We had a weekend off from competing this weekend to give a display at the Abbots Langley Carnival with our training club, Watford ATC. We had about an hour display to give in the afternoon showing off dog agility to the public. It gained a lot of interest with lots of people cheering us on.
Everyone in deep preparation for the event
It was generally a very relaxing day. We spent most of it sat around in the gazebo or wandering around the carnival. Quite a lot of members of the club were there and it was good to build more club spirit. We hadn't spoken to a lot of people at the club prior to this event so it was definitely good for us.
On to the agility. We had an agility round to start with to show off the equipment. Patrick decided to make it more fun for the audience by putting two tunnels next to each other under the A-frame! It did make it more entertaining as quite a few of us went wrong, but then no one really cared as long as we all had fun. We ran all four of ours, including Zazu. All four of them ran nicely. Winnie was running like she does in training and was enjoying it. Zazu was also very good as this was the first time we have run him in front of such a crowd. He did a few jumps, a wall, tunnels and the dog walk.
After this we had a team really race. Just a few jumps and a tunnel, but two teams running against each other. We ran Zazu with the small dogs and again he ran very well. He only missed one jump when he was running at an angle, but after each run he got better.
There were quite a few of the beginner dogs and handlers at the display, and they were all very good. It was the first time a lot of them had done anything like this before. Everyone was enjoying themselves and so were the dogs. There were no disasters. We are going to another display in a couple of weeks at the Shenley Fete. Hopefully that won't be quite as frantic!
Another weekend, another show. This weekend we were up in Walton-on-Trent, north of Birmingham for the PADs agility show. This was the last show in a long run of four weekends in a row at shows. I had a good feeling about the show and was really looking forward, especially as the weather forecast was great. We had Shadow running at grade 6, Doople at grade 4 and Winnie at grade 3.
We had a pleasant dive up avoiding the toll roads and arrived in good time. The show was nowhere near as busy as Nottingham last week, and the quality of the runs wasn't the same either. The course were generally good and challenging, but there weren't very many top handlers and watching the classes wasn't as exciting. That being said, I didn't have the best of weekends.
Pre-show relaxing at home
On that note I'll start with Shadow. The first run in Saturday was grade 1-7 jumping. Shadow was running forward and barking lots, always a good sign. It didn't take us too long to get eliminated though. Shadow spotted a tunnel about 10m away and that was it! Her next run, grade 1-7 agility, had a similar ending. Shadow got distracted by a tunnel after the weaves and missed the jump. This was probably my fault for telling her where we were going as she powered forward. She did spectacularly miss her dog walk contact and ending up in a heap at the bottom. She must have lost her balance because she jumped incredibly far and rolled over twice after. She was fine and came back to the contact wagging Next up was the 6-7 agility. The weave entry in this course was very similar to last weekend at Nottingham, going in from the opposite direction. We almost managed but Shadow missed the first pole, something to practice there as it seems more and more common. We fell foul of a tunnel again as Shadow raced into the wrong end. We finished the day with 6-7 jumping. This was quite a 'naggy' course but also with big gaps. After nearly missing the class whilst watching it for 20 minutes, we went in and had a good run. Shadow was a bit wide on one the turns and I didn't pull her in far enough so we got a refusal, but it was a good end to day even if we had no clear rounds.
I was hoping Sunday would be better and we wouldn't have the same tunnel issues. We started with grade 6-7 agility. It had some tight turns and an opposite direction weave entry, which we managed well. Unfortunately we missed the A-frame contact, which we haven't done in a long while. Next was the grade 1-7 jumping. This was a fast flowing course and ran well, but Shadow got distracted in the weaves and missed the last pole. This was followed by the grade 6-7 jumping. Again fairly straightforward and fast with a funny angled weave entry. We managed the weave entry but Shadow came out half way down. Still no clear round! The last run of the day was grade 1-7 agility. This was a good course to finish with and again quite fast. This time we finally went clear! Albeit a little steady but I'm happy nonetheless. After 8 runs we had one clear round, nevermind!
Doople had a good weekend last week so we were hoping to continue this. +Susi Cooper ran Doople's first run was grade 4-5 agility. She started well but came out of the flat tunnel funny and seemed to lose a lot of confidence. She didn't finish the weaves correctly though. I ran her in the grade 1-7 jumping to see if I could get her running better, and avoid the tunnels Shadow was so fond of. She ran well this time and was going for it. We ended up 8th. Next up Susi ran her in grade 1-7 agility. She didn't seem to have much drive this time so it was hard to run. We're not sure why, lost confidence or fatigue, but she occasionally does this, not very regularly any more though. I ran her final round, grade 4-5 jumping. She still wasn't running like she can do, and I pulled her off of the last jump because of that.
