The Final Team Training Session

The final Team Training Session.   Good fun had by all in the last preparations.  

Denby and Kath work their way around the excess props!!!

Goodness - Lesley and Helen ready to swat flies?

A great session with good food and good company.  Good Luck cards and gifts sorted, final travel and accommodation preparations done.  
Yes - the Team is ready and would like to thank everyone for their support and generosity in making this trip possible.

Please note the the Kennel Club is not supporting Team GBR, however, full permission was given to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a Team.

Nicci with Nala and Carol Mortimer Radio Lincolnshire

Nicci Hindson and Nala, along with Carol Mortimer spoke to BBC Radio Lincolnshire about the preparations for the OEC's. 

Nicci was interviewed by the reporter Leigh, who was so impressed she then wanted to try Heelwork To Music for herself.,   Nicci demonstrated a few of her Team Dog, Nala's favourite moves for her to try. 

Watch Nala working for the programme reporter Leigh:

If  you would like to listen to the interview,  it is available for just 7 days at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p028llt2   

1st Interview at 01:53:00    2nd Interview at 02:52:00

Please note the the Kennel Club is not supporting Team GBR, however, full permission was given to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a Team.

Lesley's Auctioned Lesson Success

From Ann Carrington:

Recently I won the opportunity to train with Lesley thanks to an on-line auction via facebook raising funds for the Team to compete in Stuttgart Germany..

First of all I was very impressed with her set up with a brilliant area for training and a great place to exercise dogs off lead. It was such a great session and opened my eyes to a lot of things that are not usually covered in freestyle training classes simply because there isn't time. The idea of choreography filled me with dread, I have absolutely no skills in that what so ever and to coordinate movements and music for myself let alone my dog requires a whole new skill set that I needed to develop.

Whilst I have researched on the net many times about choreography there's nothing I've found that actually gives the bare bones of the skill.

The time just flew by and even though Lesley was very generous in giving more of her time that was bid for, it seemed sadly to go in the blink of an eye but yet we covered so much in that time.

Canine freestyle for me is addictive, the more I do and learn the more I want to know and learn and I just so wish that there was an on-line auction every day, I'd be there!!! 

Misty my Border Collie boy always loves his training sessions and I'm sure he got as much out this exciting time with Lesley as I did. 

All I can say is thank you very much Lesley for your generosity with your time and efforts we both got so much out of it and that Misty and I truly appreciated the opportunity we had. 

Please note the the Kennel Club is not supporting Team GBR, however, full permission was given to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a Team.

Lucy - success at Rugby DTC Competition

Lucy Creek was at Rugby DTC show at the weekend with Teasel and Skiffle. 

In Advanced Freestyle she had fun doing a training round with Teasel and then competing with Skiffle. Skiffle got a little overexcited towards the end of the routine but still managed to do enough to come away with first place! They say they will be working on some calming exercises in the coming weeks!

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting the team in selection or any other way, however, 
the Kennel Club has given permission to Louth & District Dog Club to enter a team from Great Britain.

The Team at Strictly Canine

Some of the team competed or trained at the Strictly Canine HTM Competition held at Arena UK Allington.  Team supporter Allan Brown took these photos.

Dewy and Lesley gained a 5th place in the Advanced Heelwork To Music class, very good for a young dog who has only just worked his way up to the Advanced classes.

In the Advanced Freestyle Class Dewy pulled out all the stops and flew through the air to gain 2nd place.   Watch out for flying Beardies!"

Helen and Maia gained a third place at the competition.  

Maia kicked her feet out around the large arena having the time of her life! 

Kath and her youngest dog Denby were entered in the HTM Class but just took advantage of the huge ring for working out a floor plan of their new routine in preparation for the OEC!

A good game of tuggy set the right atmosphere too - more play than work!!   Kath other two team dogs (Amber and Spice) had good fun the following day in the same ring during a Training Show.

 Nicci Hindson was very busy running the show but made time to do two nice training rounds with Nala.

 Lots of reward for the new sections of her heelwork to build her confidence

 With some proofing work on parts of her freestyle where she was starting to anticipate.

