Demonstration

Sunday was the Annual Barony Open Day...

Our agility group Dumfries And Galloway Dog Agility Group (DAG DAG) often train at the Barony agricultural college during the summer months and we pay them back by doing demonstrations on their open day...

M was really impressed with me as i generally ignored the crowds and did what I was told yippeee - it was a really warm day so M made sure I had loads to drink and a cool towel to wear...

I would of had 2 clear rounds if it had been a competition so M was pleased... she took loads of photos so hopefully I can grab the camera and upload some later.

M & D Adventures

M & D left me yesterday - left me with Wispa for the whole day... it was great fun we slept a bit and then we had a few games of bitey face and then we played outside with the ball and tuggies, and then we both collapsed in a heap to M& D got home.... it was FAB!!

M has asked me if she can type for a bit so here she is...


Hi, M here. Thought I would update on D and my adventure yesterday.. we went to the Scottish Kennel Club Dog Show at Ingleston, Edinburgh. We had arranged to meet a breeder of Otterhounds who are a Rare British breed that we are interested in for a future puppy...
Teckelgarth Otterhounds are owned and breed by Maria Lerego, and they are wonderful!!

Here are a couple of piccies....

Now considering these are Big dogs, they seemed so laid back and relaxed - and just loverly... fuss definitely required. Thankfully even though they were due in the show ring fuss was had by almost all 17 of them!!

I would like to say a big thank you to Maria @ http://www.teckelgarth.org/index.html for letting us interrupt her preparations a big congratulations to Ch. Teckelgarth Horus who got Best of Breed yesterday.

Hey Cadbury back - so who knows who my new brother will be.... maybe another choccy lab, bernese or otterhound?!

How the experts do it

So while we were away at the weekend M decided to watch the championship ring. This was a grade 7 course (the most difficult)!
M was trying to take some video of how the best agility dogs do it but most were eliminated on the first couple of jumps.
The idea was to jump the first, miss the second, go over the wall and then back over the missed jump...

The last one was one of the few to get it right!!

So theres hope for us yet M!!

Competition Time - Sunday

Part 2 of my competition adventure started quite early on the Sunday morning, unfortunately after the last camping adventure M had decided to leave my coat on over night to keep me warm but I woke up too warm (5am) and started pacing round the tent to cool off. This woke M which she wasn't happy with but she got up and let me out for the toilet and then came back to bed, but that was it we were both awake so M decided to get up, dressed, have breakfast and a long walk.

It was really nice and then M looked at the weather and decided to pack the tent away before it rained.

She knew our class was first in the ring so she needed to be walking the course at 8am - so she made her way down - it wasn't the simplest of courses and it had a 12 pole weave in instead of 6 but she was confident if I kept my cool we'd be ok. She came and got me and we wandered around the rings watching my other pals - I was about 72 out of 82 dogs so M knew we had time to spare. This was a grade 1-2 agility class so J and Shea were running in the same class so we watched and cheered for them..

When our time came, M kept very calm and it was going well till we reached the a-frame when I jumped off too early and got 5 faults and then I completely miss judged a corner jump and landed on it. M was a bit concerned but I carried on so M did too... apart from that M said it was another lovely run and I did everything she asked.

My second run of the day came very quick - we were the next class in the ring and no 5 out of about 200 dogs - this was a qualifier for olympia (championship show) for any grade 1-7 for Anything But Collies (ABC) M didn't expect me to get placed but wanted me to have another run at an agility course - she walked and decided it was a flowing course with just one tight turn... 
Again M kept calm as she put me on the start line and off we went but I found a smell didnt I!! and I almost followed the lovely smell into the wrong end of the tunnel but M shouted first - good timing M!! Then it was a flowing run apart from the slow weaves but CLEAR!! M couldn't believe it - there were some in our training group grade 6 who were eliminated!!
Then we had a long wait so we mooched around went off to the exercise field and watched others running.. it was great!! 

