Friday 4 June 2010

Scaredy beans

We've done 1 training session in the last 8 days, I have been in very non-agility mode, Tia hasn't had any training for 12 days, we've been for some lovely long walks, had a BBQ, my guys have got to play with Todd, Be and Copper, and just had lots of general chill out time. We had a lesson with Dave on Weds, and that's it until her first show tomorrow... Hinckley... I nearly died when I got her running orders, I feel so nervous, I haven't run in 'novice' for over 5 years and am quite excited to be going back there, love the fast and flowing type course. Scandal is working so well and trying so hard, she can be a bit 'floaty' but I think gradually when she gets more ring-savvy the confidence will come through. She is so so biddable and I am looking forward to working a quiet girlie who tries her little socks off.

Scandal was great at Daves, her jumping has got tons better, she doesn't 'loop' so much now, isn't jumping so stupidly, and I don't have to rev her up as much, she genuinely looks like she has some interest in running! Weaves, once she's at about the 4th pole she'll swim them, she got all her entries and didn't bobble once, pleased she found her entries as they were next to the dog walk so she discriminated nicely. Her dog walks were bad, have lost her stop contacts, although I think it was partly coz Dave was stood behind with the toy, so she got to the middle plank of the dw and turned around to gawp to see where he was, grrrr, she then did a few ok-ish ones, then when we did a running one she leapt down the plank and was high, so downed her and then all the rest were perfect. Aframes were nice as were the seesaws apart from that she was sliding down and stopping at the bottom and then deciding when she deemed it fit to carry on herself :)

Oh and some have asked about her chase drive... well it's still improving all the time. I called her off a deer last week, she came, first call, did such a wheelspin that she kicked all the dust up :) so we are getting there. She hasn't run off on any of the walks we've gone on (touch wood) and she sticks close by rather than going off hunting. She's still obsessed with the farm animals, particularly cows, but again I can call her away from them and she will generally come first call.

I will leave you with a video of Imogen winning 1-4 jumping, they still managed to win by a couple of secs despite the blip at the end... from a dog who was sooo obsessed with the finish jump you couldn't pull her off it, to one who's choosing the weaves over the finish jump... hmm, I guess it's progress of some sort!

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