Nicci was very pleased with how she worked.

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting the team in selection or any other way, however, 
the Kennel Club has given permission to Louth & District Dog Club to enter a team from Great Britain.

Fundraising at Appleby Village Fayre

On Sunday 15th June, Nicci and Nala took part in a demo at Appleby village fete. 

They performed their individual routine twice and joined with Nicci's friend Emily Crookes and her dog, Lexie to perform a pairs routine. 

The Appleby Village Fayre committee gave them a lovely donation towards their trip to Germany.  Thank you for your support!!!

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting the team in selection or any other way, however, the Kennel Club has given permission to Louth & District Dog Club to enter a team from Great Britain.

Fund Raising at Just Dogs Live

Earlier in the year team member Christina was asked by the organisers of Just Dogs Live to do some displays for them with her dogs, as well as taking seminars on dog behaviour and running 'have a go at HTM' sessions. She's delighted to say that the organisers have been very supportive of the team going to the OEC and are more than happy for the team to sell the hand made team tuggies and beautiful pens at the event to raise money for the team funds. 

Thank you from the whole of Team GBR to the organisers of 

Just Dogs Live http://www.justdogslive.co.uk/  

 If you're free on the 4th, 5th or 6th July why not pop along for a great day out with your dog? 

Christina would also like to say a huge thank you to Stacey from Well Dog Hydrotherapy  http://welldoghydrotherapy.co.uk/    who will be selling items for the team when Christina and her dogs are busy in the display rings or seminar rooms. 

Stacey will also be able to sell pens and tuggies at her work so if you live near Peterborough and would like to buy some do pop along to the Hydrotherapy Centre. 

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting the team in selection or any other way, however, the Kennel Club has given permission to Louth & District Dog Club to enter a team from Great Britain.

Introducing Christina Oxtoby and Eze - Freestyle Team

Christina will be competing at the OEC with her lovely Border Collie Eze (Legacy's Eze Ezekiel.) He will be 8 years old at the time of the OEC and he competes at Advanced level in both Heelwork to Music and Freestyle and also competes in agility. He is duel registered ISDS (both his parents work sheep) and KC and arrived as an extremely challenging and strong willed 8 week old puppy! After much hard work he has blossomed into Christina’s dream Border Collie who she wouldn’t change for the world. In 2013 he was part of the British Team at the OEC in Holland and he then went on to compete in the Crufts 2014 Freestyle Finals. He's a real sweetie to live with and has a delightful personality.  

Christina also shares her life with 2 other wonderful dogs, Ru and Shai. Ru is a 7 year old Great Dane who Christina rescued when he was 6 months old (this was the 3rd time that he had been re-homed.) He is an absolute delight, being great fun to work with, very loving and a big baby! He currently competes at Advanced level in Freestyle and Intermediate level in Heelwork and is the only Great Dane in the UK to compete at HTM. He is affectionately known as the ‘Dancing Dane’ when he performs as part of the Dog Activities Display Team at Crufts. The newest member of the family is Shai, a 3 year rescue Border Collie who joined the family in February of last year. He’d had no training before arriving and LOVES his training sessions in obedience, agility and HTM. He has just started to compete in HTM and Christina has high hopes for him in the future. He is also a very sweet (if somewhat enthusiastic!) boy.

Christina's work and interests include teaching the violin and piano, singing for events, running a Gospel Choir and training dogs, and she lives with her supportive and encouraging Husband, David. 

Christina first started HTM 11 years ago with her Great Dane Caleb, and her rescue German Shepherd Asaph. She will forever be indebted to her lovely dogs for teaching her so much of what she has learnt, as well as the many people who have helped her along the way. 

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting this team in anyway by selection or in any other way.  However the Kennel Club of Great Britain has given permission to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a team for Great Britain.

More Great Results for The Team this Weekend

Another Crufts Semi Final Qualifying Competition this weekend with more great results for Team GBR.

