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Training a terror
 Orla
came to Hearing Dogs for the Deaf as a stray from Ireland. She made it to week 18 in their
training programme but had to be pulled - very reluctantly - as she had an active interest in
some wildlife and this would, therefore, make her difficult for a deaf person to control. She
was headed for the Agilitynet Rescue page but was snapped up by Penny Cockerill before her
entry was posted. Orla was still a terrier! She would run away and always return... eventually.
I
went to Stuart Carter for advice.
Off
we went to a farm full of wild kittens, llamas, cranes, pigs and piglets, barking dogs and
chickens. The open-sided barn was most definitely not secure. For the first session Orla was on
lead the whole time and we covered the basics.
He
thought he had the answer! 'It's the most common problem I deal with – the recall,' he boasted.
The key was to
make her work for every treat and piece of food. I started retraining Orla in the kitchen by
hand feeding her all her food, using it as a reward when she obeyed a command. I broke the
kibble into the smallest possible pieces. I was, therefore, setting her up to 'win' every time.
After a few days, I moved to the garden, then to the park, gradually building in distractions
and using higher value rewards to compensate for them.
I followed his
advice to the letter and, after a few weeks, we were back at the crazy farm for another
session. I suspect Stuart’s confidence is based on training collies, not terriers. Not thinking
he would let her off the lead, I didn’t inspect the sides of the barn for escape routes – big
mistake! Right away we were working her between us over one jump, 2 jumps, 3 jumps, in and out
of the tunnel with one of us at each end. Then, still off lead but holding on for grim death, I
set her up on a table to go down the contact trainer. I released her collar. She was gone!
Straight through a tiny gap which she must have spotted earlier and grabbed the nearest
unsuspecting chicken by the thigh (the best bit). Stuart separated them and I brought Orla back
into the barn, incriminating feathers sticking to her lips and muzzle. It was all theory for
the rest of the session and Stuart thought the chicken might have to go in the pot!
So I set off
home rather disheartened. Should I give up? What about training and competing, which Stuart had
advised against while we were working on the recall? Wye Valley Small/Medium show was
coming up - small classes but run in big fields, surrounded by the river Wye. I was encouraged
by a couple of episodes in the park when Orla wriggled out of her head collar but came back to
me anyway. Were we actually making progress, if chickens were not part of the equation?
I decided to risk it!
A merry evening at the Somerset Arms near the B & B set us up for a classically
beautiful spring day. It was going to be a long one. We had nine runs!
I started off
with a Brace – ran Orla with my other dog Maggie (Staffie X) - one after the other. Orla
apparently totally focused on me, didn’t take her eyes off my face, according to my friends.
Orla went clear but Maggie had five faults. Then the Circular Jumping – clear for Orla getting
her a rosette but again five faults for Maggie. Then I ran Maggie in the team with my three
friends and their dogs. She bogged off to the burger tent - another five faults and a lot of
time wasted. This
was following the pattern of previous shows with Maggie sometimes switched on and sometimes
off. I was, however, thrilled with Orla's attention, absolutely 100%.
Then we were
into the serious rounds of the day. In the Grade 2 Jumping, Maggie wandered off but wasn’t
faulted so was actually clear with a 6th place (very small class). Orla did very
well, still very focused on me but found 12 weaves too much and got faulted for popping
out at about number eight.
Last run of the
day and I was pretty much on my knees. After a banana and an ice cream I was ready to go for
the big one – the Graded Agility. This was a chance to win out of Grade 2 by winning the class.
I tried to focus but I know what happens when I let the pressure get to me. It all goes
horribly wrong! Only six weaves but an awkward start with jump, rigid tunnel, right turn
straight into the soft tunnel, then straight into the weaves.
Orla ran first.
I noticed as I lined her up at the start that she was watching a large flock of birds landing
in the next field – not a good sign. Sure enough, as she emerged from the tunnel there in her
sightline was this b****y flock of birds. She ran towards them, luckily not running past any
equipment as she would have been faulted for that. She stopped. She looked. I called. Nail
biting time! After what seemed like forever, she turned and ran to me. I guided her into the
soft tunnel, through the weaves, over the see-saw, the dog walk and the A-frame. No faults.
Finally over the last few jumps she went, back into the tunnel from the other end and then I
called her to me over the last jump – clear! Her first ever clear agility round. I was
absolutely ecstatic.
Then I had to
go back into the queue to run Maggie, knowing all the time that there wasn't a chance of a
place with Orla. Off we went, and it was as if she knew! Tunnel, soft tunnel, whipped through
the weaves, see saw, dog walk contact, jump, A-frame contact. Ahead lay a jump which she had to
take before turning left over another jump and heading for the relative safety of home.
 I
blew it!
I called left a split second too soon. She turned on a sixpence, away from the jump she was
supposed to take – five faults for a refusal. I was gutted. We finished the run five seconds
faster than Orla. I knelt down and hit my head on the grass but, to be honest, I wasn't that
disappointed because after hundreds of runs with Maggie, this was one where she was actually
under my control the whole way round and did her very best. I could not have asked for more.
By this time
the show was packing up. There were only a few dogs left to run. I went into the score tent to
check Orla’s time for my KC warrant book – and her slip with its large 'C' for clear was on the
top of the pile. Lying in first place! And that's where we finished. She had won me out of
Grade 2!
Off I went with
my little stars and a lovely, handmade trophy and huge red rosette. I let the sat nav take me
home through the most amazing Cotswold scenery - a fine end to the day. To cap it off, as I hit
the M40, a Red Kite circled lazily over head. Perfection!
About the
author...
 Penny
Cockerill
has competed in agility for eight
years with Maggie, her rescued Staffie cross. When Maggie collided with a bicycle and injured
her back she was out for a season so Penny took the KC judge's exam and became a show secretary
for a while. Only the judging stuck, however, as Penny finds it as enjoyable as competing.
Maggie was expected to take agility a
bit easier at the age of nine but since Orla has been on the scene she is more focused than
ever!
Penny works in local government but
says this career is now getting in the way of agility so she hopes to ease into retirement in
the near future.
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