Hinckley

Hinckley

Ok I am a week behind…

Scandal had her first G5-6 classes. We had a lot of fun. Her first agility she worked really well, turning on my verbal direction and shoulders rather than me having to use her name, she turned nicely away from the tunnel unlike the majority of the class which did a biggg turn. Held her contacts, she ran through her dogwalk and stopped on the floor. Stopped nicely on the seesaw. Then I got her e’d for not collecting her out of the rigid tunnel and she cut behind me over a jump, ahhhh. She was motoring, and we got a couple of lovely comments from people about how much she is coming on. Which I was super chuffed with.

G5-6 jumping and I watched dog after dog get eliminated on what I thought was a not too hard course. Well we got round clear up to about 17… and then Scandal ran past the flat tunnel, as I just ran and didn’t tell her tunnel. Woops. We really don’t like flat tunnels. Me especially :)

She then did a nice clear in the CSJ. As we have already qualified I just ran her quietly and expected her to hold her contacts nicely, which she did, although she wasn’t running flat out. Think she was about 10th or 11th in this.

Honey… hmmmmmmm. The most unmotivated dog in the world! Managed a 6th in the champ jumping and 4th in the champ agility, with her totally not trying. I have no idea how we got those places… she felt so slow. I really should stop complaining about her but I can’t help it! Anyway, these two places put us 18th to run out of 20 dogs… cannot even believe we qualified 3rd top!! I actually found it really embarrassing releasing her from the startline and her just sauntering off, not hurrying in the slightest lol. And… she missed her dogwalk… just after someone had that day asked about her RC and I’d said she hadn’t missed one yet. Jinxed that! Normally I give her the command (go/left/right) but I was so keen to get her actually running I just said go go go go go go all the way down… and she did! She did get 2 brilliant weave entries in these champ classes… not that she was running fast at them, but a huge improvement on a month ago.

She was very embarrassing in the Crufts Singles and ran past the first jump. I say ran, she trotted to me, with a big waggy tail. Extremely embarrassing. Then she missed her weave entry (a nice easy one), dorking around, so we came out took the easiest route possible to come out.

Sunday, Scandal’s Olympia qualifier, she was flying round, it felt amazing, I got through the bits I thought we wouldn’t… and then I forgot to say left, and Scandal ran past a jump. I am an idiot. She also bit me, very hard, which is the 3rd time in two weeks. Not a happy bunny. Scandal seemed to enjoy it though. Must manage her excitement better.

Then I did Honey’s Olympia… I GOT HER TUGGING IN THE QUEUE! MASSIVE ACHIEVEMENT! My achievement was short lived however, when it was our turn to run and Honeys legs turned to concrete when she refused to play tuggy and just sat there, looking bored. If nothing else, she has certainly taught me about humiliation. Anyway she ambled round at her usual “Half Hearted Honey” speed, somehow managed a clear although I thought she had refused a jump. And did a beautiful running dw. Damn that span.

Anyway I wasn’t really in the mood for any more agility after those runs, so we left, did the 2 hours home and then I met up with Laura and we took the dogs out for nearly 4 hours across the Mendips and Cheddar. This was definitely time well spent! I love our long walks.

Imogen did her first training session in 8 weeks with Honey and Tia (yay :)) and both dogs and Imogen were great. We set up some exercises from the Crufts Singles and champ from Hinckley and Imogen made them look easy…same old... Spaniel thoroughly enjoying having her buddy back :) hopefully they will finally get to do their first champ together next month.

Scandal is training well and being very cute and making me laugh lots with her cuteness. I so adore her. I am going to be doing a lot of thinking about how to manage her around the rings, she goes completely overboard sooo very quickly and it is hard to get her ‘alert’ but not completely past listening.

Oh I am hopeless, I forgot to mention that Ricky did an anysize class at Packington, and he won it! What a clever boy. At 12 ½ he is getting rather grey but still very happy, think he still has the mental age of a 2 year old but unfortunately the legs of a dog a bit older! Also strange that he is the same age as Imogen!! He is definitely more well behaved than she is :-P