Well no shows since my last post but I did have some fabulous training with Tasha Wise. Anyone who hasnt trained with this lady is missing out. Tash was brilliant, she has always been good but I took away just so much from my session this time.
We started with an hour with Detour and Cute, some flatwork picked up some turn weaknesses in D and Toni got a good proofing excersise for pivot turns. It was great to see D driving down a line to Tash, he wouldnt bounce the distances Cute did but thats fine, he jumped beautifully!
We then went on to Minx and Hoax, they were actually good girls, we did some tricky stuff and Tasha gave me a great few handling tips and reminded me of some stuff I knew but had let get slack.
I have a list of things to work on and am really excited to have a game plan again. Training with Toni and Minx always motivates me to work specifics with Hoax, and Tash pointed out some things that we can improve on. I even managed to fit a pub lunch in with Toni afterwards so we could have a natter and write down everything Tash had said. Fantastic day- wish I could do it more often!
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
Ok so I have been a bad blogger...
Such a long time since I blogged so must get off my butt and add some updates.
My dogs have been working well although Detour has had time off for foot injuries. He still is doing very little agility wise but what I do know is that I do not have a naturally skilled jumper on my hands. He puppy boings over jumps instead of a nice stretched arc. I am not worried as Boo used to do that and fixed himself eventually. With the jumping foundation work i know about now I can help D figure out how to gather that body together to jump proficienly. He is a year old now and an absolute sweetheart.
Miss Hoaxey is actually feeling pretty fab... at training this week, I think she was actually, dare i say it, the most consistent dog! She has started to get better at shows aswell, we had our first two wins towards G7 last week and the week previously. I was probably the most proud of that first win as our best achievment so far as she worked really nicely, quick but listening and neat stopped contacts and still won by a few seconds. We are so lucky in mediums (not counting G7) that we can stop our contacts and still get good places. I think in Large G6 classes you mostly can't? I certainly remember all of Boos wins in the old Intermediate classes were absolute guns blazing runs and won by maybe 0.3 of a second or so.
However saying that a few assumptions around rings are driving me crazy.
A/ It is easy to win in mediums. Ok, so in the lower levels if you have a decent dog you will win up quite quickly, the classes are smaller therefore there will be fewer competitive clears so you do have a better chance of winning up. Once you hit G7 there are more dogs with running contacts than in large and the courses... hmmm
B/ If you have a medium BC you have it easy, have you tried running one? No airtime= no thinking time.On top of this a lot of medium courses are built without thought of the BCs in them. Some of it is so tight that it is below legal distances and off courses can happen in a bounce stride.
C/ There are just a few good medium dogs in the country... So not counting the ones that are still working their way up through the grades (watch this space for possible storming mediums out next year from Tracy Flower, Lauren L and Sian Illingworth to name a few). We have the current world champions Tash & Diz to compete against- (what other heights can say that)? Toni & Minx, (who won into senior at old Large heights), Sian & Jazzy, Helen and that amazing Kelpie, Heather Mcleans BC, Stuart Miltons two quick BCs, Jo Frasers very fast tiny collie, Neat nippy OBay shelties etc etc etc. I am sure I have forgotten some amazing ones but this isnt just a few ay?
Anyway, I am proud to have a medium and can honestly say I have worked just as hard, if not harder in some ways than I had to with a large dog.
My dogs have been working well although Detour has had time off for foot injuries. He still is doing very little agility wise but what I do know is that I do not have a naturally skilled jumper on my hands. He puppy boings over jumps instead of a nice stretched arc. I am not worried as Boo used to do that and fixed himself eventually. With the jumping foundation work i know about now I can help D figure out how to gather that body together to jump proficienly. He is a year old now and an absolute sweetheart.
Miss Hoaxey is actually feeling pretty fab... at training this week, I think she was actually, dare i say it, the most consistent dog! She has started to get better at shows aswell, we had our first two wins towards G7 last week and the week previously. I was probably the most proud of that first win as our best achievment so far as she worked really nicely, quick but listening and neat stopped contacts and still won by a few seconds. We are so lucky in mediums (not counting G7) that we can stop our contacts and still get good places. I think in Large G6 classes you mostly can't? I certainly remember all of Boos wins in the old Intermediate classes were absolute guns blazing runs and won by maybe 0.3 of a second or so.
However saying that a few assumptions around rings are driving me crazy.
