Dordale Agility Show

Rum started the day off with a run in combined 1-4 Agility, it was tunnel weaves and Rum ran through so quick he just couldn't brake in time to get his entry. He worked his contacts lovely and I held them. He then did a lovely run in Grade 3 Agility but got E'd, I therefore tested him a bit and worked it while he was away from me so was pleased with that. Followed that by a lovely clear in Combined 1-7 Circular Jumping, he was unplaced exactly 1 second behind Cas. The last run was Grade 3 Jumping, which I really pushed him round, he ran it nicely but had a pole down! Next day his Grade 3 Agility was first and he was a bit manic, ran past a jump and came out of the tunnel, but his weaves and contacts were nice. 1-4 Jumping was a tough course and I just couldn't get him tight enough round the box and we were E'd. In Grade 3 Jumping he had a lovely tight clear, not mega fast and he finished 5th.

Cas had a lovely jumping run just dropping a pole, I really pushed her round the circular jumping and she came 3rd and then in the agility she missed her A-frame so I took her out of the ring. On Sunday we messed up in the 5-7 jumping, I expected her to pick up the weaves (as she is a weave demon) but she didn’t and got E’d. She had a lovely run round the grade 5 jumping, just knocking a pole again!

Pembroke Agility Show

We ran combined 1-3 Jumping first, the jumps were very tight and Rum didn't cope very well and had 3 poles down!! Totally unlike him but he just couldn't seem to even bounce them they were so close. In Combined 1-3 Agility he had a lovely round but got E'd going up the dogwalk instead of the A-frame, sometimes I forget how long striding he is! He had a nice clear in Grade 3 Agility and I was really chuffed with his weave entry as he went in at an angle, his dogwalk was very slow as he was a little unsure (his first agility class he will be really quick but always the 2nd one he seems unsure). Anyway he ended up 2nd so was really pleased, he was leading right till about the last 10 dogs - so close!

Cas had a nice run in the 4-7 Agility but just missed her dog walk, she had a nice run in the 4-7 Jumping and came 7th.

KC International Agility Festival

This weekend we didn't seem to be working very well together, I think because I got it right with Cas and so therefore lost it a bit with Rum. Unfortunately he was drawn in the two Novice Cup parts judged by the two foreign judges and they were hard for young inexperienced dogs so we took our own line and had some fun on them. Saturday Rum had a lovely round in the 1-3 agility but just had a refusal, worked the rest superbly. He had a messy clear in grade 3 agility and was a bit unsure on his contacts. He had a pole down in the grade 3 jumping but worked that nicely too. On Sunday I was too far ahead of his weaves and he missed the entry and he missed his entry again in the jumping - I must be doing something differently?? He had a messy clear in the 1-3 jumping and came 6th, we're struggling a bit to get in tune again.

Cas – If onlys! She had a lovely run in Novice Cup Jumping with just a pole down, also a lovely run in Novice Cup Agility just missing her dogwalk contact!!! Aargh! She had a fab run in grade 5 jumping and ended up winning it – just one more to go now! Had a nice clear in combined 3-4 jumping and came 11th – had a bit of a wide turn before the weaves. In her agility I thought she missed her dogwalk (but she didn’t) so I put her back on it. On the Sunday she had a pole down in the combined 4-5 agility and a very messy clear in grade 5 jumping where she ended up 3rd?!?!? She has worked well this weekend.

Dashin Dogs Agility Show

First run of the day was 1-7 combined agility which I wasn't particularly fussed about, he worked lovely and went round clear, we had one twizzle just before the last jump as I hung back thinking he missed the see-saw contact, his time was the same as Lee and Che (who also had a twizzle) so I was pleased we weren't in the placings otherwise it would have been a run off! Really pleased with the way I and he ran it. Grade 3 agility with dreaded 6 weaves, which surprise surprise he came out at the end! I pushed him across his A-frame and held him there while I ran ahead so was chuffed with that, then he did lovely bounce jumps down the line of jumps. He rushed his see-saw and fell off then did the same with the dogwalk, so I don't know what went on there! He was a bit hesitant after that. In Grade 3 Jumping he was a naughty boy and I took him out which I would never do in a jumping especially a young dog, but he decided to do some weird things - I put it down to the fact we had to run all 3 in a row with no break in between. Just wish he had gone clear in Grade 3 not 1-7!!

Cas had a nice steady clear in grade 5 jumping and came 9th. Missed her dogwalk in the 1-7 agility and then got E’d in grade 5 agility so I reinforced her contacts. In the pairs final we got through to the 2nd round with a double clear, we again had a double clear but the other pair just beat us!

Tuffley Agility Show

Rum worked so well this weekend I couldn't have been happier. He only had two agility runs, one we made a silly mistake and the other was quite tough for a big long striding dog so we totally messed that run up but his contacts were sooooo much better! He was confident in running to the end and stopping wherever I was (thank you Lee!) and so much quicker too. We have not really got it together in jumping but this weekend it clicked and he had a clear on a real blast of a course and came 4th (Combined 1-4), so was really chuffed with that. He had some other lovely runs, a couple with just a pole down where I commanded him over a jump and they were fairly tricky courses too. His waits were great too, I think he broke one all weekend. Here's his video, one of my favs, just love the ending.

