Newton Heath

After getting stuck on some awful icy snow stuff earlier in the week I was quite hesitant about setting off over t'Pennines to Myerscough. The alarm went off and I got up to look out of the window and there was a very hard frost so I snuggled straight back into bed zzzzzzz. Maisie had other ideas though - alarm going off when it's dark means going to a show!!!!!!!!! So she started bouncing around going Yippeeee!!! So I got up to let them out to the loo, see if that would settle her back down. Then, once I was stood on the doorstep in my PJs, freezing bits off, it seemed a) not too bad out after all, and b) now we were up we might as well get on with it, so off we went! And it was a good decision by Miss Mouse as it turned out to be a lovely cold but sunny day.
We only had two runs. Maisie had got spooked going into the arena and she was backing off all the way round the agility run, even having an uncharacteristic pole down, never mind. The jumping course seemed OK when I walked it but I spent ages watching the earlier runs and it was proving tricky to get round. The start was nigh on impossible if you didn't have either a good startline wait (amazing how many dogs don't - at all!) or the ability to send them into weaves and cross behind. After the weaves there was a sharp turn right across a sort of box and I bet about 70% of the class (graded 1-3 so mostly gr3s) went wrong at this point!! Either popping out of the weaves early or failing to make the right turn and being E'd over the jump to the LH side of the box. I decided to work Maisie right past the end of the weaves and make a kink out to turn and thus get a straighter line into the box, and in the event this worked really well - OK not the most totally efficient line, but the safer option. There was also a bit where you really needed to be on the dog's right to work a curve round three jumps to the right, but then somehow cross to the left around the long jump. I'd decided that the only option here was to cross behind her at the long jump which I wasn't at all happy about as I thought it might make her look back and shorten, but then got a good idea from a handler I admire who runs non-collies and decided to just leg it with her past the long jump and then just set off from the corner towards the flat tunnel - so it was sort of a rear cross after the jump. I'd have thought this would be very messy but actually it worked great and kept her driving into and out of the corner. After the tunnel there was then a pull off a line of jumps straight ahead and learning from messing this up last week I tried to suggest the turn before she entered the tunnel, and also hung back a little and then sort of pulled her two-handed round the left as she came out - worked really well!
Gosh isn't it boring when people over-analyze courses ;o) This time it was worthwhile though as we finished in 4th!! Great placing for Maisie for a Jumping class and her time was very respectable; the winner stormed it but Maisie was less than a second behind the 2nd and 3rd placed dogs.
Other news: Tim's weaves are really coming on, and he is learning the art of relaxation - he's such a cutey sometimes, awwww :o)

And Billy's stubbed dewclaw toe is getting better - he's such a brave hero - ummm, not! But he gives the most smashing cuddles.
This morning we've woken up to a white, fluffy winter wonderland - again!