For the past couple of weeks I've been concentrating on Pull ins with Rupert and getting Maisy to remain in the weaves so I can run on to the next jump etc! With Rupert the pull in's have been comming on very nicely if I work him on my left but for some reason I can't get it right with him on the right! I keep ending up facing him and not the direction I'm going in!!! it just feels like writing with the wrong hand. So that is obviously my homework for this week. Maisy is getting better all the time, if nothing else her weaves have got so much faster which hardle gives me any time to get anywhere ahead of her.
We had two training sessions away from home, Thursday night at Chippy which was good, both dogs worked well, even though Maisy after having to wait for an hour in the truck came out in a mental state, but soon settled down and gave me 100% and Rupert is just a good boy, he gets very excited waiting his turn but as soon as he is on the line I get his full attention even with other dogs running in the next ring. Then yesterday afternoon at Jo's, it was great even the sun shone for us, Both dogs really worked well, I can see such a difference in both of them since the end of last season, and I'm really looking forward to the new season starting especially as we have already started to fill the show diary, April is full - Bring it on.
Monday 31 January 2011
Tuesday 25 January 2011
MBCC Agility show
What an exhausting weekend!, as Amy and I are committee members of the MBCC we were tasked with the job of helping to organise and run their first agility show! the Midlands Border Collie Club are not a training club, but a club to promote the breed, at which they do a sterling job, they already run Championship Obedience, Breed and working trials shows and are hoping to in the future extend that to agility. We arrived at the venue at 5pm on Saturday afternoon to set out the rings, prepare ring boxes and generally make sure everything was set up ready for the competitiors arrival early Sunday morning. We had decided to take our caravan to stay overnight so that we were on site bright and early. It really shocks me the time some people arrive at an event, the show started at 8:30 but by 7am people had already started to turn up!! maybe I'm missing something, we usually rock up half an hour before judging starts, walk the courses, then the dogs, etc etc Im not sure what everyone else does!
We were very lucky to have enlisted the help of a fabulous ring party, all of whom did a brilliant job making sure our ring ran smoothly, so I'd like to say a huge thank you to:
Ellen & Louise, Anne & Sara, Sara & Amy, and especially James & Fay who helped set up on Saturday as well as getting up early to put all the signage out. all your help was greatly appreciated.
Amy and I did manage to run our dogs, Summer ran brilliantly, Amy was a little Lazy on some of her contacts and Summer was a little naughty on others! but she ran a lovely clear in the combined 1-3 jumping gaining a 20th place, and she had her Zoomy feet on again, so Amy's going to have to get some new running shoes to keep up with her! Although I didn't have any clears with Maisy I was really pleased with how she ran, I wasn't able to really give her the attention she deserved before each run but again there were some lovely moments She even managed a really great A frame contact (after I had put her back on the dog walk!) in one of her agility rounds so we are at least moving forward albeit very slowly.
Lastly a HUGE congratulations to Jo and Zippy for winning into grade 5, I know it's come sooner than she really wanted, it is testement to her commitment, she has re-trained his A frame to a running contact and boy did he get it right on Sunday, it really does knock seconds of the time.
We were very lucky to have enlisted the help of a fabulous ring party, all of whom did a brilliant job making sure our ring ran smoothly, so I'd like to say a huge thank you to:
Ellen & Louise, Anne & Sara, Sara & Amy, and especially James & Fay who helped set up on Saturday as well as getting up early to put all the signage out. all your help was greatly appreciated.
Amy and I did manage to run our dogs, Summer ran brilliantly, Amy was a little Lazy on some of her contacts and Summer was a little naughty on others! but she ran a lovely clear in the combined 1-3 jumping gaining a 20th place, and she had her Zoomy feet on again, so Amy's going to have to get some new running shoes to keep up with her! Although I didn't have any clears with Maisy I was really pleased with how she ran, I wasn't able to really give her the attention she deserved before each run but again there were some lovely moments She even managed a really great A frame contact (after I had put her back on the dog walk!) in one of her agility rounds so we are at least moving forward albeit very slowly.
Lastly a HUGE congratulations to Jo and Zippy for winning into grade 5, I know it's come sooner than she really wanted, it is testement to her commitment, she has re-trained his A frame to a running contact and boy did he get it right on Sunday, it really does knock seconds of the time.
Friday 21 January 2011
Hip Hip Hooray
Rupert had is hip X-ray yesterday which will now be sent of to the BVA for assesment, when the vet looked at it he was quite pleased and thought it would come back nice an low, he did mention it could be 2:2 so i'll be very please with that. however anything under 13 will be great. 
Monday 17 January 2011
So Much Training!
I seem to have become a little addicted to training! Thursday night was club night and Ruperts 1st puppy agility class. He was, as always a very good boy, although the first class was just to see at what level everyone was working so a little basic for us. Maisy started off a bit over excited but by the end of the class was working very well and made some difficult weave entrances look easy.
On Saturday Rupert and I had a foundation training session with Toni Dawkins, this was the first time I had met Toni and found her to have a really lovely vibe about her, she explained what we were doing thoroughly and we got some excellent tips, again Rupert behaved well and didn't let me down at all.
Yesterday we were at Jo's for our weekly workout! she really does give us a work out too! we continued the weave enrty theme and Maisy really suprised me by getting them nearly every time, our confidence as a team is working to our benefit, and our homework this week is to get those 9 strides from the weaves to the push round!! thats a blooming long way!! Rupert was great, we have started to put together little courses, which he proves again and again how versitile he is, he did have a couple of naughty A frame contacts but he has only just learnt this and with the acute angle at which we are asking him to stop, until he learns to steady at the top I actually think the running contact is the safer option.. (more on his own blog)
Amy and Summer had another great training session at Joy's, I'm hoping one day I might actually get to see the two of them in action!