PNM HTM Show

I almost didn't go today as I did a bit with him yesterday and he wasn't really switched on, as well as the fact I haven't done any training with him since April! But I thought I would give him a go and if needs be turn into a training round. Well I was really pleased as he was so switched on and really paid attention, he was a little bit OTT and mouthy but better that than switched off as I want him to enjoy his ring experience at the moment. I will now work on the accuracy a bit more. He came 6th in a Starters HTM class which was quite a high standard.

Cas worked her ‘In The Mood’ routine nicely, we made a mess at one stage but otherwise she worked well and we came 2nd, so now she has enough points to go up to advanced.

RVA Agility Show

We didn't get it right at all this weekend, first weekend coming home without a single result so a little bit disheartened. However the reason why was because he decided to step up a gear and I couldn't control him at all! I have always been with him as he has never been mega fast but this weekend he was like a bat out of hell and was going on miles ahead of me and I just couldn't get there at all. He was naughty in his one agility class and missed his dogwalk!!! So I put him back on, I have said it needed speeding up, well now it is but too quick! It's going to be difficult as he has never been that quick in training so am going to have to really work on his distance control. There's just no way on a straight line I can keep up! He had some horrible courses and sometimes he just got a bit confused about being nagged all the time, so a lot of work needed in the next couple of weeks, we haven't got an agility show until Tuffley.

It was Cassie's turn this weekend, she was amazing. Her contacts were so nice, she had a 3rd in combined 5-6 Agility and it was quite messy, she had a 2nd in combined 5-6 jumping with a lovely run and a 6th in combined 3-5 jumping. She excelled herself in the Genesis Jumping Final and came 2nd!!

Wyre Agility Show

Started off on Saturday with a messy clear in a lovely, fast straightforward graded 3-5 agility. Which he ended up 6th in grade 3, was really pleased as we lost quite a lot of time in that but he ran lovely. He had a lovely run in the trios, just dropping a pole when I said ‘tunnel.’ He struggled in graded 3-5 jumping as it was a tricky course for a baby dog so I gave him lots of praise at the end. He had a beautiful run in the combined 3-5 jumping but just dropped the second to last pole as I was flapping I think!
Sunday started off with a lovely clear in graded 3-5 agility with just one twizzle, there were 7 weaves in this class and he worked them perfectly, he ended up 2nd in grade 3 – hooray, I told him he needed a boy colour rosette today as yesterday’s was far too girly! Graded 3-5 jumping was tricky again and we got past the first tricky bit which he did nicely, I took my eye off him for a split second and he popped over a jump behind me, so I missed the next tricky bit out and gave him a blast to the finish, which he loved! In combined 3-5 jumping there were two lots of flick flacks which he has only just really learnt, he did them really nicely and had a cracking round, just dropping the last pole!! Must keep working him right to the end. His last run was combined 3-5 agility, I cut away from a box and he came with me as I had just run Cas and needed to be with him more, it was a nice run otherwise. Really pleased with his progress this weekend, he is coming on a treat, must work him right to the end though!

Cas had a clear in Grade 5 Agility, it was a blast of a course and I was so pleased with her contacts, she came 6th.

PADS Agility Show

Our first day went to pot, he thought that he could skip ever other weave when there were six of them but otherwise he did some nice runs and I held his contacts. So the second day I knew I needed to steady him before the weaves, our first run of the day was combined 3-4 agility and we went clear! I was so pleased, made sure he got his contacts and steadied him before his weaves and give him early commands. We ended up 6th! He had a lovely run in the other agility class but I flapped while he was over a jump and knocked a pole! He also had a beautiful round in the jumping which wasn't easy, just missed his weave entry as it was at an angle and I wasn't up with him. I felt by the end of the second day he had really improved.

Cas had a 2nd in Grade 5 Jumping on the Sunday and also qualified for the Knockout Pairs Final with Carol & Calca (a shame as they both had poles down in the final run).

Agility Addicts Unaf Agility Show

FIRST SHOW! I was so nervous on the first run, I just wanted to reinforce his contact position and for him to enjoy himself. I forgot to call him early and he back jumped - have to get used to his long stride and get my commands in! He had a lovely clear in his Elementary Jumping but just waited for me and twizzled before the last jump, he came 2nd though. The next day was pouring down with rain and was so scared he was going to slip on his contacts I took him very steady and held him on them and he went clear and came 5th. The final day he was a lot more confident and his contacts had really sped up, he had a lovely run in jumping but just ran past the tunnel. He had qualified for the Elementary Final and had a nice round but slipped off his see-saw. Here's his first agility video!

Cas was a little star, she won a novice agility class on the Saturday and then on the Monday won a novice agility and the Open Connector. We qualified for the Novice Final but she missed her see-saw which was 3rd to last obstacle!! Her contacts had been fab all weekend. Here's a video of my little star