Agility competition in Sweden -::- Agilitystævne i Sverige

Last weekend I attended an agility competition in Sweden. I did not have any really good runs nor any clean runs but I actually learned how much my state of mind impacts Sookie’s performance. I’m grateful that Sookie still want to run with me though I let her down. Thank you, Sookie 😀

I was traveling from Tuesday to Friday and when coming home Friday afternoon, I unpacked and packed again for the weekend, and was picked up an hour later. Mentally I was so tired due to so much new is happening in my life at the moment. Even though my starts at the competition was at noon I was yet so (mentally) tired when I was to run.

For reasons I really don’t know, I got so nervous when they started to build the A3 course – and I was yet nervous when I was to run. I can’t remember the last time I was nervous – that must have been when I was running with Elliot (yes, that’s many years ago).

I was like paralysed when running and my timing was soooo bad and handling was too late. Sookie tried her best but got frustrated as she didn’t get the commands at the right time. That resulted in her jumping the contact on the dog walk (which I am really unhappy about as this is the first time since beginning of May she has missed a contact 🙁 ) and she ran out of the weaves several times.

Next run I tried being more present – I succeeded somehow to improve but not enough.

Sunday, after a good night’s sleep, I had some better runs. Though my timing was too late and I didn’t trust myself and hesitated – but I was present!!  Sookie was more focused and independent and wasn’t frustrated at all (and yes, she hit the contact on the dog walk ;-)) and no problems with the weaves – and that’s when I realised how much my mental state impacts Sookie 😮

I’m yet pleased with my handling of some of the sequences of the courses – I’ve been struggling getting Sookie to turn tight and that has actually improved. It made my weekend when the judge came to me afterwards and complimented Sookie’s performance – and told me it was great to watch her run 😀

Here’s a video of our runs from Sunday.

I had only brought Sookie with me, but believe Sookie was missing Vini as Sookie wanted to play with all the dogs we met 😉 Apart from me not being able to run agility – it was a great trip: great company, great food and a really nice little hotel 🙂

-::- -::- -::- Dansk version -::- -::- -::-

I sidste weekend var jeg i Sverige til et agilitystævne. Det blev ikke til nogle fantastiske løb og heller ingen fejlfrie løb. Faktisk løb jeg ikke særligt godt og var slet ikke på. Og lørdag blev jeg nervøs – kan ikke huske, hvornår jeg sidst har været nervøs, har aldrig været det før med Sookie…

Løbene om lørdagen gik rigtigt dårligt. Jeg var slet ikke på, og min timing var al, al for sen – det påvirkede Sookie. Hun blev frustreret, da hun ikke fik kommandoerne tids nok til at vide, hvad jeg ville, og det resulterede i hun missede feltet på balancebommen (hvilket er første gang siden begyndelsen af maj 🙁 ) og hun gik ud af slalom flere gange. Jeg prøvede at være mere på, i det næste løb – det lykkedes til dels, men slet ikke, som jeg plejer at være.

Søndag gik meget bedre. Jeg var dog stadig lidt sen i min timing til tider, men stolede ikke på mig selv og tøvede også – men jeg var mere på!! Sookie var fokuseret på forhindringerne og var slet ikke frustreret – og ja, hun fik feltet på balancebommen, og gik ikke ud af slalom – og det var har, at det gik op for mig, hvordan min manglende mentale fokus påvirker Sookie 😮

Nogle af sekvenserne på banerne gik rigtigt godt. Jeg har kæmpet med at få nogle mindre buer, og det lykkedes mange gange 🙂 Det reddede min weekend, da dommeren kom over efterfølgende og roste Sookie og sagde, at det var fedt at se hende løbe 😀

Her er en video af vores løb fra søndagen.

Jeg havde kun Sookie med til Sverige, men jeg er ret sikker på, at Sookie savnede Vini. Sookie ville nemlig lege med alle hunde vi mødte på gåturen 😉 Bortset fra, at jeg ikke kunne finde ud af at løbe agility, var det en rigtig god tur: godt selskab, god mad og et hyggeligt lille hotel 🙂