Firstly - it has concerned me a bit that I'm being a bit too "professional" with Pip - yes I want him to be a good agility dog, but I also want him to have a good life too as a family pet. NOT saying the top trainers dogs don't, but personally I struggle with the "make them earn everything" "crate them unless they are training with you" philosophy. It DOES work to focus the Pip on me and it does make him keen on his work, but it doesnt let him be a DOG much. And its a heck of a lot of work to fit in enough sessions.
He's nearly 9 months old now - and he is learning to control his annoying puppiness with the other dogs - so he can be left with them without annoying the hell out of them. So he's had more free time with them over the weekend and not been crated unless we have been going out for a while, or he's needed downtime. His work this morning was not noticably affected at all.
Secondly, I've been doing a bit of longer term thinking...
This year I will, as planned, do the UKA circuit with Bonnie - she is going really well atm so hopefully I can get her at least up to Novice this year, although I suspect it will have to be on CR as she is against a lot of fast dogs in beginners so even a Bonnie fast clear isnt gonna win often. She only needs a few CR to go up in SC :) Just have to avoid the sniffing....
Pip - I'd like to think that I can start him on the equipment in the summer when he's 12-14 months old- I don't think he will take long to learn TBH as he is a quick boy, my initial aim would be to do nursery classes with him (well SC/jumping anyway) at the 2 matches this winter. Poss the agility as NFC so I can train it. He will be 18months then.
I'd like to think he will be ready to train on tuesdays later in the summer - even if not all exercises - I'm quite happy to do smaller Pip courses and shorter sessions, but given how prone he is to distraction and habitat I think it will do him a lot of good to train with others.
Next year I'd like to be in a position where he can start doing some UKA - certainly SC and jumping - poss not agility depends on him.
If that goes well then following year/later next year take him to some low key KC's, and full range of UKA classes
If ALL that goes well then hopefully the following year we can do KC properly, qualifiers, and start getting him up the grades... he'll be 4 then.
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