Testimonals
It was a horrible grey and damp day when Maureen and I set off to take part in a workshop being run by Bob Sharpe. It was going to be a journey of nearly 2 ½ hours, and neither of us quite knew what to expect when we got there. We’d each been in various ring parties, UKA, for Bob when he was judging, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. In fact Maureen was a bad influence on Pauline – or was it the other way around? Either way, they seemed to spend all their time nattering and laughing whenever we went looking for them!
I’d run some of the Champ classes that Bob had set as a judge, and really enjoyed them, as I’d found the courses thought provoking and challenging, without having the five million pull throughs (okay slight exaggeration!) that so many Grade 7/ Champ classes seem to have at the moment.
Bob had contacted us before the training day to see if there was anything in particular we wanted to work on, and he came away with a little list, that included handling multiple ‘pull throughs’ (or ‘threddles’ as I believe the Americans call them), and tightening up turns.
By the time we arrived the sky was full of the promise of a horribly wet day in the wilds of Lincolnshire. My face probably fell when I asked where the loo was, only to be pointed in the direction of a small shed! Thankfully appearances can be deceptive, and I was relieved to find not a bucket – but fully plumbed in facilities.
There was a food van in place serving up home cooked food, along with home made cakes and lots of hot drinks – much needed in the chills of February I can tell you. So having sorted our dogs and ourselves out, we settled down to watch the end of the morning session. As this came to a close, it was still not raining, and we started to look forward to our training session
It was obvious that of the small group of six people taking part in the afternoon, Maureen and I were the only ones who had not trained with Bob before. However, everyone was very friendly, and made us feel welcome. The atmosphere of the class was very, very calm; no one was pressurised, or made to feel uncomfortable, and the teaching was delivered in a constructive and supportive way. We were both impressed with the way that Bob started off with quite a simple premise, and then started to build on it. This meant that by the time we had finished our class, we fully understood the thinking behind what we were being taught. So that when we left the training, we should be in a much better position to practise what we had been learning, as we understood what we were trying to achieve.
When we started out at the beginning of the session, I have to admit that I was a little sceptical as to whether it would work for me and Ernie. However, we were there to learn, and I thought we might as well give it go. Well – I’m glad we did! I felt much more in command of my dog, and a lot less frantic. Ernie was a bit non-plussed initially when he found that somehow I’d got in front of him. He wasn’t having that – and he got faster and tighter in his efforts to catch me up. In the end he was doing serpentines and pull throughs with virtually no check in his forward motion, and virtually taking the paint of the jump wings as he went! Exactly what I wanted, I was thrilled!
As the promised rain finally arrived, we went indoors briefly, where Bob demonstrated how positioning and timing, and, most importantly, consistency, could allow you to decide whether your dog did a serpentine (snake) or a pull through. We also discussed alternatives on how to work boxes from both within, and outside the box. All very thought provoking. Then we braved the elements one final time to put into practice everything we had learnt throughout the day.
Both Maureen and I left the venue very soggy, but very pleased with everything we had learnt that day. We felt we had got a lot done, and that we would be able to continue practicing what we had learnt when we got home. In fact the 2 ½ hour journey home flew by while we discussed the day!
Bob taught in a clear and calm way, and the lesson was constantly building in logical steps towards an achievable goal. I would certainly recommend his training and I’m already looking forward to my next lesson
Soraya Porter
