This weekend will be our first Grade 4 show and although it is a smaller show, I am feeling quite nervous about it again. Smaller shows mean you can't hide - mistakes are remembered. I shouldn't feel like this because Dylan is so ready. In the past few weeks he has had several more placings at grade 3 - with another win and a 3rd at agility and 2 wins and a 2nd in jumping. I know he is ready he is showing this with his results but am I ready? I am so worried that I will let him down.
We have had a small taste of the higher grades this past weekend at Wye Valley, where one of his agility classes was a 3-5 combined class. I managed to get him round and not too badly - just a bit messy on one part where I overhandled a pull through and then struggled to turn him out of it to take the next jump. We got round clear though and finished up being 7th which I was over the moon with. They placed to 28th position which means there was somewhere around 280 dogs in the class. We did a little better in the 1-7 combinded jumping, where despite almost stalling at a jump we managed a 3rd place. Once again a huge grin on my face.
This little dog just astounds me and I have been told by someone that we will go all the way - meaning we are likely to reach grade 7. I don't think so!!! Dylan is very capable of this giddy height but not me - I make far too many mistakes and I don't think my nerves would hold out either.
As for this weekend........our first G4, well panic has set in already. The running orders arrived and both dogs were still entered in G2! After a 'OMG they are in the wrong grade and I won't be able to run at all' moment I phoned the show secretary and all is now ok. I need to remember to stay calm and believe that my dog is there because he is capable of it. I must also realise that he hasn't got there on his own - we are a team (well sometimes) and that must surely mean that I am capable of it as well............doesn't it?
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