30th/31st August

Letchworth, Huntingdon, Cambs.

Saturday I won the 6/7 jumping, Brad Moyler really won it  but the judge didn't see he had a pole down and he said it wasn't fair for him to win.

Sunday came 3rd in the nbc(Nothing but collies) jumping, 2nd in the power and speed and 3rd in the 6/7 agility.

The sun is still shining, but i am really glad to be going home for a few days, i feel exhausted and i am fed up with my caravan shower!

29th August

City of Birmingham Show, Stoneleigh.

I am actually at Letchworth show, but will be travelling to Birmingham from there.

'This is my second attempt at qualifying for Olympia, i have another chance tomorrow if i mess today up.

I came 2nd in the warm up event and 4th in the final.....the top 5 go to Olympia.

OLYMPIA HERE I COME!!!

22nd-25th August

Dog Vegas, Sunny Scunny (Scunthorpe)

This is the first time i have been to this show. F A N T A S T I C definately here next year.

Two 2nds and a 4th on the friday

A 5th on the saturday

A 2nd on the sunday

A 1st and  a 2nd on Monday.

What a result, and the sun shone every day.  Would have got another good place on saturday but I had asked Larry to throw my lead in at the end of the round for Wiz to grab, unfortunately he threw it just as he was taking off for the last jump and Wiz crashed it.  Larry was very sorry!!

15th-21st August

Dashing Dogs, Tattenhall, Cheshire

Fantastic start.  2nd in the Helter Skelter, 8th in grade 7 jumping, but like the weather, downhill from now on!

Went clear in the Team Dash, but someone in the team (me, Ruth, Rebecca and Larry)went wrong.

Rebecca and Breeze and myself had qualified for Laser Pairs Knockout at Wallingford in April and the final is held at this show.  Unfortunately Breeze went the wrong way over a jump.

Wiz took a tumble off the dog walk in the pouring rain, he seemed ok but i kept a close eye on him for a few days as he must be bruised.

12th/13th August

Dogs In Need, Suffolk

This is the first year that i have not been at this show all week.  It clashes with dashing dogs so i am only doing 2 days and then travelling on to Cheshire. I came 7th in the Champ Jumping, but that was all i managed to do.  On the Wednesday the wind suddenly took the a-frame up in the air and onto the weaves, bending the metal supports.  We were all walking the course at the time and how no one was hurt is beyond belief.  I decided that i would not risk running my dog in those conditions, unfortunately i was in the minority.

I suppose i ought to mention that Nicky, Woody, Jerry and the boys were camping for the week at the showground.  They had a 3rd place and a clear round which qualified them for the Dogs In Need Final on the Sunday!!!  What an achievement, they haven't even been doing agility for a year yet!

Sadly they were eliminated in the final, but they were there, alot of others don't make it!

WELL DONE NICKY AND WOODY!!!!!!!

9th/10th August

KC Festival, Peterborough

Came 2nd in the Open Agility and 7th in the 6/7 agility.

More importantly i had my first Olympia semi final.  Unfortunately i froze after the dog walk and got stuck behind a jump, how annoying was that?  Never mind, i have other qualifiers and will just have to try harder!

2nd August

Burridge, Southampton way.

One pairs run in the morning at 9am where both myself and Sam had poles down. Next run in the afternoon, at 5pm, which is the KC Olympia qualifier.  Came 5th, which means that i have qualified for the semi-finals at the City of Birmingham Show.

19th July

Newlands, Cranleigh, Surrey.

12th/13th July

Rugby.

This all seems blurry now, writing this  2 and a half months later.All i can remember is getting through to the Champ final and coming 4th!  This is the first time i have made the final as you have to go clear in both the jumping and agility round.

28th June

Dartford, Hayes, Kent.

Another hot one!  We came 4th in the power and speed, which qualifies us for the final at the agility club show at the end of July.  Unfortunately we are on holiday so can't go. Kathy and Pete came, but only Kathy and Ellie were competing.  Although Kathy didn't go clear, Ellie did some fantastic stuff and Kathy was pleased with her.  The weaves, for some unknown reason, had been a problem in training the  week before and they caught her out again at the show.

29th June

St. Edwards, Hayes, Kent.

Came 14th in the 6-7 combined jumping, which suprised me as Wiz had gone to the weaves instead of the jump and lost lots of time. Because Amanda Rogers had the same time we had a run off for  14th and 15th place.  I love run offs.  You can try different things and your dog already has an idea of where the course goes.  Sarah and Charlie had 10 faults in the agility (touchpoints) and Charlie messed about in the weaves in the jumping.

