Well when I started the new blog, the intention was to get it more regularly updated! Ha! Clearly I am not doing very well on that score!!
Since our last post we have only really done a few local events. In April we had a show at a venue that is literally a two minute drive from our house!! It was great to be able to come home for lunch, and to be able to pop home when I wanted! Smudge was running so well this weekend. He won three out of the four classes we entered and I was so proud of him!! This is one of the runs I got on film (shame it was one where he takes a pole - which was my fault!) but I love his enthusiasm!
Mayzee unfortunately seemed to go backwards, and really struggled with confidence over the whole weekend. As soon as Mayzee feels she has gone wrong, or is unsure about exactly what is required of her, the nose goes down and the spaniel sniffing starts in earnest!! And no amount of encouragement/squeaky toys/running away/trying to play etc etc is going to get her back on task!! Training Mayzee is definitely an uphill battle, but ultimately I think it will be worthwhile.
The most important thing with her is to give her confidence, and we have been doing that by trying to always set her up for success, and never allowing her to get into the situation where she has the opportunity for go wrong. Its hard work, but the improvement in a few weeks of figuring this out has been immense. Fingers crossed the progress continues!! Mayzee is capable of being a fabulous agility dog, and there are moments when she does things that really make you smile………the potential is most definitely in there! It has been a good learning experience to start training an adult dog who had done nothing previously. It does make me appreciate the completely fresh start that you get with a puppy though!!
Finally the training field is fully useable again, so we have been back training properly for a couple of weeks now. Over the winter the equipment has been repaired, replaced and repainted, and now looks like brand new!! I would like to say that this has all been my own handywork, but I would be lying! haha!
This Easter weekend will be our last free weekend before the full competition season starts.And it is glorious weather! I am really looking forward to the next few weeks….lots of bank holidays and lots of agility!! The Jersey European Agility Festival is next weekend, and we have visitors coming to stay for that. The weekend after that will bring our first trip to the UK of the year. Exciting times ahead! Hopefully I will have time to update the blog a bit more regularly!!
Happy Easter everybody. Enjoy yourselves whatever you are doing!
