I've told a fib..............

I told a fib in my previous posting, oh horror....not like me at all. But I thought about Rivioli and why did I not notice that she was going up a gear and realised actually it had been brewing for a couple of weeks. That totally reminded me of a seminar I went to by Dr. Ian Dunbar - years ago, and one of the points made that I remember is dogs always give information it is about how we interpret it and indeed if we interpret it at all? So I mulled a little more and thought back to Easter and training and yep the 'indications' were there, I was just so busy being so darn positive.  I had cheerfully disregarded them rather than be positive and solution driven? Big 'whoopsie oops' on my part and therein the tale of......."I've told a fib"


Dogs invariably tell us, we just have to be prepared to interpret!

Lincoln and Rivi changes gear

What weekend, it was me and Rivi on a crazy weekend. Rivi has change gear and forgot to tell me!!!! She was so fast, so far gone and ping ping ping. More pings than a ping ball machine! We only have 2 runs where I looked remotely like a co-pilot. We were apparently hugely entertaining to watch due to this, and why is it your crap moments are noticed and the hundreds of beautiful moments go largely uncommented? Still hopefully all the e’s are now out of our system. I don’t think I have ever had so many 'e's. The advantages of selective memory ;-) My timing was so far behind this new gear she has found I was saying tunnel at the point she had already been there, done that and wanting to do the next thing and then she is so good and helpful she was pinging over everything. Still thats agility the crazy rollcoaster ride of partnering the Rivioli. A beatuiful smooth uphill climb and then woohooo we tilt over into the crazy downhill part.

Zev was just fabulous, I can just read his expression and it’s like ‘game on’, I live in hope that he will pass the tip on to Rivi to let me know about gear changes!!! He got progressively faster as the weekend went on. How I wish we had our last grade 5 run on tape. With this earlier agility run I took the long way round to the A-F to ensure a straight approach in light of the wet ground conditions and made myside do a rear cross rather than a front cross.



Next weekend sees Zev in grade 6 and Bigs in grade 4 and an upward climb back to smooth for me and the Rivioli. The determination is kicking in.....

Naff photo - but sums it up... :-)

Another great weekend at Wallingford, weather, company and agility all great. Rivi, Zev and Big all achieved wins with us as their co-pilots. But for Zev and Big they are on freebies, so their wins don't count. With the Rivoli,  the win counts to her progression. So one more to go and we will be in Grade 7 and eligible for champ classes. Blimey, this season we are so ahead of aspirations, its incredible. The photo whilst naff i.e shadows, the glamour of wearing crocks, fleeces etc.,. clearly gives the other side of  why I enjoy camping at agility shows in great weather. It is just chilling with the guys. And this naff photo demonstrates it perfectly...thanks to Marc :-)

Easter ....wooohoooooooo..........

Well, smack and bam did our guys exceed all our aspirations and hopes for the Easter Weekend. Bigs is now grade 4, Zev is now grade 6  and Rivi had 2 wins towards grade 7.  It was just surreal....I am still in a dreamy daze and I was actually very emotional as I am now getting so near to one of my goals which is being in Champ classes with my guys. I used to luv stepping on that start line with Nuts and thinking 'yeah, game on', learning that nerves are adrenalin and priming me for action - what a thrill.


One of the courses Rivi won was a real Grade 7 level as the 6 and 7s were running over the same course, and I was so chuffed as at one point I felt myself going to fall over and I mentally told myself 'you are not falling over, it is going too well' and blimey I did not and we won. Watch the video and you see the recovery.

Agility it is just so amazing how the guys continue to improve, get faster and even little Bigs on his first run his contacts were considerably slower than at training. But with each day the performance of obstacles improved. And that is gratifying knowing that so much more fun is still to come. And all I remember are the ones that went right, as so much went right and the 'if onlys' binned and forgotten. I am so glad I retrained my brain to think and focus on the positive. Those pesky 'doubting thomas's' are now very few and far between and have become more of an analytical tool. 

This weekend at home - in a day dream and much achieved and Marc cooked for friends - he has got the hang of the electric cooker, more so than me ;-) However, I am excellent at pouring the wine.