In the Crufts Semi Qualifier Heelwork To Music Competition, 

Helen Dennis with Maia was the Winner today 

with hopefully a Qualifier to be confirmed 
once the results are received by the Crufts Manager.

In the Crufts Semi Qualifier Freestyle Competition, 

Lucy Creek with Skiffle was the Winner and 

Photo by Allan Brown

Christina Oxtoby with Eze was Second.   Again, hopefully both Qualified but to be confirmed once the results are received by the Crufts Manager.

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting this team in anyway by selection or in any other way.  However the Kennel Club of Great Britain has given permission to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a team for Great Britain.

CSJ - Major Sponsors of the Team

Delighted to Sponsor

the Heelwork to Music Team GBR 2014

Message from CSJ:
At CSJ, we're very excited to be sponsoring the Heelwork to Music Team GBR selected to represent Great Britain, in the Heelwork to Music Open European Championships to be held in Stuttgart, Germany in November 2014. A highly skilled group of 7 handlers with 10 very talented dogs, we can’t wait to see the performances that will showcase the best of Heelwork To Music in Great Britain.

Within the team, there are 3 Crufts winners, a World Champion and a European Champion. Plus several of the dogs were part of a Gold medal winning team at the European Championships in 2012, as well as an exciting selection of young, up and coming dogs that have already been very successful at the top level of competition in this country. All of the team members competed in the HTM and Freestyle Finals at Crufts 2014.

Look out for the big bright CSJ logo on the jackets that the team members will wear (hopefully you won’t be able to miss them!). We think they look stunning. That’s all for now - but you’ll be hearing more from us! And massive good luck to the team.

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting this team in anyway by selection or in any other way.  However the Kennel Club of Great Britain has given permission to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a team for Great Britain.

Good Results for the Team competing this weekend

A large competition this weekend saw the team competing with great results.

Saturday was Freestyle Day with Lucy Creek with Teasel and Skiffle winning 1st and 3rd places in a very strong Advanced Freestyle Class. And Lesley Neville "Acting Team Co-Ordinator" being placed 4th with Dewy.

Sunday was Heelwork To Music Day with Kath Hardman and Denby winning 1st Place in the Advanced HTM class of 24.    Karen Sykes and Fly were placed 3rd and Helen Dennis with Maia placed 5th. 

Great team results!

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting this team in anyway by selection or in any other way.  However the Kennel Club of Great Britain has given permission to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a team for Great Britain.

Introducing Lucy Creek - Heelwork To Music and Freestyle Team

Lucy and her husband Rob have three dogs, Two Beagles, Spider (Dialynne Bedazzled) and Teasel (Dialynne Making Wave), and a Border Collie called Skiffle (Harriot Skiffle King). Lucy had always wanted a dog of her own so the first thing she did after marrying Rob was to get a dog. Spider was the 'fruit' of that decision, and Lucy began her route to dog training, when it quickly became apparent how much Spider needed something to focus his brain on other than finding ways to be naughty! Through a fabulous club she learnt not only how to train her own dog but how to train other people to train theirs. Several courses and examinations later and Lucy became a fully fledged trainer and examiner for the Kennel Club Good Citizens Dog scheme bronze to gold.

Lucy first started her Heelwork to Music career with Spider in 2006. Lack of experience and nerves meant their first competition ended with Spider running out of the ring and Lucy in floods of tears! She pulled herself together and they gradually over time they got better. Spider finished his career in Intermediate (after he had to retire due to arthritis of the spine). He had gained several first places and top placings over his working years as well as two television appearances on Animal Planet's Top Dog and BBC's Over the Rainbow. He is still at home thoroughly enjoying his retirement. 

Teasel came along two years after Spider. Teasel is her husband's dog which Lucy 'stole' when her husband worked a contract in Germany so didn't have enough time to continue her training in the brief spells he had at home. Teasel benefited from Lucy's experience of competing with Spider and began her career well after winning her very first competition. There was a brief blip when they reached intermediate level when Lucy tried to put everything onto a vocal command. Once Lucy realised that poor Teasel really couldn't hear her when the music was playing loudly in the ring and put everything to a body cue instead, they came on leaps and bounds!

