Chuffed to bits !!!

As some of you know I am an agility instructor. I take great pride in seeing my students and their dogs evolve in to great partnerships as they learn, and seeing them do well if they decide to take up competing [ thats a bonus, and certainly not the sole aim of people doing agility afaic :smt002 ]

Anyway, a few of my students are away competing this weekend and I got a call from one of them to tell me how she has been doing with her two Beardies - I demand updates when any of my students are at shows I`m not at myself

Her youngest Beardie got a 5th in Starters Jumping, her best placing so far and fantastic considering she only got her first clear a couple of months ago and has had some sporadic low end placings since then as she is still maturing to the feel of the Agility competition `arena`.

What I`m so excited about though, is her other Beardie, [ mother of the youngster ], winning out of Starters in the same class :smt041 :smt041

What makes it so special is that their early training elsewhere led to nothing but poorly learned habits as there are no real trainers there and people are pretty much left to their own devices :smt009 so when they started coming to me [ her OH as well, same problems, he won out of Starters mid season as well yaaaaay ! ], we really had to undo years of what they had been doing and retrain basically from scratch.

Through this season she has been getting good steady placings and earned her Agility Warrant, but that First Place has been elusive, so close but not quite getting there, having many consistant top three placings at their last few shows.

Her Beardie is now 7 years old and up against younger dogs which never had the training hiccups like this handler and dog had to overcome, but at last all the careful work has paid off in terrific style.

I am so proud for her - its her trumpet and hers alone that I`m blowing here - for her steadily building of achievements, for her determination to give her wonderful dog the best that she can of herself, and for never giving up during the times which many handlers would have been utterly demoralised.

I know, for many it comes relatively easy to go up through the ranks, but this particular win, from my POV, is absolutely outstanding, long awaited, and as deserved as it gets so I had to share this news on her behalf with likeminded people cos I can`t contain myself !

Congrats on a job well done I'd say

Well done to the dogs and to you Patch, oh how I wish you were my trainer

Patch - Congraturlations to you and the dogs and their owners.

:smt041 :smt041 :smt041 :smt038 :smt038 :smt038

I was thrilled when you told me how well Suzanne had done today, it was much deserved.
I am proud to have you as my trainer and good friend all goes to show how good you really are.

Brilliant news for Suzanne,!!!! Well done xx

thats really lovely, and just goes to show the importance of finding a good instructor in the first place. sadly, sometimes clubs assume that because a handler wins, they will automataically make a good trainer. But being a good trainer is a whole different skill. Congratulations to you and yours, patch ( and now I can't find the smilies !!!!). hugs to the dogs. Elaine

Yay well done to that owner! And to you Patch. It takes guts to keep going when problems occur, I know!

Congratulations Patch - you're obviously a brilliant trainer, which doesn't surprise me one little bit!