From a Difficult Championship Round to a Grade 6–7 Win at Weardale
Rio won the Grade 6–7 agility class at Weardale Dog Agility Show on Saturday 18 July 2026—but the day certainly didn’t begin as we hoped.
Earlier in the day, we had a terrible Championship round. Rio disconnected around the weave poles and the run unravelled. It was frustrating, particularly because Championship classes matter to us, but it also gave me a choice: carry that disappointment for the rest of the show or reset and give Rio another opportunity to succeed.
Our Grade 6–7 agility class was the final run of the day. We returned to the start line, put the earlier disappointment behind us and produced the performance I knew we were capable of.
This time, we nailed it, and won the class.
When a Competition Run Goes Wrong
Every agility competitor experiences runs that don’t reflect what their team can do in training.
When that happens, it is easy to replay every mistake, question your ability and approach the next run determined to compensate for what went wrong. Unfortunately, taking that frustration into the ring rarely helps.
Rio didn’t know that our Championship round had been disappointing. He wasn’t thinking about the result or worrying about what other competitors had done. He simply needed me to arrive at the next start line ready to communicate clearly and handle the dog in front of me.
Before our final run, I had to separate useful analysis from unhelpful emotion.
The useful questions were:
Where did we lose connection?
Was my handling clear and timely?
What information did Rio receive?
Did arousal affect his ability to stay connected?
What could I do differently in the next round?
Once I had taken the useful information from the Championship run, I needed to let the rest go.
Our Final Run of the Day
The combined Grade 6–7 agility class was our last opportunity to run that day.
Agility classes include contact equipment alongside jumps, tunnels and weave poles, so the dog-and-handler team must combine speed, accuracy, obstacle performance and clear handling throughout the course.
Rio is naturally fast, confident and independent. Those qualities make him exciting to run, but they also mean I must commit fully to my handling choices. If my information is late or unclear, Rio will confidently make his own decision instead.
In our final round, the connection and clarity we had been missing earlier returned. Rio completed his job, I handled with greater purpose and the pieces came together.
We finished the day by winning the Grade 6–7 agility class.
One Bad Run Does Not Define the Day
The win was brilliant, but the turnaround mattered just as much as the result.
Competition agility tests more than technical handling. It also tests the handler’s ability to recover, refocus and approach each round as a fresh opportunity.
A poor run can provide valuable information, but it does not predict what will happen next. One mistake does not mean your training has failed, and one elimination does not erase everything your dog can do.
The Championship round and our final run happened on the same day with the same dog-and-handler team. The difference was that we reconnected, trusted our training and started again.
That is an important lesson for every competitor: analyse the run, learn what you can and then leave it behind.
Training Beyond the Rosette
Winning is always worth celebrating, but every competition result becomes more valuable when it informs future training.
Following a show, I consider:
Which skills remained strong under competition pressure
Where Rio needed clearer information from me
Whether our training transferred successfully into the ring
Where we gained or lost time
Which details need attention before our next competition
This is also how I approach coaching. A clear round can contain areas to improve, while an elimination can include some of the best work a team has produced.
The result tells us what happened. Thoughtful analysis helps us understand why.
Continuing to Develop as a Team
Even at Grade 7 and Championship level, the foundations still matter.
Connection, commitment, obstacle independence and clear communication are not skills that become “finished.” They must be maintained and strengthened as courses become more technical and the partnership develops.
Rio’s Weardale win was a fantastic result, but it was also a reminder of the resilience we have built together.
We started the day with a Championship round that went badly. We ended it by producing a winning performance in our final run.
That is agility: reset, reconnect and run again.
Develop Your Own Agility Partnership
At Unleashed Pawtential, I coach dog-and-handler teams at every level, from complete beginners learning foundation skills to experienced competitors working towards stronger performances.
Training is positive, progressive and tailored to the individual partnership in front of me.
