What a lovely weekend... the weather was nice, and we had SHOWS!
Saturday: The courses were interesting, although I only got to run the one Dog Jumping round with Q (baby grade). It went off without a hitch. On looking at the video, I noticed some wide turns due to late calls, but we qualified nonetheleses.
Q has made it to the senior class in only 3 shows.
Next up was breed (conformation) on Sunday morning. And the weekend just got even better. Q showed very nicely, and managed Best of Breed and Group 4th. The second breed show was even better - she got her Best of Breed again, followed by a 1st in the Herding group and then went on to win Reserve Best in Show!! Pleased as PUNCH, I was!
And lastly, the CRASH and BURN :(
The round we were waiting for in the Dog Jumping.... Nice course, GREAT running plan in my head, I knew that Q could do it as we had trained everything required by the test... or so I THOUGHT! Turns out we never left the start.... or rather Q left the start, made it to number 2, but unfortunately left out number 1! grrr OH, and we did this TWICE.
So we have some new stuff to work on...
This blog chronicles my views while training and competing in Agility during the life of Q (from 2010) with my Border Collies & Shelties...
About Me
- Mackland
- I have had dogs all my life, the first being a Rough Collie, and then my first Border Collie in 1978, and I was instantly hooked. An Australian Shepherd followed I was in the dogworld to stay! I have been training dogs since 1996. I practiced as an Obedience instructor from 1998, and an Agility instructor from 2001, including specialised foundation and puppy Agility classes, clicker training, and advanced Agility. Since then the Shetland Sheepdog has captured my heart and I have been studying them ever since! My goal is to encourage great performance dogs while, at the same time, promote the good & healthy breeding, and pure lines of these wonderful breeds that I have chosen!
29 July 2011
...and things that don't irritate me!
People that have put in a LOT of thought and work into their own training - that offer me advice... Now THAT I can live with!! People that will DISCUSS training with me.. YES! LOVE that. I can sit for hours chatting to someone about training.
Actually, also chatting about BAD training and rounds help! Learning from others whether they are good or terrible.... BAD rounds I can often not watch, but at least when I catch a glimpse I am reminded to check that I am not inadvertently doing the same thing!
It is great to watch other handlers with the same breeds that I have, to see if I have maybe overlooked something that I should have paid more attention to. Always great when you have a breed other than a BC. My Aussie was the first in her breed to achieve so much in Agility in SA, so maybe it was great to stack her against and compare her to the top BC's... But looking back, she was STILL lacking in her training! I can still improve on that.
And then there is the ODD student..... those are the ones that I don't mind at all. The ones that I can give them something to think about, and they come back with 3 other things that we can discuss. The ones that ASK advice and go away, and the next time I see them they bring their dog and show me how they have progressed, and THEN they ask more quetions about little things that can be better... The student that can see the bigger picture. I don't run for the little prizes or rosettes, I run to have great rounds - and I expect any student of mine to do the same.
The best are the out-of-town buddies that I see maybe 4 times a year at big shows. We can sit and compare notes and discuss dogs and training. Ja.... love that!
YES Agility is fun........... but surely you should want to do it right to have that good feeling after a round? If you feel the same as the notes in my blog, please feel free to come and chat with me about Agility and dogs :)
If you don't then fine, carry on, on your merry way, clapping around the course.......
Actually, also chatting about BAD training and rounds help! Learning from others whether they are good or terrible.... BAD rounds I can often not watch, but at least when I catch a glimpse I am reminded to check that I am not inadvertently doing the same thing!
It is great to watch other handlers with the same breeds that I have, to see if I have maybe overlooked something that I should have paid more attention to. Always great when you have a breed other than a BC. My Aussie was the first in her breed to achieve so much in Agility in SA, so maybe it was great to stack her against and compare her to the top BC's... But looking back, she was STILL lacking in her training! I can still improve on that.
And then there is the ODD student..... those are the ones that I don't mind at all. The ones that I can give them something to think about, and they come back with 3 other things that we can discuss. The ones that ASK advice and go away, and the next time I see them they bring their dog and show me how they have progressed, and THEN they ask more quetions about little things that can be better... The student that can see the bigger picture. I don't run for the little prizes or rosettes, I run to have great rounds - and I expect any student of mine to do the same.
The best are the out-of-town buddies that I see maybe 4 times a year at big shows. We can sit and compare notes and discuss dogs and training. Ja.... love that!
YES Agility is fun........... but surely you should want to do it right to have that good feeling after a round? If you feel the same as the notes in my blog, please feel free to come and chat with me about Agility and dogs :)
If you don't then fine, carry on, on your merry way, clapping around the course.......
28 July 2011
Things that irritate me...
Training is going well, and it will be a little while before my next progress report, so I thought I would just yak about stuff in general.. stuff on my mind.. training etc... well stuff that irritates me.................
I really get annoyed with people... people that don't listen, people that use me, greedy people!
I don't know HOW MANY times someone has asked me to help them, asked advice, BEGGED... ah and I just give in. They take what I say, and some bugger off and that's me.. used and abused! And some don't bother to listen and go off to ask 10 more people until they hear what they want to hear... and when it doesn't work they COME BACK!! Ok now I put my foot down, I actually say NO. Basically... just go away!
