Hot Hot Hot!!!

It was ridiculously hot at training today so we had to split both dogs lesson in half as they were struggling slightly!!

Jemma:
She did the course nicely on the whole, although I got in the way for the pull through again - I think it is me that needs more practice at these rather than her and she didn't get her weaves first time! We worked on her contacts as she had been stopping just above the yellow but after a few reminders she was doing them beautifully again :) We then did some work on my handling and I got better (luckily!!). The second half of her lesson we worked on the pescy weaves, I have sadly had to go to our last resort and tell her steady before them! She seems to already have an understanding of what it means (I used to use it on the seesaw and she obviously remembers it!) so that helped, however the biggest problem now is me - I have to get the timing of the steady command right and have to remember to say it firmly, when I do say it you can visibly see her slow down and check herself, so provided I get in before she reaches the weaves she does it right :) We are at the UKA show tomorrow so I shall be really working her contacts in the agility and making her wait nicely at the bottom, and make sure I really work her weaves too!!

Elliot:
Hehe, well today we did the course in parts to start with - including the contacts!!!! and he was really good :) He only ran off the end of the dog walk once and that is because he was looking at the tunnel and I said stop too early and too quitely! We then did the whole course, finishing just before the weaves (obstacle 21!) and he did it really really nicely!!! I can't wait until tomorrow when he will be doing them for the first time in competition!!! i just have to remember to do them the same as I do in training! I predict he will run off the first one but then after a reminder will stop - I won't mind this too much, the one thing I am really hoping he doesn't do is go back to jumping off half way down!! We did weaves in his second half too and after about 5mins we got him doing jump weave!! :D he just needed reminding that he couldn't miss the second one out when he went faster, and he had a lightbulb moment and got it :) We then did 10 weaves without a jump and he did them all beautifully straight away (he needed two commands first time after he had done six), he was then doing them really nicely on both the left and right, and he even did them all when I got ahead of him (only a little bit and I was just walking) - I am no longer having to use my hands or legs :) I shall be giving them a go in the course tomorrow if there are six but will sit him before them as he is not really ready yet to do them in a course when he is very very excited!!