Weardale ... Planet Ginger Dog!

Just got back from Weardale. Yesterday there was much ginger dog action:

Ginger 1: Tim did a couple of good runs – he just gets that bit better each time :) On one he sent from the startline down a line of 4 bounce-stride jumps then on to another jump further on and then right at the top over a further two jumps – not ducking under any(!!) Meanwhile I was still somewhere behind jump two gathering my thoughts and feeling like I was moving in slow-mo! On his other nice run (& this was defo his best yet) he did the whole course perfectly apart from ducking under the start jump and a jump before the cloth tunnel. The best bit was that he stopped on the A-frame - which was followed by the weaves - and even when I walked forward to the weaves, pointed and said “weave” he would not release himself till I said “OK!” Either his release is proofed better than I thought or he’d slipped into a brief trance, lol. Anyway, he then did the weaves beautifully too. Good boy! Of course today he was cr*p and back in lala-loony-land but never mind eh!! Two steps forward, one back is still moving on.

Ginger 2: Karen & lovely Mac finally got their passport to bog off from the G1&2 queues by getting that agility win that they’ve been threatening! Very, very well done to them both, well deserved.

Ginger 3: Katie (who is well up there on Tim’s most-snoggable-humans-in-the-universe list) & amazing 3-year-old ginger boy Copper won the Large Champ class!!! Soooo exciting, seriously amazing runs, an agility fairytale!! It was really thrilling to watch all of the Champ competitors – WOWEEE!!!

& the Mouse … well the great news there is that she found her weaves!!! Not sure where they’ve been off to, but never mind! We didn’t get chance to practice at all during the week so I wasn’t expecting an improvement. One of the (many) fab things about Maisie is that the reward she works best for is praise, so I can reward her in the ring without needing treats/toys, and so her confidence soon came back once they started to happen. On her agility run this morning she missed a contact (my bad) & rolled a pole so I then sent her quite fast into the weaves from right behind and she did them v happily. She did get a clear round each day – both in Jumping classes, but not fast enough for the places. She’s been placed on less good runs before but that’s just the way it goes and she was most chuffed with herself anyway.

Billy had a fun walk along the riverbank with Skip this morning, and Tim had a romp with baby Belle who was playing for the first time in big classes - she did sooo well. Skip also got some clears and maybe a G3 place – good big lad!

Tim had a naughty-comedy moment … I let him out of the car and his Auntie Helen made a tactical error in the war on ginger chaos – bending right down and giving him a lovely big tummy tickle – he was so overwhelmed with luuuurve he got a little over excited and projectile wee’d right in her face!!!! Oh how we chortled :) :) (Tim sez sooooooo sorry Auntie Helen, but your complexion really did look extra beautiful afterwards, honest!!!)