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Congrats on your DD and Elsie!! She looks stunning in those photos :love:

Zeus and I stepped into our first agility beginners class at a new club -- I'm still trying to find somewhere that we both just fit in and click. We had a go in the final class of an 8 week beginner's course and Zeus was amazing. He has such drive for the obstacles and there were comments that he looks like he's done training before!

He's never seen an A Frame or tyre jump before but no hesitation to run up the frame or jump through the hoop. Only issue was with the weave poles, however, even that wasn't as disastrous as I'd expected. Definitely going back next week to join up and start the course from week one; will have to see if I can con my brother into coming along to film some of it eventually!

I'm just excited that finally, after 4.5 years of trying to get Zeus into agility, it looks like I'm well on my way. I even have the paperwork filled out to have him listed on the Associate Register already :laugh:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Oh my goodness but Elsie is adorable DD!!! Congratulations on all your success of late - you really deserve it after all the work you've put in :)

We were very fortunate to have fine weather over the weekend for 2 days of jumping and agility in Darnum. I managed to set my tent up ringside so I could just get out of bed and walk the courses - brilliant!!!

Em's in Masters Jumping now so much less running between rings - and I really like running 2 very different dogs....generally the course suits at least one of them. However, I've really neglected agility training over the last 6 weeks - Em has been training/competing heavily in retrieving and life has been a little hectic.

Em ran really well for her first weekend in Masters - no passes but super fun, speedy and awesome steering. I pushed her off course in one run and she had a few dropped bars in the others due to not judging her take off point properly - I suspect all her retrieving training has taught her to a) look 100-150 m ahead and b) smash through everything in her path to get her reward. But she is much improved and there was no shutting down.....the last run of the day she was doing an amazing job but pulled up short of the tunnel when her nose got wind of the cows in the next paddock....although that was called a refusal she quickly engaged her brain again and kept running.

Zig's steering certainly wasn't up to his normal standard and he was slower than usual - we have been running him off leash but he is not sprinting fit. He still managed 2 nice Masters Jumping passes, 1 Masters Agility pass and he WON Open Agility with a clear round to boot! I am still "wow" over that one :) We nearly had another pass in the bag for the last (really tough) run of the weekend but I slipped over causing Zig to check to see if I was ok and thus run past the correct jump - oops! There was an awesome raffle and I won a huge selection of dog treats courtesy of one of our trialler's small businesses: Aussie Agility - a very generous prize indeed.

The dogs bounced out of bed this morning.....wish I could say the same for me!

My camp....I could have stayed a week:

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My view:

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Edited by The Spotted Devil
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  • 2 weeks later...

Last trial of the year and I actually put in some training - amazing how it pays off!

I pushed Zig all day - some awkward agility courses for a big dog but he pulled off a tough qually (here! here! here! was ringing in his ears poor lad!) and he had some nice Masters Jumping runs with another very fun qually to finish off the year. Little Em came out all gun(dog)s blazing - a few knocked bars and some pre-empting on serps undid us in the first few runs but she then pulled a lovely run out of the bag for her first Masters Jumping qually! Apparently her jumping was much more balanced and length was tighter - she started jumping early on the last 6 jumps, which followed a tunnel - think this might have happened before so at least now I know to reengage when she comes out of a tunnel. Final run, I was late with my threadle arm so she took the back of the jump but no knocked bars so I was really pleased. What a lovely way to end the year - you can come into season whenever you want Em :)

Edited by The Spotted Devil
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Well done TSD!

We had our very first go at masters agility and she had tonnes of fun in the first run, didn't get a fairly hard weave entry but watching the more experienced handlers I would have handled it much differently so put that one in the learnt basket!

Had a couple of fast master jumping runs but silly handling errors again!

Second agility run and she basically walked the course, we went clear but over time. Thinking back as soon as she just jogged along the dog walk which was the second obstacle straight after a jump, I should have just ran her home. She does running contacts and did stunning contacts in the morning run so it should have twigged then :(

I knew she was a little over it and was doing my pre run razz up which got me a faster dog in the earlier runs but due to a few scratchings went in earlier than expected :( Oops

We packed up and came home after that :laugh:

That is possibly our last trial for awhile, there is an afternoon single trial in February (I think) next year I might do, but then we are out as hopefully we will have Jovi puppies :D

So very proud of my beautiful little girl, been trialling for just over a year and in between seasons, other sports and a handler who had the worst handling skills (still working on this!), managed to get into masters already :)

Edited by tollersowned
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Ack - just wrote long post - thought I'd posted twice - deleted - all gone :banghead:

Basically - went like this :thumbsup::cheers: to TSD and the kids. Nice way to finish the trialling year.

