The agility thread

blackcob said:
Threadles are where the dog takes the non-obvious side of a jump, with the dog's path between the handler and the jump. They make an s-shape on the course, like threading a needle. This one is a threadle slice or backside slice because we want the dog to cut across the face of the jump and land close to the left wing. They will change direction in front of the handler.

I actually handled this as a German because my dog is slow enough to allow running past the left wing and having the dog change direction behind the handler (send on the right hand, pick up on the left hand).

Clear as mud. 😄
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Gosh yes, that’s made all the difference 🤣
 
blackcob said:
Threadles are where the dog takes the non-obvious side of a jump, with the dog's path between the handler and the jump. They make an s-shape on the course, like threading a needle. This one is a threadle slice or backside slice because we want the dog to cut across the face of the jump and land close to the left wing. They will change direction in front of the handler.

I actually handled this as a German because my dog is slow enough to allow running past the left wing and having the dog change direction behind the handler (send on the right hand, pick up on the left hand).

Clear as mud. 😄
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It is to me 😂 In fairness I think there is waaaay more "language" in horses than agility 😂
 
blackcob said:
If you headed off down the DW too soon to try and get up to 7 a lot of them were bypassing the tunnel entrance at 6 and following the handler, if you hung back to support that then they'd come in across the face of 7. It's a great test of commitment to the two backsides.
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Yeah I think the backside slice with a BX on the landing side would be much easier to get to, although not as a good a line as will push wider plus behind which is where I really try not to be 😂
 
I grew up speaking ‘horse’ though so it feels like it doesn’t count, the agility bit has taken 14 (😱) years to pick up.

Having a stab at KC stakes this weekend, Sam is judging so I won’t hear the end of it if I cock it up. 😅 Large dog staying at home, she’s got one more day out next week and then benched for a bit while I campaign the small one.
 
blackcob said:
Lost him in a tunnel four from home. 💩
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Keep repeating "I love my dog" at minute intervals !

I was at High Peak this weekend, it's always a great show, lovely venue and friendly team.
Our agility jinx continued, 3 great runs over the 2 days apart from missing the damn a frame contact. Then in the last class yesterday he got the a frame, and jumped sideways off the seesaw 2 from the end !
Fared better in jumping, a lovely clear on saturday , led until the last dog ran, which beat us on time. One of those pesky WCS but belonged to a friend so I'll let her off.
Yesterday I wasn't sure if we'd do the jumping as I knew I had to leave early, just managed it, he went clear and I literally went straight from ring to car and home. Checked the results later and he had won it, so will have to wait for our rosette and trophy till we next see the secretary.
So overall a good weekend, certainly very enjoyable but the bloomin agility will be the end of me I swear. 😂
 
Training day today with Chloe Brown and Sam Lane, outdoors jumping with Chloe this morning and indoors at with Sam nearly three hours later. I’ve trained with Chloe a few times but first time with Sam. All went really well - Chloe saying how much Rew’s weaves had improved and how I need to trust him more, we did a lot of back side to layering tunnels or jumps, and he jumped steadily threw the twelve weaves with no errors, which was fab. Sam also a lot of back side slices, tunnel to back side, back side to dw, there were two tunnels under the dw too. All in all a really good day!
 
We have been no where as I have moved house which has been very stressful. Girls have settled in well. The "special needs" pupster thought the flooring was far too scary to walk on so refused. One week in no such issues and for the first time in her life ever she can climb up stairs. Probably as I have gone from 15th century listed property all lumps bumps and weird stairs to a relatively normal house. Having lived in old house for 35 years it was a big wrench but the right decision although I will miss my field. Went back to training last week and you'd think neither of us had ever done agility we were both awful. Still it made a change from unpacking! We have a show early June so hopefully we will improve by then!
 
Our first big (for us in the westcountry) show outdoors this year yesterday - SWAT. Entered all four classes with the expectation of dropping one.

It’s always interesting to run a nearly a whippet because they’re never the same twice and massively affected by the weather, which is absolutely no help at all given yesterdays sideways rain followed by sunshine combo!

First class - started heavy rain when we were queueing - Rew had a coat on but hunched his back and did the completely miserable thing - @Clodagh will remember the walk we did in biblical rain with him once! - I was fully expecting him to dive into a tunnel and refuse to leave. Instead he did three jumps and threw in the towel. The judge commiserated and hugged me! 🤣.

Second class - agility. Rain has stopped, Rew thinks ‘yay I’m at a party!’, misses dw contact, takes forty billion goes at the weaves, which in training at a new place last Monday had been absolutely brilliant, misses A frame contact, finishes unplaced with a skip in his step!

Third class - jumping g1-2. Lovely simple course, drives on beautifully, still gets 5 for weaves (ffs), assumed as such a fast course we’d be nowhere but we won, only the second time we’ve won, both times at this lovely show. And the judge gave me some lovely comments.

Fourth class - well he didn’t actually do the first class so might as well do the last! G1-2 agility, nailed all contacts, STILL mucked about in weaves (although there was an idiot next to the fence whistling a dog 🤦🏼‍♀️), unplaced third!

We both fell asleep on the sofa that evening.

My new waterproof socks were good!

Photos show a typical English summer at an outdoor event and my lovely boy ♥️IMG_3692.jpegIMG_3713.jpeg
 
At club last night a large entire male dog dived under the dividing netting and came at large dog while she was running. I could hear a dozen people take a sharp intake of breath 😂 She recalled instantly and stood calmly held by the collar while he did his thing and was eventually caught.

Her ‘work mode’ is just incredible. Last hurdle to overcome is car to ring, due to the insane over-arousal, but ring to car you’d now be forgiven for thinking she was a normal dog.
 
blackcob said:
At club last night a large entire male dog dived under the dividing netting and came at large dog while she was running. I could hear a dozen people take a sharp intake of breath 😂 She recalled instantly and stood calmly held by the collar while he did his thing and was eventually caught.

Her ‘work mode’ is just incredible. Last hurdle to overcome is car to ring, due to the insane over-arousal, but ring to car you’d now be forgiven for thinking she was a normal dog.
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Well done. Good to hear of someone managing their dog's over arousal so well. My friend took on a yr old collie about 18 months ago now and has been battling with this. Come a long way but still work in progress. Just about to have a play in a class at a local charity agility show soon. Hope it goes as well as yours.
 
Clodagh said:
I suspect that’s problems many would like to have.
He’s a staffie isn’t he? He are amazing! He must be the only non collie/cocker combo at that level?
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Although the collies/cockers are very much in the majority there are a few other breeds at Grade 6 and above. Different height but my Lancashire Heeler won to Grade 6.
 
We attended our club summer social last night, basically a fun night. Two rounds of agility then a steeplechase. Rew had simply the best time ever, absolutely nailed his weaves on both runs, realised he knew the judge and visited her at speed, then visited another friend at warp speed, then finished the courses with a big grin on his face. Complete gay abandon of even acknowledgling that A or DW contacts existed! It was all tremendous fun and we are both still tired today!
 
Spotherisk said:
We attended our club summer social last night, basically a fun night. Two rounds of agility then a steeplechase. Rew had simply the best time ever, absolutely nailed his weaves on both runs, realised he knew the judge and visited her at speed, then visited another friend at warp speed, then finished the courses with a big grin on his face. Complete gay abandon of even acknowledgling that A or DW contacts existed! It was all tremendous fun and we are both still tired today!
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You are not making me want to persist with my whippety BW 😂😂😂
 
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