Amazing April: Winter Series Show

Ahh. April is here! Daffodils. Lambs. And the last of our Winter Series Shows!

It was a mostly dry day throughout with one or two short spells of heavy downpour. Ruth kicked things off with a fast, flowing Beginners Jumping that rocketed out some sub 30 seconds times. Over in Ring 1 Matt's Intermediate Agility tested the handlers ability and in Ring 3 the Veterans and Anysize plodded around a comfortable Agility course.

The day ran quickly, although help was surprisingly scares at times, and everyone was itching to hear the overall series results!

Gill Vann from K9 Skool was running a Rescue League throughout the Winter Series and she was busy scurrying around collecting results, while also running her dogs and doing a spot of scribing.

Onto Steeplechase and everyone cheered as Deb and Beanie managed a great clear run! 3rd place! Hurrah Deb, all of that patience is starting to pay off.

Everyone was in great spirits as the day started to come to a close and jokes and laughter were wafting across the radios from ring parties to scorers box.

The Rescue League was announced and up in 1st place, our very own Sue with Rosie! Not only that but they also took Winter Series Medium Advanced 1st place! Two very pretty rosettes for them.

More instructor success came as Lou and Poppy took 1st place in Small Advanced Winter Series and Bex and Gemma 1st place Small Intermediate Winter Series! 

Back to Dig It and both trailers were unloaded onto the field and the rings were erected for our outdoor training rings and our summer shows! It is so exciting to see the field set up in all its glory. Summer is definitely close by!

Thank you to all for making our Winter Series the enjoyable, friendly and fun atmosphere that we all love!

January 2014 Winter Series: Pudding Bellies

We welcomed January 2014 with our Winter Series Show. Everyone was running a little slower than normal and complaining about tighter waist bands, and I think even the dogs were feeling the effects of a big Christmas dinner.

We were very privileged to have Agility Champion Amanda Hampson judge the Jumping for us. She put out some challenging but flowing Advanced and Intermediate courses that were praised highly.

Karen Stubbs got the Agility started with Veteran and Anysize, followed by Beginners. Katie's Labrador Dave (known more commonly as Doofus) had 3 storming clears while being handled by Sally, and Sally had success with her own Veteran Collie, Bob, who won Agility. After all of that running she welcomed a "rest" by Judging in the afternoon. Rachel's dog Daisy was obviously feeling much better after her recent ill spell and she ran like the supersonic Whippet that she is! Nice to see the competitive Daisy is back.

Post-Christmas diets were ruined by the cheeseburgers and bacon baps (it's good to have a naughty day) and people were starting to flag as the day got later. Eventually the Steeplechase courses were laid out and those who stayed until the end ran it with great spirit. The Large ring was very competitive with friendly Advanced handlers watching each others time and seeing who had the fastest round. 

Avril's youngster, Dodger, won his class despite a tricky course and Sue had a break while Bex stepped in to handle Polly and had a blast running her Not For Competition. 

Lydia was missing from the show due to being on a sunny beach somewhere with a handsome man, but the Dig It family banded together strongly and kept the show running as normal (..hopefully..). We had some fantastic helpers and first time Show Manager Rob was enjoying himself so much that he carried on throughout the whole day! Thanks to Charlie for coming in the morning to show him the ropes.

As it got darker and colder we eventually wrapped up for another late finish. Back to the Club to unload and Lydia's Dad, Rob, took center stage by organising the trailers and getting the equipment to and from the club. 

Thanks to all for another lovely show and what a great way to start 2014!

Dazzling December : Winter Series Show

We welcomed December in with another Winter Series Show. As the sun rose on a new day the burger van was a welcoming sight for some of us who had arrived before breakfast!  Entries were limited to keep the show to two rings and it was much smoother to organise and manage. We had plenty of help and everyone had more space and room to relax.

The competition soon heated up with many Dig It Members taking home prizes! Rachel & Daisy had an amazing first show getting placed in every class and even taking home the 1^st in Steeplechase. Bex’s dog Gemma didn't let age stop her as she took home two 1^st and a 2^nd, despite being 11 years old! When the results were announced Bex reached a pitch of squealing that only dogs could hear! Avril & Adele brought out their "pups" for their first show and Luna took home a 6^th and Dodger a 3^rd! Also Dianne had a lovely run with Jess for a 2^nd place and Ella and Woody had two 1^st in Intermediate! Advanced is not far away for them!

