We enjoyed our first Agility show this year!

Hi! It's Cinnamon again.

We went to our first Agility show this year on Saturday.

Although we had entered for both Saturday and Sunday, our humans decided to go to the show on Saturday only because rain was forecast for Sunday. We wouldn't have minded some rain, but our humans don't like rain!

On the day we left home at 9am in order to compete in the 2nd round of classes on the day. When we arrived at the venue in Tokoroa, two and a half hours from our house, the first round of classes were still going on. So, we had a walk around in the large field before preparing for our runs.

In the competitions I really enjoyed running and jumping, as you can see!

Although I got only one CR in Novice from my three runs in Intermediate 2, Novice 2, and ADX, I had a wonderful time doing what I love!

But, what made my humans and me even happier was that Mint was enjoying himself as well! At the same show a year ago he didn't seem to be enjoying Agility as much as I was, as I wrote in my post about the show here.

Mint was focused in all his three runs on the day and he even got his first CR in ADX as well as a CR in Novice!!

Now I can't wait for our next Agility show! And I hope to do better in the show!

I love Agility! I love running and jumping!

Hi! It's Cinnamon!

Yesterday we went to Agility training for the first time in a long while.

As you may have read in Mint's last post about Obedience and Rally-O competitions last weekend, I didn't enjoy Rally-O. The quiet competition ring made me very nervous and it was also hard not to bark in the ring.

So, yesterday Mum looked worried when she took my leash off before starting our run. It seems she thought that I might not want to work with her, just like I didn't at the Rally-O competition last weekend.

But, Agility is a different thing for me!! I love Agility. So, I enjoyed running and jumping, following her cues!

I just wish she hadn't made a mistake by saying "Walk on" instead of "Bang" at the See-Saw!! "Walk on" is a cue that Mum uses to make me go up a Dog Walk or an A Frame, while "Bang" is a cue for a See-Saw. Because she said "Walk on", I ran onto the See-Saw without slowing down, and, when I reached the end of the plank, it suddenly disappeared from underneath me, giving me a fright!!

When she made me go onto the See-Saw again, I felt somewhat scared, although I managed it fine in the end.

I love Agility!

However, it was so much fun overall!! I hope Mum doesn't make mistakes at our first Agility competition this year next weekend!!!

Has Spring come?

Hi! Cinnamon here.

Hope the heat peak of summer has passed in the Northern Hemisphere. It seems winter is coming to end here down under.

In the last week we found some signs of spring, although spring hasn't started yet according to the calendar.

The flowers smelt nice but didn't look like something to eat :-P

I liked the red colour of those tulips.

Early flowering cherry blossoms!

And we have started Agility training after having a winter break!

Mint's runs were very slow.

I couldn't help smiling!

I love spring!!

A Belated Happy New Year from Cinnamon and Mint !!

Hi! It's Cinnamon!!


Firstly, a Belated Happy New Year!! We wish that the year 2014 will bring everyone a lot of happiness.

Well, I am sorry we were absent from blogging for such a long time again!! I can't believe the year has turned already. Last year we were extremely busy and couldn't blog at all since my last post in July.

Do you want to know why we were so busy?

First of all Mum was constantly busy with her work so she was not very helpful for our blogging. But, what made us even busier was my debut on TV!!

Some of you may have read about it on our Facebook page or our friends Momo and Pinot blog.

In April last year our dog dancing instructor asked Mum if she was interested in auditioning for New Zealand's Got Talent (NZGT) 2013, as the TV show's production team was looking for animal contestants. At first Mum brushed off the idea, thinking neither of us would be reliable enough to perform on TV. But, after hearing nice comments about our dancing from a few experienced dancing dog handlers, Mum decided to give it a go.

Well, it seems that Mum actually wanted to audition with Mint, not me, because I was so environmentally sensitive that she couldn't always trust me to perform well, while Mint never failed to stay focused. But, because Mum was concerned about Mint's seizures, she decided to audition with me.

