Before I get into a discussion about courses, check out the GREAT ribbons the AKC is handing out regarding Mixed-Breed dogs participating in AKC April Agility trials!To help celebrate the inclusion of Mixed Breeds, today we took a 'Freshman' photo with the Mixed Breed newcomers participating in the trial. It was really, really neat and I'll post it as soon as I receive a copy of the picture. I know I was personally very, very excited to be asked to participate!
On a side note, the Mixed Breeds that ran at this trial were so excited to be participating. Not just the handlers, but the dog as well. A beagle/shepherd mix literally SMILED around the entire course - it was great to see.
On to a discussion about courses....
This weekend I'm in Columbia, South Carolina. I wasn't originally scheduled to be here, but the club needed a replacement judge at the last minute and so I was asked to fill in. That means that the courses I'm judging are a combination between the original judge's design and are slightly modified to incorporate a bit of the wide-open spaces I prefer on a course.
For the heck of it, I've posted the course we ran (shown above) and the original course (the 2nd course posted). In reviewing the two courses, I realized that I have a specific course style preference and couldn't help but wonder if perhaps I've gotten myself in a bit of a rut on my design thinking.
Original course:
Regardless of the course style, it ran well and I was especially impressed with the weave pole entries. I was originally concerned when I looked at this on paper, but these guys made it look effortless. Nice job folks!
No comments:
Post a Comment