M went and had a look at the results for the first two classes - even with 10 faults I came 11th in the first one but unfortunately even though I was clear in the second I had 9 time faults from the nice smell, so not placed!

My 3rd and final run didn't come till 4pm and M was not looking forward to it - she could tell I was dozy and she was too - I heard her say to A that her mind was not on the job and she was tired... but M put me on the start line and it was going really well till the weaves - another 12! Well I'm sorry but I couldn't be bothered they take a lot of brain power you see, well M got me going through them but I'd been eliminated as it took too many attempts but M wasn't bothered she knew it had been a LONG weekend!! So I still got a special bone when i got home - yummy!

Competition Time - Saturday

On Thursday M started getting things together... I was watching with interest..
1) My away bag
2) My food
3) some meshy stuff

then friday M was at home cause she wasnt very well but more items got put in the pile
1) M's food
2) M's away bag
3) the tent - thats when I knew something big was happening

On friday night M gave me my dinner early!!! Oooo something good always happens when I get my dinner early (i get my dinner early on an agility night too) and then disappointingly she walked me and put me to bed early.. Humph what did I do wrong??

Saturday morning M was up at the crack of dawn - no wonder she put me to bed early and all the kit had disappeared into the car.. I had my breakfast and M put the last of my stuff in the car with me and we were off!!

I had no idea where we were going so I snoozed for a while until M stopped the car, got out and disappeared - there were dogs and people everywhere, it was really quite exciting..
M reappeared and drove along onto the grass and pulled up. She told me to stay in the car while she put the tent and the "garden" up..

 














By 9am I got to go and see what all the fuss was about... Welcome to Woodside KC Agility Competition, Biggar

All my friends were there too Bob, Meg, Shea, Tarka, Tally, Tiggy, Kazzie, Lola, Woody, Smudge, Chance, Dash, Kissy, Todd, Breeze and others...

I spent all day wondering around with M meeting lots of new people and doggy pals - it was huge - 6 big agility rings and stalls.

M says the pictures don't do it justice!!

All the doggies were very good and M was keeping her fingers and toes crossed that I could be well behaved when it got to my go too..

 Ali and Tarka

Ian and Dare

At 6pm my chance finally came to have a go - thankfully most people had finished and gone home or back to their caravans so there was no pressure for M to get it right... but she did!!
I got 5 faults cause M didnt direct me over a jump correctly but I completed the jumping course in time and listened well!!

M was soooo pleased with me I got lots of hugs and fuss and some treats... but then she said I needed to do the same on Sunday too...

After some dinner and another long walk - the paddock was lovely - filled with fresh sheep dodo!! M wiped my paws and got me settled next to her in the tent. Thankfully it was a little warmer this time so no need to hijack M's sleeping bag!

M has asked me to put a note in here as she was woken by me in the night (so she says) having a wonderful dream of the day - woofing and whining etc which made her smile and giggle - well at least she didn't wake me ZZZzzzz

4th Place

Sunday was our training groups fun show and M had high hopes for me as training has been going much better recently.....

However things did not go as she had planned - my first agility course I went a bit mad but instead of doing what I normally do and avoiding the course.. I chose to do my own course and got eliminated....

The jumping round M thought I had calmed down a lot and was hopeful that I would pull it together but instead I decided I really needed the toilet (after spending an hour in the field before the course) and got eliminated.. M was NOT impressed but N let me run the course again anyway without timing or stuck and I did what I was told.

Me and M with judge G

The helter skelter was a triumph with M saying there was some lovely "going on" and I listened, but had 1 pole down so came 4th!!

Sa and Boston - a Nova Soctia Duck tolling retriever

The last agility M thought had gone really well, we got 5 faults for me going off to see the judge but apart from that M thought it was clear and if that had been the case I would have come 3rd but looking at the results I was eliminated..... M's not sure why possibly I crossed the weaves when returning to her from the judge but M doesnt care as the course was quite tricky and I completed it well....

Su and Roxy

Shey