Training paying off?

As I have mentioned before, my owner Gail has been attending 'agility fitness' sessions on Monday nights for the past month. These involve jogging, sprinting, weights, cardio and flexibility exercises, and I am pleased to report a positive impact although, as ever, there is room for improvement.

Have a wee look at this video, filmed by our friend YAM-aunty at the Granite City Agility Show on Sunday morning, and note the following aspects of Gail's performance:

• Pretty smooth running style, apart from slightly wonky right leg action
• Manages to adjust speed where appropriate and keep up with dog
• Shows sufficient flexibility on the turn (although one fears this will never be her strong point)
• Improved 'proprioception', i.e. didn't fall over, trip up, or collide with any obstacles 
• Overall fitness pretty decent for a 65 year old - able to complete the circuit without getting out of breath

So now we can, I think, say that Gail is physically up to the task of dog agility handler, the question turns to the psychological aspects, and here some doubts remain.

Can you believe she seemed really quite stressed on Sunday when, as reported in Monday's post, I stole her handkerchief and raced around in circles playing a fun game of 'catch me if you can' rather than following the set course of jumps. 

Perhaps someone could recommend techniques for boosting mental resilience...?

Getting into shape...

Friends, I am thrilled to announce that later this month I shall be participating in my first ever 'proper' agility competition, the Granite City Dog Agility Show, taking place in Brechin on 19-21 July.

I am even more thrilled to announce that, after all the time spent on my training, my 'handler' (i.e. Gail) has taken it upon herself to get into shape for the show too.

To this end, on Monday evening she joined one of the 'Agility Handler Fitness Sessions' currently being run by a fellow Deeside Dog Agility Club member.

 

Yet better news is that Gail returned from the 75 minute session in one piece. 

In fact not just in one piece but cock-a-hoop at how she surprised the other three participants with her sprinting ability. She also says she enjoyed the environment - outdoors in the evening sunshine, in a lush green field overlooking Stonehaven, with a soundtrack of cattle lowing contentedly in the adjacent meadow and a view of the North Sea in the distance. So much more agreeable than a gym.

So, Granite City Dog Agility Show, here we come! 

What could possibly go wrong...? 

PS from Gail: I am taking a summer break from my usual Monday Pilates session, where I am generally the dunce of the class. So I'll admit to a bit of an ego boost at being able to outpace one of our much younger (and rather competitively-minded) agility club members on Monday night! Oh and to respond to Nobby's question "what could possibly go wrong?" The honest answer is "quite a lot, actually".

A damp tramp around the 'Gramps'

The weather has not been what one might call 'Nature Friday friendly' these past few days.

Gail says if I post some photos of our wet Wednesday walk around Kincorth Hill, aka the 'Gramps', first, then she will permit me do a bit of boasting about my recent performance at agility training, even though that has absolutely nothing to do with 'nature' as is understood in the context of the LLB Gang's blog hop. 

Of course it is in my nature to be a future superstar in the dog agility world. Often I am held back by confusing directions from Gail. Also, my 'creative' approach to running the set course tends to go unappreciated.  But just this time, I am pleased to present you with a short video in which both dog and handler got it mostly right!

Star of the DDAC Christmas Party?

Really, I can't imagine what the humans were thinking. 

Who plans these Christmas parties anyway?

So last Tuesday, Gail drove us the two miles to Drumforskie Farm (base of the Deeside Dog Agility Club) and I was expecting to be let out of the car right away, as usual, and led into the big barn for my weekly agility rampage training session. 

But it was not to be. 

I was made to wait in the boot for ages and ages. 

Things finally looked up when I was released, and even better when inside the barn I spotted a spread of delicious foodables, laid out on the table right by the starting line of the 'jumping and tunnels' course.

But you will understand that I was also mighty confused by the set up. Why would any dog sit patiently at the start of the course when an aroma of delicious sausage rolls and Gevulde Speculaas (a Dutch speciality baked by Harrison's owner Teegan) was filling his nostrils?

Well finally, after some firm 'encouragement' by trainer Shaun, I reconciled myself to running over the jumps and through the tunnels rather than making a beeline for the treat table.

I think you'll agree if you watch the short video below that I put on an absolutely splendid performance. British viewers might recognise my homage to the late great Eric Morecambe's playing of the Grieg Piano Concerto. "All the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order"...

And no-one has ever doubted that I am an agile dog.

Oh if only one could say the same for my owner Gail...

Thanks go to Alison for the fine camera work.

Gail says I must also thank the rest of our friends at Deeside Dog Agility Club for tolerating my 'exuberance', both at the party last week and at the training sessions over the previous months...

Nobby the future agility champion...

Today, we are taking part in YAM-aunty's Final Friday Feature, with a special piece in which broader questions about achievement are examined with respect to my progress in my weekly dog agility training sessions. 

