Some Oh So High Moments with Zev

Some oh so high moments with Zev this agility season - A series of first achievements for me and Zev. We came

• 2^nd in the Medium KC qualifier for the semi’s at Thames, so now have a chance to qualify to run at Olympia
• 1^st in the Crufts Singles at Landsdown (Marc won the smalls with Big, so nice to do the double)
• 1^st in the championship jumping qualifying round at Tuffsbury

This is so exciting. Then another bonus was Marc and I with Zev and Big achieved another double at Tuffsbury by qualifying for the Pro-Plan final in September.

However, our record for getting through to champ finals is abysmal this year. Last year I think we only failed to qualify for 2 finals. This year up to the end of June we have qualified for just one!!! Talk about a reversal and that’s a bugger. The getting to shows is costly and we luv running in the finals it real ‘by the sit of your pants’ stuff. So the focus for the rest of summer is champ. This focus has made the difference, we made the last 3 finals and we won our second championship ticket at the Agility Club Show on 27^th July 2013, then the icing on the cake was the next day we won the Medium KC qualifier. What a weekend of determination, focus and sheer highs of running agility courses :)

 

 

For me it is a sense of achievement and recognition of an evolving handling style and a fabulous sheltie, who gives so much. To some this may seem a ‘bragging’ post, but what the heck we achieved this and this is a record and celebration of that achievement. And good stuff happens to need celebrating...

 

 

Time to get a life back :):):) the course is finished!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wingate-Wynnes @ WAO Spain 2013

It has been intense. Marc and Big’s at WAO’s in Oviedo, Spain – fabulous 2 seconds and 2 firsts, a good clear in the team to assist England to achieve a Silver team medal. In England they have won two reserve tickets and qualified for the semis. Great form. For me grooming for Bigs to sitting last major exam, submitting an assignment and doing a presentation.  The discipline to keep going the last two years has been intense. With agility it has been a case of there but not there, so much

studying and how Zev and I have managed to achieve being reserve

Bear and Zev - play time

both for WAO England and Team GB, whilst all this is going on is both amazing and crazy. Being the team reserve has it down and up sides. The training sessions meant Zev and I were getting some training, remembering agility and gaining some great ideas to improve our competitiveness. The down side of being the reserve is just being nearly there but not there!!!! Mentally it is quite a challenge, but I’d rather be a reserve and than not gain a place at all.

I am already thinking how I can make me and Zev a better and faster team. As the rules for having a chance to try out for representing Team GB have changed. Understandably I get why, but bugger me we need to seriously raise our game. How much can we max out of our performances every time? We are so on the edge J, so I need to now get back to agility being seriously fun and nail those courses.
We have ordered some more and much needed agility equipment so that we can start to set proper courses rather than elements of courses. This should be arriving this month. Who knows I might do some teaching of agility again?

Then the beautiful Bear continues to be a delight and lead me quite the merry dance. He has topped it by having his first fox poo-roll. Darn, foxes coming into the garden ;)

 

The Bear @ 4 months :)

Bear at 4 months - Mar 13

Well it is a crazy time with a puppy to entertain, exams coming up in May and the agility season to commence. Talk about trying to cram it all in. What can I say about having a puppy after a five year wait, it is chaos, brilliant, occasionally frazzling and so exhilarating. I so luv the whole puppy thing apart from house training especially as it has been one of the coldest March and April since the
records begun etc etc.,.

With learning and developing for me and Bear the focus is on life skills and what I call co-incidental learning. Like with the cone that Bear goes round in the video clip, he is just following the toy  - the cone to him is co - incidental and it is me who is excited as it is a cone ;) little sessions and not to repetitive and not as a drill.  I am really pleased that he will now run around with a toy in his mouth rather than try to get Zev's fur, that was a behaviour that I definitely did not want forming and fortunately the toy playing has stopped it. Phew!

What do we have as the basics of behaviours that I will be able to cue or be useful in no specific order:-
- sit  - park your bottom please
- recall/chase - run round with your human
- play with toys - even whilst the other guys are running around
- get your treat bag - get your treat bag and bring it to your human who will give you sausages
- hand touch - wanting both hands touched

Bear at 4 months - having a soft chew

- respond to praise - that Bear indicates he is really pleased with rewards i.e showing what he finds  - rewarding
- loose lead walking
- wobble board - balance and turn around on
- back up - to go through doors
- lead on

So far Bear has fitted in with all the guys really well, and seems to really enjoy camping which is brill as that is currently a big part of our agility lifestyle. Hopefully we will have many years of fun and entertainment with this little cutie...

Training With Janita Leinonen - A great day :)

Last year, Marc had the opportunity to train with Janita Leinonen and Jaakko Suoknuuti and this year we were really lucky to get the opportunity to train with them again as Nic Jones organised a training day. Janita and Jaakko are phenomenal agility handlers and we admire the style in terms of how they
communicate the course to the dog and enables the handler to move around the course - with fluidity, swiftness and clarity.

For me as with my own particular things that I need to minimise or strengthen it suits me particularly well, I have to work at the movement but once I get it, it feels natural and fluid in terms of movement. I remember the day after Marc did the training last year and his handling just went up a whole level. Really exciting and gives me even more to look forward to when Bear will start his training.

To start Janita gave us the opportunity to practice particular moves that we need to learn so that we will be able to teach ourselves and our dogs. That was a good workout and means that the dogs were happy as they had done decent work before we had our individual sessions.

As an individual we got 22 minutes and this was timed. This is great as it means your free to relax, watch, prepare and cool down whilst it is not your turn. It also means that it is very fair, you all get the same amount of time and can work on specific elements that are personel to you. This approach really suits us.

Janita as a guide to their style of handling was clear,  supportive and encouraging. It was a great day :)

Mister Bigs and Zev @ Crufts 2013

What a brilliant event this is. And this year the excitement was built as Marc and Big had qualified for British Open, Singles, Team and Championship. They were gonna be busy for sure. Then Zev and Me achieved my dream of being in the Agility Championship at Crufts. It was also extra special as it was Zev's mommas retirement Crufts and what a fabulous sheltie she is not just talented but a super nice sheltie too. To me the Championship event is the one to qualify for, whereas Marc would say all of them are. In fact Marc has already given me instructions to qualify for more events ;) We had a brilliant time and Sunday being Championship day was a new thing for me and Marc both in the same event albeit different height categories. Mentally we handled that aspect pretty darn well.

The links are to Bigs Jumping Win in the British Open, The Beacon Small Team Win and The Champ Finals as Marc and Bigs made it through.

The Kennel Club and Crufts so great with the videos to share with all. Incredible to us Mister Bigs Jumping Win has already had 14,000 views. He is becoming famous methinks, as a poodle should be. Next month the work begins to qualify for Crufts 2014.