Pets at Home for a professional piccie, and she refused to sit down (all down to the fact that I've never taught her to sit, only stand!!), and afterwards I took her out to take her 1 year old photo (she'll be a year old in less than 2 weeks - where did the time go??!!)

19 October 08
Yesterday we went to the LHCBC Champ show in Woking, and really enjoyed ourselves! We were not placed, but Lola was a star and I came away feeling we'd done our best :) Today we went to Gravesend & Medway CS show in Maidstone and got placed 3rd in Puppy. She played me up a bit on the move (when DOESN'T she?!), but stood nicely for me, and I was very pleased with the result. The judge was Sam Higgs. We've not got any shows booked for a while now, so I'm going to let my oldest son, James, take over ready for a couple of fun dog shows coming up in the next couple of months, where he wants to do the Junior Handling class.

9 October 08
Today we went to Horsham & Dist open show at Ardingly and got a second place in the puppy class, I was absolutely over the moon! Lola did me proud, and it's all put me in a much better frame of mind for the boxer champ show next week, which I had been dreading LOL. We also got a 2nd place at Dover & Deal open show in Maidstone last weekend, and at the end of September, we got Best Puppy in Rally at Detling LHCBC, so all in all, it's been a great couple of weeks! :)

7 Sept 08
Well, my first experience of wet weather rings at Richmond Champ Show yesterday, and I've got to say, I hated almost every minute of it! :) It was so cramped & crowded in the tent, mud and rain made it almost impossible to get outside into the fresh air, and the drive home was appalling. On a lighter note, Lola didn't embarress me this time - we may not be up to the standard set by the more experienced handlers, but we also weren't terrible either... anyone that was watching, please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong LOL!

22nd Aug 08
Thanks for the photos Sue, I really appreciate it! Hope you don't mind me putting them up here! Bournemouth Champ Show, 10th Aug 08 - unplaced in Puppy Bitch but at least nerves didn't get the better of me and we actually made it in the ring ;) Click on the image to view the full size:

24 July 08
I reckon that Nicky gave me the naughtiest puppy of the bunch!!

To date, she has chewed:
3 pairs of MY shoes, 2 feathery hats, 2 tubes of foundation, 2 make up brushes, 1 tube mascara, 2 lipsticks, and 2 hairbrushes. I'm actually now without a hairbrush!! Dreadlocks are in, aren't they...? ;-)

Note how everything she chews is MINE! She doesn't touch any other shoes in the house - instead, she makes the effort to go to the place where I keep MINE, and decides which ones she'll wreck next. If I leave any clothes/underwear laying around, she grabs that too, and takes it out into the garden.. very embarrassing if we've got company and there's a stray bra on the grass. Not that we often have company, not with 3 mad boxers in the house, it seems to act as a deterrant for some reason. Anyway, either I'm very priviledged that only my stuff is good enough to chew, or she hates me with a passion ;-) I'm not complaining, as it's obviously my fault for not keeping my stuff out of reach!

Last week we paid a visit to the vet with suspected splinters of wood stuck in throat, but it turned out to be kennel cough, duh, I'm so dozy. My poor Dylan is walking around with a lampshade on his head due to having had his bits chopped off last Tuesday... Both Tia and Lola can't work out why he's wearing it, and I think Lola thinks it's a hat, in which case I'm sure she'll chew that too, once he's finished with it :-)

14 July 08
I've just finished putting together a website (a proper serious one LOL!) for my showing news etc - http://www.spiceboxboxers.com , though I will of course continue with this little diary of our ups and downs!

13 July 08
At Whitstable & District Canine Soc on 22nd June, we got 2nd (out of 2!) in Puppy. Quote from critique "Two very promising puppies – just preferred the maturity of the winner."

Today (13 July) we went to another fun dog show in Margate, and got a 3rd in pedigree puppy class. We haven't been putting in the practise these past couple of weeks, yet today Lola stood beautifully and did everything I asked of her. It was a big class of about a dozen, so she had a bit of waiting around to do, yet didn't hesitate when it came time to show off! Perhaps I've been over doing it, who knows. We really do need to work on the movement though, I need to get her walking on her toes, not plodding along like my cart horse!! LOL

19th June 08
Another fun dog show, this time at Manston, saw Lola get 2nd in the pedigree puppy class - it's all good practice! James, my 14 yr old, got a 3rd in Junior Handler, which made his day!

At the London & Home Counties Boxer Club show in Guildford on 15th June, Lola was placed 3rd in Minor Puppy. (Shhhh - out of 3!!!!) This coming Sunday we are at Maidstone - watch this space, it's our last opportunity to practise in a real show ring before we do our first champ show (RIchmond on 5th Sept)

7th June 08
Last weekend we entered a puppy class at a local fun dog show and got 3rd place in the Puppy Class, so we now have a nice yellow rosette pinned up on the board together with lots of white ones from LHC Boxer Club! Tomorrow we're going to another fun dog show, it's brilliant practice and good experience for us both. My ex battery hens are coming today - what the dogs are going to think of that I don't know!! I'll blame it on Nicky, I wouldn't have got the ex-batts if it weren't for her ;) I can't wait, I'm going to pick them up from Ashford this afternoon. The chicken house has been sitting empty in preparation for literally months!

