The agility thread

Ditchjumper2 said:
On another note I guess you've seen the KC response to the matrix queries. Basically selective reply to some, not all questions asked, and the matter is closed. They are absolute arseholes...sorry. 🤬 What with that and no Micro until the G7s agree to give up their grade (which they won't) I am pretty much shafted. We will still try for now but progression will be nigh on impossible I think.😭
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Yes I read it yesterday. I’d be interested to see if judges are all understanding how the changes work - I have heard of the matrix times applied, AND another 10 seconds taken off, surely that is unlikely to be achievable so very soon, even if it is fair and correct? Tbh I am quite torn - when I look at my entries I have more Indy than KC planned in.

Interesting news for us in Devon, The Grange at Okehampton is our only indoor competition venue and it’s sale went through yesterday, to the Plaistor charity for Crabbet Arabians, fingers crossed this is good for agility as it’s been quite neglected for a while.
 
Fun day of stooge dogging for an instructor's seminar today, both dogs on best behaviour for some reason, up to and including a group photo. As always some good natured ribbing when I start with the big one and then walk in later with the small one, people find the contrast hilarious.

Unfortunately I teach some of the other volunteers so they've got a taste of what instruction is meant to look like, apparently I'm not allowed to say "what the f*** was that?!" any more. 😅
 
blackcob said:
KC dropping bombs again via the new ALC. Back to the old grade structure we go 🙄
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Have you seen the course walking proposal ? If I’m not in till 4th class I don’t really want to have to be there for the start , plus I’ll forget the course ! Changed the micro height too, dogs under 280 mm not 300.
 
Yes that doesn't make sense on several points, as well as yours I would add that I often opt to walk a course on the 'wrong' height if I know there's a chance I will be stuck in a queue or helping on a ring when my actual height is walking. Multiple opportunities for walking gives maximum chance to avoid clashes, especially when you're running more than one dog.

<280mm is going to be a prohibitively tiny cohort, surely?

Grade change is probably the least worst option they've come up with, but remember the huge novice bottleneck from back in the day...
 
I agree 280 is low , Zig is 276 but quite a few dogs bigger than him deserve to micro imho. The cynical part of me wonders if they’ve set it at 280 so in a year or so they can say hardly any dogs are running at micro .
 
My dogs are small but won't measure in at 280 as have withers and would struggle at 300. Clearly they don't see it as a welfare issue if leaving it until 2027. Honestly makes you feel like giving up! I too will walk at wrong height if I know am in different classes although under new proposals both mine will be in same classes! Add into that the matrix issue and I honestly don't see the point as will stand absolutely no chance.
 
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Feel more positive today 😀
Lovely day today at my club show and boy I got my steps in as was doing leads ! Girls were super. Daz for some reason was a bit sniffy for a 5 in the weaves in the jumping but we did the tricky bits well including the wafty bits 😂. Then in the agility why jump fence 3 when you can go round it 🙈 and let's stop for a snack off the floor on the way round 🙄😬. Again did the tricky stuff well for a 5 plus time for a placed 3rd.

Pebs was on fire 🔥 I got her eliminated in the jumping but she was amazing 😍 Then a clear in the agility but 1.9 time for a placed 2nd. Had she not stopped on the dw to look at the judge I reckon we'd have taken the win.

Girls were fab 😍
 
My new agility dog has arrived.

Meet Fig, 3/4 Italian Greyhound and 1/4 Whippet. Breeder does agility with the mum and her other dog, and the pups have had a fab upbringing - I’ve been astounded at how well the pup has accepted a change of home, especially as she has spent the afternoon watching us build a kitchen, with the router going, drilling, hammering etc.! Rew is disgusted but will come round.

I know I’ve made my life hard by having a sighthound for agility, but I love them!IMG_5546.jpeg
 
Both Into Shape Agility and Q-Me Agility Training have good Black Friday offers on their subscription services, ending tonight. If anyone needs troubleshooting on any one aspect, or ideas for one jump/minimal equipment skills training, I'd really recommend taking out even just a couple of months of either.

Large dog completely blew her last shot at DSD so guess who's back on one jump skills and the world's most boring, but absolutely necessary, impulse control drills. No 'sexy stuff' course running in our near future. 🫥
 
Very quiet in this thread at the moment- I prefer winter shows, well that’s not strictly true, Rew prefers them! So I have Pawsability tomorrow, Lapford (which is a non-KC league) next weekend and KST graded the following one. And a training session with Barrie somewhere in all of that. January has quite a few shows too. I am still sore from a gynae op on Monday but will take lots of drugs and rest later. Mr StR has been drafted in to do the driving.
 
Spot the Merry Risk said:
Very quiet in this thread at the moment- I prefer winter shows, well that’s not strictly true, Rew prefers them! So I have Pawsability tomorrow, Lapford (which is a non-KC league) next weekend and KST graded the following one. And a training session with Barrie somewhere in all of that. January has quite a few shows too. I am still sore from a gynae op on Monday but will take lots of drugs and rest later. Mr StR has been drafted in to do the driving.
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I do less in the winter , usually just one show a month . Today was our December outing and he was a good lad , 1st novice agility and 2nd jumping .
Good luck tomorrow, hope you’re not too sore.
 
I'm sure I'll be back to being 'encouraged' do compete once our normal trainer comes back from her holiday but I'm currently trying to work through Fen's need to nip every time he turns his listening ears off and I bring him back to correct him 🤬 He's wonderful when he's flowing and listening but the nipping is driving me nuts so we're taking it back and making him pause and calm down before we carry on.
 
I prefer winter shows as my girls do. I did do a show the other week. It was so wet with rain of biblical proportions. The car park had rivers and the girls were not amused 😐 plus I had a bad cough / cold. Maybe I wasn't in the zone but felt quite down. Pebs went rogue again in the agility. The positive being we did a great dogwalk....twice in the same course 🙈 Daz was so distracted didn't listen at all. 🙄 In the jumping Daz went well with a 5 in the weaves. I withdrew them both from last class and came home.

In training Daz has decided that doing 12 weaves is impossible and the dog walk is for pinging. Honestly feel quite down.

I will miss the next 2 shows as am going away for a week on my own(which in itself is scary 😱) Daz will have a break which will probably do her good as Schnauzers are not the easiest to train as have a short attention span.

So we will resume in the new year and see what happens then. Tbh following my move I am missing my land to practice on.
 
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