Nottingham Champs DTC 28 & 29/05/16

Ethel and Earl had a really good weekend at the Nottingham Champs DTC Agility Show. The huge show was a brilliant opportunity for Ethel and myself to gain plenty of valuable Agility experience on some different courses against colossal numbers of advanced competitors. And as a bonus, we came home incredibly proud of some outstanding successes!

Once again, Ethel blew everyone away with her speed and love for Agility. She came a Clear 3rd out of 103 other dogs in Combined 1-5 Jumping, and she also came a Clear 5th out of around 50 other dogs in Combined 1-4 Jumping! It was a huge show and there were no small classes at all. She was competing against some incredibly difficult competition. There were so many absolutely stunning dogs there, and Ethel was up there with them! I am once again so proud of her; she and I make a wonderful team and I absolutely adore running her. She came across multiple things on the course that she hadn't come across before, and I learnt a lot about how I cam improve my handling skills for even more success for us as a pair. This large and popular show was the perfect opportunity for Ethel and myself to gain plenty of valuable experience to benefit us in the future.

Old man Earl went Clear in Grade 5 Agility and went Clear in Grade 5 Jumping. I'm considering giving him a break from Agility after the next show and his Dog Vegas Finals. This isn't necessarily the end of his Agility career, as I'm hoping that he will come back as a much stronger competitor when I bring him back after a well-earned break. Laying off Earl a little will also help me to really concentrate on Ethel and getting her and I up to amazing standards to achieve amazing things! Unfortunately, the competitive environment doesn't suit Earl like it does Ethel, and he performs much better in training. I shall keep up his weekend training for fitness purposes as he does enjoy this much more.

Once again a really good weekend - especially for Ethel - of fun and success!

SS - Remember

Remember that the bond that you and your dog share as a loving partnership matters more than anything.

I apologise for our recent absence on our blog and how infrequently we have been paying all of your wonderful blogs a visit recently. I have been incredibly busy with schoolwork and studying over the past couple of weeks (which has left me very weary) and I plan to blog more frequently this week as I have it off school for a holiday. Thank Goodness for holidays!

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SS - The Great Anticipation

When you're a dog, there's no greater anticipation than waiting for your frisbee to be thrown.

Earl

We humans really need to hurry up a little, don't we?

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Smart Buddies

Earl and Ethel are still looking and feeling fantastic after their hand-strip! This smooth duo is a smart one indeed!

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Upside Down Selfie

Sometimes you just have to let loose and take an upside down selfie!

Earl

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SS - After A Long Working Week...

... This is all you want to do.

Earl

Happy weekend all!

P.S. I want to apologise for my absence over the past week. I have been studying for exams at school all week, unfortunately, meaning I simply could not afford to spend time elsewhere.

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Agility Nuts 07/05/16

I am super proud of Earl and Ethel at the recent Agility Nuts competition! Ethel really blew everyone away once again, and Earl proved that he can definitely keep the success coming in, even for a slower dog! They really did shine!

Ethel won Power and Speed, won Jumping, came 2nd in Up n Under and came 5th in Agility (she would have won by 15 seconds, but she jumped her dog walk contact right at the end...)! She is absolutely amazing, and I am over the moon and thrilled with her performances! She is such a brilliantly awesome little dog! We also ran in the ABL Pairs Jumping Relay with a fellow Agility enthusiast and her speedy little Jack Russell Terrier and ran in the fastest time! Ethel ran a cracking clear round! They make a fabulous little team, and I cannot wait to run with them again!

Earl also did brilliantly for him! He came 3rd in Jumping, came 6th in Power and Speed and came 7th in Agility! He may not be my speedy dog, but he does so well! Bless him for always doing it for me. He'll do anything to please me, and we really do enjoy ourselves!

We had an incredibly successful day at Agility Nuts! I really could not wish for more amazing dogs as Earl and Ethel! I love them to the moon, back and way, way beyond!

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SS - Taking No Risks

Staring obsessively at pigeons in the distance doesn't come without risks; anyone could come and swipe up your ball, namely Ethel!

Earl

I you want to keep your ball after pigeon-staring, you simply MUST keep a paw on it when your eyes are cast elsewhere.

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Restarting In Heelwork To Music

Last Summer, I decided to start training in Heelwork To Music with Earl. Due to busy times, we soon decided that it was getting on top of us. However, after being told that me and Earl had the potential of getting to Crufts in the sport, I couldn't continue resisting! Recently, we have returned to Heelwork To Music training in which we have both been thoroughly enjoying. Things that we need to focus on and work towards mastering are the 'beg' command (which he is incredibly close to perfecting and is pictured below) and Earl's confidence when making contact with and standing on new, different and previously unknown objects. We have been advised to try clicker training for confidence building exercises, which is a positive reinforcement based training technique that uses the clicking sound to mark desired behaviour and steps in the right direction. I am trying to gradually introduce Earl to the clicker and its meaning, with the hope of using it to build his confidence when working with inanimate objects. Props are incredibly useful in Heelwork To Music routines, as they help to add a story, meaning and a little more excitement to a routine.

Earl

We have chosen a song for a routine that we are currently in the process of developing, we have chosen a theme and a couple of favoured moves, and now all we need is to keep training! Heelwork To Music is a sport that both me and Earl absolutely love, and Earl definitely has the skill and willingness required to succeed. And if he doesn't know what I want him to do, he'll fire anything and everything he knows at me depending on my position! He really does aim to please and nothing else!

Do you do Heelwork To Music with your dog or trick train?

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Windswept

There is definitely one certain upside to having long, luscious fur...

Ethel

And that is feeling it blow gently in the fresh breeze! She does look a little windswept though...

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Pinch Punch Post - May 2016

Happy new month of May everyone! This month, we have a non Kennel Club Agility show, Agility Nuts, this coming weekend, and and two day Kennel Club Agility show nearer the end of the month. Ethel is also booked in to be hand-stripped in a couple of weeks; she always looks so different afterwards! We are planning on using Agility Nuts as a training show for the Notts one coming up at the end of the month, as Agility Nuts will be Ethel's first time doing a proper Agility class with contacts at a competition. We cannot wait for more competitions!

Earl

During April, we participated in the April Blogging From A To Z Challenge 2016 and successfully completed the challenge once again! We cannot wait to participate in the challenge again next year. We also attended a Kennel Club Agility Nuts Agility competition at the beginning of the month, where Earl did well with a 2nd place in Grade 5 Jumping. At the end of the month, we attended a local two day show - Lincoln Agility Enthusiasts - where Ethel did incredibly well winning Combined 1-4 Jumping and coming 6th in Combined 4-7 Jumping. That means she only needs an Agility win or two more Jumping wins to win out into Grade 5! I'm very proud of my dogs for doing so well; we definitely had fun.

P.S. We would like to apologise for not commenting on a lot of your blogs recently. We have been incredibly busy offline and online, including with the A To Z Challenge. We will be sure to visit and comment more actively on your blogs from now on!

Have a brilliant month! Do you have any May plans?

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If you would like to join our team and cohost our Blog Hop, please email us at borderterriersruleOK@gmail.com for more information and to discuss things with me.