I can't remember what Nicky and Woody did, so it couldn't have been much.  Oh yes, they came 4th in the medium agility!!!!!  In the jumping they had 5 faults.  Will put Nickys winning round on 'you tube' when i get it. Nickys 3rd clear round.  Well done!

22nd June

Bretons, Hornchurch, Essex

Nice sunny day.  Won the pairs with Larry and Tye, which is our third double clear rounds in a row.  Nicky and Woody did a cracking clear round in the medium jumping, and would have got a place if she could have tightened up a huge turn at the top of the course.  Early morning seems to suit Woody, he was going the fastest I had ever seen him go.

21st June

Watford.

A bit of a trek to Luton for this show.  A miserable rainy morning, but a brighter afternoon, after i had left!  My second attempt at pairs with Larry and Ladd (having been dumped by Rebecca as her pairs partner!) and we won it!!!!  It must have been a good day because i came 1st in the G7 jumping as well.

14th/15th June

Axstane, Orsett, Essex.

I love Axstane, i think it is my most favourite show.

I got there at lunchtime to help set up the rings, and did ring party all day Saturday (mainly because the catering is so brill!)

On Saturday i came 5th in the 6/7 jumping and 3rd in the grade 7 agility.  On Sunday I could not get round any of the courses.  Rob offered to run Wiz for me in the Celebration Connection class.  This suits me as i cannot understand how to compete in this class!!  You have to complete 4 bonuses but connect them with only 3 jumps, or something complicated like that.   Anyway, Rob ran Wiz and came 5th.  He won a lead and qualified for the final at the Agility Club Show in July.  Unfortunately i am on holiday then and Rob is harvesting so Wiz will not be going.

7th/8th June

Thames, Newbury Showground

Hobbled to Newbury in my car, uphill at 30mph max.  Fantastic weekend.  Camped with Larry, Rob, Sam and the boys, and Rita.  Also next to my mate Jane, she lives in Suffolk, who i only get to see occasionally.  It was great having time to catch up with her. I came 6th in the kc olympia qualifier, which will give me a day at Peterborough trying to qualify for Olympia.  Also came 5th in the Pairs with Larry and Ladd.

31stMay/1st June

Hinckley, Leics.

Car died going up seven mile lane, so had to come home.  Fortunately Ruth was going to Hinckley and staying with a friend so she offered to tow me up there.Took Fred with me and just Wiz. Came 2nd in G7 agility and 12th in 6/7 agility.  The 12th place may get me to stoneleigh for the Olympia qualifier.  Just have to wait and see. Stupidly, i didnt secure the caravan properly to Ruths minivan and we left without it (well only a couple of yards!)

23rd May 2008

SUPADOGS!!!!!!! The hop farm

Fantastic.  Sun out, caravan out and my bestest agility friends next to me!!  Unfortunately, Nicky had decided to be unsociable and camp away from us, which was a shame.

Saturday:  3 runs, and each one i made silly mistakes. Sarah didn't come, she says she fell off the compost heap and sprained her ankle (yeah..right). Kathy came to run Ellie, but she was distracted and left the ring looking for Pete.  Nicky and Woody did some good stuff, but Woody also found other things more interesting and worth a second look!

Sunday:  I'm on a roll now!  Came 5th in 6/7 agility messed up my other 2 runs but hey, i've got all week!!

My star pupil, Nicky, did a fantastic clear round in her 1 and 2 jumping, what a result.  She would have ended up eighth, but they were only placing to sixth. I can hardly believe that she has done so well in such a short space of time.  I hope you are reading this Sarah, cos you could have been my star pupil but you are not putting enough effort in (compost heap my a**)!

Sunday night was great.  Gail, Larry, Ruth, Rebecca, Nicky, Jerry, Oliver, William and me,  fish and chips and alot of teasing of Nicky and Jerry over their next dog (obviously a collie).  Then a disastrous bingo evening in the big top, no winnings..

Monday:  Woke up several times in the night to the sound of heavy rain.  In the morning parts of the show had to be evacuated because of puddles. Then the river burst its banks.  That was the end of that.

Linda Croxford had put in lots of hard work and it was a very sad end to it all.

17th May 2008

BATS, Luton.

