My expectations are very low this year, Terra is not the same dog she used to be, and Shim, whilst keen, is also not where I had hoped she would be by now. This is due to a variety of reasons, the main one being I can't actually train her very much due to her poor structure (and they other one being those ****** running contacts!) She is exceptionally hard to turn as well, our fingers are crossed for some nice open courses without a lot of tight turns.
However, I am very much looking forward to seeing WA do well (as we always have done in the past!), and enjoying spending a week with nothing to do but watch and talk about dogs! Mike is looking forward to a week WITHOUT dogs and dog talk (and me, I think!)..
When I get back Shim will have a rest for a month or so, and I am going to be focussed on Ink, and start training Rosie. Ink is coming along, annoyingly the only piece of equipment I am still not at all happy with is the DW (and AF but I haven't trained that much). I thought she had reasonable understanding, but I have now concluded she has *no idea* what I am asking her to do on it! So I am going to try a different method of training, and am also teaching her a solid 2o2o, so she will have the option of both. I will probably enter her in the upcoming ADAA trial, she will need lots of NFC runs to get confidence in the ring, I feel, and since we can take toys in the ring, ADAA is the perfect place for this.
I have been playing around with Rosie when I am at my parents, and have decided to try training her. She has some really good points, her structure, tug drive and ground speed are all excellent. However she is *very* blonde and ditzy at the moment ('Rosie sit'..'yep ok..hang on.. there is something happening over there..maybe'..) so we will see how long I last before being driven insane! (lack of focus is a bugbear for me, and Shim and Ink have always had excellent focus). Definitely will be testing for me as a trainer, reminds me of Terra in her young days!
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