Watford & Bretons

Watford was a bit damp and cold and a very long day, I got there at 8.30 and ran Dudley in his 5-7 jumping at 9.30 and then didn't have another run until 3pm again with Dudley and Tom and Suzi didn't do anything until after 3.30.

Suzi was really good and got clear rounds in both of her classes but as at 6pm there were still 50 odd dogs to go before her in the Eukanuba agility I gave up and headed home. Dudley did a really nice run in his jumping but I blocked his entry into the weaves so he got 5 faults there and in his agility someone was eating chips sitting by the ring and he got a whiff of them as he went over the A frame, I saw his head appear then disappear which was a bit of a shock as I thought he'd fallen off after that he wasn't interested so I cut the round short and just went over the finish. The chip eater was, in my view, someone who should have known better and who, I'm sure, would have been very quick to point out the error of my ways if I'd done the same thing.

I don't want to keep banging on but me and Tom's weaves are going to give me a nervous breakdown so you can imagine my joy when walking his 1-3 agility yesterday I realised there were NO WEAVES. Other people was saying that it would be the same to win out in a class with no weaves but I wouldn't have cared :) Unfortunatley poor Tom just didn't take off for one jump and hit it with his chest, he must have hit it quite hard as I turned round to see the pole chasing me down the ring and Tom looking a bit shocked but bless his little socks he didn't seem fazed and finished the course which was a fast straight line and I just kept my arm out shouting GO more and more breathlessly while cutting the corner as much as I dared. Andy and Kizzy won the class in about 27 seconds and Tom had done it in 32 which although a huge difference in agility terms would have been good enough for a place so I was well pleased with him. His jumping round was very good apart from his weaves so not too bad a day.

At Bretons today it was rushing about like a loony until about 10 then nothing until Dudley at 11.30 then hang around chatting until pairs at 3.15. It was really nice to sit and just chill out and chat and to be fair I think I run my dogs better if I'm slightly stressed trying to walk courses and not miss runs. Tom's agility was a nightmare in places and I've found out that I need to rethink trying to get to places to get a reverse in unless I can learn to run faster! Nancy suggested that I try a couple of runs where I pick Tom up before the weaves, get him lined up and work them as a seperate thing so after walking the jumping course I had a chat with the judge who said it would be fine for me try it to see if it worked. The weaves were near the end of the course and guess what he went straight in and carried on so I tried to keep my mouth shut and fingers crossed and before I knew it he was over the finish and clear and ended up in 7th place.

Suzi got her dog walk again and another clear in her agility but out of the placings but in her 4-5 jumping she put in a stonking round and came 4th even with a QE2 turn when we did a snake then had to turn and go back down it.

I would like to say a big WELL DONE to Andy and Kizzy and Karen and Todd who came home with trophies today (I'm really going to have to think of a way of nobbling those Obays)