Clockwise from left: Einstein, Churchill, Darwin, Rowling

Can you believe that my owner Gail is beginning to doubt I might ever be agility championship winning material?

The accusation is that I am ill-disciplined and lacking in focus during the Tuesday evening training sessions. Clever, yes. Agile, most definitely. Creative in my approach. Too much so, apparently.

Well I guess I am not the first to have their genius go unrecognised in their earlier years. 

Have you heard of the physicist who revolutionised our understanding of space-time but, like me, had 'issues' with school discipline? Yes, that's right, Albert Einstein.

How about the great wartime leader who was said by his school teachers to have a keen mind but a spirit not suited to regimentation. Sir Winston Churchill, of course. Although the description could perfectly be applied to yours truly.

Then there's Charles Darwin, he of theory of evolution by natural selection fame, whose father once said to him, "You care for nothing but dogs, shooting, and rat catching, and you will be a disgrace to yourself and all your family". Surely, it's obvious that an interest in rat-catching correlates strongly with excellence in other areas of endeavour?

Did you know that J.K.Rowling, world famous and phenomenally wealthy Harry Potter author, was at university considered just an 'average' student who prioritised social life over studies? Well I am also renowned for prioritising my social life, I want to point out. 

I could go on, but I think I've made a compelling case. I simply cannot understand why Gail is still wearing her 'deeply sceptical' expression and suggesting how about I just concentrate on actually trying to follow instructions about weaving through the weave poles and not be forever racing off to 'socialise' with my fellow trainees, and then we might actually make progress at agility class..... 

Oh it's hard to be so misunderstood.

THIS WEEK AT AGILITY

While teacher's pet Harrison masters the weave poles...

 ....Nobby and his training pal Breeze focus on scoring yet more treats...

Gail says she might call her next dog Breeze. She thinks 'Gail and Breeze' would make a good pairing. (A joke that works better spoken than when written down...)

Agility progress - like a seesaw?

It seems to me that readers are due an update on my progress in agility training. 

Well of course, in my estimation, I am getting along fabulously. The fact that I have heard Gail use words like 'wayward' and 'highly erratic' and 'lacking in focus' when telling her friends how I've been doing can safely be ignored.

Now that the evenings are dark, the weekly Deeside Dog Agility training sessions take place indoors in a big barn. So many interesting corners to explore! 

And I do love jumping over the obstacles - the jumps, the 'A' frame, the tunnel...

Yes of course I understand that, officially, one is supposed to run through and not climb over the tunnel but they do say variety is the spice of life, don't they?

I am not keen on this weaving through a line of poles business. As far I'm concerned, the only good Pole is a Lowland Sheepdog (a.k.a. PON) or a young person who recently voted against the Law and Justice Party...

I digress.

Gail says she wishes I would follow the example of one of my goody-two-shoes handsome and high performing training buddies, Harrison the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, he who lacks creativity always obeys his handlers' instructions. Who has a ten syllable breed name anyway? Actually eleven if you say it Sco-ti-a.

Last week I was introduced to the seesaw for the first time and, so long as it was locked in a fixed position, I was quite happy to run up the ramp (did I mention I like climbing on things?)

Then our trainer Miree made a small adjustment and the seesaw moved just a little when I got half way up. Eeeek!

NO WAY was I again going near something that shifts under my paws. What if it signalled an earthquake, an avalanche or a landslide?

Miree was sympathetic and told Gail that terriers in particular tend to be seesaw averse. She gave us some homework that involved Gail rigging up a board that wobbles so I could practice standing on it. 

How do you think I did?

Designated Dog Day

 Gail says that Tuesday is now 'Designated Dog Day'.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking? That surely every day in the Gail and Nobby household should be Designated Dog Day?

Well it seems it's just Tuesdays.

First off, of course, I get my morning walk in Duthie Park. But you know all about that.

Then something new. Our neighbour Jim is not very well, and Angus, Jim's handsome black labrador, needs more exercise. So Gail has offered to take Angus out for a good leg stretch on Tuesday afternoons.

I have high hopes that eventually I might be allowed to join Gail and Angus on these outings, but based on this week's evidence, it is perhaps better that Gail gets used to walking a lively plus 40 kg dog by herself to start with.

From my perch on the sofa in our bay window, I was able to observe Angus exiting our neighbour's front gate and heading down the street at pace, thus unbalancing Gail so she toppled over and let go of the lead. Angus, being a Good Boy, calmly waited for her to pick herself up and they proceeded on their walk, Gail this time remembering to hold on tight and engage her core muscles in an effort to stay upright while Angus dragged her off in the direction of the riverside path.

The photo of Angus, below, was taken later, by which time Gail claims she had somewhat regained control of the situation. Apparently, she attributes her earlier fall to momentarily forgetting she was not walking a 9 kg dog who does not generally pull on his lead these days. (That would be me.)

