World Championships Luxembourg 2014
Mixed feelings about this year World Championships... Organizers were really super nice and Sunday atmosphere and courses were great. But it started with a disappointment with the surface - with MANY dogs falling, especially on Thursday... First courses were not my favourite style either... - not many challenges, not many handling options. Then another unpleasant surprise on Friday: TABLE!?! After EO, it felt like we are back for a decade...
The table really killed the show - sooo boring to see a dog after a dog slide off - not a surprise given that most of these dogs never saw a table in a trial before. The table decided the team winners... In medium for example (where the table is the trickiest as medium uses the same low table as small!), the only two countries in the world that still use a table won... How crazy it is that nothing else but not sliding off the table matters???
Le never saw a table in a course before in her life... She can't do a table and we're proud of it - it shows agility did some progress... - Or maybe it didn't??? My other dogs are old enough to still know the table and had no issues with it, so it didn't bother me as much as a competitor as it bothered me as a spectator... It just adds time and shows no skill that you want to see on WC... So that was a really big disappointment and definitely killed the show for me.
Le would have won by more than 2 seconds if it weren't for those bars (that she normally never knocks...)
I was ready to go home if there was a table also on Sunday, but fortunately, it wasn't, and it made things much more fun to watch. The courses were more fun too and the dogs got used to the turf some and were slipping less, so Sunday was certainly FUN! We could finally do some real agility!
I loved my Sunday runs a lot: not much luck, especially not with Le who never knocks bars and has been very consistently clean lately, after we got our see-saw under control 🙂 - but seeing our time and knowing she would win for more than 2s otherwise and seeing that Bi would end 3rd despite the problems with the toe that we discovered later (thanks to wonderful Canadian chiro) that probably made her slower and affected her contacts... 🙁 She is always in with 4 strides when she is o.k. - so it was her bad DW that told me she is not o.k...
Not the best weekend for Bi as her swollen toe was slowing her down (we only found it out later) and affected her DW - but still 2nd best time in agility individual
Bu had a great run on Sunday too, she actually finished 7th in that run and 8th overall - not bad at all for my slow BC! And La, well, she was by far the best 13-year old 🙂 - At that age, every run is a win! And Le was as perfect as always, but her handler was too slow and she had to wait a lot for me to get to places - while I could just tell her what to do!!! - But I seem to sometimes forget to give her verbals ever since I handle La silently, in order to remember she can't hear me... So her times were not as good as normally - until the last run where I finally handled as I would in training, trusted her and just RAN. - That sure was a super fun run! - With by far best time of course. - So proud of my super midget! She is spoiling me a bit too much with her superior speed though as it makes me run her safely rather than as good as we can, so I have to focus to get rid of it now - she is really so well trained that I can just trust her and run.
Bu, always giving her best - 7th in agility run, 8th overall
Sunday really changed our impressions of this WC and we're looking forward to next year already, trusting that we won't be seeing table that time around! And of course, hoping Bi is back to normal and that I stop playing safe with Le and run her like we can - that's our plan for next year!
La - at 13, every run is a win 🙂
photo: agility-gallery.com
At least EO2015 will offer you runs without the table. Anders Virtanen will be one of the judges and he’s not a fan of the table. I was his first dog school teacher some 30 years ago, and he is teaching me and Hessu agility tonight. 🙂
Happy to hear that! I think we’re safe also on WC for next year as I never saw those two judges use a table before and I see them both often.
The table sure was big disappointment, I also hope that I never see it again in WC! And sorry to hear Bi’s toe, hope it will better soon. It was nice to see you and watch you run’s and little To was so cute at the closing ceremony 🙂
Thanks 🙂 To has to get used to the atmosphere yes 🙂 Bi thinks she is perfectly o.k., but her toe still looks swollen, so we’ll have to check what it is about…
Oh no… sorry to hear about Bi’s toe! Hope she is ok soon!
Holly doesn’t know the table either. I’ve been with my friends at trials for 4 years now and never saw a table so far… I really don’t like this obstacle, it ruins every run! 🙁
I watched from home, so incredible you were there with 4 dogs!
Hope Bi will be fine soon, and Le’s 2s of advantage are so cool. I’ll say it again, she wants to become more famous than La 😀
Can I ask, how do you manage with Bu when you run multiple dogs, since she is so introverted? Does she have people who she likes to hang out with while you do the warm-ups and runs of other dogs?
There is actually not much hanging out on World Championships at all -- when not warming up, cooling down, running or taking walks, the dogs are in their crates in a separate room, away from the noises of a hall. I think they’re much happier there as they could be in that loud and crowded hall…
I couldn’t agree more -- I was floored to see a table at WC! It was really sad to watch dogs with otherwise great runs slide off the table.
Loved watching your runs, especially Sunday!! 🙂
Hope Bi’s toe is better……..
I hate the table. Hate it! Can’t wait for them to eliminate it from USA competitions.
Hah! Well you know how spur and I feel about the table!!! It did look like there were some fun courses that maybe we will have to set up! I hope Bi’s toe is OK. So cool that la ran so well she is simply amazing definitely my hero!!! LOVE all the photos posted so far!!!! Crazy Le is so photogenic!!!!
It was great to see your runs with all your dogs! Le will definately rule the agility world with her speed, just breathtaking to watch! And yes, they should definately get rid of those stupid tables..
It was great to see you again!!!
Le ‘s run was super Silvia !!!
I’m so impressed that La is still competing at that elite level at her age! We should all be so lucky when we are old ladies 🙂 Count me in La’s fan club.
I agree!!! I hope I will look as good as La when I’m her age! 🙂