Do you remember that both Mint and I performed at a local school in July? In fact we did it as a rehearsal for my audition in front of the judges and audience that was to be filmed in late July, after passing an initial off-record audition in June.

My NZGT audition in front of the judges was aired in September (The TV network only has the right to air the program in New Zealand, so unfortunately you can't watch my whole performance if you are outside New Zealand, but you can see a glimpse of me performing here in an online news article). And, about the same time we were told that we had got through to the Semi-Finals!!?? Who would have thought that a Beagle could go to the semi-finals on a 'mainly-human' talent show!?

In late October, a few days before my semi-final there was a national Paws n Music (dog dancing) competition at National Dog Obedience Assembly (NDOA) 2013 in Auckland. Of course, Mint and I entered it and Mint and his new human girlfriend Amy got placed the third in the Elementary Freestyle class and Mum and I won the Starters Open class!

Amy and Mint

Mum and Cinnamon

Well, going back to NZGT, although I think I did very well in our semi-final considering the circumstances, unfortunately we didn't get enough votes to get through to the final, but we met some nice talented people at the filming! All in all it was a very special experience!! Also, let me take this opportunity to thank everyone who supported Mum and me!!!!!!! (I even know someone who voted for us six times!!)

Last year we also did quite a few public demonstration of  Paws n Music at various events, such as Auckland Beagle Club's Ribbon Parade (August) and Championship Show (October), Pet Expo in Hamilton, Pet and Animal Expo in Auckland (September), New Zealand Kennel Club's Dog and Puppy of the Year (November), Manukau Dog Training Club's Christmas Party (December), and Special Children's Christmas Party (December, Mint only). I didn't always perform well at these events, but I always enjoyed performing and meeting many people!

Finally, what pleased me most last year was that Mint and I started competing in agility again!!!

Mint

Cinnamon

When Mint started having seizures frequently in March, Mum decided to retire us from agility, but she changed her mind and decided to start doing agility with us again in December, as Mint's seizures got reasonably under control :-) I am so happy being back at agility!!! I really love the sport!!! I even won the Jumpers C class at our second competition after a loooong break!

As you can see, the year 2013 was an event-packed year for us. I wonder what is in store for us this year!!

How we have been doing in competitions recently

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

I just realised that I hadn't posted about how we have been doing in competitions this year. Sorry this post may be boring for many of you, but I wanted to post it as a record.

As you may know, we compete in Agility, Obedience, Rally Obedience, and Paws n Music. As for Paws n Music, last year there was no competition in or near Auckland, except for a video competition which Mint won (I didn't enter it), and this year there is no competition until National Dog Obedience Assembly (NDOA) in October. So, the last competition we went to is NDOA in 2011, where I got first and Mint second in Elementary Freestyle.

Early this year we had to withdraw from quite a few competitions because of Mint's frequent seizures. So, we haven't been to many competitions this year. We have been to three Agility competitions, three Obedience competitions, and one Rally Obedience competition. We haven't done any agility since mid-March after Mint had multiple seizures on the day after our last agility competition. Although we don't know what caused those seizures, we haven't done agility at all since the day just in case.

In the last Agility competition we went to, I won Novice. As I was doing really well in agility at that time, Mum wanted to continue to compete with me in Agility but decided to have a break because it was getting cold towards winter anyway.

Mint has competed in three Obedience competitions this year (I haven't competed in Obedience this year). In the first one Mint did really well in heelwork but broke his stay. In the second one, his heelwork was not as good as it usually is but he managed to get a 4th place because he didn't break his stays. And, in the third one last weekend, although his heelwork was better than the previous time, he broke his stays again.

