Sizzle and his first champ of the year

Well, I guess it is about time we post some agility news ... I have entered Sizzle and Sipzie for a few shows but sadly Sipzie came into season so she can't compete until she is done with her season :(

Last Saturday, Sizzle and I went to Easter Celebration just to do ONE class. The venue was about 45min from home, so it wasn't too bad. I wasn't prepare to go until the last minute so we got there just in time. I wanted to do an agility class with Sizzle to see what our partnership like.

Since I have this litter of puppies, Sizzle got very jealous. I must said I have somehow ignored the dogs when the puppies got older, they just took too much attention and time off me, poor dogs are dying for my attention too. Sizzle in particular, at one point, since I came back from Malaysia, he got a bit distance and prefers Colin then I. I was very upset as my boys are always mummy's boys but just recently they all became daddy's boys :(

Our run at Easter Celebration was goodish, as I was on my own, so no video. Sizzle ran clear and got 4th but he could be so much better. He was slow in the weave and see-saw but I thought that gave me the boost for our first champ of the year, today.

It has been very windy for the last few days, Vyne Champ show at Newbury showground is always windy, well, it was nearly a gales force wind at the venue. Many classes have to pull the Dog Walk down for safety reason and I was so happy that most judges are actually CARE about the safety of the dogs.

Out first turn was Champ Jumping. Sizzle worked well, he was on form today and he was up for it. I love the course set by judge Dave Hutchinson. There were some challenging bits that you have to work it. Sizzle started off well and I am getting more and more confidence with his weave entry and he also beginning to turn tight as well, so our practice is beginning to paid off. The part that caught most people is the cloth tunnel as you don't know which way your dog will turn but ideally you want them to turn left to go into the pipe tunnel as the next obstacle. As our running order is towards the end so I watched so many dog/handler deal with the cloth tunnel issue and most of them turn right instead of left. When I walked it, I didn't walk it the way if the dog turn right instead of left as for some reason I thought it was a fault if the dog turn right as you have to run between the cloth tunnel and a jump to get to the pipe tunnel but apparently I was wrong. I wanted to do a front cross before the cloth tunnel and I sent Sizzle to jump wide but I was too late and was unable to do a front cross nor a rear across so he came out of the cloth tunnel and lost me. I think I got panic and don't know what to do, so I wasn't sure about the direction but I shouted at him "tunnel", as I shouted, the wind blew open the cloth tunnel to create an invitation for him :( At the end of the class, the judge came to say to me he felt for me, such unlucky! The other bit that caught most people was the jump after the pipe tunnel, it was supposed to be pipe tunnel, jump, weave and some dogs either took the cloth tunnel or an extra jump but Sizzle work perfectly on that into the weave. I was so proud of him. I don't know what to say or do about the cloth tunnel, maybe it is just the wind as we also have an issue with the cloth tunnel in the agility round.

After we got eliminated in the Jumping due to back in the cloth tunnel, I know I have nothing to lost so I dare tried out the things I dare not do in the competition. The beginning sequence of the Agility round prove to be challenging. We managed that nicely but we somehow didn't managed to nail to weave entry after the A Frame. I don't know why as we did that a lot and each time we were good, should I blamed the wind again? Again, I don't understand why Sizzle put out from the cloth tunnel? Could it be he saw me stopping to recall the see-saw? Mmmm ... I hope we will not have cloth tunnel issue at the next show.

Our last run was the Grade 7 Agility, the only clear round we've got for today and he got a 6th place, I am real chuffed.

 Thanks to Dennis who video our Champ runs: