Just finished updating and redoing my Sheltie Heart website. Working on my book again and it is in the last stages. Next to edit and then publish.Sheltie Heart gives a nice preview of my book. Take a look and see what you think. Welcome to my wonderful world of the Shetland Sheepdog!

Maine Sheltie breeder, pups available

Maine Sheltie breeder, pups available 

Take a look at these beautiful blue boys. They are stunning pups and would make excellent show prospects, performance dogs and family companions! Contact Kathleen Hathaway at illusionfarm@roadrunner.com for more information.

These pups are all in their new homes.

Maine Sheltie breeder, pups available

Maine Sheltie breeder, pups available For more information on these beautiful pups contact

Kathleen Hathaway, illusionfarm@hotmail.com

We have bred our lovely blue merle ,Jopavist Latest Fashion, to Belmark Eatrhshaking. This is a nice line bred pedigree and we should have some outstanding pups.Chanel has high drive and once she has finished with her litter she will start agility training. For a foundation she has gone to puppy class, basic obedience and also Rally O novice. She loves to work. 

She is due mid August and once pups have arrived and all is well we will start a list for those interested!

We should have some agility prospects, as Jeep is her uncle and is an awesome worker, her mom is Rosie who has all kinds of drive. Rosie and Jeep are brother and sister. It runs in the family!

                                                             Jopavist Latest Fashion                   

                                                                       Chanel





                                                               Belmark Earthshaking

I can't believe how long it has been since I have come to my blog. I don't know where the time goes. My Jeep is now 4 years old and ready to compete. We have gone to a couple of trials but he still has some focus issues. But he has improved hugely. Our trainer has lost her facility and now not sure what will happen with our training. I have enjoyed her classes so much and Jeep and I have come so far. We are hopeful that she will find a new building not too very far away. We can work here at home as we have a nice agility area set up but being in a class situation is much better, especially for me. There is still so much to learn.

Our agility trainer has taken this week off. Jeep and I are really going to miss the class. We so look forward to our Thursday training sessions. Each week is such a learning experience and Jeep improves measurably. I have learned to do my crosses without thinking about what I am doing. When I spend too much time thinking about how they should be done I usually mess up. I am learning so much about body language with Jeep. He reads me so well and will take cues that I did not even realize I had given to him.

Next week I will be taking Max to class for a refresher, it has been more than a year since he has attended and the exposure will be so good for him. I know that I will not be able to stay away with Jeep so will have to do a drop in session in the Friday evening class. For the next few weeks I will rotate the boys so they both can practice and be ready for the trial in Oct.

I have learned that I truly need to have an exercise program for myself. I am not fast enough and I get tired too quickly. After working an hour with the boys in class I feel like I have just experienced an aerobics session. 

I have most of the equipment here at home so I can practice as much as I want and can fit into the day. I would love to get some cavaleties so they can practice trotting over them and stretching their muscles and improving their gaits. 

Max and Jeep are so different, I have to learn two styles of handling. Sometimes it is hard to remember how each works and what works best for them. Max is the dog who will run fast but wants me near him and Jeep is the dog who runs so fast that I need to learn to direct him from a distance. At the start line I need to start with Max and go with him. With Jeep I need to lead off as far as I can and go so he has to catch me. This is where I need to be in better physical condition. Hopefully once this hot and humid weather decides to leave us I will be able to get out and walk. Walking makes me feel good. It clears my head and I think of all the beautiful surroundings where I live. I love to walk with the dogs. I usually take two and they are the best company. I can chatter away to them and it does not matter what I say. They listen and are just happy to be there with me. 

Tomorrow morning will be so strange, not attending class. It has become part of our lives, a mental release, an hour of thinking nothing but agility and the dog. It is a wonderful therapy!

I started taking Jeep to agility class last November. He basically did not know a thing about agility. He sure has the attitude and drive for work. We have had so much fun working together! I am amazed at how fast he has progressed. This coming October he will compete in his first AKC trial, which is just a month short of a year training for this event. 

The next session of agility is an intermediate level and we will continue to learn and grow. 

I know that my boy Max, who is pictured above on this blog would also love to get back into agility. As Max and Jeep are at the same level, I will be alternating weeks, this way they will both get the training and practice that they need before the trial. Max is a fast learner also but does not have the same drive as Jeep. Not quite as fast but is accurate and listens. He is more the type of dog that wants to run with you rather than ahead of you. Jeep is extremely fast and often ahead of me, so I need to perfect directing him from a distance. He is still young, only 17 months and often has some independent thinking that I need to deal with. Occasionally he will decide on an obstacle that is not in the direction that we are heading. My trainer says that I need to run as fast as I can and when he sees me heading in a different direction he will run to catch up with me and stay on course. We tried this in class and I was amazed how well it worked. Once he saw me take off and go in a direction other than the one he wanted to go in, he turned and caught me and did the complete course correctly. He is such a fun dog. Next session it will be Max's turn and he probably will have some catching up to do as it has been a couple of years since he attended class. We have practiced some here at home but he needs to practice in the class setting which is more like a show setting for him. It will be interesting to see how quickly he will remember. I think that latent learning will kick in and he will be fine.

The challenge for me will be to adjust to the type of running each dog will execute. They are so different so will need to be really aware of what we are doing.

I will be back here in a couple of weeks to let you know how Max performed and if I think he will be able to compete in October. It sure would be fun to take both boys and give it a try. Wouldn't it be great if they both did nice clean runs in their first trial! The weave poles will be the hardest obstacle for both boys !"Weave Poles"

                                                          The above picture is Jeep.