Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2011 7:13 pm Post subject: 4 days of fun, laughs and games! - Oh and ROSETTES!!!
We camped for the first time at a show for the first time in our huuuge tent and survived thunderstorms, ridiculous heat, stinking rivers, gusts of wind, bingo nights and walks with lots of collies!!
Here's a quick run down on the runs which is actually very long!!
Skip to the end for pics!
Good Friday
Run 1: Primary Agility
Judge Mark Harris
A lovely flowing course which sent Luna straight into the tunnel trap with her entering the wrong end! Eliminated We need to practice her entering the tunnel entrance I choose!
Run 2: Introductory Jumping
Judge Steven Rodgers
A great course for Luna to get up some speed on leaving me sprinting for the finish line! 12th place rosette!!
Run 3: Introductory Helter Skelter
Judge Mark Harris
Luna was a little hot and tired so went very steady on this course finishing 20th with a Clear round rosette!
Run 4: Primary Triple A Agility
Judge Steven Rodgers
Luna took a fancy to the man at the edge of the ring and decided to go say hi after the aframe instead of jumping the jump which was classed as a refusal Still finished 12th in the class with 5faults.
Saturday 23rd April
Run 5: Primary Agility
Judge Mark Harris
We like Mark's courses and this was another lovely flowing one which we ran fast and clear to achieve our first placed rosette since being promoted to Primary from Introductory last October Woo Hoo!!! 6th place rosette!
Run 6: Introductory Jumping
Judge Susan Kannangara
We achieved a respectable 15th place and a clear round rosette
Run 7: Introductory Tunnel Torment
Judge Mark Harris
Another lovely course from Mark Harris! The dogs had to resist the urge to run into the tunnels laid as traps for them-hence the torment part of the name! This course was great for ensuring I gave really early, firm commands and Luna responded with only a slight longing glance at the tunnels We achieved a 7th Rosette which is our highest place ever in a jumping class across the height range
Run 8: Primary Jump & Touch
Judge Susan Kannangara
The dogs had to complete the jumping section set without being eliminated and then complete the contact equipment. I held off from running all the way to the end of the dogwalk which was the final obstacle meaning Luna missed the contact whilst jumping off slightly sideways to join me My fault! Sorry Luna! We still finished 12th with 5 faults.
Easter Sunday
Run 9: Primary Agility
Judge June Bass
Luna bizarrely ran around the jump after turning to head towards the aframe not once but twice (maybe wondering whether to say hi to June??) then back jumped it June is our trainer and we usually mess up on her courses in comp!! Eliminated
Run 10: Introductory Jumping
Judge Susan Kannangara
A course requiring careful control which we can do but not as speedily as Luna slows with direction changes. Finished 25th with a Clear rosette.
Run 11: Introductory Up n Under
Judge Val Sewell
Luna had slowed for this third run of the day. Finished 26th with a Clear rosette.
Run 12: Primary Easter Eggility
Judge Susan Kannangara
A fun class which included the dogs having to stay in place mid course while handler fetched a chocolate easter egg from under the aframe before returning to the dog and finishing the course. No problem! Think the lure of a nice smelling chocolate egg in my hand spurred Luna on to the end. It was a cooler day and Luna had had a good rest before this class so her speed was back! Finished THIRD with a lovely rosette!
Chunnel Challenge
The quickest 4 dogs from each day qualified for the final on Easter Monday. It was too hot the previous two days to do an extra run but Sunday was cooler and Luna seemed up for it! The Chunnel is a new piece of equipment that is a loooooooooong tunnel that goes up and down a bridge, loops around and goes underneath the bridge. Fun!! Luna loved it and sped through it with a grin lots of times! We got a great time over the course but because lots of dogs had a go on this cooler day we ended up as reserve for Monday's final and everyone turned up so we didn't get to run Fun though!
Clever Dogs
This is a short agility course with a flyball run at the end. We run Starters as Luna doesn't do the box and we've never had a timed run at this before as Luna is usually too tired. Her energy levels were good today with the cooler temp so we had a go! Once I'd got her to go in the correct end of the tunnel she powered down the straight line of jumps, collapsible tunnel and flyball jumps with me trailing behind squeaking 'go go go go go go'!!! She got a time of 23.56 which last year would've qualified her for the finals in August - we'll have to wait and see this year! If I had time, money and no concerns over her elbows she'd be a great flyball woofer! Maybe next time she does a gundog scurry she'll know to return with the dummy to me after this!