Doople's first run with Susi on Sunday was the grade 4-5 agility. She started off well but had issues with the tunnel under the entrance to the dog walk. Susi got too close to the tunnel entrance so had to back out, which caused Doople to miss the tunnel. Then with the dog walk Susi pushed Doople to wide so she went in the tunnel instead. Next up I ran Doople in the grade 1-7 jumping. Doople started well but lost her speed towards the end on the long straight run. By this point she looks like she is trying but flagging a bit. This was followed by grade 4-5 jumping. This course was similar to the 1-7 jumping, Doople was running it nicely but again looking tired. We had some nice in's and Doople didn't seem to slow as much as she has, but we need to work on her drive with in's. Finally we had the grade 1-7 agility. She again looked tired in this course but finished the weekend well so we are pleased with her.
Winnie didn't have a very good agility weekend. She was in two classes on Saturday, the first of which she was barely moving, we missed a few jumps because I was ahead. The second she kept going under the jumps. This is in complete contrast to training when she is really excited and happy. We forfeited her Sunday runs as she didn't seem to be enjoying her agility that weekend. SHe was happy he rest of the time, especially when the we went to the dog treat vendor! Although she was being picky about the treats he was trying to give her! This will probably be the last show we do with Winnie for a while. We may run her in anysize classes but only if she's enjoying it.
It ended up being a short weekend as we were on the road by 3 o'clock. Thinking we were going to get home in good time, I promptly found a bridge too small for the caravan about 2 miles from the showground. Doh! Luckily I didn't damage anything, but I did have to try to turn a van and caravan around in a small road. I turned it part way around into a very convenient lay by. Cue fed up motorists. We had to man handle the caravan the rest of the way, but with so many stuck motorists at least there were a lot of people around. Only they all stayed in their cars and watched the two of us move a trailer by hand, charming! I also had someone nearly take the van door off as they were in such a hurry to go. Note to self: don't blindly follow sat-nav when it takes you a different direction home!
This weekend we were off to Nottingham for a championship show. Championship shows bring together some of the best handlers in the country with twice as many grade 6-7 dogs than at a normal show. We had Shadow running at grade 6, Doople at grade 4 and Winnie at grade 3.
The weekend got off to a bad start when our 2 hour journey took 3 hours thanks to bank holiday traffic on the M1 bringing it to a standstill, twice. Also a road closure on the A46 for a while after a car flipped over the central reservation. Trying to find out where your camping spot is in the dark is always fun.
All the courses over the weekend were very challenging, but not beyond our abilities so they were very enjoyable There were a few things that we haven't seen before but most of which we managed.
Starting with Shadow, we had some very tricky courses as there were many experienced dogs and handlers. We started with grade 6-7 agility Crufts qualifier. There was a common theme in the grade 6-7 courses over the weekend, interesting weave entries. The first entry was from the opposite direction, the second set was immediately after and in the opposite direction again. We managed the first set but I pushed her too far round the second set as I was also trying to avoid a jump that was in the way. I tried a second time and managed so was pleased. The second run was graded 6-7 jumping. This was fairly straight forward, I felt Shadow didn't have as much drive as before, perhaps as we lost a bit of confidence in the previous round. We still managed a clear round so that always helps rebuild the confidence. The final round of the day was grade 6-7 agility. This started with the back of a wall whilst avoiding the dog walk contact, which unfortunately was just too tempting for Shadow. We carried on and she was running well, not always listening but running forward nicely. She back jumped the long jump after turning the wrong way which was a bit odd.
It's a hard life being a dog
On to Sunday. The courses were of a similar calibre so we had some good challenges. The first run was combined 6-7 jumping. The weave entry let us down again but I needed to straighten her up a bit more before sending her in. Next was grade 6 agility. Shadow didn't have much drive for this one to start with, again we had two sets of weaves but straightforward entries. We had a back of jump after the see-saw but I ended up pulling Shadow right round the other side so we missed it. She had a good running dogwalk contact which didn't help as I wanted her to come in and go in a different direction. She came in eventually. We finished with graded 6-7 jumping. This was a very fast flowing course but also tricky. We got off to a good start, picked up the tricky weave entry, almost got a refusal, then missed a jump entirely on a long run round. Doh! She was running well so I can't complain. We finished the weekend with only one clear round but with some positives to take away as well.
On to Doople. Doople first run was graded 4-5 agility. This was an interesting course, very long. 9 weaves caught a lot of dogs out, especially large dogs. Two parallel tunnels on a turn, lots of large circles. Out of all heights, about 160 dogs, there was one clear round within the course time! Doople put in a good run was really going for it. She finished with 5 time faults, i.e. 5 seconds over the course time. Originally the course time was 10 seconds shorter, but the judge reconsidered, just not very accurately! Doople was still the fastest small dog, so she actually won the class! The good thing about winning with faults is that you don't move up to the next grade. We need some more practice at grade 4 before moving up. In the graded 1-5 jumping, Doople was going well but missed an in on the slalom, Susi needed to turn her shoulders more to get her attention. She was a bit steady after having gone wrong but picked up towards the end. Her last run was combined grade 3-5 agility. Doople had regained some of her lost confidence and managed a 6th place.
On Sunday, Doople had a long wait until her first run which was in the afternoon. She started with graded 1-5 jumping. It was a fairly straightforward course, but Susi did get a little lost! She went over a few jumps, then had a mind blank. Doople just wandered around for a bit not knowing where to go. They carried on and in the end managed a clear round! Next up was graded 1-5 agility. Susi didn't feel up for running this so took the baton. Doople ran well and had all her confidence back. She was listening well but unfortunately I pulled her off a jump. Even with this she was still over a second faster than the rest. But the 5 faults for a refusal meant that we didn't win. She finished with combined grade 4-5 jumping run with me. Doople carried on her form, running and responding well. We managed a clear round but just weren't fast enough at the end of a hot day.
Last but not least we have Winnie. She has come on a long way in training, really driving over the jumps and starting to turn after. At the moment, she doesn't have anywhere near that much drive in the ring. The first jumping run she was going well, turning nice and tight and listening. She got a bit distracted towards the end so missed a jump. The agility round later was not as good, she didn't have any drive. She did the obstacles in front of her and I just made it a simple course. She did jump the wall nicely. She started Sunday as she finished Saturday, again a made the course nice and straight. When we got going in a straight line she started to perk up and run. We finished with the agility, she started well with a couple of turns, into a tyre then round the outside. She still seems to fatigue mentally throughout the weekend.
It was a good weekend with challenging courses. We have a lot to take away and practice so it was definitely worthwhile. Watching the top handlers shows that we have a way to go, but it's not out of reach. The weather was gorgeous, which does help you relax over the weekend. Next week we're off to PADS near Birmingham, hopefully the roads will better and the M6 won't be closed due to a bomb scare!
We had an interesting start to the show weekend, it was the Bedford All Breeds Training Society in Luton. We were notified on Saturday that the 'Travellers' had moved onto the show ground. Note that that is not the term I would use for them, but If I start ranting about that then I won't end up talking about agility! Anyway, +Susi Cooper had a sore foot so couldn't run which meant I was running Doople at grade 4, Shadow at grade 6 and Winnie at grade 3.
The venue we moved to was very nice in the end. It was only a single day show but was very enjoyable. We spent a lot of the day helping out on a ring run by our training club, Watford ATC. It was good to spend a day with friends, it definitely helps when the weather's nice.
Doople after finishing 2nd in 4-5 agility
First up was me and Shadow running in the combined grade 6-7 jumping. We had a good start to the round but I only managed 5 jumps before I fell over! The grass was long(ish) and I was wearing walking boots (perhaps not clever). But I think I was the only person to fall over in the day so perhaps it was just me. We did still manage a clear round though with right-hand weaves, much better than last week. Next up was combined grade 1-7 agility which was an Olympia qualifier. I was running both Shadow and Doople in this class. Shadow ran well and was very close on some of the contacts but clear none-the-less. She ended up with 17th place, which is better than it sounds as there were ~180 dogs in the class! We were only a few seconds off the pace which I am actually quite pleased with, considering how fast the top dogs are. We finish with combined grade 6-7 agility. This again was a really good round by Shadow. Unfortunately I got a little confused on a turn and subsequently moved when I shouldn't have, Shadow was none-the-wiser so we carried on anyway. At the end of the round, I did fall over again though! Falling over in 2 out of 3 rounds is a little silly!
