I had enter WBSDS knowing it would be a small KC so being ideal for Rum. I entered both days as it’s only 30 minutes away but I now know I just can’t cope with 2 days of agility any more, perhaps I need to build myself back up to two days – I was completely away with the fairies on Sunday, just couldn’t concentrate at all!
Anyway onto Rum, my boy, he is such a good boy. He tries his best for me always, always listens and is just so genuine. I managed to keep stress to a minimum, I can tell when he’s stressed as his nose starts to get pinker and pinker! And this only happened just before he ran, a couple of occasions I felt him winding up so I just took him away and calmed him down and took him back – before I hadn’t been able to get him to come down once he was wound up but he was coming down really quickly. Progress!!
I was worried that I might have been throwing myself into the deep end seeing as they were 6-7 classes so had had a lesson with Lee on Wednesday, our first training for a couple of years! I needed oxygen, am so unfit! I needn’t have worried as Rum coped fine. His jumping was first and I just didn’t collect him in for a weave entry, followed by 1-7 agility, his A-frame was a bit creepy (I must admit his contacts have been like this since he came back but I’ve not bothered too much) then I flicked him out for a jump telling him left when it was really straight for him so he spun round and ended up in the wrong direction, he then did a lovely speedy dogwalk into his stop before the last jump. Next was graded 6-7 agility and his a-frame was a lot better, our turns were quite wide and messy and his dogwalk was very creepy, but we were clear and ended up 2nd just 1.5s off the winner – very happy! Finally 6-7 jumping and he was flying, running lovely and again I just didn’t collect him into the weaves, but wowsers he felt so smooth in that class. On Sunday we had 6-7 agility and his contacts were sooo much better, really tricky course which we got round quite neatly apart from stupid me pushing him too far out for the weaves! Then 5-7 agility I thought I would really push his contacts and as it happened we were E’d at jump 3 so I really pushed and held them and they were lovely, he’s so good he tried to turn right out of the flat tunnel when I told him but he just couldn’t brake quickly enough. Finally jumping and I messed up at the start again and I continued to mess up throughout but he was good!
Cas had a 3rd in Veterans on Saturday and had a pole down on Sunday – me commanding over a jump!
Ember well, Ember, she back to testing me and pushing me again. I really don’t know what to do with that dog, on Saturday she missed her contacts so I put her back on them then she still continued to miss them throughout, the one course when I corrected her she jumped up and bit me on the thigh – she was carried out of the ring. That dog is always fighting with me and she always things she knows best, well to start with she was doing really well and listening but now I feel like it’s back to square one. It doesn’t bother me that we’re not getting clears, it bothers me she’s not listening at all!
So anyway Carol and I have found somewhere locally we can do a bit of training so we are going to do that which will be good as I need to work on weave entries with Rum. Am really enjoying running Rum as he just wants to do it right for me and listens, I suppose he’s like a breath of fresh air as Ember has always fought me and Cas used to sometimes think she knew best. I am also loving putting Cas round the veteran courses as she just thinks it’s the best thing ever and I love to run her, my little old white dog has given me so much over the years it’s heart warming to see her running round veteran classes .
So am hoping Rum is going to be okay with small-medium shows as he coped fine at WBSDS – I don’t know if we’ll ever get to KCI sort of size shows but I am happy sticking with small KC/UKA/BAA anyway – my dogs are enjoying it and so am I, so what if we’re not chasing qualifiers etc. Although it would be nice to think I could get Emz up to G7 (need 1 agility win) before she retires but I think that would need a miracle!
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