Once again I keep thinking I need to sit down and write - and once again I keep procrastinating!

Quite a lot happened over the Christmas and New Year period. I actually didn't get to any shows in December, had entered one but then couldn't manage the preparation so didn't go. We did, however, get in some agility!

On 15th December we had Ria/Elton's agility club Christmas party in the afternoon, but I found a training in the ring thing also to be held that day which I really wanted to go to for Solei's benefit. Realised that because of the schedule I should have time to do that in the morning and then get to the party in the afternoon, so being slightly insane that's what I did.

The morning was mixed - I decided to give Elton two runs on the "baby" courses (just jumps and tunnels) and Solei one run on a baby course and one run on a course that also had an aframe and dog walk in.

Solei was terrible in his first (baby) run, very distracted and kept going AWOL (but that said didn't completely blow me off). Second run was much better, the first bit was nice, though he struggled with the contacts - had to take a couple attempts to get up the aframe, and wouldn't go near the dog walk to start with - but it had a tunnel underneath and I realised afterwards I don't think he's ever seen a dog walk with a tunnel under it. After I'd got him over it once he was fine.

Elton was really good...he would've been clear in his first run but...umm...his handler took the wrong course :X and the second run he got 5f, I just didn't support enough coming out of the tunnel for the stage he's at atm and he ran past the wing of the jump immediately after it.

Overall Solei has some to go, but it wasn't a complete disaster and he could've been a lot worse. Really pleased with Elton. Didn't run Ria (she wouldn't have coped) - but did take her in and do a couple of dog walks with her.

The Christmas Party in the afternoon was not such a success! It was apparently beyond Ria's capabilities at this point (still no regression in her reactivity which was positive, but lots of stress response - running off and sniffing - she really struggles when she's not 100% sure what I want her to do). There were three courses - the first was gamblers which I thought we might be able to manage, the dog walk was the second obstacle and she took the first jump then ran right past the dw and I never really got her back after that! Then we ran a pairs thing (one after the other) which was similar and in the end I finished with a steeplechase run which I broke right down and she actually managed fairly competently - there were even 1 or 2 really nice bits.

Then came Christmas, food and new toys were had by all! Solei is getting a Back on Track coat but I want to get it at Crufts so can make sure I get the right size.

First show of the year was January 5th, I'd entered all 3 which was fun - Solei's first show since June (he did a grand total of 3 last year) and even the younger two hadn't been out since mid-November.

Elton went decently but only got a 4th, Ria's class clashed perfectly with Elton's so I showed Elton and then we did a stressful dash straight into her ring where she showed very well considering (bit erratic on the move cos she was unsettled) and got a 3rd in a lovely class of 9. Solei enjoyed himself in Veteran and also got a 4th!

Solei's agility class started back on 10th, I'm so glad I gave him another chance. He's enjoying them so much and he seems to be making decent progress. The other two don't go back until 30th, though we did attend a Jump Skills workshop last Wednesday which was really good, I'd love to do more of that. Ria worked almost the entire workshop, a lot of it was one jump and grid stuff which is usually right up her street (I suppose it's clear what is required) so she coped well until we got to a more difficult exercise near the end - which is interesting, because it appeared to be my transition between repetitions that did something at that point.

The sequence was a curved tunnel, then 3 jumps where they have to collect because of where they were positioned, then another curved tunnel, then extending to another jump. So the first time I try and she gets the tunnel and the three jumps really well, so I stop and reward - fine. So I go back and try it again, intending to do the full sequence this time...she could not string a thing together...for no apparent reason. We got through the first tunnel, that was it.

So in future classes I will play around with transitions and making notes of what I do (it varies) and how she responds. At that point I swapped to Elton because I wasn't going to get any more sense out of her! By the time I'd switched they'd finished that exercise, so Elton just got to do a couple of sequences of tunnel and then 4 or 5 jumps in a straight line. He thought that was fun, he's growing so much :) He was playing "properly" with me at one point - and he is so much happier there now and loves his agility.

I have just started Elton's weave training again "properly" - previous attempts thwarted due mainly to a lack of reward mechanism (thrown toys = victory laps and losing interest after a couple repetitions, target = impossible to keep reloading and stop him getting it when incorrect and thrown food = just fail. He doesn't see it.) and also a lack of space. I have been lent a Manners Minder which has been so fantastic, we keep having to stop because the weather is against us but we have managed a few sessions and he's coming on really well. Currently on another enforced weather break, so I shall get some video when we can train again.

The most exciting thing is that I took Solei to his first agility show last Saturday. He was only entered in Nursery (no weaves or seesaw), I ran him at Micro height and we ran it NFC - but he surpassed all my expectations. He took the aframe and dog walk first time which, on past performance, I wasn't sure he would and he stayed with me the whole course and didn't go off and do his own thing...we had some sniffing in a couple of places (at the end of the dog walk - I put a target down and he was expecting food) and round the tunnel, but other than that he was fab...so proud of him.

Next time I will do my 2012 review!