Dordale Agility

Ran Rum in Combined 5-7 Jumping, he had the second pole down, worked the rest lovely but missed the weave entry as it was quite tough. Then Grade 5 Agility and he missed a tough weave entry again, difficult one as we don't get them at training and so I don't know what to do as he will get them at home. Then Grade 5 Jumping and he broke his wait and got E'd - you needed a wait!

Didn't take Cas as I don't think she is 100%.

Ember was good in Combined 5-7 Agility as she got all her contacts but she cut across me and picked up the wrong tunnel entry. In Combined 5-7 Jumping she had a lovely round with a couple of wide turns and came 2nd (beaten by a grade 7 dog). Then Combined 1-7 Jumping and stupid handler made her push round a jump instead of flick flack the jump - stupid handler!!

Pembroke Agility

First up was agility and Rum just was not listening, he flew off in the wrong direction and was generally doing what he wanted to do. In his second agility he was better but was naughty and flew off his A-frame so I put him back on - I am getting a little fed up with this contact business as he hardly ever missed one and just lately he is being naughty. Then Circular Jumping he was a good boy, went clear and won it for the large dogs in a time of 20.10.

Cas missed all her contacts in the first agility as per the norm, then the second agility she was better and just missed her a-frame. In circular jumping we were clear but unplaced as she seemed to be struggling a little especially with right turns so am going to to take her to the chiropractor.

Ember was naughty and missed her a-frame in agility so I put her back on and carried on, she was twizzling and yapping but her first run is tending to be horrendous! Circular jumping and she was amazing and won it for the smalls in a time of 20.40. In jumping she got eliminated at number two by shooting off into the tunnel, such a shame as she ran the rest lovely and I pushed a tricky ish weave entry and she got it.

Dashin Dogs

Rum was such a naughty boy in his first two runs, his agility he pinged his dogwalk so I put him back on, in jumping he just wasn't listening and was in a world of his own. He was so amazing in team but unfortunately there were two Es. Then Grade 5 Jumping and he ran it really well - was a reall big Rum type course, I didn't think we were fantastic - well he only went and won it!!

Cas missed her a-frame in agility so I put her back on, then in jumping she had a couple of poles down, not sure why. Grade 6 Jumping (same course Rum won) and she had a lovely clear, coming 13th not a Cassie course as it was so big. Finally team and she was running last, the pressure was on as the team had gone clear but we did it and won team so are in the final tomorrow! Wow!

Ember had a pole down in jumping and pinged her dogwalk in agility so I put her back on. Combined 6-7 Jumping (same course as Rum's win) and we went clear - with two sets of weaves!! She had a couple of spins but otherwise ran well and came 5th.

Well Sunday our first dog had a pole down then Cas had a pole down, not much to report on as I am always rubbish after we have won a class!!

Dizzy Update

Well Diz has been sporting her magnetic collar since I went to camp - 26th July. She has also been having those joint chews from Pedigree. I have to say I am amazed at the change! She is so lively now, always on the go. We played football the other night (her favourite game!) and whereas in the last couple of months she hasn't been able to get up the next morning (so I stopped playing) she was fine the next day and hasn't had a bad morning like that since wearing it. I am so chuffed it has made a difference, it was horrible to see my lovely Diz Dog suffer and her colitis cleared up within a week too.

KC Agility Festival

Friday was the day of the two Novice Cup classes and we had a Grade 5 Jumping too, the stupid idiot of a handler rushed Rum's weaves in every single class and he missed his entry every time - grrrr stupid stupid handler! I went to the show thinking first show with Rum in Grade 5, classes are huge (180 dogs) and very competitive so we would do some nice training. We went clear in Grade 5 Agility which was a really hard course and it was a little messy and contacts were a bit slow, but I was dead chuffed to get him round it and we ended up 9th! In Combined 4-5 Agility I decided to really reinforce his position on his contacts and hold them, clear but not placed (as expected). Then in Grade 5 Jumping he ran like a dream and to my (very pleasant) surprise we ended up 3rd!! So much for me saying he won't be competitive in Grade 5! Sunday was a bit of a wash out, he broke his wait in 4-5 Jumping and then missed his weave entry which was really hard. In G5 agility he was sooo naughty and completely flew his a-frame so I put him back on. Finally G5 Jumping and he missed his weave entry which a lot of dogs were doing, I think it because the spacing between them and the jump before was quite tight.

Cas - well we just couldn't get it together, so many 5 faults and silly little odd mistakes. Her dogwalk and see-saw contacts were fine but she was missing her A-frame, she was picking up weaves from the most awkward of angles.

On Friday Ember was hard work and we messed up a flick flack in the cup jumping and in the cup agility I was so excited she was going clear I didn't move onto the next bit and she flew off in the other direction!!On Saturday we were having an okayish round in G6 Agility, clear until the second to last obstacle which was the dogwalk and she flew her contact - grrr. She had a clear in Combined 6-7 Jumping, I had to really run and we did have a couple of mega wide turns but ended up 5th! On Sunday I ran her jumping and after two obstacles picked her up and took her out and we went home as I had a cracking headache and Ember isn't the sort of dog to run when you don't feel 100% and I think she knows it!

And I bought a new pair of Ditas, anyone who knows me will know how worn my old pair were - well after 7 years they would be lol!!