This weekend its our Agility show at Solihull, we have a busy week in preparation, and a hectic day planned as both Amy and I are planning to run a ring and run our dogs!! so it might not be the best runs of our career but it will be fun!
On Saturday Rupert and I had a foundation training session with Toni Dawkins, this was the first time I had met Toni and found her to have a really lovely vibe about her, she explained what we were doing thoroughly and we got some excellent tips, again Rupert behaved well and didn't let me down at all.
Yesterday we were at Jo's for our weekly workout! she really does give us a work out too! we continued the weave enrty theme and Maisy really suprised me by getting them nearly every time, our confidence as a team is working to our benefit, and our homework this week is to get those 9 strides from the weaves to the push round!! thats a blooming long way!! Rupert was great, we have started to put together little courses, which he proves again and again how versitile he is, he did have a couple of naughty A frame contacts but he has only just learnt this and with the acute angle at which we are asking him to stop, until he learns to steady at the top I actually think the running contact is the safer option.. (more on his own blog)
Amy and Summer had another great training session at Joy's, I'm hoping one day I might actually get to see the two of them in action!
This weekend its our Agility show at Solihull, we have a busy week in preparation, and a hectic day planned as both Amy and I are planning to run a ring and run our dogs!! so it might not be the best runs of our career but it will be fun!
Monday 10 January 2011
Training Videos
Well training is really starting to come on now, I have been taking both Maisy and Rupert to the paddock alternately each morning on their walk so that they get a very quick refresher every other day (Fridays off) and I have to say this is really helping both them and me, each session probably only lasts a few minutes, but I've always found little and often works the best.
We went to Jo's yesterday for the first time since the dreaded Snow, I was really pleased with both dogs progress, Rupert is shaping up to be a little speed merchant, but when Jo had Ronny out at the same time he went into hyper-drive! I think he was even faster than Maisy.....
We did a little work on Rupert's See Saw, my original plan had been to muffle the sound but the more I thought about it the more it seemed sensible just to release him onto another obstacle and praise him a bit further away, I can't think of any occasions when the see saw would be the last obstacle! this seemed to work and although he is a little unsure about the tip he always manages the 2o 2o position so positive progress and something to work on.
Maisy and I were practicing a new technique of facing away from the dog in a turn, it was very strange but I'm going to practice it over the next few weeks to see how it goes. I have plenty of homework to be getting on with, just the way I like it.
Amy and Summer had a lesson with Joy again this week, Amy is really enjoying it, and Summer is absolutely full of beans, for such a little dog she is really making her presence known, I think Amy may have to re-visit her obedience skills!!!
Finally I want to say HUGE congratulations to Anne and Gloria her young boxer for gaining a 2nd place in a combined 1-2 agility class on Saturday, they managed a lovely 3rd at the end of last season, and this is testament to Anne's handling skills which have really started to shape up nicely, giving so much confidence to Gloria and the results speak for themselves.
Tuesday 4 January 2011
New Year
Amy and I had a great time at the Cool Agility show, no clear rounds but Maisy and I managed 5 out of 5 start line waits and had some brilliant moments and Summer was a little pocket rocket, just taking the odd pole down in her enthusiasm, lots more training to do but so far its all going to plan.
Now that the snow has finally melted away I've been able to start training again, it seem like ages since we've been able to make it to the paddock! Rupert seems to have enjoyed the break and has come back really up for it, he is now jumping medium with no problem at all even on tight corners so this weekend I have put the jumps up another notch and again he seems to be coping really well. I began 2x2 weave training but have come up against a slight hitch so I'll talk through it with Jo on Sunday before I go any further, thats the problem with letting Rupert set the pace at which we train, sometimes he just goes too fast for me! although I have to say his contacts are really coming on very well indeed, at home he is doing the dog walk and the A frame brilliantly and although he got 100% at a different venue on Sunday he was occasionally doing a running contact instead of 2 on 2 off which I think is just a confidence issue which he will get better with as he starts training at Chipping Norton over the comming weeks. I have now also introduced him to the see saw, he seems fine with the tip, although I have one hand in his collar and am slowly tipping it for him, he will then go into his contact position but when I release him he gets a little spooked by the noise it makes banging on the ground, so more work is needed there, I know he will get it soon and will put something under it to muffle the sound for a week or so. Before Christmas he wasn't happy to do the dog walk on full height bt the first training session this week he just did it without batting an eyelid, so I know he will get it in his own time, and time is something I still have plenty of, He was 1 year old on 30th December.
Now that the snow has finally melted away I've been able to start training again, it seem like ages since we've been able to make it to the paddock! Rupert seems to have enjoyed the break and has come back really up for it, he is now jumping medium with no problem at all even on tight corners so this weekend I have put the jumps up another notch and again he seems to be coping really well. I began 2x2 weave training but have come up against a slight hitch so I'll talk through it with Jo on Sunday before I go any further, thats the problem with letting Rupert set the pace at which we train, sometimes he just goes too fast for me! although I have to say his contacts are really coming on very well indeed, at home he is doing the dog walk and the A frame brilliantly and although he got 100% at a different venue on Sunday he was occasionally doing a running contact instead of 2 on 2 off which I think is just a confidence issue which he will get better with as he starts training at Chipping Norton over the comming weeks. I have now also introduced him to the see saw, he seems fine with the tip, although I have one hand in his collar and am slowly tipping it for him, he will then go into his contact position but when I release him he gets a little spooked by the noise it makes banging on the ground, so more work is needed there, I know he will get it soon and will put something under it to muffle the sound for a week or so. Before Christmas he wasn't happy to do the dog walk on full height bt the first training session this week he just did it without batting an eyelid, so I know he will get it in his own time, and time is something I still have plenty of, He was 1 year old on 30th December.
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