Teasel has the distinct honour of currently being the only Scent Hound to have qualified for the Crufts Freestyle Final, and 2014 was her third year on the trot. Competing with her is always a little tense for Lucy as if something worries Teasel she has a tendency to freeze.

However after several years competing she has become more and more confident. This year at Crufts, when she saw the boom camera move, she froze but recovered much quicker than in previous years and put in her happiest performance to date.

Skiffle has been an amazing worker from day one. Always on the go, he never sleeps during the day, in case he misses out on something exciting! As a pup he ended up housebound and on steroids until he was 4 months old, as the result of an allergic reaction. As a result he lacked the early socialisation and he was an extremely nervous young dog and who had to be introduced and acclimatised to every new sound or place. His extreme phobias of horses and plastic carrier bags took a little more work (he's great with both now) but in general most of his fears could quickly be overcome by a game of ball! Now he is generally a confident happy boy (who sometimes lacks social graces). He occasionally has little blips in confidence but a clicker and ball are still generally the solution to most things. He is extremely trusting of people and loves a cuddle (they will get bored long before he will!).

Skiffle has had an amazing Heelwork to Music career and has been placed in every competition he has been in up until now. He is in Advanced level in both Heelwork and Freestyle. Last year was his first time at Crufts in the Heelwork to Music Final when he surprised Lucy by not worrying at all about the cameras and screens, instead he absolutely loved the big audience. They both thoroughly enjoyed dancing the 'Nightmare Before Christmas' routine. This year he again qualified and again danced his socks off! Lucy and Skiffle are this year trying out Freestyle again. He finds Freestyle very exciting so this has just been recently reintroduced as he is now mature enough (at four years old) to be able to cope with it without turning into a barking, swirling looney!

Lucy was very excited to have made the team with both Skiffle (Heelwork to Music and reserve Freestyle) and Teasel (Freestyle)! She hopes to be able to share the joy she gets from dancing with her dog with the rest of Europe! As an added bonus this year's OEC is in Germany which means Lucy and her husband will be taking a minor detour en route to give Rob a chance to show Lucy where he worked for a while.

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting this team in anyway by selection or in any other way.  However the Kennel Club of Great Britain has given permission to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a team for Great Britain.

Bank Holiday Monday - fundraiser for Nicci

On 5th may, Nala and Nicci were invited to perform at Navenby Village's Mayday Fete. A good crowd gathered to watch. They started their demo with a fast paced routine to Cara Emerald's "That Man", showcasing all of Nala's favourite tricks. Nicci then did a short demonstration of how to teach a few basic moves as there was a companion dog show at the event and so hopefully a few of the crowd will now be inspired to have a go with their dogs. 

They finished with a performance of their Matilda routine - made slightly more challenging as there was a maypole in the centre of the ring that they had to work around! 

The announcer told the audience about Nicci's trip to Germany- and they passed a donation pot around the crowd- with Nala performing special 'requests' for those that donated. 

The village raised a total of £33 towards Nicci's trip. Thank you to the residents of Navenby.

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting this team in anyway by selection or in any other way.  However the Kennel Club of Great Britain has given permission to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a team for Great Britain.

Introducing Kath Hardman - HTM Team GBR Manager, Freestyle and HTM Team member

Kath Hardman  

Kath Hardman and her dogs have been successfully competing in Heelwork to Music since 1999.  

Heelwork To Music is a huge part of Kath’s life, she helps with the development of the sport, being a member of The Kennel Club, The KC Judges Working Party and The KC HTM Working Party along with being a founder member and Show Manager of a nationwide KC Registered HTM Club, Canine Freestyle GB which holds two weekend shows each year.

In March 2008 at CRUFTS, Kath with her Crossbreed Spice won both THE FREESTYLE FINAL and went on to represent England in THE INTERNATIONAL FREESTYLE FINAL which they also won.