Our Judges were fantastic and it was great to welcome some Kennel Club Judges who are fairly new to the position. Our shows don’t just cater for newbie dogs. We also had first time Judge Matt who thoroughly enjoyed himself and has promised to come back again. I guess we aren’t so scary after all. I particularly enjoyed his Steeplechase course (but that may be because we won it)!

Greyhound Gap brought along their fabulous cake stall which caused a lot of Christmas diets to be broken, or temporally put on hold, and the Agilitywear stall was busy handing out and taking orders (I am looking forward to getting my new Dig It hoody at the next show!). Oscars were there with some great dog goodies as well as Monkey Dog Wear with their amazing leads and collars. All of this shopping almost left no time for agility.

It was a long day and people were flagging a little as we reached the final Steeplechase classes. Well done to all of you hardy guys that stuck it out to the end! The atmosphere was friendly throughout and there were a lot of people supporting each other while course walking and competing, with the occasional friendly banter here and there.

With the second show now done winter is truly into the swing of things! Entries are filling up fast so get your butt moving if you haven’t yet entered our 2014 shows! The future is bright.

Remember November : Winter Series Show

The first show in November marks the start of Winter and it was a tad chillier than anticipated! We had a busy show and due to someone not being able to count (Lydia) we ended up with more entries than planned so opened up a third ring for Steeplechase.

There was cheer and laughter in the air (very loud laughter from Avril) and a number of instructor misfortunes contributed to the enjoyment. Sue never made it to the show due to her house mate leaving for Birmingham with her car keys! Then I covered myself in hot chocolate while doing the drinks run and had to lose my jumper (brr). Lastly Katie's Springer, Milo, jumped up at her and ripped a big hole in her jeans and she had to wrap a jacket around herself apron-style to hide it!

There were plenty of mishaps in the ring too! Rob and Buddy (famous from previous posts) had a cracking run until Buddy somehow mistook a jump and got stuck with his front legs on one side and back legs behind, with the pole under his armpits! He eventually managed to scramble over and didn't even knock the pole down. Lou's dog Twiggy somehow got in between the timer and the jump wing (no one quite knows how) and then her other dog Poppy had a wild run; firstly self-releasing off the seesaw and then running off the dog walk and over the finish jump, leaving Lou stood at the second to last jump waving goodbye!

However it wasn't all bad. Intermediate was definitely the busiest class this time and it's pleasing to see that a lot of dogs have moved up the grades during summer. The show still had its beginner appeal and Deb had her first run in a new place with her youngster Beanie and they did really well. Bex and Gemma got placed in every run. Katie and "baby" Milo got a 2nd on his 2nd Birthday! Sue, Avril, Lou and Sheli all got placemets with their dogs and Adele and Oliver beat Lou to 1st place for once!

We had some great judges putting together lovely courses and we all really enjoyed running Emma's Steeplechase. Rachel ran Emma's dog Tess, but half way around she realised her mum was in the ring and had to run over to say hello! Poor Steve our website designer then got bullied into scribing for Judge Emma, who happens to be his daughter.

Away from the agility everyone couldn't help but notice the new added muscle to the show in the form of a tall welshman! It was a great help having two guys at the show and Nick (Mr. New Guy) and Ash are always a welcome sight when it comes to packing away time. Even if Ash was wearing a very bright, pink hat. It clashed a bit with his ginger hair!

It was a late finish but the spirits and atmosphere were high as usual (although I think it's safe to say we all collapsed once we finally got home at 8pm)! December will be back to the plan of 2 rings and away before 6pm!

Buddy's Beginning At Dig It Agility Shows

A note to anyone that hasn't yet competed but are thinking of doing so:

A year ago Buddy and I went to the Dig It Halloween show. It was our first competition and some of it was outdoors, whereas all of our training had been indoors.

