Friends Reunited

Kiros, Reno and I went down to Dorset this weekend and Ronnie stayed at home to keep Ade company.

Although we were all looking forward to the weekend we were a little apprehensive of how Reno and Ollie would react to one another as they hadn't met since Easter and Reno is a lot bigger now!!

We needn't have worried as they just started where they left off last time. Re still looks at Ollie as "Boss" even though he is a lot smaller then him.

As the weather has been really hot we spent a lot of time chilling in the garden with the dogs.

Reno would like to inform everyone that he is now officially a Big Boy - He's cocked his leg!! He's only done it a couple of times and only if he really has to but he has done it.

I went back to Agility training last night (I hadn't gone for about three weeks because of my leg). Kiros worked really well, he was so excited to be back, just a couple of knocked poles but we're used to that.

Reno was a very good boy when I look him in before class started. He was really excited to see everyone and was incredibly relaxed with people fussing him. I'm hoping he is beginning to get over his "freakyness" around strangers as I've entered him in a breed show at the beginning of August and it could be really embarrassing if he barks at the Judge.

Kiros and Harley's ABC Semi Runs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBOBP7ggFMg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN98_-ZSfD8

I can see why the judge didn't know Kiros had entered the tunnel. It doesn't look like he did from the angle of the Video, does it? I'm even more gutted now!!

ABC Semi-Final and Newton Heath

What can I say? - I'm currently feeling really bad as I let my Kiros down in the ABC Semi.

Ann ran him during the day on Saturday to save my leg and, although he ran well for her, it was obvious that he'd rather have been with me. "Great" I thought, "He's really going to go for it in the Semi with me running him".

I had a really good running order, 23, and was confident when I walked the course as there was nothing in it to worry me. It suited our handling system plus I could utilise Kiros's independent contacts to get in front of him when required.

Kiros really attacked the first half of the course but it all started to go wrong when he slipped off the side of the See-Saw. Worried about what had happened I spent to long watching him come down the A-frame and was then out of position to pull him into the wrong end of the tunnel. I screamed at him but clearly saw his nose go into the tunnel before he came towards me and into the correct end. Deflated I just jogged to the end giving Kiros no direction so he went over the wrong obstacle after the tunnel - At which point I saw the Judge signal an Elimination!

Apparently from where he was standing he couldn't see the tunnel so hadn't eliminated us at that point.

I feel so stupid as I'm constantly advising my Pupils not to assume they have failed their test, no matter what they do, as the Examiner may not see things the same way that they do. Seems I'm not very good at following my own advice!

On the plus side - My leg held up well but I'm going to take a rest from Agility for a week or two now to make sure it heals properly. I don't want to end up like Ray who ran an amazing round with Bella in the Semi in absolute agony as he was running on a recurring calf strain. At least they qualified for Olympia.

I have to mention Harley run. He was a really good boy, taking the Dog Walk and the Weaves in his stride and coming away with only 5 faults for a refusal.

The outstanding run of the Semi, in my opinion, was Grace and Kiah's. But for a knocked brick on the Wall they would have qualified in 2nd place. Well done Grace. You'd better get yourselves qualified for next year!!

My plans for the rest of the year? - No more holding contacts! Lets see just how close to Grade 7 we can get - If only I could remember the courses (anyone who saw me run Norman's Crufts Agility yesterday will know what I mean!).

Anyway, less of the Agility! Here are some photo's of the boys playing in the Garden. I've managed to get the three of them posing together.

"Big" Weekend!

Our Big Weekend has arrived - We're leaving for "The Plough" at about 4pm. It will be Reno's first weekend away so I hope he settles ok.

My Calf isn’t hurting anymore but I can still “feel” it which was what it was like last weekend before it went again. Because of that I’m not running at all until the semi. I’ve had to withdraw from the DARL Final (which is a shame as I was on a high after coming 2nd in that last year) and Ann is running Kiros’s Saturday classes.

I have to say I’m feeling a bit apprehensive about the semi. What do I need to do to give myself confidence? We’re grade 6, we qualified last year and came 4th at Olympia and we’ve already qualified for next year – the opposition should be scared of us!!

Good Luck to Ann and Harley. I really hope they both enjoy the run and Harley gets round the course without getting "spooked" by the Dog Walk or Weaves.

Best Wishes to all the other competitors that I know, to numerous to mention, especially Grace and Kiah and Anne and Kafka, who are competing for the first time.