From Overwhelm To Triumph
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Last Saturday, July 5th, Sunny and I took part in our first agility competition. It was a long and eventful day. We ran three courses: one agility course and two jumping courses. We had so much fun, learnt a lot about each other, and gained valuable experience.
Agility Course 1
Since Sunny isn’t confident with contacts yet, I skipped them and focused on what he knows. Walking the course, I realised the obstacles were far apart, so I planned spots where he could work independently.
However, on the course itself, the environment was overwhelming for him – more people on the field, spectators close to the ring, and barking dogs. He wasn’t comfortable doing tunnels without me. To add to that, when we left the ring, our toy wasn’t there as a reward.
The first run is always the hardest. Still, he held his start line well, didn’t drop any bars, stayed connected, and didn’t run off. Despite these positives, I felt bad for not making it fully enjoyable for him.
Jumping Course 1
This run went much better. Although we were disqualified, our confidence grew, and Sunny was amazing. His speed was phenomenal, but I gave a late cue, causing a mistake. We need to work on his tight turns out of tunnels, and I need to improve my timing.
Jumping Course 2
By the time of JC2, we were both exhausted. Walking the course, I struggled to focus and had to remind myself step by step what to check. Sunny was moody and rough during warm-up, even barking at me to show he was done for the day. On the field, he was pulling, eager to finish.
At the start line, he gave me an almost angry look, but when I said “Focus,” he locked onto the jump and we began. It was the toughest course of the day. He missed a few obstacles but corrected himself each time. I felt like I couldn’t run anymore, but still pushed beyond my limits. Despite our fatigue, the run was fantastic. We came home with a bronze medal. I couldn’t be prouder of Sunny – he’s only 19 months old.
Reflecting on the day, I realised how important it is to have an agility training planner. After each run, it was so helpful to draw the course and evaluate our performance while everything was still fresh in my mind. It made the experience even more valuable for our future training.