Definitely not a Mickey Mouse dog...
 When
Rosie Ison heard about an accidental mating between a Miniature Poodle and a Collie, she though
this could be just what she wanted - a dog with the will to work. She had experience training
two Standard Poodles who were 'hard work' to motivate. What she wanted now was a dog that she
didn't have to wind up ten minutes before a run.
I didn't get Disney (The Cartoon Classic) to win at
Agility. I was hoping to get a dog with a willingness to work. Winning would be a bonus!
Disney proved to be a most willing and responsive dog. I
did competitive obedience with him since he was four months old to keep his very active mind
occupied. He was eager to please and quick to learn. For example, he could be fast asleep on
the floor but when he heard the words 'Are you ready?', he'd be up and ready to work. The
instructor thought he was great. Disney often had the class in stitches with his poodle-like
antics and funny shaggy looks. I was really looking forward to the time when I could get on the
Start Line, knowing that after months of agility training that I had a dog who really wanted to
work and was not being cajoled into it.
 Training
trials and tribulations
As everyone who knows me is aware, I'm very much against jumping puppies before they
are 12 months old. Their bones and particularly their growth plates are very vulnerable to
damage up until this age. The only agility training I did with Disney before he was a year old
was channel weaves, contact training, waits and directional work - all done with lots of
fun and play.
Disney started Agility classes at a year old. It was
immediately obvious he had potential and was extremely keen. Two weeks into training, however,
disaster struck. An hour after our return from our morning walk, he started having problems
getting up and standing on his back legs. He seemed incredibly weak. My vets had finished
surgery so I was advised to keep him quiet in his pen and bring him in at 4pm. By the time we
got to the vets, Disney seemed 95% better. All the vet could find was a slight reluctance to
extend his right leg. To err on the side of caution he suggested a week of cage rest, a week of
lead walk and then a gradual return to normal exercise. It's possible that Disney had just
overexerted himself when playing ragger with my 19 year old son for a long time the night
before.
Four weeks later we returned to agility. Disney soon
caught up but then three weeks later he was neutered so he had another two weeks out. Six weeks
later another set back. Disney started vomiting and losing weight. On examination a lump was
felt in his intestine. He was x-rayed which also showed something, so he was opened up which
revealed a lymph node on his intestine the size of a golf ball ! Blood tests revealed he had
Protein Losing Entropothy.
Disney was a very poorly little chap. However, after a
month and various drugs, he was well enough to start training again. Once again he caught up
quickly, but I kept him on the 15" jumps for a lot longer than would be normal. He was entered
for his first shows at 18 months old.
Then two weeks before his first show problem number
three! He suddenly became stiff on getting up on his right leg but after walking around for a
minute or so he was fine. This went on for about five hours and then disappeared. The Vet could
find nothing, but to be on the safe side I rested him and missed his first two shows.
The Magic Kingdom
His first show was the Southern Border Collie Club in December ' 99. Although he knocked a pole
in both classes, he worked perfectly. Next was Chart in January 2000 where he got a Seventh
place.
In March he was pipped at the post and got Second
in Starters Agility. In April he WON me out of Starters at Vyne by winning
Starters Jumping and we also came Second in Starters Agility. The next week he
got Sixth in Novice Agility. Then to my surprise, he won
Novice Agility at Milton Keynes in May (the best trophies ever ). He isn't even two years old
yet.
Disney is currently zooming up the points tables in both
Agility Eye and Agility Voice. It just goes to show you don't really need to
start jumping puppies at six months old to be ready at 18 months old. In fact though Disney
started at one year old, he actually only had three whole months of training before he competed
because of all his time out.
Show Biz
Disney is also currently doing some commercials and can be seen on the National Canine
Defense League advert (He's 'Daisy!'), and he is in the new 'Bakers' advert due to be out next
month.
Best of all since November he has also been 100% fit
(touch wood).
About the author...
Rosie Ison started competing in agility back in 1994 with her Standard Poodle Ellie
who is now eight years old. She no longer competes.
Rosie still competes with her other Apricot Standard
Libby who is six and a half. She is a very difficult dog to compete with as one never knows how
she will be! She can either be brilliant or terrible and go on a go slow. She hates any sunny
weather and, as soon as it gets the slightest bit warm, she gives up. Last year was her best
when got into several finals and got many high places but just couldn't quite win anything !
However, she is the most wonderful dog to live with and she has the sweetest nature.
Rosie train with Scrambles DTC and Surrey DTC, but she
don't get to Surrey as often as she would like because the venue is a long way from her home.
Her 16 year old daughter Laura has been giving me a 'hard
time' over the last year because she went from Elementary to Senior in less than a year with
her dog Wispa. She has rigged her Mum constantly about still being a Starter after six years!
Well, she's no longer that, and maybe Rosie will catch her up this year with Disney ?
The only thing to do now, Rosie says, is go to the gym more
regularly to get fitter so she can run faster !
A registered child minder, she lives in
Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey.
You first heard about Disney in the
Great Poodle v. Collie Debate. Click
here for the Great Poodle v. Collie Debate.
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