One Day at Watford

Just a single day show at Watford today - the hottest day of the year so far so I wasn't 100% sure we would go at first - but with Kiah's cool water bed, lots of refreshing water, her cool coat, lots of shade and the car's air conditioning, we decided that it would be a good day to go. So three runs for us today, one very early on which Kiah was running perfectly in with brilliant solid contacts - just me missing a not so obvious trap and sending her back on the see-saw for a big elimination 4 jumps from home, D'OH!!! Jumping was a bit of a disaster, awful timing so we won't mention that one... but our second agility I was really pleased with - a great run just got an E by going the wrong way over a jump, but some great weave and turns from Kiah. It would have been great to get a clear in apprehension for next weekend, but I think we're ready nonetheless - we're going to be up at Tuffley and it's Kiah's first G6 show, exciting!!!

Thames Weekend

It is a huge show - probably one of the biggest ones there is and yet I never fail to enjoy it, I guess it makes it easier only having one dog to fly around the 13 rings with, but it is nice to see so many people enjoying themselves and such a busy, vibrant, friendly and well organised show, aside from people speeding (grrr, again) I don't think I heard any complaints at all! We had a fab saved camping spot near to a load of great friends, and with a brill view to a lot of the rings - it was still a long way to the other end but I think everyone was in the same situ - but such a great atmosphere, pretty good weather too, just loved every minute!

What added to the enjoyment was three clear rounds - a little messy but worked at rather than giving up - from Kiah and I resulting in a 6th and a 10th place receiving two beautiful rosettes, and therefore a little bit of consistency too!! We have an unintentional 2 days off this weekend (forgot to enter anything!) so will be chilling with the doggies, shopping, and looking forward to the lie in - but not for too many weekends otherwise Kiah and I start to get agility withdrawal symptoms!

Dartford & Keston - Kiah Goes G6!!!

Had an awesome time at the show this weekend, some brilliant and careful but amazingly fast work by Kiah - resulting in two fab achievements; winning G5 agility on Saturday by over three seconds, and coming second in agility the day after, bringing home two trophies - one on each day, I think that's fair! Looking back especially on our winning run, and hearing such positive comments about our run from onlookers and the judge about her speed and spot on contacts - as well as that Kiah nearly fell off the dog walk three times before safely making it to her touch point, makes me so proud that tries so hard for me, and all for her smiley face, pow-wow juice and raggy toy reward at the end.

I was just as grateful for our second place the day after - it was our last run of the day and a lovely technical but flowing course set by a top judge. I loved it and so did Kiah, it was just her type of course allowing her to stretch out and enjoy it, but also in a couple of places it showed that we had a couple of great tight turns - I only messed up in two areas - but Kiah helped me out there. I'm going to need to start upping our game in G6 with getting myself more fit (!) and training the turns we need to work on! But for now, we came home on a bit of a high following that weekend!!

Quite a lot of other people with brill results over this and the last few weekends so well done - Jo with Ronny AND Keisha (fab!!), Therese and Lizzy, Marian and Tia, Sarah and Rex, Andy and Thor, Helen and Zeus, Caroline and Puzzel, Sue and Jinx, Tanya and Myst, Mac and Bex and loads more. Congratulations everyone, there's obviously something in the air!!

This weekend is definitely one that's going to be easy to remember but hard to beat for more than just a little while, never thought we would make it as far as grade 6 so it really is a great achievement for us - and very pleased with my girl, lots of spoiling for her!! We are off to the Thames show at the weekend for the first of a couple of 'freebie' shows (maybe a few rounds to practise some of our contacts) - until the first week in July which is our first official G6 show, exciting but a bit scary!!

Quick Packington Update

Part of the reason we went up to the Packington show was to hopefully qualify for the ABC semi finals - well that didn't happen but it was a really nice show, if strangely quiet and laid back, but with brilliant company and great laughs all the way through. Kiah and I were working reasonably well together - apart from left meant right and right meant left oh dear! We ended up with a 6th in G5 jumping that I was really pleased with - and more importantly there was also a very amusing clear round where I had to save the round from disaster about four times thanks to my rubbish directional skills!! We got a huge round of applause for making it around clear, and bless her somehow ended up 13th which I was so pleased with as there was a LOT of wasted time. My biggest disappointment though was me messing up a course three jumps from home where Kiah was just amazing - but I won't dwell on it, just realise how amazing my little Malinois really is when she shows me what she can do.