In October 2010, at the Inaugural FCI World Championships held in Denmark at the World Show, Kath and her Border Collie Amber (Stillmoor Lady In Red) were proud to be selected as part of HTM Team GB, which were placed second in the championship and delighted that Amber and her were the highest scoring individuals gaining the FCI Individual HTM World Champion title.

Following this, in October 2011 and on September 2013, Kath was again selected with Spice and Amber to represent Great Britain at the Open European Championships in both Freestyle and Heelwork to Music.   In 2012 Spice was the highest placed Freestyle dog in Team GB and Amber the highest placed HTM dog in Team GB.

And now Kath is proud to have been chosen for the 4^th time with three dogs selected for the team! Amber and her youngest dog Denby in the Heelwork To Music Team. Spice in the Freestyle Team. The competition is a long way off hence why the team has chosen extra reserves as back up.

Kath is proud of her both her achievements and her wonderful dogs and really hopes that her Mum and Dad are looking down on her with pride!

Good Luck from Kath to all fellow Team mates and competitors!

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting this team in anyway by selection or in any other way.  However the Kennel Club of Great Britain has given permission to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a team for Great Britain.

Introducing Lesley Neville - Freestyle Team Leader

Hello, my name is Lesley Neville and I am the Freestyle Team Leader for the Team representing Great Britain this year and I have Dewy who is second reserve for the Freestyle Team.

It will seem quite strange to be at the European Championships this year and not be working a dog, but that will give me lots of time to “look after” the Freestyle Team!   I know what it feels like to compete in the Open European Championships as in 2011 competed in the OEC’s in Denmark with my Bearded Collie Angus as a member of the team representing Great Britain.  Our team was very successful, winning the Team Heelwork to Music Trophy and having the Individual HTM winner as a member of our team too!

Angus and I competed in both the Heelwork and the Freestyle divisions gaining an individual 5^th place in Heelwork and 4^th place in Freestyle

In 2013, I competed at the OEC’s in Holland with my Bearded Collie, Hamish, as sadly Angus was no longer with us by then and this year I chose to put forward my youngest Beardie, Dewy, for the team.  I was a little concerned that although he is very talented, he is inexperienced, but fortunately we had the choice of a good selection of strong and experienced dogs to choose from so he is taking his place as one of the reserve dogs for the team.

Maybe next year?

I think we have a great team, a very strong team, a very talented team and even though I will not be dancing with them in the ring, I will be dancing with them in my heart.

Good Luck Team!!!!

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting this team in anyway by selection or in any other way.  However the Kennel Club of Great Britain has given permission to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a team for Great Britain.

Great Results at Westglen for all Team Members

Westglen HTM Show

This was the first show of the season and all of the members of the Team were competing, and achieved some great results! The Heelwork to Music classes were held in the morning. Advanced HTM had a huge entry and so was split into two parts. Part one was won by Lucy Creek and Border collie, Skiffle (Harriot Skiffle King) closely followed by Kath Hardman and Border Collie, Amber (Stillmoor Lady in Red)  in Second place. Part two was won by Kath Hardman and Border Collie, Denby (Stillmoor Extra Special) with Helen Dennis and Maia (Goddess Spring of Jucando) her WSD in Third place and Karen Sykes and WSD, Fly (Iatka Spring Spangle) in Sixth place.

Line up of HTM Part Two

In the afternoon came the Advanced Freestyle class. First was Nicci Hindson and her WSD, Nala (Ravestar Scarlet Dancer) followed by Kath Hardman and crossbreed, Spice (September Spice) in Second place. Third was Lucy Creek and her Beagle, Teasel (Dialynne Making Waves) and Fourth was Lucy Creek with Border collie Skiffle (Harriot Skiffle King.) Fifth was Christina Oxtoby and Border collie, Eze (Legacy’s Eze Ezekiel.) 

Line up of Advanced Freestyle

So all in all, a great start to the season for The Team

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting this team in anyway by selection or in any other way.  However the Kennel Club of Great Britain has given permission to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a team for Great Britain.

