Buzzing :)

We had a really good training session today and it left me buzzing and really excited for next summer :)

Jem did some REALLY good contacts and one jump handling work. She was really good on the grid work to start with but then after one extra stride between the last guide and the jump she decided to keep putting two strides in between the first 2 guides, but after some fiddling I got her to do the three guides by just bouncing :) I am less concerned about grid work with her as her jumping style before our break wasn't as drastic as Elliot's and she probably only has one season left at full height.

Elliot also did some amazing contacts - I did discover to start with that turning the dog walk in a 180degree rotation meant he saw it as a completely different exercise and so I need to make sure I do things in all orientations around the school!! His grid work was really really good as was his handling :)

Here are some clips from this week :)

We did some weave training today and Jem did really well, especially when I changed from using her tuggy to a tennis ball - we tried them straight once but this was a little bit too much for today as she was tired - we will def get to straight next time though:)

Elliot was loads better today than last week but still not quite as far on as Jem - he just struggles more with the angles :)

Behind already!!!

I can't believe I have only been back training a month and already I am behind on my blog!!!

We have relocated weave training to places where I can use my stick in poles as I was struggling with my weaves with bases - if the dogs knocked the poles the bases weren't heavy enough to keep them in place and so I would end up with weaves and dogs getting tangled and going scooting along the floor!! We had a much more successful session today (our first time with the stick ins) - Jem was doing some really sharp angles with the 2 sets about a foot apart. Elliot was struggling more and only going through the second set (4foot from 1st) if we were as much as a foot off the straight entrance - this is no worse than he has been but it is much easier to do more reps and reward him more often when the poles don't go flying :)

Contacts are coming on much better for both of them - I have taken the dog walk down plank off the dog walk so I can do more reps reinforcing speed and stopping at the end :) Jem is as always really good, and getting nice and speedy, Elliot is certainly getting there but it is going to take a long time to get him doing 2o2o consistently with me running - at the moment I am just altering where I let him go from and then I shall start increasing my speed as well :)

Both of their jumping is coming on much better although without a guide in Jem is taking a double stride in the space she should only take one so def more work needed on it. I am looking at starting to do some more exercises with them, and building Elliot upto full height - with the straight grid he is struggling to get over the second jump so I think i need to increase the distance between the jumps to help him out a bit

Here is a few clips from our session yday:

We also had our first session of the winter at flyball today. We did some chasing stuff and it apparently made Jem run really speedy (I couldn't see as I too was having to run - boo to running!!:( ) but she then decided to start spitting her ball - naughty jem! We also confirmed today that Elliot definately comes back much quicker if he puts the extra stride in between the box and first jump so our plan for the winter is to get this ingrained into him (along with fiddling around with what I am doing) to get him back to see if we can speed him up a bit :)

Think thats all for now - I shall try and keep more up to date from now on!!!

First Two Weeks Back

Jem had a check up at SMART on Monday to see what their thoughts were about her going back to full height - the plan is to ease her in gently over the next two months and then put her up to full height and take her back to SMART one month later :D This fits perfectly with my current agility plan which is to just slowly build up the amount we are doing (for my sack as much as the dog's!!) - starting with just one obstacle at a time and only the odd large jump for Elliot (no higher than medium for Jem). I plan to be course ready for about April but depending on how revision for my finals goes I may not compete until July.

Already in two sessions both dogs contacts have improved massively - Jem would be ready to start doing the whole equipment again but Elliot is still getting very distracted by my movement - but we have plenty of time to work on that :)

The one grid work exercise I have done so far seemed to work really nicely with Elliot and was nicely making him stretch his back legs out and not tuck them up - fingers crossed that with the time I have to work on things he will keep this style of jumping. I did have some lovely videos of both of them jumping but have some how managed to delete them :( 

As for the weaves - we are trying a little 2x2 to help with entrances and they both seem to have picked it up quickly which is good :)

I am also working much harder on making sure I warm them both up before and cool them both down after working as the last thing I want is for either of them to injure themselves!!!

Back in the game :D

The time has finally come for me to have time along with a working ankle to be able to start agility training again!!! :D

I have found somewhere near me to hire equipment in an outdoor sand school so I can get my confidence back running again and do some weave and contact training before I return to the "scene of the crime" for lessons with Lel!!!

I had my first session there on Sunday and just did some tinkering really. Reminded them both that they are meant to stop on contacts, wait on the start line and drive on over jumps!!! Their contacts were slow but I am happy with that for now, I can work on speed. Jem only did medium jumps and will only do that until she has been back to SMART for a check up after having had so long off!!

I don't know when I shall next get to go as it depends on uni work etc but I plan on being more organised and going with a plan of what I am going to do, rather than just tinkering!!!

It feels so good to be back, and to realise the dogs havn't forgotten EVERYTHING they had been taught!!!

Flyball catch up!!!

Everyone seems to be updating their blogs so thought I best get mine up to date too!!!

In July Elliot went to the Barkshire Bandits show with Nat and apparently behaved himself as the team came home with a really nice mug for 1st place :)

Our next competition was the Champs. Due to uni exams I was only able to go for one day and as Jem wont run for anyone else and extraset needed her I went on the Sat. The original plan was for Elliot to then stay with Nat and run with Rockets on the Sunday but in true Jemma style she decided to be ill the week before and so to be on the safe side we put Elliot on the extraset team sheet as back up!!! Jem ran OK in the morning, although not 100% (although on threatening to put Elliot in in her place she did pick up a bit!)!! In the afternoon however she was back to the naughty noisy Jemma that I am used to at flyball!!! The team was unlucky and some of the teams in the division ran much faster their seed times and they ended up finishing 5th (they still got a goody bag though :) )! It was great to be at the Champs but I wish I had been there on the Sunday to watch Div 1!! I am however determined to be there for the whole weekend next year!!!

Our final competition for this season was the Nuneaton Flyers competition at Becketts Farm. We had a really great weekend, with the four teams getting 3 x 1st and a 3rd!!! Jem ran really well, she ran forwards when I let her go and didn't dance around too much whilst waiting which meant I actually got some pretty decent starts!!! It seems I learn to handle my dogs at the champs as she started this good behaviour then and it was at the champs last year where I learnt to do change overs with Elliot!!! Elliot also ran really well, I took Nats advice (for once!!!) and was more relaxed whilst lining up and didn't make him stand straight if he didn't want to before I let him go and he was much better, making me have much better change overs :) For both of them I also laid my lead out where I had been letting go of them which made a big difference as I am useless at judging distances!!!

So, all in all a great flyball season and I look forward to doing more competitions next year, although I have a feeling Agility may fill up quite a few of my weekends!!