Goals, preparations & puppy plans!

It's been a whirlwind of a weekend! On Saturday I attended the Kennel Club's first Sports Coaching for Agility Handlers seminar. All the speakers were very good, but Natasha Wise in particular was fantastic! She gave a great presentation on the 'Practical Application of Sports Science' a subject which she studied at university and has obviously successfully used the lessons - twice Medium World Champion with her lovely merle collie Dizzy. I learnt a great deal from her talk and I'm very excited about incorporating some of her suggestions into the training plans for my own dogs and that of the dogs that I teach. 

Last season I really felt like I let Ella down a lot by not being mentally prepared for our runs, to the point where I would sometimes have to just stop and wait a moment before remembering where I was supposed to be going! My training plan for the winter incorporates both mental training, but also some fitness for me - the New Year will see me in the hands of a local personal trainer, working off those pounds - eek!

Despite the extra hour today, I've still rushed around like a headless chicken a bit. Lovely walk this morning with friends along the River Yeo in Congresbury close to where we live and then off to Diva's training session in Bristol for 11.30am. I love that little dog her attitude and spirit are great to work with and she's really enjoying her training sessions - whether for the social side or the agility I couldn't tell you ;-)

Finally, this afternoon I sat down and worked out a specific plan for the next few months - for those of you that aren't a member of our Facebook group you may not be aware that my lovely Ella is pregnant and due in just 3 short weeks time! Her waistline is starting to disappear and she seems a little hungrier than normal, but apart from that it's hard to tell - she's still racing around with Diva out on a walk at the moment :)

I have been dreaming about a litter from Ella for so long now, I can hardly believe that we will soon have puppies in the house! She was mated to a fantastic boy, Harrjak Tigger (or Tigs to his friends ;-)) with an equally wonderful temperament and disposition. I'm sure they're going to make some fabulous puppies who will go onto make their new owners very happy.

In addition to that I'm also knee deep in plans for some new training classes - my friend Suzy Field is rounding up her Mutt Manners Kennel Club Good Citizen classes at Christmas and I will be taking them on in the New Year under the Daybreak banner. They take place in St John's Hall on Hillside Road in Clevedon on Tuesday evenings between 6pm - 9pm. Whilst we'll be following the KCGC curriculum, as usual we'll have our own exciting flavour to add to the classes - more details to follow shortly! :-)

Today I am grateful for the many wonderful opportunities and avenues that sparkle brightly in front of me - I am truly blessed :-)

Leading up to our 1st KC Festival..

Lovely weekend off with our little family which was just what I needed before the approaching festival. Ella's wins ought to have given me a lot of confidence going into the weekend, but I have to say I'm perhaps more nervous than ever! I know my gorgeous little girl can do it now, I have complete faith in every obstacle I send her at - including those weave poles! Just wish I could say the same about me! Life as a mum to two little boys is exhausting some days, and summoning up enough energy to be a worthy agility partner to Ella is hard going. Especially when she's clearly raring to go - it makes me very jealous :-)) Still, Martin Tait is over for our Daybreak competition group this evening so I anticipate a good session to buoy me up before Friday.

Now we've won into Grade 3 we're no longer eligible for the Starters Cup at the festival, so instead are in the Novice which is grades 3-5. What I need to remember is that this is effectively Ella & I's first year of competition and we have nothing to prove to anyone - we can come back next year with winning aims. This year is about getting back into the swing of competition and we're already being quite successful. This festival is about continuing the great work we've been doing in the ring, and investing in our relationship. Any wins will be a bonus, but they're not what we step into the ring for.

Today I'm grateful for my fantastic agility partner Ella, who's right beside me as I follow my agility dreams :-)