A long way to go for 2 runs. Managed to mess them both up, but was pleased that i got half way round a g7 agility course that i would have thought impossible.   The grade 6 before it had been bad enough with only 6 clears, so i had hoped the judge would make the grade 7 easier to give us a chance.  She didn't. Gail and Tizzy came 4th in the Grade 6 and Larry and Ladd came 5th.

13th May 2008

At about 9pm today my oldest dog, Fly, had a stroke.

She is disorientated, head tilted to one side, walking as if drunk and her eyes are flickering non-stop, but she is alive and that is all that matters.

She is going to be ok, thank god.

10th/11th May

Tunbridge Wells Show, Ardingly, East Sussex.

I've made it.....the caravans out.....the sun is out......and i'm out in it!

Apart from my stabilizer coming loose on the way, i was there nice and early to set up and do a bit of work marking people in on the gate.

The sun is shining, Orange Reef in hand, there is a god.

A really nasty, tight grade 7 course.  I couldnt even follow the numbers because some of them were round the backs of the jumps.  Still, i managed to come 5th, which really suprised me as my round was very jerky and big. Jump down in the Olympia qualifier.  Let the entire Pedigree Chum team down, Emily, Rebecca and Eve did fast clears, i sent wiz into the tunnel instead of over the jump.....felt really bad about that.  In the power and speed i didnt stand still for long enough and sent him over the wrong jump.

Sunday.

Crufts qualifier, wiz crashed a fence because i didnt give him enough room and hold the position i was in.  Went clear in the jumping but not good enough to get a place. Came 4th in Grade 7 Agility, beaten by his older sister Dizzy.

Exhausted!  glad to get home for a barbi in the field...wonderful but very pink and sore!

5th May,

Vyne, Newbury Showground,

I'm sick of this place, seems i'm always here!

Championship show, so 1 agility round, 1 jumping round and if you are in the top 20 from those 2 rounds, you go through to the final.

Messed up the agility, i don't think wiz could see the jump, my body was probably in the way.  Messed up the jumping, supposed to go in the wrong end of the tunnel, but it didn't happen! Hey ho!

In fact today is a 'do absolutely nothing right' day

3rd May 2008

Orchard Events, Hop Farm, Paddock Wood.

I looked forward to this day with trepidation!  But as it turns out i need not have worried! This was the first show for Kathy, Pete, Nicky and Sarah!!  If they had known how i was feeling, they would have probably not gone. They all did some fantastic stuff, and i am sure they are all proud of their achievements.  Protocol dictates that you drop your lead at the beginning of your run, and it is moved to the end of the course for when you finish.  Nicky took the lead off Woody and put it around her waist...... and no one said a word!!  The show was so relaxed and enjoyable, i felt lost without having a dog to run.

4th May 2008

Hop Farm again

Only Nicky and Sarah today.  Nicky was much more confident, and it showed in the positive way that she ran Woody.  Woody gets distracted, but now Nicky realised that it was not the end of the world if he went off sniffing, it just needed more drastic action to get his attention back onto her.  Sarah was in allsorts classes as Charlie was not jumping the full height.  I think we were all thrilled and amazed when she came 2nd in the jumping and 1st in the agility!

They all now know more of their strengths and weaknesses and what they need to work on.  I am so proud of them all, i remember my first show and how scary it was. They are amazing people... Kathy, who never wanted to run Ellie herself, Pete, who didn't want to compete, Nicky for being so diligent (and teachers pet!) and Sarah because she finds fun in everything!

27th April 2008

Lewes, Bentley wildfowl park and museum, Sussex

Lewes is nice, cos its very laid back, and most of my friends are there! Unfortunately there were only 15 grade 7 dogs there so despite getting 3rd and 4th places, they only actually place to 2nd place!! This is because they give rosettes to 10% of the class.

Drat and double drat!!

Rebecca Won Grade 6 agility with a stonking round....fantastic

But it was a wonderful day, Smiffys were doing the catering, so we ate well. The sun shone, the only downside was that eve's dog Gem was sick and very quiet so she took her to the vets on the way home and didn't compete. Malcolm kindly took me home.

26th April 2008

WBSDS,Newbury Showground

Another early start, but the weather is HOT!!

Emily won her first Grade 6 Agility.  She only needs 3 more wins (1 agility, 2 jumping) to progress to grade 7, on her current form i dont think it will take her long! 

I messed up most of my runs, but managed 5th place in Grade 6/7 agility. This is a two day show, but because lewes is on tomorrow and is local, i am not camping.

