Cadbury, Sparrow, Merlin, Swift and Me
I've started working through the book Alphabet Drills. The drills are all based on the letters of the alphabet. So here is letter A (and there are a lot of drills based on this letter, lol!). This is the first version, which at a glance looks simple enough. No big deal, right? All on one... Continue Reading →
It's been a relatively quiet winter for me. Not a lot of shows and no KC competitions since October (I was sick for a December KC show). However, if I haven't been doing a lot of competitions, I have been spending a lot of time training. I am now a member of Susan Garrett's three... Continue Reading →
This week we had what at first glanced seemed a straightforward setup - five jumps, two tunnels and the weaves, but the complexities of this course proved a real brain teaser. There were two versions of the course, and naturally we started on the easier one (above) The obvious trap was 2-3, though I don't... Continue Reading →
This week's challenge was an intricate course with several traps. Trap 1 was the weave entry at no.2. Trap 2 was the backside at no.12 (if you don't have independent backsides, this meant running like hell to get there!) There was a potential trap at 14-15, but 15-16 I found harder. The worst trap for... Continue Reading →
How can it be the end of the year already? Seriously, feels only a moment ago we began our 2017 Beachside journey and now we have completed the last show of the year! At the start of 2017 Sparrow was in Elementary grade and Merlin was Starters grade, we have finished with both dogs in... Continue Reading →
One of the most prestigious agility events of the year, and one of the main qualifiers for Crufts, KCI is an event that attracts people from across the globe. This year was my second time at the show, though I was only running Sparrow on this occasion and concentrating on the Novice Cup qualifier. What's... Continue Reading →
https://youtu.be/iiilC4pHMF0 Sparrow's running contacts have been an ongoing experiment as I have adapted my training to suit her and to re-teach her what to do with contacts. We are reaching a stage of consistency that is very exciting, but I want to push Sparrow's understandings of her contacts, to discover if she is really grasping... Continue Reading →
Day 1 - Beachside! Going to a Beachside show is rather like coming home to a group of old friends. It's both fun and comfortable running, which is what I needed after a difficult week with Merlin. I was only running Sparrow, but she kept me busy and we had a great time testing our... Continue Reading →
Viva Dog Vegas!! Or something along those lines. Dog Vegas is a Kennel Club showing, offering up to six classes a day and held at various venues. My favourite is in Thetford where there is 10 days of doggy Vegas (though Tuesday and Thursday are rest days). I attended my first Dog Vegas last year... Continue Reading →
Sometimes you have to go back to go forwards. In fact that happens a lot in dog training. Recently I felt Sparrow was not quite clear on the criteria I was asking for with her running contacts, so I took a step back, I reassessed and I decided to go back to groundwork. I began... Continue Reading →
Team Jackson 