I was running Doople today which meant more work for me, but I do enjoy it. Doople is running well at the moment so it isn't very different from running Shadow. Doople's first round was the combined grade 1-7 agility, the Olympia qualifier. Doople was really up for it, she did a nice back of jump from a little distance which I'm pleased with. She's picking that up nicely which is good considering we haven't trained it very much. Next up was the combined grade 4-5 agility. I over looked the entry into the weaves so Doople ran towards the number. The entry was on a gentle arch past a jump and a tunnel, looking back I'm not sure she could actually see the weaves before she got to them. Later in the course was a trick part, out of the tunnel and then between two jumps into another tunnel. Doople listen brilliantly, went through the gap and into the next tunnel. Not many people managed it. Last up was combined grade 4-5 agility. This had a bit of a tricky start that perhaps could have been quicker if I'd layered the jump between 3 and 4. We had some tight turns and a pull through slalom to finish 2nd. I almost pulled Doople off a couple of jumps whilst trying to get tight turns, but she understood and kept going over the jumps.
Lastly we have Winnie. She still doesn't have much confidence in the ring so all we try to do with her is run around and have fun, the confidence will come with time. Both agility and jumping rounds were steady but I made the same mistake in both: I left her a bit too far behind when she got to a jump so she missed it. My mistake as she doesn't have the confidence to take the jumps from a distance in the ring. Training is a different matter, but such is life.
It was an enjoyable day that culminated in more clear rounds than eliminations, which is always a bonus. Shadow getting placed out of 180 dogs and Doople getting a 2nd place in agility are clear highlights. On to Nottingham for next week, just hope there are no pesky travellers!
This weekend were competing at the Godmanchester DTC show in Ely, Cambridgeshire. We were hoping for nicer weather than the previous camping shows but alas 'twas not to be. We had Doople running her first show at grade 4, Shadow running at grade 6 and Winnie running a couple of runs at grade 3.
It was a nice showground at an equestrian cross-country centre in Ely. The grounds were lovely to walk around with some massive cross-country jumps. I'll stick to dogs I think, closer to the ground! It was an average size show and we weren't camped too far away which makes the weekend so much easier.
Photosphere taken from the middle of the rings
First up was Shadow in her combined grade 6-7 jumping. This was a very easy course to start with which is good to get your confidence up with. It was basically a helter-skelter but useful as a warm up. We got a clear round but no where near the placings. Next up was the combined grade 4-7 agility. Shadow was running forward well but lost a lot of confidence doing right hand weaves, she looked like she had never seen them before. I went back to do them on the left and she shot straight through, a little bizarre as we train both sides equally. Next we had combined grade 4-7 helter-skelter, another good blast but Shadow was running a little slower as it was raining but we still managed a clear round outside the placings. After a rather heavy 20 minute down pour spent inside the scorers tent, we had the team event, I'll more about that at the end. We finished the day with graded 6-7 agility. Shadow was a little steady again as it had been raining earlier but a good round. Very steady through the right hand weaves again but we managed to complete them leaving us only 0.1s out of the placings!
In terms of results, Sunday was the opposite of Saturday for Shadow. We started with the pairs running with +Susi Cooper and Doople. It was another interesting start to the course and again it was our friend Ray Burke's course! It started with a jump and two parallel side-by-side tunnels, in one then the other then back between the two and into the weaves. Needless to say there were a lot of dogs, mainly spaniels, going through the tunnels a few too many times. We both managed that but Shadow again lost her confidence in the weaves so we ended up with faults. We followed this with graded 6-7 agility. It was a very tricky course with open spaces. We managed it well with only a couple of wide turns but unfortunately Shadow missed the A-frame completely! I was running passed after a long gap and stopped working the equipment, so she followed me around it. If that wasn't bad enough, I basically did the same thing in the combined grade 4-7 agility as well! This time I tried to cross in front of the A-frame but wasn't quick enough so I pulled her around with me. Apart from that she was really going for it. Our last run was graded 6-7 jumping. This was a fairly tricky course with a tight start followed by large open spaces. We finally managed a placing picking up a third.