In the only Rally Obedience competition we have been to this year, Mum made a lot of mistakes because she hadn't practised Rally-O for a long time. Because of her mistakes, I couldn't qualify in one of two rounds that I had. But, I got a 3rd place in the other round in Novice B. Mint qualified in both of two rounds he had, but he didn't get placed. Now that Mint has got three or more than Novice qualifying certificate, he is eligible for a RN (Rally Novice) title, which lazy Mum hasn't applied for.

Currently we train in Obedience and Paws n Music once a week on the same day. In Obedience Mint's biggest challenge is stays and mine is the dumbbell. (I can't sit close enough to Mum with my dumbbell in my mouth.) In Paws n Music both of us are just staring to work on our new routines.

Our first big agility championship event - Day 1

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Over the weekend we were at NZ Dog Agility Championship (NZDAC), a big annual agility show where dogs and people across New Zealand get together. Last year we went to National Dog Obedience Assembly (NDOA), our first dog event, but at that time we entered only one event, Heelwork To Music. This time Mint and I entered six agility events each, three Starters and three Jumpers C's over the Labour Weekend from Saturday to Monday. (The NZDAC was held from Friday to Monday, but we didn't enter events on Friday.)

Every year this big event is held in a different place. This year it was in Cambridge, about 120 km away from our house. Because the judging started at 7:30am every day, we stayed in a motel in Hamilton, about a half-hour drive from Cambridge, over the weekend. (If we had driven to Cambridge from home every morning, we would have had to depart before 5am every day, which would have been very hard!!)

We arrived at our motel in late afternoon on Friday. After checking in, we went to the venue of the big event, Leamington Rugby Grounds in Cambridge, to check out what it was like. This is one of photos Mum took at that time.

Don't you think that it looks wonderful? The right side of the ground on the far end is where agility competitions were held. To the left was the camping area. The ground in front was the practise area. It almost looked like the whole venue was designed for the agility event!!

Back in our motel room, Mint and I had a sleep together in a crate after having dinner.

Resurgence of Cinnamon the Agility Beagle!

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

I did it! I did it! I won in an Agility trial for the first time!!

I entered my first agility trial two years ago just before I turned two years old, but I had to stop doing Agility a few months later because I started having pain in my hip joints. After retiring from Agility, I started doing dog dancing instead, with restriction that I must avoid jumping moves, and in fact my training in dog dancing has helped improve my hip condition, as the muscles around my hips strengthened through regular exercises.

Because I don't feel much pain in my hips anymore, my humans have decided to let me do my favorite dog sport, Agility, once again. But, this time they are doing it with caution. When I was doing Agility two years ago, I practised it almost every day, but now I practise it only once a week in order to avoid too much stress on my hips.

As I reported on this blog earlier, last month I made a come-back in Agility trials after a two-year break. Although I got a clear round in Elementary B in the trial, my run was far too slow to get placed, partly because of my Mum's clumsy handling. Two weeks later, I went to another Agility trial but couldn't get a clear round because of a refusal at a tunnel.

This weekend we went to my third trial, in Cambridge, about 150 km away from our house, and both Mint and I entered three classes, Elementary B, Jumpers C, and Starters.  Elementary B is a class for new handlers with new dogs, who have got no previous wins.

Our first runs of the day were in Jumpers C. Mint went first and I went after several dogs following him. Mint started nicely but missed a jump near the end of the course and had to retry it, resulting in not a clear round. I ran wonderfully and Mum looked super happy when we finished the course. But...it turned out that Mum had made a critical mistake of missing a jump, resulting in a disqualification! Silly Mum again!! 

Cinnamon

Then we ran in Elementary B. This time I went first and Mint went after several dogs following me. Both of us did really well, and in fact I WON it and Mint got the 2nd Place!! It was also Mint's first clear round!

After a long wait, Mint entered an Obedience trial in Elementary class. But, he was tired from the two agility runs already and looked absent-minded, according to Mum. His heelwork was so so, but in the recall he didn't sit in front of Mum straight away and instead he walked around Mum before sitting nicely in front of her. I had been entered in the same class, but I didn't do it because I had my next Agility run at the same time. Also, Mint couldn't do the Stays in the Obedience trial, because it collided with his next Agility run.

