We are now Novice!!!!!

Saturday we managed yet another 3rd place at agility - this has allowed us to go out of the beginners level, and into Novice.
Sunday wasn't so nice - it was almost like starting right from the beginning. All those fast dogs and tricky courses. I was eliminated on the agility course, on the jumping we knocked two poles down.
On the whole I think it went OK, maybe just my nerves, and KT being a little on the tired side after competing two days one after the other.
Funny thing though, the others were discussing how they were fractions of a second behind 1st placed dog, I was about 10 seconds behind 1st and 2nd! Lucky I guess to get third, we only needed a clear round to go up a level. Give me another year and we'll be doing well at novice. KT will be an old lady by the time we get to Champs!!!!!! Oh well!!!!!

Great News

KT, my irish setter, today, scored a third place in an agility competition. Isn't she great. Can only get better!

Summer of 2007

KT is never really happy in the hot sunshine - she drags her feet when I take her out for a walk when I come back from work in the evening. She does love going down to the river on days like this. It's like an amazing metamorphosis, from a sluggish dog, to an hyperactive, oh what fun it is to play in the river (and mud), dog.

KT's in season again, having to keep a close eye on her. She was demanding more attention than usual, but this is settling down now. A few more days to go and we'll have the all clear. I reckon the next time KT comes into season will be Feb/March 2008. Hopefully it will be before the clocks change, and the evenings start becoming light again.

I find it amazing how much KT is tuned into "me"! She knows what I'm going to do, when I'm going to do it. She seems to understand anything and everything. And she remembers things that happened ages ago.

She, for the first time ever, touched an electric fence about 4 months ago. It was a place we had never been to before, and only went back there last week. She knew it was there and that she should be careful, I don't think she knew what it was.

Hartpury 2007

This time last year was the first time I took KT out for an Agility show - at the Hartpury open day. This year we did it again. I don't think it was as hot as last year - but it was still really hot, and by the end of the day KT was slowing down to a near standstill - I couldn't possibly make another jump! However - we went down the lake afterwards and KT was back to her usual self! Must be a motivation thing I think! Water and freedom to run around! Yeahhh, but when she has to work hard, it's: do I reall have to?

Worcester

KT and I are getting more used to agility events. I'm not as nervous as when we first started. Now I'm starting to think: just go for it. Doesn't matter if we win or loose - we are just trying to do the best we can. When we go to a competition, KT is really fired up in the morning - although as the temperature gets hotter, and the day goes on, she gets slower and slower. I'm sure that if one day we have to spend the whole day at the event and have a run late in the afternoon, KT will be her usual slow self. We'll just have to wait and see.

We very nearly had a clear round in the helter skelter yesterday - but KT just clipped one of the last jumps! Oh dear! She wasn't going that fast anyway - but at least we had a nice controlled round!

The agility run in the morning went really well! KT was ever so fast - it went jump then the dreaded dog walk - she went ahead of me, she was that fast! Even the see-saw, I said steady as she was hurtling over it, she skidded to a stop just in time for it to pivot! We went wrong on a tight left straight into the weaves, right hand weaves! Maybe KT sniffed something and missed the weaves. We had to go back and do the weaves again! Arghhh!!!!! Oh well. We'll do better next time!

We had a clear round in the jumping - that was nice and straight lines.

We did get a few moments to say hello to some pigs - KT wasn't too sure about them!

As I type this, KT is staring into the garden - I wonder what she's thinking?

Looking forward to the next one now.

Dordale

Yesterday KT and I managed our very first clear round at aglity. Isn't it great all these firsts? Anyhow, our running order was number 3, so as soon as they opened the rings, I went and fetched KT, and we just went for it. With a little more experience now, I realise that KT is eager and keen at competition, so I was prepared - the course was nice and easy, mainly straight lines. KT went ahead of me on the dog walk, and I had to slow her down a bit - the last thing I want is for her to fall off, that would be major disaster. I noticed I was trying very hard to keep her on track - a few strong commands in select places. And Yippee!!!!!!! a clear round, and it couldn't have gone better.

Although,

Major disaster,

The timer wasn't working! Towards the end of the class I heard them calling my name over the tannoy for a re-run! I was: who me? why? What's the matter?

Anyhow, after finding out what went wrong, I fetched KT for a re-run, I don't think it would have mattered if we made any faults on the course, but madam was having none of it. I've done my round, why do I have to do it again. The course started off, jump, jump, dog walk. Maybe the first time KT thought - we'll miss the dog walk, but the second time she knew what was coming, so KT went jump and right.

I grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, and said we're going this way! And so we did it. Although from being possible contenders for first place (I am allowed to dream) we went into last place!

But at least we had a clear round rossette!

Our Visit to the vet

Yesterday we went to see the vet for our annual jab. KT knows what happens at the vet now. As soon as I stopped the car and pressed the button to open the boot - she barked - as if to say: "No, not here" She doesn't drag her heels to go in the vets, as Sheba used to do, but it's quite funny seeing her legs collapse under her - she seems to forget how to walk! Inside the surgery she shakes, she's definitely not a happy bunny. I wonder what she thinks?

Saturday we went to an agility event near Newbury - Wallingford. Weird how KT seems to like going to a competition event. We went for our first run - and she stormed out of the blocks, catching me totally by surprise. She flew out of the weaves, missing the last one, and wasn't too happy when I made her do it again. We were disqualified. On the next run we had a few jumps down - KT was much faster than I expected.

The main reason we went to Wallingford was to take part in a team event. First time we did it, great fun it was, apart from me falling on my knees! Our team had two gun dogs and two collies. I think both the gun dogs, Tia and KT made a "small fault" during their runs, and the two collies were E'd!