Doople started the day with combined grade 4-5 jumping after a nice leisurely morning for her. For once it wasn't me getting eliminated after the first couple of jumps, this week Susi takes that title, and on the first run too! Susi didn't turn enough on a pull through so Doople back jumped. It was good afterwards though. Next up was combined grade 4-7 agility, the same course Shadow ran in and managed a better round than Shadow too finishing with a clear round. Finally, after me standing in the queue in the rain while Susi and Doople wait inside the scorers tent, the heavens opened and dumped what felt like a years worth of rain. As the judge was now running for cover I abandoned my place in queue, along with the rest of the queue. 20 minutes later we were back out and, sort of, ready to go. We weren't sure how Doople would run as she doesn't like the rain, but it had stopped and Doople ran quite well despite the slippery surface. As half of the class had already run in dry there wasn't much hope for a place but a clear round none-the-less.
Sunday started in much the same way as Saturday. Doople had one early-ish run in the pairs. I won't repeat myself, but Doople ran a good round and was let down by her pairs partner (yes I am talking about myself). This was followed by combined grade 4-7 agility. For some reason, despite my poor efforts with Shadow in this class, I ended up running Doople as well. I didn't make the same mistake twice though! Doople ran well for me although I did get too far in front for the weaves so we ended up with faults. The final round of the weekend was graded 4-5 agility. This was a good course and there were a lot of people making silly mistakes. Doople ended up with a third place which was brilliant.
Last but not least was Winnie. Winnie is still lacking a lot of confidence in the ring. At training she is running well and is really enjoying it, but at shows she doesn't have the same drive. That will come with experience which is why we only run her a couple of times over the weekend. She was running forwards and jumping well, albeit slowly. She is cantering the dog walk now in the ring which is great, a lot of time can be lost if dog is slow as it is 36 feet long. I got caught out in the rain again before the ABC (anything but collie) jumping. Susi took Winnie to stand in the secretary's tent while I went in queue in the what felt like hail. It passed after a few minutes though. On Sunday Winnie was even slower than normal. We're not sure if she was stiff from a cold night's sleep, or whether she was still mentally fatigued from the previous day. She is physically very fit but mentally she gets tired quite quickly. Susi ran her for the final day, by which time we were making up our own course to keep it straight and simple.
As I said earlier, Shadow ran in the team event, the Dog Vegas Chase the Ace qualifier. We ran with Juliet, Maureen and Heather from the Poodle Club so it was good to have a full team of small poodles. Susi and Doople have already qualified in a different team so couldn't join ours. Team classes consist of 4 dogs and handlers and is a batten relay race, only the batten is held by the next person to run rather than running around the course with it. The faults for each dog accumulate to give the overall team score with the timer running continuously from the first dog starting to the last dog finishing. The team with the fewest faults and fastest time wins. We were all a little steady as we were caught out in the 20 min downpour. We all ran very well with all of us going clear. You could feel the tension as Heather ran last after the three of us had gone clear. Getting four clear rounds in a team event is quite rare, out of 25 teams only two teams managed a full set of clear rounds. That left us in 2nd place and qualifying for the final!
It was a good alround weekend with some good runs from all dogs. The good thing about the weekend for Shadow was that we didn't miss a single contact, not counting missing the equipment! Improvements are still needed though, particularly with the weaves. Doople was still running well, we now need to work on more complicated turns as she is moving up the grades, especially teaching her to go round the back of the jump. Winnie just generally needs to work on her confidence in the ring, as long as things don't go drastically wrong she'll get better.
Next weekend we have a one day show in Luton, at least it's just around the corner.
Another weekend, another show. This weekend we were outdoors for the first time this year. The show was held at Shuttleworth Park, Biggleswade. The setting is in a very large grounds with lovely old buildings around, not to mention a grass runway airport with a road running across. We had Shadow running at grade 6, Doople running at grade 3 and Winnie running in anysize over medium jumps.
After our last camping trip over Easter we were hoping for some better weather, or least no frost. The ground was damp and soft but not undrivable, which meant we could at least park up easily. The sun shone on Saturday morning but disappeared in the afternoon with rain setting in for the last few runs. Sun was sunny but a strong wind blowing meant that some small dog agility course removed the dog walk to save the dogs from being blown off as happened to Shadow at a show last year. The show was very large with 11 rings in total, circa 1500 dogs running over the weekend. Small dog classes normally have around 50 dogs competing, here we had 150! So it was a little larger than a normal show we attend, so need to keep an eye on more rings.
