April Nuts

Due to the snow our next show was at the beginning of April.......The first Agility Nuts of the summer season held at the beautiful Kelham Hall.

I was judging the Agility classes on Saturday so only took Reno to run.  Can't remember exactly what happened apart from his runs were a bit all over the place :-)

Here are my courses from the afternoon -

Nursery Agility



Elementary Agility

Veteran Agility

Starters + Agility

My job on the Sunday was to Ring Manage so I had more time to concentrate on my boys :-)

Kiros is still running lovely but slowing down a bit so my timing is all over the place causing him to be E'd in the jumping and pulling him off the Dog Walk contact in the Agility.  He came 2nd in Pen's "Snakes" class and 1st in Andrew's TFO Agility:-)

Here's Reno's results from Sunday:-)

Starters + Snakes:- Judge - Pen Sensky - Reno's tunnel obsession has got worse!!!  (if I manage to post the video of his runs at Lincoln this weekend you will see what I mean) He can even find them when they've got their back to him so, obviously, this course wasn't going to suit him.  True to form he got E'd by going into the first tunnel he saw.

Starters + Agility:- Judge - Andrew Green - This course was definitely more on the + side of Starters!!!  Reno ran it really well responding to my handling and good stops on contacts so I decided to command him take an obvious tunnel after the A frame as a reward.

Starters + TFO Agility:- Judge - Andrew Green - A frame not so good this time so I put him back on.

Starters + Jumping:- Judge - Ann Miller - Clear!!!!  Not very pretty and a few battle of wills but I got him round and we came 3rd :-)

Back to Blogging!!!

It has been such a long time since I last posted anything on this blog that it would be impossible for me to get totally up to date......so I want to start with my latest KC Judging appointment at Dog Vegas on 16th March.

This was the first time that I've judged jumping classes at a KC show.  I normally prefer to judge Agility as you have to move about more (which helps me concentrate!!) but I found the whole day really interesting and was totally amazed at how many different ways competitors could think of to handle my courses.

My first two classes were Any Size and Veteran Helter Skelter followed by Veteran Jumping.  My initial challenge was how to fit a Helter Skelter into a long, thin ring and then how to design a Jumping course for roughly the same dogs that didn't involve moving much and wasn't just another Helter Skelter!!!!! 

Any Size and Veteran Helter Skelter

Veteran Jumping

I always love to watch the lovely oldies still enjoying Agility and was delighted with the young dogs that did so well on the HS course.

The next course was Graded 6-7 Jumping for all heights.

Of all of the courses I have designed so far this is the one I am most proud of :-)  I'd already tried it out in training (non of the dogs were running it at DV - in fact only one was G6) so had an idea of how it would run.  On the day I decided to put 12 the same side as 10 as I felt that was still a testing weave entry but not quite as hard.

There were some great displays of handling at all heights.  It's often said that handlers at this level don't run jumping courses to win them but I can honestly say that this wasn't the case on this course!!!!  The times of the top Large Grade 7 dogs ranged from Lucy and Ben's 1st place - 30.435 to Ray and Limit's 4th place 30.733!!!  But no-one beat Marc and Dixie's time in Grade 6 - 30.366.

Then onto Large Graded 1-2 Jumping

The majority of faults/eliminations on this course were at the weaves but there were also quite a lot of handlers not working 15-18 resulting in their dogs running past jumps.  Having said that I was pleasantly surprised with how well 9-13 was handled.  I felt that treating it as a serpentine was fastest but it could also be handled with front or rear crosses.

My final course was Large Graded 4-5 Jumping

My aim for this course was to present handlers with two options - a shorter twistier course or a longer straighter course.  The challenge was to decide what suited your dog best!!!  A lot of handlers spotted the choice 10-11 with the majority choosing the shorter route (turning the dog after 10 to take the gap between 10 and 9).  My preferred route with Reno was to turn him around the far wing of 10 to make a fast straight line to 11.  Jackie intended to take that route with Speedy but somehow managed to push him all the way around 9 before getting to 11 wasting time!!!

