Epic and I did a two day show at the weekend as part of a larger dog event called Paws in the Park. It was lovely weather and heaven to be doing agility.
Saturday
Our first run was a nice flowing agility course, including weaves straight off the A frame which was a novelty. Not the fastest run we've ever done but clear and we placed 4th, which was a good start.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyX-0uck5tc
Second run was Grade 3 agility so more challenging than the previous which was combined 1-3. Looking back over the video in slo mo I think it could have been the judge starting to move which may have caused the popped pole. (I've trimmed out the bits where Jessica was filming grass, so the run is a bit truncated but you get the idea.) Flyball was going on behind us and the noise from that definitely unsettled him quite a bit. Not Epic running at his best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=974dnpaF80k&feature=youtu.be
Stupidly I missed my jumping class!
It was Graded 3-5 and I'm so used to being in the lower numbers I hadn't been paying attention! I walked the course later for the large class and it would have been a nice one to run, although challenging. Doh!
Sunday
Dismal start when I realised I had got a blister starting where my agility shoe had worn out on the heel. This was playing on my mind and we had to queue for ages before our run on the Jumping course. Then I changed my mind on how I was going to handle the start and copied everyone else - but badly. Result: off course on Jump 2. Lesson learned is to run the course as walked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbQaZ2Su79U
Grade 3 jumping was a perfect course for us and I was looking forward to running it having sorted my shoe and heel out with plasters. This run bears quite a striking resemblance to what happened with Sophie's (Labgirl) Merlin a few weeks ago - even the jumps are the same colour! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is4q46cAje0
Our final run was our first ever in Grade 3-5. It felt weird to be walking the same course as my instructor! Over lunch I took the rare opportunity to use a practice ring for a minute (we don't often have practice rings) and ran Epic through the weaves a couple of times and over the A frame and had a great game 'on course'. The competition course was the one close to the flyball where he came unstuck the previous day so I played with him and sat with him for some time near to the noise. The result was our best performance of the weekend - although eliminated at the second tunnel this is how I like Epic to run
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmbsrwOijK0
I had all three boys at the show and Revel seemed to quite enjoy himself. I also did some of Angus' foundation skills training in a new and distracting environment. We had a walk round the main event - rather a struggle as Revel walks at senior pace and stops for prolonged sniffing, Angus wants to say hi to every dog and Epic wants to avoid every dog! I took some pictures of Team Tricolour for good measure!
https://introducingmyshelties.shutterfly.com/newpictures/692#692
Saturday
Our first run was a nice flowing agility course, including weaves straight off the A frame which was a novelty. Not the fastest run we've ever done but clear and we placed 4th, which was a good start.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyX-0uck5tc
Second run was Grade 3 agility so more challenging than the previous which was combined 1-3. Looking back over the video in slo mo I think it could have been the judge starting to move which may have caused the popped pole. (I've trimmed out the bits where Jessica was filming grass, so the run is a bit truncated but you get the idea.) Flyball was going on behind us and the noise from that definitely unsettled him quite a bit. Not Epic running at his best.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=974dnpaF80k&feature=youtu.be
Stupidly I missed my jumping class!
It was Graded 3-5 and I'm so used to being in the lower numbers I hadn't been paying attention! I walked the course later for the large class and it would have been a nice one to run, although challenging. Doh!Sunday
Dismal start when I realised I had got a blister starting where my agility shoe had worn out on the heel. This was playing on my mind and we had to queue for ages before our run on the Jumping course. Then I changed my mind on how I was going to handle the start and copied everyone else - but badly. Result: off course on Jump 2. Lesson learned is to run the course as walked.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbQaZ2Su79U
Grade 3 jumping was a perfect course for us and I was looking forward to running it having sorted my shoe and heel out with plasters. This run bears quite a striking resemblance to what happened with Sophie's (Labgirl) Merlin a few weeks ago - even the jumps are the same colour! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is4q46cAje0
Our final run was our first ever in Grade 3-5. It felt weird to be walking the same course as my instructor! Over lunch I took the rare opportunity to use a practice ring for a minute (we don't often have practice rings) and ran Epic through the weaves a couple of times and over the A frame and had a great game 'on course'. The competition course was the one close to the flyball where he came unstuck the previous day so I played with him and sat with him for some time near to the noise. The result was our best performance of the weekend - although eliminated at the second tunnel this is how I like Epic to run
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmbsrwOijK0
I had all three boys at the show and Revel seemed to quite enjoy himself. I also did some of Angus' foundation skills training in a new and distracting environment. We had a walk round the main event - rather a struggle as Revel walks at senior pace and stops for prolonged sniffing, Angus wants to say hi to every dog and Epic wants to avoid every dog! I took some pictures of Team Tricolour for good measure!
https://introducingmyshelties.shutterfly.com/newpictures/692#692
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Epic loves agility so much and copes so well under 'normal' circumstances that I forget sometimes how many issues he has. He has improved beyond recognition from the wildly reactive dog he was but I have to remember that things like staying on the start line with dogs tugging and barking behind him is a major deal and giving the performance from home under those kind of conditions should not be expected. At least not yet. 
I remember when I started doing agility I had no intention of competing as there was no possibility of him being in that situation, so to be going to shows at all is a lot more than I had expected. He is actually better behaved at agility shows around other dogs than in normal life! The power of agility....