Doople and +Susi Cooper on the start line with their wind swept look
We'll start with Shadow. After our fantastic running over Easter I was looking forward to this weekend, but the results were very different. We started with grade 1-7 agility, which was a fairly straight forward course for us. Unfortunately, Shadow had forgotten what to do at the bottom of the dog walk, i.e. touch the bottom. This was a real shame after not missing a single contact in 3 days over Easter, but it was the first time we'd run outdoors since last year so that could be partly to blame. She also lost a lot of confidence in the weaves last week so had to build those up again this weekend. We followed this up with grade 4-7 jumping. This time it was me who made the mistake on a pull through, I step forward into the gap so she carried on going over the nearest jump. Grade 4-7 agility was similar to the earlier agility round with a missed contact at the end. You'll see in the video that I was nice and still at the end of the dog walk but Shadow already had her sights on the finish line. We finished the day with grade 4-7 jumping in the rain. This was a slightly untidy round with a near refusal, but we did manage to finish clear.
It was nice to wake up on Sunday and not have icicles hanging from the caravan. We started the day with grade 4-7 agility with our friend Ray Burke as the judge. I could tell at first glance which course was Ray's as the start was ... unconventional. Starting with a tunnel is perfectly legal but very rare to see. We had no problems with that part of the course, with Shadow did avoid the end of the dog walk contact again. We had to wait until after lunch for our next run which was 4-7 jumping. We had a very good round but Shadow missed the last couple of weave poles. We followed this with grade 4-7 agility. This was another slightly messy round but the dog walk had been removed due to the wind, so that was one less thing to worry about! We managed a clear round with some impressive wide turns that I should have controlled better. We did manage right hand weaves which I am pleased with after training last week. We ended with a nice simple 1-7 jumping round. When I start a sentence with 'nice and simple', it usually means I did something wrong, and I did! I got lazy at the end of the run and basically ran off passed the jump and Shadow followed me, it had been a long day!
Greg and Shadow
Doople had a significantly better weekend than Shadow, but then that wasn't hard. Doople ran the same 1-7 agility course as Shadow and had a better result finishing with a clear round. She was running forward well as she has been all winter. We had a long wait until Doople's other rounds as they were at the end of the day. In the first grade 1-3 jumping Doople was really going for it. Susi had some good changes and the turns were tight resulting in 7th place. Bearing in mind the were over 100 dogs in the classes, any placing is great. Places are typically 10% of the number of dogs entered. Doople had a few refusals in the grade 1-3 jumping as +Susi Cooper turned too soon for her, and she got distracted at the last jump. The grade 1-3 agility was a fairly straight forward serpentine that Susi and Doople ran well and finished with a 4th place, just outside the trophies.
Doople had a lie-in on Sunday as she wasn't running until lunch time. She started with a fairly simple grade 1-3 agility and ran well picking up a 6th place. This was followed by another grade 1-3 agility in which Doople ran well again. There was a wide turn going into the tunnel and the see-saw was a bit slow as Susi crossed behind, but still managed a placing 9th place. Doople stops a little earlier on the see-saw when Susi crosses behind, so we need to work on driving her forward towards the end more. Next up was grade 1-3 jumping. This had a fairly tricky start for grade 1-3 with slalom worked up then down, but it was made easier by having a good startline wait. Susi started well but got in the wrong place slightly and had to shoo Doople over the jump. They both made up for it and ended with a clear round. The final round was the same grade 1-7 jumping that Shadow faltered in, and Susi must have been watching too closely as she proceeded to do exactly the same thing! Not the best way to end the show but the rest of the running was good.
Susi and Doople
We also had Winnie running at the show. We ran her in anysize classes over medium height jumps to work on her mental stamina and concentration as well as building up her confidence in the ring. On both days we had an agility round and a jumping round. In the first agility Winnie was a little distracted with what was going on, especially when it came to turning but was still clear. She was concentrating more in the jumping but I ran past a jump and a flat tunnel so she missed them. In the agility on Sunday she was much better and far more confident. Again, in the jumping she was looking like she enjoyed herself more. She did manage more clears than Shadow in the end!
Greg and Winnie
I also ended up running a friend's dog in the last class on Sunday, 1-7 jumping. This was Gladys Tomb's Benji. It was good fun to run another dog a Benji was quite happy as he got to run. I didn't realise his wait wasn't very good though so we were eliminated after two jumps, which I have to do at least once in a show!