Nicci Promotes the Team on BBC Radio Nottingham

Nicci was invited to talk live on BBC Radio Nottingham along with her two pet dogs Leo and Nala.  The programme's researchers had read on Twitter about her recent success with Nala at Crufts 2014 and for being selected by Louth & District Dog Club as a team member at the Open European Championships and also her work with Leo on the excellent BBC TV Programme "Sport Relief's Top Dog". 

Nicci talked to presenter Mark Dennison about their time on Top Dog and competing at Crufts and about Heelwork to Music. He asked them for a short demonstration of the sport which they were happy to do and he tried to describe the moves Nici and Nala performed to the listeners. 

BBC Radio Nottingham agreed to help promote the Team both on air and on the social media to attract sponsorship and said they would like to attend a Team training session to obtain video footage of the dogs working.

Both Nicci's dogs were very well behaved and lapped up all of the attention. They were a real hit with all of the staff and Nala even did an impromptu performance for 'Line of Duty' actress Vicky McClure in the reception.

Here is the link to the radio show which will be available for a few days
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01svcs5. 

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting this team in anyway by selection or in any other way.  However the Kennel Club of Great Britain has given permission to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a team for Great Britain.

Introducing Nicci Hindson - Freestyle Team and Reserve HTM

Nala was a sensitive young dog and required a lot of work and patience to build up her confidence both in training and in every day life, but the journey with her was so rewarding and Nicci feels she has learnt so much from her.

Nala began competing in September 2012, and quickly advanced through levels, gaining a Crufts Semi Final Qualifier in both Heelwork to Music and Freestyle. 

In March 2014, at just 2 and a half years old, Nicci and Nala performed their Freestyle routine in the Main Arena at Crufts and finished in 4^th place! Nicci is so proud of her.

Heelwork to Music has really changed Nicci's life. Starting at sixteen years old, she feels she has grown up within the sport, learning so much about herself and grown as a person, achieving things she never thought possible.  The HTM community have been very supportive of her and she has met some truly inspirational people who will be life long friends.
Nicci is honoured to be a part of the Team from GB and is grateful she can give something back to a sport which has given her so much. Nicci and Nala will do their very best over in Germany. 

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting this team in anyway by selection or in any other way.  However they Kennel Club of Great Britain has given permission to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a team for Great Britain.

Louth and District Dog Club Announce The Team

Open European Heelwork to Music Championships

14^th to 16^th November 2014

Stuttgart, Germany.

Louth and District are pleased to announce the selected members of the Team  from GB going to Germany this year.  There were more high quality applicants than places this year so apologies to those who did not make it.  The decisions were not easy.

Heelwork Team  (In alphabetical order)

Handler	Dog’s KC name	Breed	Pet name
Lucy Creek	Harriot Skiffle King	Border Collie	Skiffle
Kath Hardman	Stillmoor Lady in Red	Border Collie	Amber
Kath Hardman	Stillmoor Extra Special	Border Collie	Denby
Karen Sykes	Iatka Spring Spangle	WSD	Fly
1st Reserve Nicci Hindson	Ravestar Scarlet Dancer	WSD	Nala
2nd Reserve Helen Dennis	Goddess Spring of Jucando	WSD	Maia

Freestyle Team  (In alphabetical order)

Handler	Dog’s KC name	Breed	Pet name
Lucy Creek	Dialynne Making Waves	Beagle	Teasel
Kath Hardman	September Spice	Crossbreed	Spice
Nicci Hindson	Ravestar Scarlet Dancer	WSD	Nala
Christina Oxtoby	Legacy’s Eze Ezekiel	Border Collie	Eze
1st Reserve Lucy Creek	Harriot Skiffle King	Border Collie	Skiffle
2nd Reserve Lesley Neville	Brambledale Blue Dewy	Bearded Collie	Dewy

Good Luck to them all.

Any offers of sponsorship or permission to raise funds at a show will be greatly appreciated.  They certainly helped a lot last year in Holland.

Carol Mortimer

Please note that the Kennel Club is not supporting this team in anyway by selection or in any other way.  However the Kennel Club of Great Britain has given permission to Louth and District Dog Club to enter a team for Great Britain.