# First Fun Match



## AmandaK (Apr 2, 2009)

Hi all, I am new to the site. MaggieLeeRose pointed me in this direction.

I have my first fun match with my dogs this Sunday and I'm really looking forward to the experience. The match is at a working horse barn in an indoor ring. I took Leise to the barn I ride at again this week to expose her to the smells, sights and sounds of horses. THey have come with me occasionally but since I ride she has to stay in the car. Shadow has been to the barn a few times too.

I hope they do well but it is a fun match and is for the experience.


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Best of luck. We did great at our first match, not so great thereafter. Remember to have fun. If you want, I'll be happy to share a great variety of ways to blow novice A!

BTW Our last fun match, I took two dogs. My routine was disrupted and Barker the Elder didn't get her walk about & Barker the Younger was up first. Barker the Elder who had never done this before barked all the time BTY was in the ring! BTY did not do so hot. BTE, however, did great! The judge's comment re BTE, I'll always remember -- "She adores you!" It was better than any score we could have gotten.


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## Kayos and Havoc (Oct 17, 2002)

Have fun!!!


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## lylol (Feb 18, 2009)

Sounds like a great time... let us know how it goes... its good to get the first time jitters out of the way. Its all about fun with you and your teammate!


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Thanks for joining in!

If you go up to the top into 'My Stuff' you can add your GENERAL location (sure you don't need us knocking on your door







) that will show up beside each post. And you can also come up with some kind of cool quote that shows up in your signature line!

Try to have a camera ready for the fun match on Sunday and talk your friends (or strangers) into shooting your run. We love to see photos (and videos!) of our dogs doing agility!!!


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## Kayla's Dad (Jul 2, 2007)

Have a blast! Kayla and I did our first fun match last week.

WARNING!! - If starting agility classes can become addicting, just wait until the fun match!


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## AmandaK (Apr 2, 2009)

I am super excited and nervous at the same time. I went and bought a beef heart to simmer today for some added enticement at the match









Since it's at a working horse barn I think I need all the help I can get on my side. The girls are still new to agility and while they know how to do all the equipment they don't always get that its their job to do them all without getting distracted during the course LOL!

I've got the chairs in the van and I'm doing my Sunday house clean today so I can rest when we get home tomorrow. We'll take the crates, the dogs, the kids, and our sense of humour. 

Anything I'm forgetting?


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Water!

Tug toy for reward/play and decompression away from the ring after the run.


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## AmandaK (Apr 2, 2009)

I thought the barn would have water, but I'll bring a bowl for the girls and some bottles of h2o just in case.

I don't do a lot of tug with them in fact Leise was very hesitant to ever tug with me but recently has started to play tug with me. Tug isn't something we do at class.

The beef heart is simmering away and smells AWFUL! Oh dear what have I done? LOL


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I always bring water for my dogs. Water is different in different locations (some places do NOT have water) and I'd just as soon know I have some my dogs will drink.

Good for you for starting to tug with your dog. Can't emphasis enough how important that is for our dogs in ANY venue we choose. Our pups can't be stresses AND tug. So if we can tug with them everywhere means they are happy and in 'drive' which means focus and speed!


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## AmandaK (Apr 2, 2009)

Well we are home.

It was a disaster and a success all in the same day LOL! During familiarization Leise wouldn't do the dog walk. I got her up and 1/2 way across and she decided to leap off. I tried to get her across again and she wouldnt do it. I decided that there was too much new stuff going on and it wasn't worth the struggle and creating a negative experience so I went to the A frame which she normally loves. She wouldnt run it either. I was just about to leave the ring when the judge came over and asked if I could take her off leash.

So I let her off and she proceeded to have 5 minutes of super zoomies around the ring. She would run towards the gate, get shooed away and I would call her and she would race back to me. I told the judge this is her first time at a match and it was mostly for the experience and that I was fine if she won't do the contact equipment. I caught the zoomie girl and took her back to her crate.

My daughter took Shadow on her familiarization run and managed to get the A frame. I asked her to stay away from the teeter as Shadow isn't super keen on it yet.

Our first run (I will load the video to Youtube) was a disaster! Leise spent most of the time racing around the ring like a kid hopped up on caffeine and sugar let loose in Disneyland. We were whistled out after 1/2 the course. Shadow did much better and completed the whole course.

The runs improved over the day and we were 1 jump away from finishing our starter jumpers class when the whistle blew. Leise got 14 points in Gamblers and did the mini gamble worth 8 pnts! I was thrilled.

Shadow and my daughter's runs didn't go as well. She didn't realize she had crossed the start line during the starters gamblers and wasted 1/2 her 40 secs trying to get Shadow lined up. She got 4, and was really disappointed. I thought it would have been nice if someone had told her that the time was running. Oh well.
Shadow got the super zoomies during jumpers and the proceeded to take a poop at the end of the ring! My daughter was mortified.

The club was awesome and super supportive, she was the only kid running a dog. 

That was the disaster part of the day. The success was that the dogs actually calmed down, focused on us (when not in the ring) and weren't constantly reactive towards the other dogs. They can be a bit stupid and teenagerish when it comes to other dogs. Our instructor was there with her dog and she was totally impressed and proud of the Sisters Grimm because they actually relaxed in their crates and had a nap. Because we were inexperienced stupidly set up their crates right where everyone had to walk past and line up for the gate. So the fact that they were able to chill out even with all the other dogs right there was a major triumph.

So all in all it was a good day!


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Fun day with the dogs and your daughter. Sounds like a great day to me!!!! 
























Please remember to put the youtube link here, can't wait to see it!


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## AmandaK (Apr 2, 2009)

Well I'm trying very hard to get the videos up on Youtube but its' being uncooperative and I have to get some sleep soon.

Hopefully they will be up tomorrow.


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## AmandaK (Apr 2, 2009)

Here it is the videos finally loaded to youtube, I think I must have been trying during a busy time.

Naughty girls:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIpb4JvFppQ

Better girls








http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ250yXlL2k

I apologize for the shaky camera work in the first video, my twelve year old son was doing the video work for the first run and well he's twelve lol! it gets better because my husband and I took over.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Thanks for posting, they were fun to watch.


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## Caledon (Nov 10, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Sisters_GrimmWell we are home.
> 
> 
> Our first run (I will load the video to Youtube) was a disaster! Leise spent most of the time racing around the ring like a kid hopped up on caffeine and sugar let loose in Disneyland.












How old is Leise?

I watched your video and I can relate. Don't do agility yet, but I can imagine Dakota running all over the place too. You did manage to get her back on track. Agility looks like a lot of fun for the dogs.


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## AmandaK (Apr 2, 2009)

Shes 16 months so still mentally a baby.

I jump her in 16" special to preserve her joints. They have a blast at agility!


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