Dashin Dogs Agility Show

Rum and I didn't seem to get it together particularly well this weekend. He had a few if only runs - missed his dogwalk in the agility (I don't think I commanded him clear enough), then in the other agility I didn't go far enough with him and he pulled away from a jump and in his jumping run he had a pole down as I had said tunnel while he was over the jump! On Sunday he had a lovely agility run with just a pole down, his jumping was messy (kept coming out of the last weave to the tunnel trap) but then he pulled out all the stops on a tricky Grade 3 Jumping and won it!! So pleased as I did want a jumping win as well.

Cas was naughty in her agility just missing her a-frame otherwise ran lovely, she then had a fab run on a tricky Combined 4-5 Jumping course and won it which now takes her to Grade 6! Her last jumping run we had a bit of a detour and she came 10th. On Sunday she had a lovely run in agility (got all her contacts!) but the first jump was a tyre and she got stuck in it, so I checked her over before I carried on, she was fine - good job it was only a soft tyre! In the other agility she was very naughty and didn't listen on her contacts at all, in her final jumping run she just had a pole as I said 'tunnel' (again!!)

Ember (I don't normally mention as she rarely gets anywhere near clear rounds lol!) actually had a clear and won Combined 1-7 Jumping! I nearly died of a heart attack!! I had taken her on the exercise field and totally worn her out so she wasn't twizzling at all, had a messy weave entry but hey!

Am so shocked, amazed, chuffed that each of my dogs won a class this weekend. Both Cas and Rum will start in grade 6 and 4 respectively at Newton Heath - don't do things by halves do I!!

Paws In The Park - Agility & HTM

Rum and I started off the weekend with a really messy round in combined 3-5 Jumping - a few poles down, I don't think we really worked together in that! Followed up by a lovely clear in Combined 3-5 Agility, I pushed his contacts to see how he would fair against the 4s and 5s and he came 4th!!! So pleased with that. Last run was Combined 1-4 Helter Skelter, there were some tight spacings so I put in some steadies (after his 1st run!) and he had a nice clear and came 4th in that too! So am confident he is ready for Grade 4.
Sunday started with pairs, I went first and he had a lovely clear, went round like a rocket but hesitated at the last jump as I couldn't keep up!! My mum ran Cas and she went clear as well but had the same hesitation. Combined 1-3 Agility was next and he went a long way around a jump as he hesitated - I didn't go far enough with him, then he missed his A-frame but I think that is my fault as I was really pushing him yesterday so I need to start holding them again. Last run was Combined 1-3 Jumping and he had a nice round with just a pole down. He also performed his Starters HTM routine today and performed the best he has ever done, came 2nd which now moves him up to Novice. He has been a real star this weekend. Here is a video of his runs:

And a video of his htm routine:

Cas – don’t ask!! Had a fab Elimination in combined 3-5 Jumping but she did the rest lovely at a distance. Naughty girl missed her A-frame in agility, as shame as she had done the rest lovely. Her HTM didn’t go brilliantly but we had a 6th and qualified us for the Crufts semis, we were then asked to perform the routine in Richard Curtis arena. She qualified for the Weave Challenge Knockout in the main ring, with weaves which had a right angle in the middle! And she won it! My little weave demon J Sunday was again a bit pants, she had a pole down in the jumping and then in the agility I had lost heart a bit and we made a right mess of the course. So the only clear she had all weekend was when my mum ran her in pairs and she has never run an agility dog before or done any training with Cas! Here's the Weave Challenge Video:

And a video of her freestyle routine:

Bromsgrove Agility Show

Rum's first run was combined 1-3 agility, it was a real blast of a course and I decided I would really push him round and push his contacts (give my best shot at winning!) and he had a lovely round, his contacts were nice and fast and his turns were tight. And…….we won it!! So pleased as was quite warming to the idea of being in grade 4 next year. We ran combined 1-7 agility after that and I reinforced his contacts having just blasted him round, he did a lovely run but unfortunately had two poles down on a tight corner as he just didn’t seem to be able to get his stride right. Grade 3 jumping was our last run and the less I say about that the better lol! We got E’d after the third jump as Rum struggles with going round a box when there’s a jump close by, having such a long stride he is hard work to turn! After that it all went to pot!

On Sunday our first run was grade 3 agility and I was so pleased, he ran it sooo nicely but similar to his jumping yesterday he didn’t come round the box and got E’d over another jump – this is something we have never really done in training so I need to set this sequence up in the garden and practice it as we have come across it three times at the last 3 shows. We really struggled round 3-5 jumping as it was very tight and I just couldn’t get there in time, he had a nice 1-7 jumping round but was a similar thing and took another jump instead of coming through a bit of a box. There seem to have been a lot of pull offs this weekend which we haven’t really done as I have wanted him really confident to go on etc. but now he has the confidence I am going to do some work on pull offs!!

Cas had a lovely Grade 5 Jumping run and came 2nd. In both her agility classes she just missed the dogwalk – aargh! On Sunday she ran the agility and missed A-frame and See-saw then when the agility was re-run she just missed the see-saw – a real shame as it was a lovely run. Both her jumping classes I made a mess of!

Wigan Agility Show

He hadn't been training for over a week so I was a little unsure how today would go. Anyway he had a beautiful run in graded 1-3 Jumping but I told him to 'weave' while he was over a jump and he knocked it, sack the handler! His turns were lovely and tight and I was so pleased with the run. The second graded 1-3 Jumping class we went clear, not quite as neat as the previous class but was still a lovely run and he ended up 2nd! Last run of the day was graded 1-3 Agility and he went clear again! I held his contacts for a second then released, they were so much better and he didn't creep down slowly, we had a little wobble at the end but ended up 6th! He has worked so well today am really proud. A video of his 3 runs:


Cas really flew the see-saw in her agility so I picked her up and took her out of the ring – naughty girl!! Then in the Adams Derby she was on the dogwalk, walked off I asked her to wait and she stepped back onto the contact!! In the jumping she was E’d as missed out a jump!

Fylde HTM Show

We arrived early so I could do some practice in the ring before the show started, he was working lovely until they turned the microphone on and he decided to freak out! Couldn't get him to do a thing so I spent all the time up to his running order getting him used to the sound of the music and microphone (he has never been like this before). When we entered the ring he started to switch off a bit but I managed to really encourage him and he came 2nd which I was sooooo pleased with!

Cas was off her head for her routine as she had been waiting since 8am and it was almost 6pm by the time we performed! She was very messy.