The other choice was 16-18 with every handler choosing to pull their dog through the gap between 16 and 13 then turn them on 17 (although some didn't resulting in their dogs taking 10 again).  For Reno, I felt this sequence worked better when I front crossed between 15-16 and then pivoted him around the top wing of 16 opening up a lovely straight line to the finish. I really must set this up in training and time it:-)

My next KC Judging appointment is at Empingham in July.  It seems like ages away but I'm sure the time will fly.........I've already got a few ideas for courses and am so looking forward to Judging my first qualifier KC Olympia ABC Stakes :-)

Last KC show of the year

And a change of venue that was definitely in our favour:-)

Bakewell Showground wasn't in a good way after the rain the week before so the Dog Vegas team managed to move the show to Southwell Racecourse.  Just a 30 min drive from home!!

Reno definitely saved his best for last with just 3 eliminations over the weekend and 3 clear rounds.

Graded 4-5 Jumping - Judge:- Lisa Pluves - This course frightened me!!  It had two sets of 6 weaves - one following the other with right angled entries.  I really shouldn't underestimate Reno as he did them lovely, only to be E'd when I miss timed a four jump Flick-Flack pushing him through a gap rather then over the jump.

Graded 4-5 Jumping - Judge:- Tom Greening - Clear and 9th place. The only way I could think of to handle this course was to race into a box for a front cross.  I managed to get there but really slowed Reno down in the process:-(

Graded 4-5 Agility - Judge:- Kevin Lampitt - Really loved this course and Reno ran it so well.  Just a 5R in the weaves as I set him up wrong after a front cross but great contacts.

Graded 4-5 Agility - Judge:-Ian Dobison - I think the biggest mistake that I have made with Reno is allowing him to run onto tunnels without making it clear that I am asking him to do them.  In a recent training session with Jo Tristram she stressed that anyone that sends their dogs to tunnels without running at them is setting themselves up for failure in the future.  How true!!  This course started jump, weaves, tunnel and because Reno could see the tunnel entrance when I set him up he made a bee-line for it missing the weaves E'd!! 

Graded 4-5 Jumping - Judge:- Stephanie Wilson-Astbury - Clear but I mucked up a pull-through waisting time.  After the training session with Jo T I don't think I'd make the same mistake again!!  Really impressed with Reno's independent weaves on this course.

Graded 4-5 Jumping - Judge:- Heather Mitchell - Clear again but out of placings.  I forgot the course and sent Reno the wrong way only to have to call him back again - Nice dog shame about the handler!!

Combined 3-5 Agility - Judge:- Sam Chapman -  Going really well until Reno came off the side of the See-Saw (I think I set him up wrong!!) so E'd when I put him back over it.

I'm sorry to say that i don't remember Kiros's runs at this show but am convinced that they were all clear.  After all, my perfect boy never does anything wrong does he?  Hehe!!

Agility Nuts KC Show

Rather unexpectedly my next KC Judging appointment came at this show being called in as a reserve Judge with just a few days notice!!

The selection of classes was great, judging Agility for all levels of large dog and a class for the small dogs as well.  The biggest challenge was having to judge large grade 7 dogs twice - Large Combined 6-7 Agility and Large Grade 7 Agility.  My solution was to make the two courses completely different so the handlers/dogs had to utilise and demonstrate different skills on both.

The courses ended up slightly different on the ground to what they are here.  We struggled to locate the A-Frame so it didn't wobble!!!

Large Graded 1-3 Agility

Small Graded 1-4 Agility

Large Graded 4-5 Agility

Large Combined 6-7 Agility

Large Grade 7 Agility





Again some great runs from all levels and really worthy winners.  Commiserations has to go to my good friend Michelle and her dog Dex who were leading the Grade 3 Agility only to be pipped by the last dog:-(

Competing the next day was a struggle for Reno and me.  I was absolutely shattered after judging the day before in the blazing heat and Reno let me know that I'd deserted him!!!

Our only clear came in the pairs with Tiber (but it's fair to say that our leg could have been better!!)

Naughty contacts in both Agility runs and bad handling by me in both jumpings.

Kiros ran all his courses lovely and even managed an 8th place in the Veteran Helter Skelter.

Congratulations to Paul and Pen for putting on one of the best KC shows of the year and to Pen for providing by far the best food.........Yum!!!!!!