Adams Agility Show

I was really looking forward to this show as I had a decent amount of runs with the dogs.

Ember started off in graded 6-7 agility and when I walked the course I thought it was lovely and really wanted to push her on round it.  She worked it lovely, I just pushed her over her contacts without any stop command and they were fab, it was only when I realised I was pushing her too fast down the finish straight and the seesaw was in that straight that I needed a steady but I was too late and 5f on her seesaw.  I was absolutely gutted, really wanted a clear in the graded class, we’re still just one win from grade 7 and I would love to get her there before she retires. Graded 6-7  Jumping was next and it was impossible without a wait so were eliminated straight off lol, she worked the rest lovely though, I pushed her into her second weave too far and had done exactly the same with rum – BAD HANDLER!  Combined 4-7 jumping followed and she was awesome, just knocked first pole, it really wasn’t her type of course, flick flacks turning into pull ins (we’ve been working hard at training on those, really teaching her in and out commands) and lots of flicks away from me so I was really chuffed with how she worked it.  Last run was combined 6-7 agility and Ember was naughty on her a-frame and I commanded her wrongly on the see-saw but otherwise worked really well.  We’re working together and not against each other again, I am playing with her lots in the queue rather than telling her to sit and be quiet, it really makes a difference to how she runs.

Rum, well I started the show off wondering whether we were going to have to stop agility again, he was so stressed out, he had a fight with ember, pulling faces in the car and his first two runs –combined 4-7 jumping and combined 6-7 agility he was just loopy!  He really wasn’t coping.  Thankfully though when it came to graded 6-7 jumping he was a lot better, unfortunately I lost him to a tunnel, it was a start jump then a through a gap and round the back of number two which we did but I didn’t notice the tunnel entry was close and he went through the gap into the tunnel!  Combined 6-7 Jumping and he worked it really nicely, just knocked a pole because I didn’t give him enough room to jump after a pull through!  Finally Graded 6-7 Agility and he was fab, he worked beautifully, I just messed up his weave entry and pulled him off a jump too early but otherwise his contacts were lovely and quick and he really worked well.  So I think I need to do a lot with him when we get to a show, just walk him round the rings, do some training with him, put him away then run him.  Hopefully I won’t see that level of stress again.  I can always tell when he’s really stressed as his nose goes bright pink!!

Finally my fabulous little crazy little white dog, we messed up in the veteran class as she thought she had finished when she hadn’t but had a clear in Anysize and came 5^th J.  I love my little white dog, she loves to come out and play, she’s so funny, I took this pic of her while she was waiting in line for anysize – just how does she bend her front legs underneath her like that?

Although we only came away with one rosette I was really pleased with how the dogs worked in the end.