Mint

I did very well in Starters too and got another clear round, although I wasted a few seconds because of Mum's mishandling again. (Later it turned out that I had got a ribbon for the fourth place!) Mint ran very well too, but he couldn't go through a collapsible tunnel, the second obstacle from the last, and he got disqualified.

All in all we did wonderfully. Don't you think so? I wanted to show ribbons we got in the trial here, but I can't because we couldn't stay until the prizegiving so we had to ask someone else to take them for us and bring them back to Auckland.

Our next Agility trial is in January in the New Year. In the next trial we are not eligible to enter Elementary B anymore now that I have won once. But, I hope I can report good results again.

Mint's first agility competition

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Mint has finally made his debut in an agility competition on Saturday at NorWest Dog Training Club Agility Ribbon Trial. This competition was also my first competition in the last two years.

As some of you may remember, Mint started agility training in April and in June I joined him in some agility classes. But we hadn't done any agility training since July until we started going to agility classes again two weeks ago.

Having Mint's first competition coming up, Mum had some concern. In the two classes we went to this month, we didn't have any chance to do the Chute (collapsing tunnel) and the Tyre (Hoop). What worried her even more was Mint's lack of concentration. In the class last week, Mint was more interested in playing with other dogs than running an agility course, and several times, when Mum let him off the leash at the start of a course, he took off toward other dogs and tried to invite them to play with him.

Mum's concern became reality in the competition on Saturday. Both of us entered two classes, Elementary B and Starters.

In the Elementary B class, Mint jumped over two hurdles and went through a tunnel, but then he took off. When Mum called him, he went back to her, but he again took off before doing anything. The same thing repeated a few times, and in the end Mum gave up! Actually it was partially Mum's fault. Her coursing was so bad that she blocked Mint's way, which caused Mint to lose his concentration.

In the Starters class, Mint again deviated from the course just before the entry to the weaves after doing one jump, and he started sniffing. Mum somehow managed to bring him back to the weaves and Mint went through the first two or three poles, but he again walked off. But, Mum didn't give up there! She again managed to bring Mint back to the weave, and this time he did brilliantly, if not fast. However, there was the Chute that Mum had worried about. As Mum had been anxious about, Mint couldn't get into it. Also, he couldn't jump through the Tyre, which had been another concern of Mum's, in his first try, although he successfully jumped through it in his second try.

Do you want to watch a video clip of his runs in his first agility competition? If you do really want to see it, here is a link to it. Also, despite these disastrous runs, our friend Pepper's human took some great photos of Mint. Thanks, Pepper's human!!

Oh, I almost forgot to report on my own runs. In the Elementary class I did very well despite Mum's clumsy handling and got a clear round! But, in the Starters class, I couldn't concentrate at all, because it was after a loooooong wait and there were some scary people filming with an intimidatingly big camera. All I could do was jumping over the first hurdle. Here is a link to a video of my clean run in the Elementary.

Whatever the results were, I think both of us did pretty well, considering our lack of practise. Now I look forward to the next competition, which might be next month!

Hooray Agility!

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

We have started doing agility again at last!! We didn't do agility at all during winter, because our humans thought that jumping a lot in cold weather wouldn't be good for our body. And, anyway we couldn't attend our weekly agility class because the agility class and our dance training were taking place at the same time on the same day, on Thursday nights. But, now that our big dancing competition has finished with unbelievably good results, we are finally back in our weekly agility training!

We went to agility training last week for the first time after our winter break, but at that time my humans let us run the course only once each because it started raining. Although they say that training in rain is not good for us, I think that Mum just didn't want to get wet herself! Actually we didn't mind the rain at all, and we both rather wanted to stay a little bit more to run the course another couple of times.