It was an enjoyable weekend especially being outside in the nice spring weather. We were both shattered after the long walk to/from the caravan as we were camped a few minutes from the rings. Our next show isn't until May at Godmanchester so we have time to practice weaves and contacts.
Easter is a good time of, especially as it brings a four-day weekend. It also means the start of outdoor shows for the year, that is under normal Spring weather conditions. This week we had Doople running at grade 3, Shadow at grade 6, Storm at grade 3 and Winnie at grade 3.
We decided that after spending most weekends last year in a tiny, old caravan that we would treat ourselves to a new caravan this year. We got a not quite so old 4-berth Bailey Pageant. We were looking forward to going but then it happened ... snow! At Easter! Not what we were expecting in the week leading up to the show. We found out from the show organisers that the show was still going ahead. The show had been moved to the indoor riding arena and camping had been moved to the car park. This made getting in and out with the caravan easy but we did have to sacrifice a garden for the dogs. Nether-the-less a big thank you to the show organises and Solihull Riding Club for keeping the show going despite the conditions.
Caravans lined up in the camping area/car park
Knowing that the conditions would be cold and miserable we stopped off on the way at +GO Outdoors Official to pick up some essential supplies, i.e. another gas bottle. This proved inspires as the heating was on for most of the weekend as the temperatures in the morning dropped as low as -4C.
First morning of camping and a nice frost covering
Anyway, enough of me babbling about the weather, we were there for agility so that's what we did. I'll start with Doople. +Susi Cooper and Doople continued their good run of form at this show. Doople's first round was a combing grade 1-3 jumping. This was a good start to the weekend with Doople running forward very well. Her next round, graded 1-3 agility, was a not quite as good. Susi pulled Doople off on a turn and then Doople missed a contact. I think that's 3 or 4 shows in a row now, tut tut! Susi realised that she missed so did put her back on the contact. This proved a good thing to do as the next run, combined grade 1-3 agility, Doople came first! An excellent result meaning that Doople is now Grade 4. After Doople's slow running last year in the Summer we weren't sure if Doople would ever win out of grade 3 but she did. The round was a little messy with Susi being a bit slow on a couple of turns but managed and won the class.
Doople in preparation
Sunday started just as cold as the previous day. Doople had graded 1-3 jumping first. Doople was running really well but unfortunately missed the weave entry. She still managed a second place even with 5 faults. The combined grade 1-3 agility followed. Doople had another really good round as she was pushing herself forward and was rewarded with a second place. They finished the day with combined grade 1-3 jumping. Doople put in another clear round but this time wasn't fast enough for a placing, but Susi and Doople continued their good running.
Monday carried on where Sunday left off. Doople had combined grade 1-3 agility first. Again this was a lovely round, culminating with a dog walk then jump to finish. The judge spent about 30 seconds deciding whether or not Doople hit the contact. I'm not sure which part of Doople he thought hit the contact but the round stayed clear and Doople finished second, only 0.1s behind first place. Next up was the combined grade 1-3 jumping. Doople managed a good round but missed the weave entry again. And finally Doople ended with graded 1-3 agility. By this point all of the dogs were starting to look fatigued. Doople was still running forward well but when asked to turn right she went left, the jumped off the dog walk contact sideways. Susi was trying to turn in front of Doople at the end of the contact but this put her off and she leaped off sideways. A very good weekend for Doople though: 1st x 1, 2nd x 2, UnPlaced Clears (UPC) x 2. Well done :)
Susi and Doople
Shadow was next up. As usual in her first round she was fired up but perhaps a little to much so. It was graded 4-7 agility, she ran off the end of the dog walk, careered across to the next jump but she should have gone the other way into the tunnel. She made it to the tunnel eventually but to the wrong end. Next up was combined grade 4-7 jumping. Shadow ran really well in this round and with a handler than runs the correct course could have finished high up the placings. I realised a fraction too late that I had gone the wrong way, doh! That's one mistake for Shadow, one for Greg. Next was combined grade 4-7 agility. A good round from Shadow that finished with a fourth place. This was only our second KC show at grade 6 so I'm quite pleased with any placings. We finished with combined grade 1-7 steeplechase. I liked this course as it was quite technical, but it was really a steeplechase course. Beggars can't be choosers and we ran really well. Shadow just isn't as fast as a lot of dogs in a straight line so we often don't stand a chance but we went clear.