The third and final component of Designated Dog Day is my weekly training session at Deeside Dog Agility Club. This week it was raining so we were indoors in the barn. To be honest, this is not so much fun as being out in the open - less scope for haring across the field and eliciting cries of "LOOSE DOG!" 

Gail says, with the onset of dark evenings and colder weather, we will likely now be inside for agility until the spring so I'd better get used to it! 

The perfect host?

We have two lovely ladies from the USA staying with us in Aberdeen right now. I am thinking that my canine pals might appreciate some tips on how to look after visitors from overseas.

I believe guests will always enjoy kisses and licks on their face while sipping their early morning coffee.

Then a trip up Royal Deeside to Balmoral Castle is of course a must, especially if the visitors are American. It is however a bit embarrassing if one's (English) owner consistently shows her ignorance when she is bombarded with questions about the British monarchy...

Back in Aberdeen, even the hardest working tour guide will deserve a break to play with canine friends down at the harbour mouth. 

(I am thinking that my later ball-stealing antics  at the beach - sadly unrecorded on camera - provided a highlight unmatched by all other tourist entertainments available in the Granite City. Imagine, I kept our friends amused for a whole twenty minutes while I evaded capture and refused to return my prize to its rightful owner...)

 

Oh and one more thing. Your guests will surely be thrilled if you insist they accompany you to your beginners' agility class and you make them stand around in a field for an hour swatting away the midges while they video the finer points of your performance.

Yes, I really think I've cracked this 'perfect host' business, don't you agree? 

Bluebells and pigs and this and that

It's been a busy week here in the Nobby and Gail household, and I'm afraid all I have to show you for Nature Friday is a photo of me posing nicely on a bank of newly blooming bluebells. 

I was of course careful not to crush too many. 

Oh, and maybe the daffodils behind me and my foxie friends at Crathes Castle last Sunday qualify? (That's me, second from left, sniffing the grass.)

Gail thinks readers might to like to see some pictures of a bunch of somnolent pigs she cycled past earlier in the week. I was not present. Perhaps the porkers would have acted a bit livelier had I been around to bark at them...

A brief consultation with our vet friend Kirsty confirmed that the pigs are Gloucester Old Spots (spotty, of course), Tamworths (rusty brown), and maybe a mix of the two. 

The really exciting news of the week has nothing to do with nature, but I'm going to tell you anyway.  I am now formally enrolled in the Beginners' Class at Deeside Dog Agility Club. Gail used to train with Bertie there, and on Tuesday night she was warmly welcomed back into the fold and her old friends tried to remember to call me Nobby not Bertie. 

You will be doubtless hearing more about my agility antics in weeks to come. Although not next week, as Gail is apparently off to Berlin for five days to meet up with her American friend Marse and Marse's niece/goddaughter Soroa*, and I am going to stay with the relatives at Craigmancie Foxies. 

Oh dear, and it seems I've run out of space to talk about a big royal event that is happening down in London on Saturday...

*Soroa is attached to the Tanzfabrik studio/school in Berlin. You can read more about her dancing career if you click here  and you might, like Gail, begin to sense the existence of a parallel universe, far removed from our unexceptional life in Aberdeen...

Normal service will resume in a week. Meanwhile, do go and visit all the other Nature Friday posts in the LLB Gang's blog hop.

Embryonic agility champion?

Did you do anything special for Easter?

Or were you just made to pose for a photo wearing bunny ears? (If so, bad luck.)

I'm delighted to report that I had a wonderful treat on Easter Sunday morning, when Gail had signed me up for a 'taster session' at a local dog agility club.

Now I've always felt, having watched those collies performing at Crufts on TV, that I might be rather good at agility. After all, I am super confident, high energy and never fazed by a new challenge. I am also a quick learner, nimble and sprightly and I absolutely love jumping and climbing on things. 

What could possibly go wrong? 

For some reason, Gail seemed less certain of my status as embryonic agility champion. She claims my "disinclination to follow rules" and "extreme sociability (with other dogs)" might be impediments to success.

Talking of sociability, my training partner on Sunday was this fine fellow Cody, a five year old cockerpoo. 

To be honest I would happily have spent the hour racing around the field with Cody, but apparently that wasn't what we came for and pretty soon I grasped the idea that sausage treats a-plenty were on offer if I cleared jumps, ran through the tunnel, and over a structure called an 'A' frame*.

And apparently, according to Gail, I "exceeded expectations" and only twice was responsible for the shout "dog on the loose!" sounding across the field. All this means we might go back. I do hope so! 

*I'm told my predecessor Bouncing Bertie once distinguished himself on the 'A' frame, as described in this post:  https://bouncingbertie.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving.html