This week we were able to practise more in the class. To start with, Mint did the A frame for the first time. At first, he was a bit scared of the steep surface and jumped off right after putting one step or two on it. But, in his third try, he managed to climb to the top and come down on the other side.

Next, we practised a tricky arrangement of a tunnel and a jump - We had to go through a tunnel, do a jump, and go through the same tunnel from the other side. Mum looked really happy, as we both did it very well.

Then, we ran the course in turn. Because there were some micro doggies, the jumps were set to the micro's height. I went first and I did really well! I even did the weaves without missing the entry or any other poles. On the contrary, Mint was very naughty and he missed the entry to the weaves and went sniffing the grass instead. And, just before finishing the weaves, he again wandered off and even rolled in something smelly, so Mum had to hold his collar and pull him back to the weave! I know that Mum always tells other humans how naughty I am in the agility class, but I hope I convinced her that I am a diligent dog, unlike Mint!!


Look at this. This is my run yesterday.




And look! This is Mint's dreadful run!




I had so much fun in the class. I can't wait to go to the next class next week!!

Mint's new agility class

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

After attending the beginner agility class from April to May, Mint advanced to the intermediate agility class this month. He had his first session in his new class last Thursday and ran a course with a twelve pole weave for the first time. Although he had done a six pole weave before, it was the first time he did a twelve pole weave. He did it brilliantly, if not perfectly. I have to say that I can do it much better, but what impressed me was that he did it without getting too much excited like I always do when I do weaves.

Mint's first try at an agility course

Hi! It's Cinnamon.

Did you know that Mint had been doing a little bit of agility training? He enrolled in a beginner agility class which started at Manukau Dog Training Club in early April, and he has been to the class four times so far, having missed three classes. This week he ran an agility course for the first time. He ran the course only twice, because we had to leave the class to go inside so that I could practise my new routine.

Here is a video of both of his first two runs.



I think he did very well! He took off as soon as his leash was taken off, but that's all right. That is something the instructor was expecting. Actually, at the beginning of the class, the instructor said that she had placed the number plates although the course was so simple that no one would need to rely on the numbers, because she wanted the dogs to get used to the plates, as some dogs might try to play with the plates, thinking they were toys. Mint did exactly what she had anticipated!! Ha ha!!

Another concern...

The future of our agility life is becoming hazy...

Since yesterday morning, Cinnamon has been limping badly to the extent that she sometimes extends her right hind leg straight backward. Although there have been incidents that she walks a few steps with her hind leg raised, the condition had never got as bad as it is now.

Yesterday we went to Mangawhai for an agility ribbon trial. When I walked Cinnamon at Mangawhai Domain before the competition in the morning, she was already limping, or skipping, apparently a symptom of a knee dislocation. But, I let her run without thinking twice, hoping optimistically that it would get better soon.

We entered three classes yesterday. In the first one, I made a critical mistake!! I was so busy trying to motivate Cinnamon that I forgot to think about the course before the start. I ran straight forward leading Cinnamon through the first three jump obstacles, and then, when I was supposed to turn left to do the next jump, I kept going straight heading for a tunnel, which was placed in a line with the first three obstacles!! As soon as I noticed the mistake, I called Cinnamon back and headed for the correct jump, although we were already disqualified by doing a wrong obstacle. But then Cinnamon refused the next tunnel after doing the next two jumps and took off to the outside of the ring!!!

In the next run, Cinnamon didn't do as badly as she did in the first one. But, she again refused the tunnels. It seems my mistake in the first run had sent Cinnamon a wrong message: 'Don't go through tunnels.' She yet completed the course with two faults.

In the third run, she did well until the first tunnel, and then she took off again, this time to food (meat and vegetables, apparently vomit of a dog) Cinnamon had found over one hour ago.

After all these three runs, I thought Cinnamon had just been behaving badly, having lost concentration because of a mistake I made in the first run. But, it seems that was not the only reason. Considering the condition of her knee dislocation, Cinnamon must have been in pain. I regret that I entered her in the competition in the first place.

