WHAT AN AMAZING DAY!
We had entered three teams, Two starters and one open.
Storm Warning, with Dogby, Roxy, Kiwi (from Hatfield), Reuben and Billy, were the first team to race, they did extremely well, Digby ran paw perfect as usual, getting some great starts and consistently running low 4's. Roxy, making her Debut with Storm Chasers also ran brilliantly, previously she had thought it would be a good game to jump the netting and visit the other lane, but not today! She was SUPER! Kiwi, as reliable as ever, (thanks Lynn and Ian for letting him run with us). Reuben wasn't on form today, went up and down the lane no problem but wouldnt bring his ball back, something we will definitely work on in training. Billy, also making his debut was fabulous, didnt bat an eye lid at all the noise, did some great changes and didnt fault all day. Storm Warning came away with First place having not dropped a single leg all day! Well done guys!
Storm in a Teacup were the next starter team to race, Diva (from Leeds), Tes, Paddy and Skye. None of these dogs had ever been to a competition before and the aim for the day was to have them get it right, to be honest I was expecting a few hiccups along the way! We started with Diva as first dog, who had a bit of a head explosion and found it all faaar too exciting and was doing laps of honour round the rings! Tes (who was running for me as she stayed at my house last night) did better than I expected, went up the lane no problem, got her ball, but wasn't quite sure who to come back to! Paddy and Skye surpassed my expectations and didnt put a paw wrong! In the afternoon we changed the order so that Diva could run last, which meant her mum could send her after the other team had finished (no distractions) and that was exactly what she needed, bit more focus and she did great bringing her ball back almost every time! Well done Diva! By this time Tes' mum had arrived and she took over the running and Tes was sooo much better, going straight back to her for a reward! Paddy ran perfectly all day and Skye even though she got really tired and had a bit of a "head pop" still managed to get her ball and bring it back to her mum. This team finished last in the placings, but I couldnt have wished for a more successful day for them. Every single dog doing successful runs over and over again. I am over the moon with you all!
Storm Chasers were last division on and again were placed in Division 1! we were seeded fourth, which meant there were three other teams with faster times than us. Mia and Inca are still getting their little brains around the whole thing and Mia was being run by someone else as her mum was poorly, she did really well, even though she seemed a bit confused at first! Inca ran the most consistently she ever has, getting time of 4.6-4.8 so Im really happy with that, onwards and upwards, she'll hopefully gain enough confidence to be running to her full potential next year! Overall the team came fourth (which is where we were seeded so not really a bad result) the dogs ran very well together and are really starting to gel as a team. We also managed to gain a new seed time, which mean we ran our fastest so far!
I honestly couldn't be happier with the way today went. We had four dogs who had never been to a competition before who were not phased and got the job done, I went to sleep with a smile on my face!
Now for the mentions of some of the days antics:
Natalie, for not breaking her ankle or Tes, when Tes decided to run in front of her to "rag" her ball at Paddy just as Nat was sending him, very agile moves there Nat!
Kay for sending Billy down the lane with his lead still attached!
Gail for running out the wrong way and Digby for being sensible enough to pass a bit slower so as not to collide with Roxy!
Andy for almost letting the open team run with the contraption in front of the box (training aid, banned in open racing!)
I think I deserve a mention too for not having a nervous breakdown at the thought of three teams and four brand new dogs running!
We had entered three teams, Two starters and one open.
Storm Warning, with Dogby, Roxy, Kiwi (from Hatfield), Reuben and Billy, were the first team to race, they did extremely well, Digby ran paw perfect as usual, getting some great starts and consistently running low 4's. Roxy, making her Debut with Storm Chasers also ran brilliantly, previously she had thought it would be a good game to jump the netting and visit the other lane, but not today! She was SUPER! Kiwi, as reliable as ever, (thanks Lynn and Ian for letting him run with us). Reuben wasn't on form today, went up and down the lane no problem but wouldnt bring his ball back, something we will definitely work on in training. Billy, also making his debut was fabulous, didnt bat an eye lid at all the noise, did some great changes and didnt fault all day. Storm Warning came away with First place having not dropped a single leg all day! Well done guys!
Storm in a Teacup were the next starter team to race, Diva (from Leeds), Tes, Paddy and Skye. None of these dogs had ever been to a competition before and the aim for the day was to have them get it right, to be honest I was expecting a few hiccups along the way! We started with Diva as first dog, who had a bit of a head explosion and found it all faaar too exciting and was doing laps of honour round the rings! Tes (who was running for me as she stayed at my house last night) did better than I expected, went up the lane no problem, got her ball, but wasn't quite sure who to come back to! Paddy and Skye surpassed my expectations and didnt put a paw wrong! In the afternoon we changed the order so that Diva could run last, which meant her mum could send her after the other team had finished (no distractions) and that was exactly what she needed, bit more focus and she did great bringing her ball back almost every time! Well done Diva! By this time Tes' mum had arrived and she took over the running and Tes was sooo much better, going straight back to her for a reward! Paddy ran perfectly all day and Skye even though she got really tired and had a bit of a "head pop" still managed to get her ball and bring it back to her mum. This team finished last in the placings, but I couldnt have wished for a more successful day for them. Every single dog doing successful runs over and over again. I am over the moon with you all!
Storm Chasers were last division on and again were placed in Division 1! we were seeded fourth, which meant there were three other teams with faster times than us. Mia and Inca are still getting their little brains around the whole thing and Mia was being run by someone else as her mum was poorly, she did really well, even though she seemed a bit confused at first! Inca ran the most consistently she ever has, getting time of 4.6-4.8 so Im really happy with that, onwards and upwards, she'll hopefully gain enough confidence to be running to her full potential next year! Overall the team came fourth (which is where we were seeded so not really a bad result) the dogs ran very well together and are really starting to gel as a team. We also managed to gain a new seed time, which mean we ran our fastest so far!
I honestly couldn't be happier with the way today went. We had four dogs who had never been to a competition before who were not phased and got the job done, I went to sleep with a smile on my face!
Now for the mentions of some of the days antics:
Natalie, for not breaking her ankle or Tes, when Tes decided to run in front of her to "rag" her ball at Paddy just as Nat was sending him, very agile moves there Nat!
Kay for sending Billy down the lane with his lead still attached!
Gail for running out the wrong way and Digby for being sensible enough to pass a bit slower so as not to collide with Roxy!
Andy for almost letting the open team run with the contraption in front of the box (training aid, banned in open racing!)
I think I deserve a mention too for not having a nervous breakdown at the thought of three teams and four brand new dogs running!