EMDAC
We were back at EMDAC again this weekend for the first show in their Winter Series. Kim has been promoted this season to Primary in both agility and jumping, so this was our first show where we were running Primary courses.
We did not have a good start! Kim was still sulking with me that Mollie and Dylan had set off on their walk whilst she had to sit in the car, and I knew on the startline of Primary Agility that she was not going to concentrate. It was a harder course than we had tackled for a long while, and it really needed some focus from both of us to get round. No such luck! E’d at 13 for a backjump – repeat to self: Must practise front crosses.
Primary Jumping was up next, a lovely simple course that I expected to see a lot of clears on (actually there were 24 clears, but lots of 5/10 faults for poles). I was just hoping for a clear round on this one, or failing that, Kim listening to me and/or using her speed. I was not prepared for what was to come … I downed Kim on the line in a wait and set off. When I glanced over my shoulder to check she was watching me, she was sniffing. Not a good sign. I gave the release command and she carried on sniffing, but harder. In fact, she shuffled forward (still in a down) and started sniffing around. I set off back to restart her, and just as I was reaching down to put her back, Kim decided she wasn’t having any of that and set off. Cue moment of indecision by handler – recall her back and restart, ensuring Elimination, or set off after her and just hope for the best?! By this time Kim is hitting the 3rd jump, a point at which I know she will spin if I’m not somewhere nearby, so I set off like a lunatic. Kim proves that she does not need me as a handler as she correctly negotiates the correct course. When I finally catch up with her at the weaves (obstacle 6) she stops dawdling and we finish the rest of the course in blistering speed. Cue overjoyed handler, and assorted family and friends trying not to laugh hysterically at the side of the ring.
Another write off, or so I thought. When checking the results, it turned out we had come 4th and were only 2 seconds off the winner. 2 seconds we could have gained from a proper start? NB: Kim’s sniffing wasn’t completely out of character. She was very clearly munching on something as she took the first 5 jumps, so I can only presume someone dropped a treat on the line. I’ll have a rant about that another day though.
Power and Speed was a cracking run until Kim’s love of the Aframe reasserted itself and she abandoned my desperate yelling of “leftleftleftleft” and hard breaking to redo part of the Power section of the course. Finally, Primary Helter Skelter. Helter Skelter is not one of my favourite classes. I either forget where I’m going or it’s just too easy and all the superfast dogs clip round and leave us standing in their dust. This was a course in the forgetful category.
It was also Kim’s best run of the day. She did her down wait. She was focussed, responsive and gunning for it. Unfortunately she is handicapped by a handler who, whilst remembering where she is going, is stricken by the completely unfounded fear that her dog is going too fast to turn for the next obstacle, and puts in an un-necessary left command that causes dog to be called off the obstacle completely (in a very sharp, fast turn) and get a refusal. (It was the 7-8-9 sequence, I pulled her off 9). We went back, carried on and blasted the rest of the course, and we were the 2nd fastest 5 faults, behind a dog who knocked a pole. Another what if course. I feel like I let Kim down on that run, I couldn’t have asked for more from her and she was on course for a top-3 place in her first Primary show.
She did get a 4th though, and the courses were all a step up from what we’ve done before. Definitely looking forward to the next one, although it isn’t until January 5th. Just Wyre before that — November and December are looking quiet.