I am going to take her to a vet tomorrow. All I hope is that the condition is not too serious.

Practising 'Rear Cross'

We have been practising 'Rear Cross' for a few days. I felt the need to master the skill when we couldn't switch the sides smoothly in our 'Clear Round' run at Tauranga Jumpers Championship. In the run I intended to switch the sides with 'Front Cross' right after a tunnel, but I couldn't do it smoothly as Cinnamon came out of the tunnel much faster than I had expected.






In the agility class this week, I had trouble switching the sides again. This time, again, I was thinking about switching the sides right after a tunnel, because I didn't want to slow Cinnamon down by doing a switch before a tunnel, one of obstacles that she is often reluctant to do.



I started practising 'Rear Cross' with shadow training without Cinnamon and then brought Cinnamon in to do ground training without using real jumps. Things went well up to this stage, but I found the next step using real jumps really hard. A problem is that Cinnamon sometimes spins in a wrong direction after doing a jump right after rear cross, before going to the correct side. Now I am thinking about using a toy or something as a target in order to make her turn to the correct side without spinning in a wrong direction.

I hope to be able to report some progress in our next post.

Tauranga Jumpers Championship

We took part in our first championship on Sunday. As the venue, Morland Fox Park in Tauranga, is over 200km away from Auckland, we went to Tauranga on Saturday and stayed in a motel that allows dogs in the units.



Do you want to know the results? We entered three competitions, Jumpers C1, C2, and C3, and got a run with two faults, a Clear Round, and a DQ. After we did our first run in Jumpers C1, I felt a significant improvement in Cinnamon's concentration. At our second run in Jumpers C2, we finally got our first Clear Round in a championship!



After the first two runs, we had to wait for four hours and a half before our final run in Jumpers C3.



After having a nap in the car, I started warming up well before our turn by doing obedience exercises and tricks, in order to concentrate again. But, it seems it was a shallow idea. When our turn came around, both Cinnamon and I were already exhausted. Look at this. Everything went in a bad way. No focus!!



However, it was a fruitful experience and I am satisfied with our results.


****

Update on Cookie's condition: His walking still looks unsteady, but he doesn't shiver from pain any more. It seems he knows he should avoid jumping.

****

Finally I would like to show you Cookie's entry to Honey's Spectacular Slobber Contest.



If you click the pic to enlarge it, you can see how his slobber is bent halfway :-)

Things that I learned at agility training yesterday

Last night we attended the Competition Class at our dog training club for the first time. Unlike the Non-Competing Class, we could run a whole course in this class.

Yesterday I learned a couple of things. One of them is that I need to keep the position of my hands higher so that Cinnamon's head remains up. Cinnamon watches my movements more closely than I thought she did. So, if my hands are down, her head gets down too. The second thing is that I need to run faster. As Cinnamon hasn't learned to run ahead of me and do things she has to do following my verbal commands, I need to run ahead of her to guide her through and around obstacles. But, yesterday I ran out of breath after only two consecutive runs. My lack of regular exercise was evident.



There is also an issue that I need to deal with. Cinnamon is not enthusiastic about entering tunnels. Especially at a curved tunnel, if I take a course inside the curve, Cinnamon often misses the entry. If I run outside the tunnel, she enters it more reliably. However, in order to shorten the time, I don't want to run a longer distance along the outside of the tunnel. I would appreciate it if anyone would suggest anything to deal with this problem.

Another Agility Trial

Yesterday there was an Agility trial hosted by Akarana Dog Training Club we belong to. When we woke up at 6am, it was raining cats and dogs. Although Cookie and Cinnamon's dad was complaining that in such a condition the trial should be cancelled, we had to go to the competition whatever the weather was like, because as members of the hosting club we were supposed to offer a helping hand.

When we arrived at the venue, it was still pouring down rain, and there were many paddles in the Agility rings. Especially one of the two rings was just like a swamp! But, when the judging started, the rain had stopped.

