Progress

We seem to go round in a little circle every month or every couple of months where we make several steps forward and I can see light at the end of the tunnel, and then have a time of very bad stuff where it seems like the world is falling down.

Anyway this weekend was thankfully one of the good ones, Friday Jess had a lesson with Copper and we did set points and he really got the idea, superb take off points and really shaping over the jump (perhaps that's taught him not to land on any more poles and snap my jump cups!!)

Saturday, after watching several hours of Susan Salo's DVD which I fell asleep watching on Friday night, I decided to put the jumping work in to practice. We did set-point, and then started to angle where the toy was, so she was taking off in a straight line but turning after. I gradually moved the toy to the left inch by inch and Tia was great. There was a bit of "head turning, throwing bum out" but in general she was doing the 'comma' shape that Susan talks about. We got to the end and Tia was jumping a fairly sharp left turn really well, with NO tucking up!! I simply can't believe that she is in pain if she can jump this perfectly when we give it to her on a plate. I think she just needs to be taught how to take off, how to compress her strides or how to extend them so her take off point is correct.

Today I went all the way to West Sussex (I am so tired!) for an obedience training day, it was brilliant, I am so glad I went, a place only became available a couple of days ago. Tia's done virtually no training so I was a bit worried we'd look like a pair of wallies. Tia was fab however, and I have lots of things to work on. Lyn said Tia has a tendancy to drive forwards rather than upwards, and it's the upwards drive that is preferable. Some judges mark Tia for forward working and so we worked on follows (ie hand outstretched, not close heelwork) and after stopping every time she went forward, she got the idea. We then worked on teaching the dog heelwork and 'stretching' to get into the correct position (again, drive upwards) and then how to build on this. I also did DC with Tia and now have a much better idea of why she shuts down and refuses to do the first position way too often! SO MUCH TO WORK ON!!! I don't know how I will fit it in. Plus I have 2 more DVDs of Susans to watch, and 3000 words of my dissertation to write. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

It's now day 5 of aframe reps and today we got 100% success so we'll be raising it by one brick tomorrow, exciting times...