Agility Addicts

First class was agility for Rum and he had a pole so I trained his contacts and he worked it lovely, we repeated the class and again he had a pole down (both times stupid handler getting in the way!). Then jumping he ran it lovely, but entered the weaves the wrong side, darn shame I didn't pull him to me enough. Then Tunnel Vision and he was absolutely flying then stupid handler started calling him to early and pulled him off a jump, major mahor grrr! He worked soooo lovely.

Cas started with agility and for the last couple of weeks has been at home not having much exercise (when I was at camp I took the ginger ones ;-)). She had the first couple of poles down in agility so I trained her contacts, in round 2 she went clear coming 2nd in Senior Agility. Then Jumping again a nice clear but at one point went left instead of right so just came away with a clear. Finally Tunnel Vision and she had a pole as I handled her too much like Rum and put my other arm up to block her turn.

Ember was naughty in agility and missed her A-frame so I put her back over then in round 2 she missed again so I took her out. Jumping she went in the weaves the wrong side like Rum. Finally Tunnel Vision and she had several spins before the tunnel coming 3rd.

Pleased with them as they all waited on the start line and worked nicely, only my mistakes.

Rugby Agility

First run was Graded 1-7 Jumping (which I hadn’t walked!) and I got a wait out of him, he was soooo responsive! I was amazed as he was responding straight away to commands and I almost pulled him off a couple of jumps because of it lol! Otherwise he was fab and picked up a really tight weave entry and came 2nd in Grade 4. Then Combined 1-4 Agility and again he was so fab and his contacts were lush, I was in the wrong place and he knocked a pole. Last run was Combined 1-4 Jumping and I put him in a wait, he was naughty and jumped the finish! So I set him back up again and got a wait and he worked it lovely, again just so responsive. He has really amazed me today and just worked so well I couldn’t have asked for more.

Cas only had one run which was Graded 1-7 Jumping and she knocked the first pole, because I had her in a wait and I didn’t wait until she had cleared the first jump before I moved. Otherwise she worked it really nicely.

Ember had Graded 1-7 Agility and she knocked the first pole too, then she missed her weaves – naughty girl. Then Combined 6-7 Jumping which was a really tough course but I surprised myself and we worked really well but again missed a difficult weave entry and then was just plain naughty with her weaves!!

Cold Wet Nose

Cas had been invited to receive an award around lunchtime so we got there early to have a look round. Our first port of call was the 60 Weave Challenge which Cas loves, she did it (including 2 jumps) in a time of 16.2 (I think) and finished 4th. Then Ember did it in a time of 17. (something!) finishing 8th and Rum in a time of 19.(something). The top 8 went through to a final in the main ring later on which was two lanes each with a 2 jumps and 24 weaves between and it worked like a knockout. Ember (the only non collie in the final!) went first and was closely knocked out. Then Cas went and won through the rounds to the final and in the end came 2nd.

Cas & I received our award in the main ring at lunch time and then we did a display to Cotton Eye Joe in the main ring where my timing was a little bit out and I gave her a couple of wrong commands, but otherwise she was fab and didn’t bark!! Straight after that we were in the dance ring running a masterclass for the afternoon and used Rum and Ember. The children loved it, especially Ember as she is small enough to weave through even the smallest persons legs J I was so proud of them both, they worked harder than me lol!

At the end of the day we did some filming for CBBC, Rum did some skipping and Cas did some basketball playing :-)

Dizzy

Bit of a different post, Diz was retired at the age of 3-4 as had degenerative disc disease, after major spinal surjery she had her spine pinned. Anyway she has been in the wars a bit and here’s an update.

Poor old Diz has had bad diarrhoea over the weekend and it also had blood in it, we had made an appointment with the vet today anyway as she has been really stiff on her back legs. Anyway the vet says she has colitis and is on anti-inflammatories and something else, he said it should clear up okay. He messed with her back legs and she had a bit of a grumble and he confirmed (as we thought) she is arthritic and her spine was quite sore too. So has said the anti-inflammatories she is on for colitis should help the arthritis but also to look at a new treat Pedigree have out which is packed with glucosamine and has worked well for other dogs he treats and see how it goes. The other option would be to have her on Metacam but am a bit concerned about having her on that long term. So anyway no more playing ball or boisterous plays with Rum as she really pays for it the next day, sometimes she has struggled to get up.

Wellingborough Agility

Rum’s first run was combined 3-4 Agility, he went so well (a couple of wide turns) but I was so pleased with his fast contacts and his weaves were pretty quick too, two jumps from the end he thought he had finished and would go and fetch his lead – what a naughty dog!! Then in the jumping he was VERY naughty and started off so well, I shaped him into a right turn telling him right and moving that way with my body and he decided to go left! I made him lie down and sent him round some jumps but he was not listening, missed one jump out so at that point I took him out of the ring – I am not having him ignore me and thinking he knows best! Anyway in the Tunnel Vision he was fab and he really listened, I just didn’t hold my position to pull him in on a turn and he picked up the tunnel.

Cas was a star, she had a lovely steady clear in Tunnel Vision and was 16th. Then in agility she ran lovely but because I was behind her she didn’t get her contacts (am not fussed really lol!). Lastly jumping and she was amazing but just had a pole down because I was trying to get a tight turn.

Ember, well naughty Ember, in the Eukanuba I am not sure whether her dogwalk was marked but she missed it and then had 2 poles down! Otherwise she did run that quite nicely. In the circular knockout she wouldn’t wait and then missed her A-frame and weaves though she did try to get her weaves and did go on nicely. She’s such a frustrating little dog!