26th January 2025

There goes another fun and fabulous Bee Happy IDA show done and dusted! The day went smoothly with only one ring having to stop due to needing a scrimer. We had a smaller crowd this time around, so we could afford to wait until a volunteer was found to fill the role.

This incident highlights the need for more people to volunteer at shows. Even Kennel Club (KC) shows are largely run by volunteers, and everyone who volunteers starts somewhere. Don't worry if you've never done a role before; we'll be happy to train you at our shows. We just need you to be willing to help. Without volunteers, these shows simply cannot happen. Personally, I find volunteering incredibly rewarding and a fantastic way to contribute to this wonderful community of like-minded individuals.

We're continuing with the great suggestion from a competitor to have people check off the booking list when they've walked the course. This provides ring parties with vital information about who will and won't be running in their class. As a result, the rings aren't left waiting for people who haven't attended the show. This is a great system, thanks Alex!

It was wonderful to see so many dogs enjoying themselves with their handlers. Once again, I found myself in the front row because Kate, who was originally scheduled to judge the agility classes, couldn't attend. Her lovely dog decided to deliver a litter of beautiful puppies around 2.30 am on the day of the show! I got to see pictures of them, and all I can say is OMG, they are adorable! Well done, mama dog!

In the jumping ring was the lovely Sue. She has judged for us before, and competitors have consistently felt encouraged and supported when

running in her ring. So inviting her back to judge was a no-brainer. I heard her Steeplechase course was fun and offered great opportunities to test the dogs' skills. Thanks, Sue!

On that note, we're looking for judges for both February and March shows. We'll also be seeking judges for our summer shows soon. If you're available for any of our dates, please get in touch. Even if you haven't judged for us before and don't have KC qualifications, that's okay. We just ask that you have recent competition experience (at least Grade 6 or above) and a keen interest in creating flowing and safe course designs.

While chatting with competitors, I heard many fun stories about their dogs and their training journeys. Many people spoke about how their dogs can perform certain agility skills or obstacles flawlessly during training but underperform at shows.

This is a common challenge in dog agility training, not just for agility skills but for any behaviour. There are several factors at play, but the most common one is a dog's ability to transfer skills from one environment to another. Dogs learn by association, and the context in which they learn a skill heavily influences their performance. To help dogs generalize their skills and perform reliably in various settings, it's crucial to practice in different locations, around different people, and even with other dogs present. This exposure helps them understand that the skill is not tied to a specific environment or set of circumstances, improving their overall performance and preventing them from becoming overly reliant on familiar cues.

Finding places to practice your dog's agility skills can be challenging. There are different venues and events you can attend, but finding somewhere that simulates a show environment is ideal for your dog's generalization training schedule. Many independent shows allow training in the ring, and this is vital as it's the closest you'll get to being able toreward your dog in the moment, which they will come to recognise at a KC agility show. Having positive memories associated with the show environment, such as being rewarded for completing the dog walk correctly, will only strengthen the connection between shows and positive outcomes. This helps build confidence, reduce anxiety, and ultimately lead to better performance in actual competitions.

Our next show is in February and will be held at Pickering Grange again. We love it there, and we hope you do too! You can enter this show on our website's show dates page. Remember to include your dog's full registration number when filling out the form and select the checkbox indicating you're happy to receive emails from us about future events. This way, we can notify you via email when the running orders are available on our website. If you don't want to receive emails, you'll need to check the website for your running orders and ring plan. We understand this might be a bit of a bit of a hassle, but we're guided by GDPR rules. Additionally, if you find a mistake with your running orders, please email Kelly@pinkfox.co as we don't monitor social media channels for this, and I personally don't feel comfortable discussing your private details on a platform I have no control over.

I look forward to seeing you at a future Bee Happy IDA show.

Sian

Triple A Results here

Agility Results here

Jumping Results 

here

Steeplechase Results here