We were down near Leatherhead this weekend at the Pachesham Grade 1-5 show. This is the first time we have been to this show. It was very well run and a nice relaxed atmosphere. It was a very small show with only four classes. They do a few different types of show throughout the winter, this one was only for grades 1-5. In good (read not too bad) weather they have two rings going, one inside and one outside, meaning we were home by 14:30! We took Zazu at grade 3 and Doople at grade 5.
Zazu wondering why mum has gone over there
First up was Zazu. He was the main reason we came to this show as we were looking for some more practice. He still gets a little distracted in the ring so we want to keep working him. He started off in the jumping class. We were pleased that there were only 6 weaves as we haven't quite cracked 12 without straps. He was a very good boy. He listened on the turns even though I was very slow. He drove into the tunnels which gave me some breathing space. He got distracted coming back down the line and missed a jump but he was still running well. His only other round was the steeplechase. He was really raring to go in this. I managed to send him into the tunnel and layer a jump into the slalom which I was really pleased with. The turn was wide as I wasn't sure if he would go out, so I made sure that we did the jump first. We were very pleased with him as it was more complicated than the things we have trained. He works away nicely which makes running him so much easier.
Doople seemed very happy at this show. Perhaps it was because we only had two dogs or that we were more relaxed not worrying about so many runs. Either way she enjoyed herself. We started with the jumping class. She was running well and driving at the tunnels. The weaves were a bit slow but she picked them up well. We ended up with a 4th place. Next was the first agility class. This had a couple of tricky bits, Doople picked up the weaves well and wasn't too slow. A good turn off the A-frame round the back of a jump and we ended up 5th. This was followed by the steeplechase. Doople seemed really up for this and got some wheel spin off the line. Unfortunately I got a turn in the slalom wrong and didn't push her far enough so she came inside. We ended up 6th. Finally Doople had her second agility round. Doople was tiring slightly but still running. That is until the weaves where she walked through as slow as she could. Never mind, still a good day.
We both really enjoyed the day and will be going back for some of their other shows. Hopefully Zazu will be running a bit better by then to get a place or two.
This weekend we went to the RVA indoor pay-on-the-day show. It's a nice friendly show that we have been going to for a few years. The venue is improved each year as it is being built. This year we had windows in the spectators area! This made it much (a relative term) warmer than it has been. We were running Shadow at grade 6, Doople at grade 5 and Zazu at grade 3.
Shadow started the day off with graded 4-7 jumping. It was a bit tricky but flowed nicely. We got off to a bad start as she broke her wait. Although we didn't go wrong it put me on the back foot for the first few jumps. We got back on track and she had lovely weaves, which is something we've been working on a lot recently. We finished 7th in grade 6-7, it was a good fun run. Her last run was graded 4-7 agility. She waited properly this time and was charging round, picking up her weaves and also getting all contacts. We were eliminated when Shadow didn't pull through a gap but carried on going. I should have steadied her up before the jump so she didn't jump so long.
Doople was running in the same classes as Shadow. +Susi Cooper ran her in the graded 4-7 jumping. It was a good smooth round with Doople going quite well. Susi got into the wrong position at one point but managed to keep it going. They eventually finished 2nd in grade 4-5. A good result. I ran her in the graded 4-7 agility. It was hard work as Doople was slowing a bit. She still ran on but needed driving all the way. She knocked a pole when I tried to turn her tightly. It shows how she can find it hard work sometimes. She'll probably run less in the future to try and keep it fun.
Zazu was running a couple of proper classes to see what he was like. We avoided agility as we still want to work on his contacts at home. His first class was graded 1-3 jumping. This was a fast flowing course and one that he ran very well. He made it easy for me as I could just stroll into position with charging off the way I point. We didn't manage the 12 weaves but we haven't got that far at home yet, so no surprise. He also ran in the graded 1-7 steeplechase. He was a little tired by this point but still ran well. He got a little distracted on the way round but still focused when I called him and we finished with a clear round. We were both pleased with him today. He still needs to mature mentally to be able to focus for longer, but that will come.
We had a fun day and kept it relaxed by only running in a few classes. We still have more work to do with Zazu but he is coming along nicely.
