Agility practice and a big fall!

Last Friday, we headed south to a great place we like to visit to rent an agility ring and get in a little practice.

We met up with our pals Rocco and his Mum, as they wanted to get in a little practice in a new place; and it was great to have other dogs around to get us all excited to play our favorite game.

Mum ran Gracie a couple of times and she did very, very well! She didn't run off at all, was really focused on Mum, made all of her frame and dogwalk contacts, and even did the teeter twice in a row making all her attempts. We were very, very proud.

I got to run two runs too. We loved this little course they already had set up, so we stuck with it. It had some nice little challenges, some backside jumps, straight tunnel challenges and weaves after the chute which is always interesting.

Waiting our turn!

The first time Mum ran me, it was a disaster. I was super fast....Mum didn't get where she needed to be, I blasted out of the tunnel and we almost collided. But the cool thing was that the first three jumps to the dog walk, then a straight on backside jump, was a work of art on my first run.

My next run we got on video, and we are so glad we did! You can see that something happened on my approach up the dogwalk and when I reached the first apex, I was on my way to falling off. Take a look and let me know what you think happened?


Thank goodness, I was completely OK, Although you may, if you listen very carefully, hear Mum say a little bad word. But yep, she checked me out thoroughly and I was a-ok. She didn't want to end my day with that fall, so we started over and had a really nice little run. Not as fast as my very first one, but not too bad for a 10 year old!

After Gracie and I were done, it was Rach's turn. Rach has been doing ground jumps, tunnels, and working on a wobble board and contact board at home in your cabin yard. But he has never, ever seen the real contacts before. So Mum wanted him to experience them a little in a really safe way, feel the rubber under the paws...well you get the idea!

She first put him on the table and he did an immediate down. What a good boy! Mum worked a little on having him stay in the down and taking a few steps back. After the third try he got it.

Rach has so much fun, he bit Mum's finger! 

Then with Rocco's Mum on one side and Mum on the other, with Rach in his harness, the led him up the dogwalk. I think the Mum's where a bit overly cautious and made Rach a little nervous, but he finally enjoyed the second time over, and immediately when into his 2o2o. What a good boy!

Then they headed over to the teeter, and what do you know? Rach went right up to the end (with the Mum's holding it up, and got lots of treats there. Then he did it again, and got more treats, then the Mum's lowered it up and down a few inches so he could feel the movement and he was doing so well, that they slowly lowered it and again, he went right into his 2o2o. Another good boy!
They headed over to the aframe and the Mum's lowered it to about 2 feet off the ground at the apex. Rach couldn't wait to get his paws on the frame. Mum leashed him and led him over and he scrambled over and did his 2o2o again! He did it a few times and they finished on a super happy, accomplished note.
The weather was amazingly perfect, so we took a little hike after around the grounds, then the Mum's headed out to lunch while we were happy to take a little snooze. 
All in all it was a great training day and super fun with our pals!