Saturday - GSD Show

Well what a weekend! After collecting Mannix on Friday, I arrived back home around 4pm. I had an hour at home, then it was off to set up for the show on Saturday which I had very stupidly volunteered to organise! People don't realise just how much effort and time goes into running the shows - I have learnt now! Anyway, set up done we went out for a nice meal with the judge and helpers then it was early to bed before I collapsed!

Saturday was Smudges first show. Unfortunately Maisie has not been well recently and Scooby was slightly lame, so Smudge was flying the Macfarlane flag solo! I really didn't feel he was ready for his first show, and I was proved right, However it did give me a really clear indication of the areas that still needed work. I ran all of his rounds as training rounds, taking my time to hold him on the contacts etc (apart from once when I didn't hold it and the judge told me off! Smacked wrists for me) In his agility run I tried to send him ahead of me into the tunnel and he missed his entrance. So I had to go back and help him in, which left me in the wrong position to handle the next part, meaning he came around the jump. In his jumping round I crowded him at the weaves, so he missed his entry. For some reason I wasn't trusting him to run as I know that he can. He doesn't need help with his entry so why on earth I did that I will never know! I guess first run nerves. His last run of the day was Steeplechase and again we had a missed tunnel entrance.

So things learnt are:

Don't run him as if he is a baby - he is capable so let him get on with it!
Need to work more on sending him ahead of me into tunnels.
Lots more work still required on getting him to look ahead and drive forward.
Contacts were faster and he got every one, but I want to carry on working on those to get them even faster.

So lots of work to do before the Jersey Agility Festival which is in 3 weeks time!!!

I do have a video of his jumping run so I will upload when I get time.

I also think that volunteering to do most of the organising on his first show was probably a silly move looking back, as I didn't feel I gave him 100%.

Saturday night was out again for a meal (apart from Paul who had to puppy sit! Haha!).