It's a hard life being Zazu when your bed's too small
Sunday was one of the best days running I've had with Shadow in a long while. We started with combined grade 4-7 agility. We had a really good round with only one slightly wide turn and some brilliant running contacts. We finished third overall which is an improvement on the previous days fourth. We then had graded 4-7 jumping. This was great and we finished in first place, our first at grade 6. Only 3 more wins to go to get to grade 7! To move up most grade you need to have a 1 agility win or 3 jumping wins. From grade 6 to 7 you need to have 4 wins with at least 2 in agility rounds. Our last two rounds of the day were combined grade 4-7 jumping, in which we finished third, and the Easter Egg'ility Challenge, where we also finished third. Four placings in a day was a very good result.
Monday got off to a good start with combined grade 4-7 agility. It was a very good round where we finished second, only 0.6 seconds from first. This was followed by graded 4-7 agility where we went one better to record our second win of the weekend. We had the combined 1-7 helter-skelter next. This was another straight course but I had the opportunity to try layer a jump. This is where you keep a jump between you and dog in order for you to be in a better position (see the video towards the end). Shadow was a little hesitant whilst layering but she managed it both times so it was good training. The final round was combined grade 4-7 jumping. Shadow was starting to lose concentration by this point. We only missed the weaves and she was still running forward so I can't really complain.
We managed to hit every one of our contacts in 6 agility rounds which is amazing. Every one was a running contact and about as quick as we can manage. We ended with a large haul of rosettes: 1st x 2, 2nd x 1, 3rd x 3, 4th x 1, UPC x 2. Very good week end for Shadow.
Greg and Shadow
With Storm we had a mixed weekend. There were some really good moments and also some really bad ones, quite a few of them were handler errors so I will own up to those. The first round was graded 1-3 agility. This round was really to let off some steam. Storm was listening but her legs wouldn't stop running. In the combined grade 1-3 jumping we knocked a pole and came out of the weaves. I need to stay still on the turns to avoid knocking poles and keep up with Storm in the weaves without pushing her. Next up was the combined 1-7 steeplechase, the same course run by Shadow. We put in a very good round albeit a little messy on some of the turns. I could stay ahead of Storm all the way round without racing her so she knew what was going on. We didn't manage a placing but were only 2 seconds off the pace. The final round of the day was the combined grade 1-3 agility. This was a messy round by me. I pulled her off a jump by turning too soon, was too close to the jump and moved too soon again whilst trying to cross behind, and kept moving on the final cross behind.
Greg and Storm waiting patiently
Sunday was much the same, but with fewer clear rounds. We started with the Easter Eggility Challenge, a nice simple agility course, we got eliminated. Storm decided to turn the wrong way off the A-frame contact, that'll teach me not to stop her on the contact. Next up was graded 1-3 jumping. The start of the round shows Storm doesn't curve over the jumps very well, rather flies over then worries about turning. I need to try to turn her earlier without making her crash the jump. Then on the slalom I was in her way for the middle jump so she hesitated and took the pole down. The combined grade 1-3 jumping followed and Storm was running much tighter on the turns. At the end of the slalom I was moving off from the jump rather than controlling the turn and she took another pole. Unfortunately I made that mistake quite a few times. We finished up with combined grade 1-3 agility. We had some good tight turns, but questionable contacts and failed weaves.
Monday was our final day. We started with combined 1-7 helter-skelter. I was pleased with this round as I managed it without moving too far and let Storm do all the work. We finished clear but outside the placings. The next three rounds were pretty disastrous. By this point in the weekend Storm was mentally exhausted and wasn't really paying attention any more. We had a jumping round where she missed the start jump and the weaves, an agility round where she was just a away with the fairies, and the final agility round which was too bad, but we missed contacts and couldn't do the tyre.
Greg and Storm
Last but not least is Winnie. This was Winnie's first show at full height since her injury last year. We weren't really sure what to expect but we just wanted her to around and have fun. The agility round on Saturday was a bit too much to start with but she jump and do the A-frame. On Sunday we did jumping, she much better in this but we just kept it to straight lines to build her strength and confidence. Finally on Monday we had another agility round. This was an improvement again but we need to do more work on the tyre.
Greg and Winnie
All in all is was a good weekend with many placings. We have a lot to take away and work for the coming shows. Storm is to be spayed this week so she'll be out of action for a while now. Heres looking forward to our next show in a couple of weeks, hopefully minus the snow.