In his first agility run he did a nice wait, he jumped the first fence, rounded the second fence and legged it towards the trees where he had picked up a scent when he was near there 2 hours earlier. I managed to coax him back to do a few more jumps and onto the dog walk where he stopped and stuck his nose in the air to see if he could find that scent again.

On his second run on the same course he jumped fences 1 & 2 then stopped and looked at me before making another run for the trees.

On the indoor course that day I backed up and briefly fell onto the tunnel, giving some amusement for the other waiting competitors. We eventually got around that course on our second attempt, with a stop for a lot of barking at me from Buddy, and we got a 4th place.

My thoughts on the day were that I would have a hard job getting this little black nutty, sniffy dog consistently around any course and I would have my work really cut out at any outdoor competition.

We entered the Dig It Winter series as a beginner which has courses with no weaves and no seesaw . It was initially a struggle but we managed get around a few courses, got some clear rounds and by the end of the winter series we even got a first place.

The relaxed atmosphere at the Dig It shows and the help from both fellow tailwaggers and other competitors helped me a lot. I'd gained enough confidence by the end of the winter series that with a little encouragement from Louise and Dave I entered a few outdoor KC shows.

In our first few shows we had quite a few mishaps (to list just three misdemeanours: Buddy went off sniffing sheep poo; I knocked a pole off with my hand spoiling what would've been our first clear jumping win; Buddy ran out of the ring to check on barky dogs or random people).

Then it seemed to click for both us, I got to feel that I had a better idea of what I was doing and Buddy became more focussed in the ring. We won 3 jumping in one weekend and went to grade 2. The little bugger has hardly stopped winning since.

Today, one year on after our Dig It debut, he's won his 2nd jumping at Grade 4 and we've both had a hell of a lot of fun getting there. I'd like to think that I'd have enjoyed just as much had he not won anything as I can see how much he really enjoys doing it.

If you've not competed yet and are thinking of doing so then the Dig It winter series is a good place to start. There will be failures to begin with and there may be times when you look like a fool but the rest of the competitors have already been in that position and you will get nothing but support. If you find that you've had half the fun that I've had then you'll have still had a lot of fun.

- Rob Archbold. Agility Competitior. Tailwaggers Member.

Winter Series Agility Shows

In August 2012 Dig It decided to take over Tailwagger’s Winter Series Shows. Held in an indoor riding centre, the winter series is a set of 6 unaffiliated shows which run once a month from November to March. The shows are limited to 850 runs and aim solely to provide a relaxed, friendly experience for new dogs and handlers as well as for experienced handlers wanting to maintain their dogs fitness and show training over the quieter winter months.

Who Should Enter?

The shows are specifically designed for new handlers and new dogs who want to get that first show experience as well as those experienced handlers and dogs who want to smooth out the kinks and knots. Our shows encourage training in the ring, with silent toys allowed to be held when running for competition and NFC runs available. These shows are a great time to reinforce your contacts, try new handling skills and crack that start line wait. Have you ever thought “I wish I could try that again?” Well you can! You get 2 runs for Agility and Jumping and the option to run your 2^nd go NFC if the first was for competition. Grade 3 dogs can be entered in Beginner or Intermediate allowing inexperienced Grade 3 dogs the chance to train the basics in a show. Rings are fully fenced with clear entrances and exits and as much queuing space as possible. 
Courses for higher levels present challenges and valuable training opportunities to proof those difficult sections, weave entries and contacts. 

Show Day

Not far from the M6 and there is ample parking. Outside there is a spacious equine exercise area that doesn't get muddy and a burger van for those rumbling tummies. Inside you will find a variety of trade stalls selling cakes, clothes,dog toys & treats. Local charities Greyhound Gap and Rode Heath Scout Group make a regular appearance with a tombola and second hand book stall. There are frequent announcements and the ring managers are clearly found in their high-vis jackets. Ring plans are kept simple and a friendly face is never too far away to help.

 WhyNot?!

Small unaffiliated shows are vitally important to get you and your dog comfortable in the show environment. Limited numbers keep it from being too crowded and the courses are smooth, simple but challenging to match your level.2 runs for Jumping and Agility and training allowed in the ring, plus a brilliant burger van! Why pass at an opportunity to train in the ring?! Once you try one show you’ll be ready to come back for the rest of the series.