A/ It is easy to win in mediums. Ok, so in the lower levels if you have a decent dog you will win up quite quickly, the classes are smaller therefore there will be fewer competitive clears so you do have a better chance of winning up. Once you hit G7 there are more dogs with running contacts than in large and the courses... hmmm
B/ If you have a medium BC you have it easy, have you tried running one? No airtime= no thinking time.On top of this a lot of medium courses are built without thought of the BCs in them. Some of it is so tight that it is below legal distances and off courses can happen in a bounce stride.
C/ There are just a few good medium dogs in the country... So not counting the ones that are still working their way up through the grades (watch this space for possible storming mediums out next year from Tracy Flower, Lauren L and Sian Illingworth to name a few). We have the current world champions Tash & Diz to compete against- (what other heights can say that)? Toni & Minx, (who won into senior at old Large heights), Sian & Jazzy, Helen and that amazing Kelpie, Heather Mcleans BC, Stuart Miltons two quick BCs, Jo Frasers very fast tiny collie, Neat nippy OBay shelties etc etc etc. I am sure I have forgotten some amazing ones but this isnt just a few ay?
Anyway, I am proud to have a medium and can honestly say I have worked just as hard, if not harder in some ways than I had to with a large dog.
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Quadpaws & Spring UKA
Ok, so it's our own show but if you didn't go you missed out on a fantastic week, waking up each morning to the sun rising over the river, four rings so very social and friendly, some evening training sessions and even a 'Masters' class for the most competitive of us. Evenings spent swimming the dogs (some even swimming with their dogs) and sipping wine or having a BBQ. Dogs were good with little Hoaxey qualifying for the Tug-e-Nuff final and CSJ final in top place in each :) she also won up to Senior in performance in the few runs I didnt do NFC :) Pleased to be home and comfy again... next stop Thames show!
Friday, 14 May 2010
Tunbridge Wells
Dogs were fantastic but it was just not meant to be!
Hoax was the closest, she only had two runs and a knocked pole in each but brilliant runs. So we werent clear but she is running almost as fast as training now, she still didn't have that extra sharpness and speed that she has in training but I was so happy that she is getting there- yay for my little merlie :)
Hoax was the closest, she only had two runs and a knocked pole in each but brilliant runs. So we werent clear but she is running almost as fast as training now, she still didn't have that extra sharpness and speed that she has in training but I was so happy that she is getting there- yay for my little merlie :)
Thursday, 6 May 2010
Vyne
Dogs were on form but I wasn’t perfect the first few runs. Boo popped a pole in Champ Ag and I pushed Hoax out the weaves in her Olympia class. I set off to my next few runs with a new determination to improve my handling.
Champ jump and Boo ran so well, just a hesitation before a jump cost us a 5R. Onto G3-5 medium jumping and Hoaxey did a nice run, I nearly lost her in the tunnel so we had a big turn but we still ended up winning the class! Shortly after that we went onto G5-6 Agility, a tight course with some handling needed. She worked well again but did have to stop dead before a jump as it was the wrong one- honest Hoaxey came round it and finished the course to win that too!!!
This takes us into G6 and I am so, so happy. We still have yet to run a ‘neat’ clear and her speed still isn’t like it is at training but we are getting there. Today I am very proud of my little merlie.
Ps my angel boy Boo also went clear in Olympia qualifier but at over a second and a half off the top dogs, just wasn’t fast enough- who cares when I am running my healthy, perfect man. I so love that dog!
I also got to meet the Smoketrail puppies- we got pics and they all had a run and play! I was proud of every single one of them- a few wussy moments but no manly hormones and bolshiness- good puppies!
Champ jump and Boo ran so well, just a hesitation before a jump cost us a 5R. Onto G3-5 medium jumping and Hoaxey did a nice run, I nearly lost her in the tunnel so we had a big turn but we still ended up winning the class! Shortly after that we went onto G5-6 Agility, a tight course with some handling needed. She worked well again but did have to stop dead before a jump as it was the wrong one- honest Hoaxey came round it and finished the course to win that too!!!
This takes us into G6 and I am so, so happy. We still have yet to run a ‘neat’ clear and her speed still isn’t like it is at training but we are getting there. Today I am very proud of my little merlie.
Ps my angel boy Boo also went clear in Olympia qualifier but at over a second and a half off the top dogs, just wasn’t fast enough- who cares when I am running my healthy, perfect man. I so love that dog!
I also got to meet the Smoketrail puppies- we got pics and they all had a run and play! I was proud of every single one of them- a few wussy moments but no manly hormones and bolshiness- good puppies!
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