Our first Agility "link" run
 

I'm so proud of my Dougal monster! All the training has been paying off! Woo hoo! My agility club runs something called "link" which is an agility course that every club in the country runs (it's a different one each month but we all do the same one - hope that makes sense). We finally passed Beginners 1 and Dougal got to compete in Link! Hooray! It doesn't matter what level you are at everyone runs the same course - just different heights.

And boy it was a hard course - even the experienced people said it was hard. I've attached a wee map of the course. I've numbered each of the obstacles in the order we had to do them - and I've added a wee pink line to show how we tried to run it. (the blue lines are the hurdles - everything else is labelled).

I have to say that first turn into the tunnel was KILLER! It's so hard when they can't easily see the next obstacle. Dougal ran off twice! But eventually went in. YAY for Dougal! Then he struggled over the full height (6 foot) A frame. We had two goes at the weave and failed but I didn't want to push it cos getting Dougal focussed was quite hard. (So that's when we got disqualified - but I pushed on!)

Then, once we went over the hurdle and through the chute, all bets were back on! Dougal really powered throught that, then the set of jumps then the dog walk - all SPOT ON!!

then the jumps and tyre, I had no problems stopping him from going back through the tyre (that was the trick there). then back up the dog walk - this is where it all went wrong! I tried to do a "front cross" - cross in front of Dougal as he came down the ramp of the dog walk but I accidently pushed him off and he missed the contact (COMPLETELY!) and decided that was all he was going to do for the afternoon! I should have done a back cross - IE cross behind DOugal once he was on the Dog walk. I'm thinking I could have held his focus to the end if I'd done that.

But I'm so pleased with that result. because this course was outside on grass with lots of dogs and distractions and the last time there was a ribbon trial in the same place Dougal took off twice without even doing the first hurdle! So really a tenfold improvement really!

I'm a bit annoyed by the weave cos Dougal can do them but they had all the really hard stuff where it was easy for Dougal to lose focus first - I think that's why it was such a hard course. But I thought it was worth it - I learnt lots about me and Dougal.

Unfortunately they don't do link in Micro size - I'm not willing to let Dixie do 38cm (15inch) hurdles - she can do everything else fine but it's a long way for her to come down the other side of the hurdle - I don't want her to jar anything.

Phew! Thanks for reading my big blurt! I am really excited about dougal's performance - that's the best he's ever done and the longest I've EVER held his focus!

Twenty stations??? Holy Border Collie! That's insane. Dougal is a god dog just for attempting it.

And tell me the chute doesn't go under the A frame? That seems torturous, and tortuous for that matter!

Good job, Dougal!

Thanks for the report, but, uh, did you FORGET to have someone take pictures and vids??????

Yes that chute DID go under the A frame and yes I was lucky not to trip up and embarrass myself running round the A Frame to keep up with Dougal.

Sadly I didn't forget about pics etc - I just no longer have anyone that I can bribe / cajole into being Dougal's official photographer. :( If anyone knows any cute single guys (aged 25-35) that love yorkies and live in New Zealand you just go ahead and GIVE them my phone number LOL!

Good for him he will just get better and better! I really admire the dogs that do agility it looks really tough!

Thanks! Agility's a heap of fun. All the people are really friendly and helpful. I think it's such a great way to spend an afternoon. Dixie thinks it's more fun than Dougal tho!

Thanks! It's soo much fun. I love doing the training - which I do most nights cos it's fun to think of new ways to motivate the furkids and teach them the skills they need to know.

I've never heard of the chute going under the A frame. You'd almost be faster going through the chute with him, lol.

As for the shameless attempt to scare up a good-looking photographer, this is YORKIETALK, not HOTBOYPHOTOGRAPHERTALK. Just grab ANYONE to take vids. Sheesh :D

Good job Dougal and Mom!
 

:bravo: Wow! Congratulations are in order! Good job Douglal You should be proud of your little Dougal boy AND of yourself. Isn't it grand when all of that hard work finally pays off. You should feel so very proud of yourself that you "pushed on" even though you were disqualified. I am sure that Dougal missed that minor point. In my books YOU BOTH ARE WINNERS! :good job:

Mike, I think you have given yourself a new name -- :camera:YorkieTalk HOTBOYPHOTOGRAPHERTALK :camera: I am going to ask Admin to please post your new title under your avatar.

4 Paws up for Dougal!! That is awesome - I'm so proud of him and you!! I love the agility courses and hope to train my Zsa-Zsa but I worry about the hurdles since she is very small.

Way to go! Bravo! Congratulations!

:congrats:
Yea Dougal! That really sounds like a lot of fun. Guess it is true that agility is as much a test for the handler as for the dog.

I would love to at least introduce mine to agility. We went to a couple of beginner classes before we got then -- just to check it out and meet people. We took them to a meet a few weeks ago and we had to pick them up to keep them from running onto the course.

Archie would have no problem with the hurdles. We call him Archie the Springbok. He can flat jump to my chest level. That table where they have to sit still for, I think, 5 seconds on the other hand..........

Good luck on your search for a suitable photographer. :happyw:

Thanks! No one else seemed particularly impressed with the run but i was! and that's all that matters!:D

LOLOLOLOLOLOL:eyetearss (Oops - may be I shouldn't laugh so hard!)

Thanks! In the US you have a micro class - which is especially designed for the wee dogs so I say GO FOR IT! With the wee dogs it's the "chute" that's more of a problem - but if your fur kid can burrow in under the duvet she can do the chute! LOl!

It sure is - it's such a mental challenge. You know that most of the time the reason the dog isn't doing something, or did something wrong it is your fault. It's amazing how much of our body language they pick up on! Both in the ring and out.

I say just DO IT! You don't have to be good at it - just enjoy it. That's my attitude! But you've gotta try.

Wow is Archie part Kangaroo? Neither of my two is particularly *springy*. The Wee has lots of hindquarter strength from leaping onto the bed from all the way down where she is. Dougal's twice her size.

Attention and focus come - with LOTS of practice and patience, and then some more practice and patience!

Sigh... this girl lives in hope -- oh yeah and he needs to be handy with the vacumn cleaner, good at making coffee and .... the list goes on. :p :D