And TO - you should be proud of your girl - getting to Masters in such a short time is huge!

Last agility trial of the year for us last Saturday in beautiful weather at Launceston. No Qs for either of mine, but happy with a lot of what we did - and especially happy that my little old feral Kirra ran 7 runs happily, and pulled up fine. (Pulled out of the last one - a tricky JDM - thought there was too much chance that tired dog and tired handler might end up with an injury. Plus we'd just gone 1.4 seconds over in JDO (my fault - trust your dog :hitself: .)

The misguided missile, Rory, was less misguided, and was starting to listen around the contacts a bit more - even did 6 weave poles before the excitement got to much forhim to maintain his rhythm :laugh: . Need to teach him that the tyre is actually a jump obstacle, not a barge through :laugh:. On the plus side, he's running his lines nicely, and I'm learning to trust him, and just try to concentrate on getting to where I need to be for the next piece of handling. (Need to get fitter!)

Think you have a point TSD

I actually put in some training - amazing how it pays off!
Poor boy has had zero agility training for weeks - too busy doing other disciplines and trialling.

Anyway - for your amusement - here's his fourth run for the day - my 10th - Novice Jumping - 2 bars down - my fault - brain and lungs were too stuffed to give him the verbal directional he needed to make the turn onto the jump before the tyre - then he lost faith in me and turned back before the end. Poor lad. He needs a younger handler :p

Edited by Tassie
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I wondered what happened to your post Tassie!

Just watched Rory's video briefly - wow! Have you both improved or what!!!!!! Much less babysitting, sending, independence - yay! It was only those last few jumps where it fell apart - you did great!!!

Glad Kirra finished the season fit and healthy....I'm off to physio tomorrow to fix my broken bits :)

Training is GOOD! I'm having lessons every Tuesday night for December with Em - she is soooo different to handle and I'm finally finding out why she is doing "weird" stuff (i.e. stuff I'm making her do) like falling on her shoulder on a lead out pivot :eek:

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Wow Tassie, Rory is doing great!!!! thumbsup1.gif

Well done to everyone who has had great success this year! And wow TO, masters already, well done!!!

I had an absolutely awesome time at the agility trial last Saturday night. No clears, but wow my dogs were running the most focused and fastest they have done in a while!

Ruby tore around ADX and weaved with much bounce to end up DQing (took an off course tyre when she should have weaved as she was just in "squeeeeeee!!!" mode and just roared onto the next thing in her sight! For her, LOVE IT!) and then missed her A-Frame contact. Then onto JDM for her and again, she tore around the course like it was the best thing ever! Just the one knocked bar, my fault for not supporting it enough before taking off :( Would have been in time, too!!! Definitely one of the best runs I've had with her! :D I will have to upload it later and share because I am just so pleased with her.

Disclaimer: when I talk about Ruby tearing around an agility course, I am not comparing her to the fast dogs! I am comparing her to her slower self!

Millie got one fault in each of her ADX and JDM runs. She ran well and didn't blow me off to sniff (ok, just a slight sniff when she stuck her seesaw contact!) AND got her weave entry and stayed in them! Nice weaves they were, too :)

Pippa ran like a little ninja :laugh: She came undone in AD because her mum was standing outside the ring so had to run out again to see her before the last obstacle. Sent mum home before her JDX run and she stayed in the ring, just one refusal. I didn't have to baby sit as much, she is starting to be a bit more independent thumbsup1.gif

Edited by RubyStar
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:rofl: RS -

took an off course tyre when she should have weaved as she was just in "squeeeeeee!!!" mode and just roared onto the next thing in her sight

Sounds like Mr Rory in agility. :laugh:

Sounds like you and the three girls had lots of fun - and a lot to be really happy about.

TSD - so jealous about your lessons. That's what I really need ... well - any chances to train on the equipment would be good, let's face it - but with a trainer would be even better. Trying to organise something in the summer - at least a few times would be better than none. :)

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