19th April 2008

Wallingford DTC, Newbury Showground, Berkshire.

Up at 5.30am to be picked up at 6am by Eve.  It doesn't seem such a good idea at that time of the morning!  My only run in the morning was the Laser knockout pairs which I was doing with Rebecca, my other 3 runs were after lunch.  The knockout pairs is a very exciting event and hypes the dogs up.  There are two identical courses which comprises of  10 obstacles, jumps, tunnel and weaves (6 only).  The pairs compete against each other, there is a judge for each pair and a baton change between the 1st and 2nd handler.  Wiz had a pole down in heat 2 but fortunately so did our competition and we were faster, so we went through to the next round. To cut a long story short, we qualified but went out before the final when Wiz had another pole down.  The actual final is at Dashing Dogs show in August somewhere near Wales.

Had two Grade 7's, jumping, went in the wrong end of the tunnel, and agility, just went horribly wrong.  Hey ho, its only a hobby!!

Grade 5/7 agility, clear round and 9th place. 

6.35pm arrived home.....exhausted but glad i made the effort to go.

13th April 2008

Lee Windeatt Training Day at East Peckham.

Grade 4/5 in the morning.  Loads of heavy showers, but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and feel that they had learned something from their 3 hours with Lee. 

In the afternoon it was the turn of grade 6/7.  We did some demanding stuff....drag and drop?? Rebecca and Ruth are coming over on thursday morning to try and get to grips with this new concept which i have seen Lee using and it works really well for him. Rebecca has kindly lent me her video camera so that i will be able to take better films, though i expect i will have to chase round after her at shows to film her...the price to pay for the use of it!!

 Despite the foul weather it was a great afternoon, with a group of people that I like spending time with. What could be better on a wet sunday afternoon!

5th April,

Scunthorpe, somewhere an awful long way up north near Grimsby!

I stayed the previous night with Sam and Rob in Lenham. We left at 4am....yes...4 in the morning!  It took about three and a half hours to get there and 250 miles.  Hail, wind, freezing, rain, sun, more rain, hail, freezing, loads of clothes on, absolutely awful.  My first Champ class, and i missed sending him in the tunnel..drat.  I won't tell you what i said to the judge when i went stupidly wrong in my Crufts qualifier but it included the f word.  I then decided to beat a hasty exit and waved my hand at the wishing well and said 'is it ok if i do that orange thing on the way out'!

Came 7th in the Grade 7 agility, despite Wiz making a beeline for the weaves when he should have been doing a jump.

Was I glad to get home, next time I mention Scunny, hit me over the head or something, just don't let me enter.

30th March 2008

Spring at Shuttleworth, Biggleswade

Day 2. I have never gone clear in a class that is judged by Iain Fraser, his courses are too twisty and too much running for me.  I went clear!! Came 5th!!  My other class was a disaster, told Wiz to go round the back of the jump and he didn't.....hey ho! But the good thing was that this weekend I managed to catch up with Jane who lives in Suffolk.  We talk on the phone alot, but we do different shows so don't see so much of each other.  She has a cracking beardie Koko who is very young.  She was fed up because he was not getting his contacts in competition but always got them at home.  Emily filmed her and she could see that she was bending down at the end of the dog walk, something she didnt do at home.   She text me when i was on my way home, saying she had her first clear agility round!! Brilliant, it shows how much you can get out of being filmed.

29th March 2008

Spring at Shuttleworth, Biggleswade.

This is held in the grounds of Old Warden Park, near Biggleswade. We were supposed to be camping but yet again the weather was foul and we heard that the caravans were being towed onto the site!  We decided to go daily.  Eve who lives near the Man of Kent was doing the driving, mainly because she has a 4x4 so we would not get stuck in any mud, but also her car was being repaired for the last 4 weeks and i had been ferrying her to shows and training.  Its about 100 miles away and meant leaving at 6.15 in the morning (must be mad).  Managed to come 7th in the helter skelter which is basically just going round and round in circles, great for really fast dogs.  Emily Barnes came 6th with her dog Josie (who shares the same father as Wiz), she beat me by 100th of a second.  Now you know why i say you must tighten your turns up! Every 100th of a second counts! My agility was a disaster, but once i had gone wrong i trained my contacts, so i at least got something out of it.  In my jumping class i pulled Wiz out of the weaves.

22nd March 2008

Easter Extravaganza, Ardingly, East Sussex.

