Mollie is a little sable/white Rough Collie - Mirifico Devil in Disguise, aged 4, and Jess is my tri colour Rough Collie - Spirecroft Cute as a Button, aged 5.
I completed the KC good citizen awards with Jess, and thought I would do the same with Mollie, but she hated obedience - she had far too much energy and was totally ball-obsessed, so I had to look around for something for her to do.
I was lucky enough to find a local agility club, with a trainer who worked with all dogs - not just border collies - and who believed in reward based training.
Mollie was a nervy little girl, very noise reactive and not very confident so I thought it might help her build her confidence a bit. She really took to it, as it involves lots of running round and she gets to play with her ball all the time in training.
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It made a huge difference to her, she is very confident now at shows and is coping with different situations without panicking. She has now been training for about 2 and a half years, competed a little in 2012, and quite a few shows in 2013.
Her best show so far was in Congleton,Cheshire in August where she won 2 x 1sts and 2 x 2nds. She was placed quite a lot last year, and was lucky enough to win some lovely trophies and prizes.
Her total league points were 397 and she was the highest placed Rough Collie, second placed grade 1/2 dog, and reserve league winner for the Rough and Smooth Collie Training Association Agility League.
The league was won by Jane Page and her smooth. |
My tri, Jess, has done well in obedience but is the most lazy, couch potato you will ever meet! When I get the leads out, she strops off to the lounge and lays down with her back to me ....
I thought I would try her at agility to help her keep fit and keep the weight off her as she is spayed, so prone to gaining weight.
To my surprise she really enjoyed it! She's a bit of a clown and loves to show off as she is going round, spectators and judges seem to love to watch her and are always laughing and clapping her, which makes her show off all the more. As you can see from her photo, she spotted the cameraman and immediatley started posing.
She has only been placed once, a 3rd place, but nearly always completes a clear round, which earns a rosette, and because she is obviously having so much fun, so do I!
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I love running both of the dogs, they enjoy themselves, and it keeps them (and me) reasonably fit. I'm diabetic so it's important that I get plenty of exercise and agility is so much more fun than going to the gym!.
Last year I bought a camper van and we had a couple of lovely weekends away at shows with the dogs - agility is a very sociable sport and lots of people camp over show weekends. (plenty of wine, BBQs and doggy talk, and usually a puppy or two to cuddle too).
Rough Collies may not be as agile or fast as Border Collies, but because they are careful, and they reliably complete all the equipment, they can do well in competition.
There are a few on the circuit now, some doing really well, and it would be lovely to see more of them, and they look so gorgeous running with all their coat flying around them.
I would like to thank Lisa Adams, our trainer, for all the help and support she has given us.
She has been great at doing things the Rough Collie way - gently and with patience and a sense of humour! She has Shelties and her husband has always wanted a Rough - especially now he has met mine!!
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Jan Williams
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