I have always been a very generous person. If someone asks my help, I give it. If they want advice, I give it. I share my DVD's - invite people over to watch with me. I pass on articles and notes of interest. But somehow, on most instances, I am sorry! Hmmm once someone said to me "I will bring you a pile of DVD's and you can copy your whole collection for me". I mean... HUH!?? Of course I said no! This has been my entire dogging career researching, training, buying, learning etc etc, and I must tie up all the litte pieces that make up my training world and hand it to someone with a little bow around it? Not to mention the money I spent on the collection - like R10 000! And it won't even guarantee that anyone else will use it like I have... hmmm I was a little miffed at that to say the least!
And students.. I mostly HATE them. I know that sounds horrible but why ask me specifically to train stuff, and then they argue with me before you have tried it? The students that are shown and spoonfed every single baby step but that skip to the last step because that is what they want the dog to do... the students that are fed foundation work that is coming out their ears, but that just want to run courses... the students that don't bother to do anything at home and want it all in a lump sum in class.... the students that don't progress.. the students that come to class to chitchat and socialise before any work is done.. ooh ooh the students that never have a plan of WHAT to train!!!
...and people that SAY they will train but don't - I have NO time for you! You get all the equipment and go all out telling people that you do Agility, and you join training schools/ clubs/ groups... but you don't train..... grrr
And the JUDGES...... hehe don't get offended now!
TEST the dogs appropriately for their grades! I dont want to train my heart out and get a rinky dink little course, man! Oh, a TIP: removing jumps from higher grades doesn't make it easier for the baby grades!!!! Contacts: pleez don't tell me that my dog got the contact if she releases herself. I don't care. I will release my dog, and if she releases herself I will put her back. DEAL with it!
Oh YES.. and my PET hate.. the person that watches me cock up on a course and says WELL DONE when I win because everyone was more crappy than me! And not to forget the elimination on an otherwize stunning round, where I am thrilled at my dogs attitude, speed and contacts, only to have someone tell me something like "oh well, better round next time!" AARGH
I have subscribed to magazines, read websites and blogs, researched, bought books... learnt techniques and training methods to get where I am today. I don't mind *helping*, but GEEZ PEOPLE, do some work of your own too!!
OK now I can sleep :)
WAIT.. ONE MORE THING
I hate dumb people that have small dogs that think that the dogs are dumb too! Or that they run slower on a course because they have shorter legs..... OH LORD!
I really get annoyed with people... people that don't listen, people that use me, greedy people!
I don't know HOW MANY times someone has asked me to help them, asked advice, BEGGED... ah and I just give in. They take what I say, and some bugger off and that's me.. used and abused! And some don't bother to listen and go off to ask 10 more people until they hear what they want to hear... and when it doesn't work they COME BACK!! Ok now I put my foot down, I actually say NO. Basically... just go away!
I have always been a very generous person. If someone asks my help, I give it. If they want advice, I give it. I share my DVD's - invite people over to watch with me. I pass on articles and notes of interest. But somehow, on most instances, I am sorry! Hmmm once someone said to me "I will bring you a pile of DVD's and you can copy your whole collection for me". I mean... HUH!?? Of course I said no! This has been my entire dogging career researching, training, buying, learning etc etc, and I must tie up all the litte pieces that make up my training world and hand it to someone with a little bow around it? Not to mention the money I spent on the collection - like R10 000! And it won't even guarantee that anyone else will use it like I have... hmmm I was a little miffed at that to say the least!
And students.. I mostly HATE them. I know that sounds horrible but why ask me specifically to train stuff, and then they argue with me before you have tried it? The students that are shown and spoonfed every single baby step but that skip to the last step because that is what they want the dog to do... the students that are fed foundation work that is coming out their ears, but that just want to run courses... the students that don't bother to do anything at home and want it all in a lump sum in class.... the students that don't progress.. the students that come to class to chitchat and socialise before any work is done.. ooh ooh the students that never have a plan of WHAT to train!!!
...and people that SAY they will train but don't - I have NO time for you! You get all the equipment and go all out telling people that you do Agility, and you join training schools/ clubs/ groups... but you don't train..... grrr
And the JUDGES...... hehe don't get offended now!
TEST the dogs appropriately for their grades! I dont want to train my heart out and get a rinky dink little course, man! Oh, a TIP: removing jumps from higher grades doesn't make it easier for the baby grades!!!! Contacts: pleez don't tell me that my dog got the contact if she releases herself. I don't care. I will release my dog, and if she releases herself I will put her back. DEAL with it!
Oh YES.. and my PET hate.. the person that watches me cock up on a course and says WELL DONE when I win because everyone was more crappy than me! And not to forget the elimination on an otherwize stunning round, where I am thrilled at my dogs attitude, speed and contacts, only to have someone tell me something like "oh well, better round next time!" AARGH
I have subscribed to magazines, read websites and blogs, researched, bought books... learnt techniques and training methods to get where I am today. I don't mind *helping*, but GEEZ PEOPLE, do some work of your own too!!
OK now I can sleep :)
WAIT.. ONE MORE THING
I hate dumb people that have small dogs that think that the dogs are dumb too! Or that they run slower on a course because they have shorter legs..... OH LORD!
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