Was supposed to be taking my caravan out for the first time for the weekend at Ardingly.  Unfortunately the weather was so bad that I was more worried that the show would be cancelled, than that I wouldn't be camping.  It was a grotty, snowy Saturday, 4 runs with Wiz, the first was an Olympia qualifier.  Messed this up on the pull through, so will practice that at home so Wiz learns the body language. Power and Speed consists of two parts.  The first part is the contact equipment and weaves.  You are not timed when you do these and you can set your dog up in between obstacles if necessary. The second part is a timed blast around a jumping course, but you can only do that if you complete the first part correctly, otherwise you are eliminated and have to leave the ring.  I came 9th in Power and speed, despite lagging behind on the home run. 

23rd March 2008

Ardingly again.

A disappointing run in the Grade 7 agility, didn't push Wiz on enough and he missed out a jump. Blizzard conditions outside!!  These had stopped by the time I had to run out there in the Grade 7 jumping, a clear round and into second place behind Toni Dawkins and her little merle collie, Kite.

16th March 2008

Whitstable agility group show (Wag)

It takes about an hour to get to Plum Pudding Riding Centre near Minnis Bay, but at least the weather was ok.  This show is in an indoor school.  Thought I had done a really nice round in the 3-7 agility, bit of a dodgy dog walk contact, so will train that in the next class.  Emily beat me with her little bitch Josie, who has the same dad as Wiz, I was second and Mac, my trainer, was third with Spud (a collie x lurcher).

Next was the accumulator.  Each obstacle has a points value and the idea is to get as many points as is possible within a set time (30 seconds).  I decided to train this round.  I ran Wiz off his contacts so that i could then reinforce them by making him put himself back on until I released him.  It seemed to work.

Next was the jumping round, Wiz won it, Mac was second and Jenny was third with Key (Wizs older brother).  Finally the helter skelter (which was a typical circular course) was 3 jumps into a tunnel, 3 jumps out and then around the outside of the ring.  Its really fast and exciting for the dogs and can really motivate some dogs.

15th March 2008

Mid Downs Dog Agility Club, Ardingly.

Its about 30 miles to Ardingly, so leaving at 6.30(!!) in the morning we were there by 7.15am.  There are 4 rings inside the indoor school, and 2 outdoor rings in menages.  Firstly I had my Supadog Agility grades 5-7 which is a qualifier for a final held in Peterborough in October.  The first six dogs qualify, but as the class was large and split into 2, 3 dogs from each part qualify.  Unfortunately I arrived at the end of the weaves before Wiz and stopped working them, so he came out 3 from the end which was quite a shock.

I then did my Grade 7 Agility, I was feeling sick, it seemed so tricky and loads of fiddly little bits.  I managed somehow to get Wiz round and ended up in 2nd place...amazing!

Lastly was 5-7 jumping outside.  I set Wiz far back from the start as I wanted to do a long recall.  Unfortunately he broke his wait and almost sailed past me (always keep your eye on your dog!).  This threw me a bit, and i dropped my arm causing him to have the pole down.  The rest of it went ok. The video of this will soon be posted so you can see how not to do it!

Despite the weather being fantastic, I was so pleased to get home, absolutely knackered!  Whitstable tomorrow.

 2nd March 2008

 C-side agility show.

C-side is the name of an agility club which is run by Val and Danny Clark,  they have a website http://bcbuddies.org/. If you have never been to C-side show, it is held at Golden Cross, just the other side of Uckfield, in a grotty indoor school.  It has one saving grace in that it does have a café, so when you are absolutely frozen from hanging about all day, at least you can get a hot drink and bacon sarnie. It takes about an hour to get there from East Peckham.

 The jumping course should have been quite straight forward as it was grades 1-7, but still I managed to mess it up. Too busy thinking about the turn after the jump, rather than getting over the correct jump to start with!

 Of course I am biased about the agility course, set by Becca Middleton, because I won it! (watch the video on the link). I thought it was a nice course for all grades, but then I would, wouldn’t I?

 I enjoy these winter shows, it’s a chance to catch up with people that you haven’t seen for a while and see new dogs starting to compete, the downside is that it is always dark by the time you get home and you are cold and often wet.

 These winter shows, C-side  and Wag (Whiistable Agility Group)at Whitstable, are not kennel club registered shows. Basically this means that they are not recognised by the KC and you do not get points for your wins.  The plus side is you can train in the ring (within reason)