Year End Review

I have to say I am pleased with the dogs’ progress even though I didn’t get Rum to Novice Olympia – perhaps next year providing he stays in Grade 5!

I was looking over Rum’s results and it stood out that we have really made progress, at the beginning of the year he was having 4ths in Novice at Addicts and at the end of the year we had two 1sts winning us up to senior & finished the year with a 1st in Open! We didn’t start KC shows until May really at which point he was Grade 4 but is now Grade 5 with two jumping wins. His contacts are better but still can be quite creepy – it’s a difficult one as toys make him worse and he isn’t particularly motivated by food. So I have been doing lots of quick releasing at home but in the ring I want him into position quickly and stopping there a bit as this seems to make him more confident as he knows exactly what to do – what is helping is not using a stop command to make him stop just to reinforce the position, he isn’t then waiting to hear the command & it doesn’t rely on my poor timing! His jumping has really improved as we used to struggle without control points (ie contacts!) but now he is turning really well and we seem to have really improved.

Cas has slowed down, with this being her first year in grade 6 I didn’t really expect much from her. I decided mid season to retire her from agility classes as we weren’t enjoying them and it felt a real relief not to stress about contacts. She doesn’t really go training much, a quick session in the garden every now and then is enough. I am pleased with her, she’s still fit (is almost 9 now) and has had some good placings - 3rd in Comb 6-7 being the highest. I am just happy to be able to run her and she’s still fit and healthy.

Ember has been fab, we’ve had our best year yet. Charlotte Harding did some work with her in April and actually got her last 2 wins into Grade 6 (all jumping!) - thanks Char :-) . She then went on to win 4 more classes at Waldridge. She’s doing well and am really feeling like we are more of a partnership now, we still have contact and wait issues and I think we always will as she pushes you every step of the way and questions everything. Now I am fitter I am finding it a lot easier to handler her, I need to maintain my fitness though and with the gym having been closed over Xmas I can feel the muscle melting lol!

The ginger ones (Ember & Rum) have had their passports and can travel from late May next year. I have always wanted to compete on the continent and am looking at shows to enter.

Happy New Year everyone!

Agility Addicts

Rum ran in Christmas Contacts first and his stupid handler dropped the coin and faffed getting another so I was nowhere near him to direct lol, his A-frame contact was nice but his see-saw a bit creepy. In Open Jumping he had a lovely run just dropping a pole when I front crossed too soon and then pulled off the flat tunnel when I called to early - good boy. In Open Agility he was AMAZING, his see-saw was lovely and fast and his A-frame too, I released as soon as he was in position (as will be holding at KC shows and I don't want him to think they will always be held) and he came 1st, soooo chuffed! He was 2 seconds faster than Cas and she was on standard height with tight turns! In pairs he misjudged his pace and crashed a jump.

Cas actually went clear in Christmas Contacts and came 2nd. Then Open Jumping and she just dropped a pole when I moved off too fast, shame she would have won by 3 seconds. Last class was pairs with Liz & Barney - Cas is 8/9 and Barney is 9/10, both rescues and both white with black splodges ;-) so we thought they would pair up nicely, they both ran really well. It was double pairs and the first changeover was a little messy but the other was perfect, anyway to our delight we found they had won it by 9 seconds! Show those whippersnappers a thing or two lol!

Ember missed her A-frame in Christmas Contacts so was put back on. In Open Jumping the little so and so was running superbly until she decided to ignore me and shoot off over a jump after the flat tunnel just a couple of jumps from the end - grrr! In Open Agility we had handler navigation error - oops and she was flying too. Finally pairs and both of us picked up an E at some point ;-)

Thanks Carol for doing these vids, Rum & Bryer in Double Pairs


Cas & Barney winning Double Pairs

Happy Christmas

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

I was in the garden doing some agility with the dogs and all of a sudden the cat decided she wanted to join in, couldn't resist a video (taken on my phone)!

LGT DVD Out Now

Some of you may or may not know for the last few months I have been involved in the making of the LGT Workshop DVD. This has now been released and I personally think it's an excellent, affordable and informative product. You can buy it from Lee Gibson Training

Caravan!!

I am now a caravan owner, Jeremy Clarkson will love me!!

Wyre Agility

Rum was first up in Combined 3-5 Jumping, he was amazing and we went clear I was so pleased as he worked away lovely and after a long blast I said steady and he really thought about his turn, anway he ended up 1st! That's his second grade 5 win. Then we waited till about 4:30pm when we ran Combined 3-5 Agility and I didn't turn him in time and he was E'd, did some nice contact training. Then Graded 3-5 Agility and his contacts were nice but he had a few poles down as he had been queueing forever and had got so wound up.

Cas ran Combined 6-7 Jumping and was fab, it wasn't an easy course, she was clear and 15th.

Ember was naughty, jumped her A-frame so I put her back over it. Then jumping and I just couldn't get her to turn at all!

Agility Addicts

Rum was a very good lad today and was really responsive. His first jumping round he just had a pole down so I shaped him into that jump better the second time and he won the class - Novice Jumping so is now into Senior at Addicts shows :-/ Novice Agility he was amazing then stupid handler forgot what she was doing before the weaves and got him E'd, the second run he flew his see-saw (very naughty boy!) so I put him back over it. Finally Open Connector and we had a (very messy - my shaping was non-existent) clear and came 5th.

Cas had a couple of poles in open connector then I pushed her in the gap of a flick flack in her first senior jumping run and the second went to pot completely.

Ember was little miss inconsistent today. In agility her contacts and weaves were fab but her sending on to tunnels was non-existent. Then in Jumping could I get any turns out of her, she kept working far too far away! In Connector I just didn't hold my posisition long enough and she back jumped a jump.

Happy Birthday Rum

Happy 3rd birthday to the blue eyed boy. I can't believe three years has gone by so quickly, he has done me proud, although we are going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment he has been amazing for me and I wouldn't be without him. Thank you Caroline and Cai and Gill and Maddi.

Newton Heath Agility

Rum and I just aren't on form at the moment. In his first Grade 5 Agility he just was not listening and backjumped virtually everything - he has this thing about backjumping he's started the last couple of weeks -his contacts were nice though. In his second Grade 5 Agility he was soo much better and listened, though I pulled him off a jump to early then started moving forward on a flick flack. Finally Grade 5 Jumping and he was storming round but jumped into a pinwheel and his stride took him through the gap past the next jump and he tried but just couldn't make it, looking back I perhaps needed to shape him into the pinwheel more.

Cas just had one Grade 6 Jumping run and without a wait I cannot possibly see how we could have done it and I didn't see anyone without a wait get past 2 without being eliminated. She had the first couple of poles down but has been jumping 'standard' height for the last month.

Ember is my little star of the moment. In Grade 6 Agility she missed her A-frame (judge had said in briefing he wouldn't let anyone put dogs back over) then we struggled with a flick out but the rest was lovely. In Grade 6 Jumping she flew and so did I ;-) (my fitness is so much better now) and we were clear and came 2nd. Video below, Ember just seems to be really listening (touch wood) lately.

The Dogs

No show this weekend but I took the camera out (take a look at Flickr - Discodogs or my site and each dogs' slideshow for more) but here are my favs that really reflect the dogs' personalities.

Dizzy - the footballer__________Rum - Forrest Gump

Ember - ballet dancer_______Cas - out of her tree!
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