Spring at Shuttleworth

After struggling to find the venue as the post code got my sat nav to try and take me down a bridleway and there were no instructions on the schedule and the sign put out was so small I couldn't actually see it when I'd stopped right next to it I got out to find the whole showground covered in sheep poo, my first thought was 'God this is going to be worse than I thought' BUT after I'd had a cup of coffee, found my friends, moved my car next to their caravan and let the dogs out into their garden I chilled out a bit and waited to walk my first course.

It happened to be Tom's jumping and once I'd walked it I thought it was really nice, the start had a lot of people wondering how to do it, I worked the first two as a snake and then did a push through to three which worked really well and meant that I wasn't racing ahead of him and once I'd made sure he was committed to the tunnel as quite a few dogs were going in and turning round there was a straight line down once side of the ring which he flew down, at the end of the straight I said 'Tom, right, Tom weave' and he went in and did all 6. I was slightly gobsmacked and Tania said the look on my face was classic but I pulled myself together and managed to get as far as 15 before he went past the jump, I think I may have said tunnel too early but I got him back with no sniffing and he came back and we had another go, unfortunately, he then went and did the wrong end of the tunnel before completing the course. Looking back I think he did this because he was looking at the wrong end when I told him 'tunnel' again. I was so pleased with him as even with all the sheep poo in the ring he didn't even attempt to sniff. The plan of the course is below.



His agility was Graded 1-3 with a finish that I thought was a bit unfair on some of the grade 1's, I've put the plan below. I wasn't the most interesting course I've ever run having a star in 3 corners but it meant I could practise my bum ins which Wendy would have been proud of :) We got eliminated at 12 as he went all the way round and I just kept going which I think was the best thing to do as he did the last part of the course so well and shot into the weaves, whizzed through and sailed over the last two jumps while I was still at the end of the weaves. Once again not a sign of a sniff and great contacts. He's still a bit slow coming down the dog walk so as he started down I shouted 'ready, ready GO' which seemed to help but probably not something to encourage.



The plan below is Dudley's agility which I really enjoyed running and only got bitten at the bottom of the dog walk, I have to admit to calling him a bastard and was fully expecting the judge to say something but perhaps I said it in a sign of affection voice as he didn't.



Dudley got clear rounds in both agility and jumping and within the course time and was really up for it,so much so that in his jumping he left me standing at the start and I had a bot of a 'Benny Hill moment' having to catch up.

Suzi, well the less said about her the better, she was just not listening to me in the jumping and went really slowly in her agility and ran past the A frame and weaves. Hopefully next weekend we'll get it together.