19th May 08
Our first ever show!! We went to Ardingly yesterday for Sutton Dog Show Soc. and were in the puppy class together with Lola's sister (also called Lola!). We got second, which would sound really good, if it were not for the fact that there were only 2 in the class! Oh well, at least we're no longer show virgins! Lola behaved herself, and did what I asked her to do, but I think the problem is more that I don't ask her very well. More training....

5th May 08
Less than 2 weeks til our first show, and we're practising every day - thanks for your tips Nicky, I've only got 2 holes in my finger today, so slight improvement! I'm finding it easier to get her back half into position, but her head and neck still leave a lot to be desired. I know she's got the most gorgeous bend of neck, but can I get it to show up nicely when I stand her?! Can I heck! I'm really quite worried that we're gonna look complete idiots at our first show... I think I may have confidence issues!! ;-)

27th April 08
It's Detling rally this week, and given that Lola prefers chunks of my fingers to the cheese I offer her, I'd better take some plasters ;-)

29th March 08
At Detling last Wednesday Lola was much more interested in wanting to play than taking part in the rally. Our first opportunity to try our hand at showing is on the 18th May at Ardingly.... whether we'll be ready or not remains to be seen. Who am I kidding.. of course we won't be ready! I think we are going to have to make a huge effort to go to ring craft every Thursday, cos we really need the experience! Lola wouldn't even stand still for Sandra last week, so I have no hope! Good job I love her to bits and don't care if she's a naughty little minx! ;-)

7th March 08
Nicky and Sue - Sumo was wonderful last weekend, what a star he is. Good luck at Crufts!
Now that I've been granted my Kennel Name, I've just sent off the forms to have 'Spicebox' added to my boxers! How exciting! I need to start building a 'Spicebox Boxers' website!

28 Feb 08
It's been a while since I updated Lola's page, but things are going really well... OK, we may have only made it to Ring craft just a measly one time, but we went to Detling last night and I was REALLY pleased with Lola. She settled really well, enjoyed herself no end, and I think we did an OK job of standing. It was a very welcome evening out and much needed! To the Moteway lady - I'm so sorry, I've forgotten your name, but please feel free to email me at jo@tammaro.co.uk and I'll dig out some of Dylan's details for you, it was lovely to meet you.

Lola is growimg so fast now, she's getting so tall, with long long legs and resembles Bambi runnimg around the garden. She has a little wardrobe of 'bling', as I just can't resist those sparkly collars :-) It's my horse I feel sorry for... He's a big stocky man, yet I still insist on a little bling here and there for him too!

Nicky - I'm coming to Maidstone on Sunday - will look for you and Sue! See you there Sandra :-)

09 Feb 08
Lola went to her first ringcraft class last Thursday, and made a spectacle of herself by stopping mid walk and creating a huge puddle, and then every time we had to do a circuit of the hall, she trotted around the wet mark in disgust! It was a good experience for her though. Yesterday we had another training session with Sandra, and will have another next week. We've just come home after a lovely cliff top walk... we stopped mid walk and did some standing, and I'm really pleased to find out that as soon as that lump of cheese comes out, Lola is completely focused on it and ignores everything else around her. All is good, she's a real joy to have around!

3rd Feb 08

Nicky and Sue came to visit today, it was lovely to see them both - thanks for travelling those extra few miles ladies :-)

2nd Feb 08
I tried standing Lola again today, and while we are certainly not yet anywhere near 'Sandra standards', I think we are improving a little...

1st Feb 08
First beach walk today! To see the low resolution version (quicker to load) click HERE . To view the larger better quality video, which is 5mb, click HERE.

31 Jan 08
Last night, Lola made her very first trip to Detling and was a star. After a slow start, she livened up and had an absolute ball. She seems to adapt to pretty much anything I throw at her, and she got her first rosette for 'best expression' :-) Considering she'd only been started on a lead the day before we went, she's come on in leaps and bounds - she was quite happy doing her little walk up and down the hall, I'm not sure who has stolen my little puppy of the day before, who sat down and refused to move when I put a lead on her!! She's obviously a bit of a show off at heart. My efforts to get her standing nicely were once again dismal, but hey ho, one step at a time! We had a lovely time - thanks for all your help Sandra, you weren't around when I left, but we had a great evening and I really appreciate your help/tips/advice :-)

30 Jan 08
Yesterday we went to visit Sandra (Casbah Boxers) who showed me how to stand Lola. She's brilliant at it, and had her looking perfect in no time! As for me, well, I thought I was doing OK til I got home and tried to show off my new found skills.... to no avail. Lots more work to put in methinks! This evening we are going to Lola's first rally in Detling...

15 Jan 08
Lola is now firm friends with Tia... Dylan has yet to be convinced! Although I did manage to snap a quick pic of Dylan and Lola together, don't be fooled by it - Dylan is far from impressed by her arrival and spends most of his time on my bed, which is the only place that Lola can't reach!

08 Jan 08
Now that she's settled in, Lola's personality has really developed and she's confident, playful and happy. She's a real joy to have in the house!

02 Jan 08
Lola has arrived! Her first pic below (click to view full size image):