Our first run, Jumpers C2, was in the ring like a swamp. Because of the bad condition, the bars were lowered a little. I was worried that Cinnamon might not run at all, as she doesn't like getting wet. But, to my relief, she started quite well. However, after going through a tunnel, she missed a jump and started sniffing the ground. I thought 'Oh my gosh, she started it again!' But, after wandering around for a while, she hunched her back and did Poo!! I couldn't believe my eyes!! She had done poo already at home first thing in the morning. So, it was her second poo on the day! Of course we got disqualified for it.

Good start!

Oh my gosh!!

At our second run, Jumpers C1, we did very well. When we finished, I thought 'Yay, we completed the course with only one fault!' But, it turned out to be untrue. I, not Cinnamon, had missed a jump without knowing it!! And again we got disqualified. But, let me excuse about my mistake!! I had missed the course walk (At Agility competitions we are given time to walk the course before the judging starts), as I was busy helping picking up fallen jump bars then.

Silly handler!!

Our third run was Jumpers Pairs Relay C, for which we paired with our classmates, Buffy the Miniature Schnauzer and her human. The result was another disqualification. Never mind...

Then we had the last run, Jumpers C3. This time we finally completed the course, with two faults officially (It must've been the Judge's mistake. There was only one refusal as far as I know!!). I am still happy with the result, considering the condition of the ground.

Honey, thank you for asking about the Pairs Relay in your comment.

In this type of competition, one of the pair runs after the other one finishes its run. And the two dogs run different courses which partially overwrap each other. These are photos of us finishing the first half and our partners just starting.

Also, here you can see how bad the ground condition was!!

Lesson to be learned

I am so disappointed with myself.

Tonight, we participated in the Link, a monthly agility event where participants run the same course for the month at different venues around New Zealand. In order to have your results registered at the Link, you need to become a member of the group. As we were not members yet, we participated in the event just for a try out.

Our performance was deadly awful tonight. After Cinnamon failed to do the Weave correctly and I made her do it again from the beginning, she lost concentration and behaved badly. Although she had to lie down on a table, she refused to do so. And, at a tunnel, she hung around in the tunnel however hard I called. When I looked from one side, she moved to the other side.

It seems I was getting carried away after getting our first Clear Round Certificate. Tonight I was reminded that we are still beginners and we need to practise much harder.

Sob, sob, sob...

Yay, our first Clear Round!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Our weekend was busy but exciting. We went to another couple of trials.

On Saturday we went to Cambridge Dog Obedience Club's Agility Ribbon Trial in Cambridge, about 140km south of Auckland. We entered three classes, Starters, Jumpers C, and Elementary B.

In the Starters class a challenge for us was again the Weave. Just before entering the Weave, Cinnamon started sniffing the ground. Although I somehow managed to bring her back on track, it took too much time. Just when Cinnamon was doing the second jump from the last, the judge called "Over time," resulting in a disqualification.



In the Jumpers C, I was worried about the Long Jump, as Cinnamon hadn't done it for a long time and, when she did it previously, she often passed by it. We made a good start without being held for a long wait like the previous week, and Cinnamon did the Long Jump beautifully. But, apparently she felt my relief and lost concentration. Just before the next jump after the long jump, Cinnamon started putting her nose to the ground again. I managed to bring her back on track, and Cinnamon did the subsequent obstacles perfectly up to the second jump from the last. I was almost feeling like 'Wow, we have completed the whole track without getting disqualified!" But, again Cinnamon sensed my relief, lost concentration, and passed the last jump. With my eyes following Cinnamon's unpredicted move, I ran into the last jump and fell over along with the jump obstacle!! So, we again got disqualified...