Easter Monday
Run 13: Primary Agility
Judge Mark Harris
Our favourite judge was back in action and didn't disappoint!! The aframe was set as a massive lure to a Luna who was going to be emerging at speed from a tunnel so I had to give an early command again which she obeyed with only a little glance at the aframe, having beaten that trap we completed the rest of the lovely course without problem! SECOND place Rosette!! Against all the other heights as well!!! VERY pleased!
Run 14: Introductory Jumping
Judge June Bass
Our trainer back judging and we managed a clear round rosette - Phew! Finished 17th.
Run 15: Introductory Steeplechase
Judge Mark Harris
A steady run giving us a clear round rosette and another 17th place. It was HOT!!
Run 16: Primary Agility 2
Judge June Bass
Another prized clear round rosette on an agility course and one judged by our trainer again! A nice end to a great show!
Luna slept through breakfast today, I poked her awake at 11.30am to eat and toilet. She then headed back up to bed until needing the toilet this afternoon! She's eaten and toileted this evening and is now deeply asleep again! 'Tis hard work this agilitying!!! Although I think the highlights of Luna's days were the dunks in the river and the walks with lovely dogs! She doesn't see the point of the 'toys' that waft under her nose that she's not allowed to play with!
Woo Hoo Luna! well done to you both! you had more stamina than us! We completed 1 steeplechase round at UkA Dowty's and had 2 fences down but the beast ran well
When is your next show? we are running end of May now ~ How long do u have to wait between runs at your shows? we seemed to wait forever especially when the timers broke down, and it was getting hot.
I resorted to running Lester over practice jumps and he amazed me how quickly he has picked it up so I am gonna take him training too this w/e! <Don't tell LINc! >
Celine - that was our end of the winter season rosette haul! So 8 days of competing indoors. We only do BAA shows as she can compete at a lower height than UKA and KC. As I have concerns over Luna's elbows we wouldn't be competing at all if we had to jump Large.
And fitness - well my muscles know they have been worked today! Luna is a pretty easy dog to handle compared to some of the really lightning collies so I am able to keep up with her the majority of the time. It does help me keep relatively fit! I can't go running as my knees pack in but I can cope with the 24-40 secs of agility course running thankfully!
Trina - I'd taught Luna to go through a tunnel and over a really low jump in the back garden when she was around a year old and overseas. We started training with a club in Oct 2009 and entered our first show April 2010 so only 6months later as it was at our training ground and we wouldn't have done any agility for ages if we hadn't entered! I have learnt loads from watching dogs run and running Luna in shows. When we get E'd I finish the course making sure I have a go at something I wouldn't usually do - this weekend I learnt to trust that I can send Luna over a jump and cross behind her something I wouldn't have done if we hadn't already been E'd!! The following day we came second because I learnt I could trust her to do that and saved time by running the course more efficiently! I'm looking forward to hearing how you get on in May Trina!! I bet you accidently do better than you think! Make sure you enjoy yourself and keep things simple!
The waiting between runs varies we had about 15mins between some, an hour between others and a couple of hours between others! I've learnt to cover the car in sheets early in the day while it is cool, park with the boot facing away from the sun and hopefully with any wind blowing into it. I can then put Luna in with the boot open and the tailgate guard locked. She has got used to hunkering down and having a snooze and I head back to walk courses/help on the ring/check results/ get something to eat, sneaking back to check on Luna every half hour/hour. I often felt like climbing into the boot with her as it was lots of degrees lower over the weekend. I get her out in time to toilet, line up, keep her in the shade or in my shadow, don't allow her to greet/roll around on the floor with other dogs en route and then afterwards either stick her in the river to cool off, splash her in paddling pool or with water from bottle. She fared better than me this weekend - I have very red face despite applying lots of suncream
Next comp is 21st/22nd May for us. Would've loved to go to Beachside but it clashes with work
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We need to practice her entering the tunnel entrance I choose!
(maybe wondering whether to say hi to June??) then back jumped it 
Eliminated 