In the Elementary B class, Cinnamon ran well following my directions until she stopped at the Tunnel. Watching her move, I changed my course and ran on the outer side of the curved tunnel instead of the inner side. Then she somehow entered the tunnel and continued to run to the end. At first I thought that we might have got a fault by stopping at the tunnel, but I learned later that the judge didn't count it as a fault and we got our first Clear Round!! What pleased me even more was that we got the 6th place in the class!!!



It was a very long day for us, as our first competition of the day, the Starters class, started at 9am and it was after 5.30pm when we left the trial venue. We had to wait for hours between each class we entered, as there were so many dogs, and the Starters was the first program in the day and the Elementary B was the last one.

On Sunday we went to Waikato Agility Group's Agility Ribbon Trial in Hamilton, about 130km south of Auckland. We entered the Starters class only, because we didn't want to wait for a long time doing nothing.

In the Starters course, the Weave was the second obstacle. Cinnamon managed the obstacle much better than the previous times, without putting her nose to the ground. She nearly missed a pole but managed to recover. Although there was one fault by refusing the entry to the closed tunnel, we somehow completed the whole course without getting disqualified!!



After our run, our instructor pointed out that Cinnamon had refused the tunnel because she remembered she hadn't liked it when she went through it the first time (In this course, dogs had to go through the same tunnel twice). It was true. I should have noticed that, when I saw her stopping in the tunnel the first time, and I should have been more encouraging. Mmm, there are so many things that I have to learn...

Our FIRST trial challenge!

Thank you for all your support and good luck wishes! Yes, we ran at our FIRST agility trial!! I think Cinnamon did very well although we were disqualified in both of the two classes that we entered.

When we got up at 6am in the morning, it was not raining, but it started raining after a while. When we left home at 7.30am, the rain had stopped, and we headed for the Te Hihi Sport Reserve where the trial was being held, hoping that it wouldn't rain anymore.

We arrived at the site around 8am. As soon as we got out of the car, we were welcomed by familiar faces, our instructors from the Akarana Dog Training Club. They explained everything from how to apply for the entry to which ring our class was to run in, how to run the course, and where to wait and what to do when our turn came.

We entered two classes; Elementary B and Starters. There are two classes in the elementary level. Elementary A is for new dogs (may have experienced handler) and Elementary B is for new dogs and new handlers. In each class, there are three groups, Maxi, Midi, and Mini. All dogs can compete as maxi dogs. Dogs between 380mm and 460mm in height are midi dogs. And those not exceeding 380mm in height are minis (Cinnamon belongs to this category).

The competition started with Maxi in Elementary B, Midi came next, and Mini last. Today's Elementary course consisted of twelve jumps and two tunnels. It was not that bad at the beginning, but after the first turning Cinnamon refused a jump, and when I tried to guide her back in front of the jump, she jumped it from a wrong side, which got us disqualified. Despite our disqualification, several people who we didn't know came to me and said "You did very well, especially with a Beagle!!"



There was the Starters right after Elementary. Today's Starters course consisted of eleven jumps, three tunnels (two open ones and a closed one), a weave, and a tyre. When the pair before us finished, we entered the starting area and I gave Cinnamon all the treats I had in my pocket to get her attention as no food is permitted in the ring. When I was about to start, we were stopped by the judge. An edge of the closed end of a closed tunnel had torn and come loose, so it had to be fixed before we started. It was an unfortunate incident, as Cinnamon lost her concentration and started sniffing the ground. After a long wait, we were finally allowed to start. The first two jumps, the first tunnel, and the following two jumps were OK, but the weave was a disaster! She kept sniffing the ground, however hard I called her. In the end, I missed a poll without knowing and got disqualified again!!



It was a great experience no matter what the result was!! I learned a lot from this experience and I was also reminded how lucky we are, having so many supporters, including all of you - our blog friends and readers, our instructors, and my husband.

Mmm...

The prospect of our first trial tomorrow is becoming hazy. It started raining heavily just before lunchtime today. Is the trial really going to be held tomorrow? Mmm... just fingers crossed and hope the weather will improve!