Agility Dog Association of Australia Ltd

Handler Profile (November 2005) ~ Heidi Bradshaw

Where do you live? Tinana (Maryborough) We live on 2.5 acres which my dogs just love to romp in, although the paddock has become a place where you need to stay alert as Gulliver (my 10 month old foal) loves to chase the dogs.

Occupation: Trainer - Child Care studies

Describe yourself in 25 words or less: Love competing, pedantic about my animals, want things done yesterday and if you call talking to your animals like they understand everything you say crazy, well I’m that too.

Describe your agility vehicle:  The Poodle Mobile. Well it sounds exciting!! Actually it’s a good all round vehicle (Nissan twincab) which suits my dog and horse interests.

When did you start playing agility, what drew you to the sport?  I started playing agility when I moved back to Brissie in 2002. Nanango had nothing like it.  Actually started with Deb Sunners (thanks Deb) at Southside then moved to Scallywags where I met Jody who sent me onto ADCQ to do my first beginners course with Taffy who was 4 yrs at the time.

Dogs and their achievements: All my dogs do CCC as well as ADAA, just because we can! Taffy got his CD in 2001 just before we came back to Brisbane but as he didn’t retrieve we gave obedience away for agility. Since we’ve started playing agility he actually now has an interest in toys. He has his ADX and JDX in CCC. He now has his MAAD and has qualified for his teams title with ADAA.

Enna: well Enna never did like obedience in fact if she had fingers I think I got them often!! She has her AD and JDX in CCC and has qualified for her MAAD. After seeing the shirts Marion did for the PADS comp I’d like one that says Just one Fault, story of my life!

A combined great achievement of Enna and Taffy is our little princess, Mochi (and she really is a princess!). Mochi is the baby of the family but coming on in leaps and bounds. She had her first comp at Easter and at Pads (Sept) she got a faultless round in open jumping! Also did very well with 3 top 3 placings in intermediate. We are pretty excited about the future for this little dog! Mochi has her AAD

I have to thank all 3 of dogs for the love and affection they show me. They really are the best.

Heidi with Mochi, Taffy and Enna

Where do you train?  Fraser Coast Agility Dogs at Maryborough

What do you like about agility?  It’s fun and rewarding and there is always a new challenge. I enjoy competing so it’s great to be able to train at something and then achieve titles. You can also give your dogs lots of encouragement in competition, which is why I think Enna likes this and despises obedience.

When did you start in agility? Our first comp was at PADS in 2002 where Taffy tripled the time allowed in starters!!! That bbq in the corner claimed him a few times!

What is your favourite ADAA event? (Agility/Jumping/Gamblers, etc) and Why?  I don’t really have a favourite event except if it doesn’t have weavers, it’s Christmas!!!

What was the most important piece of advice that you have been given about agility?  Expect to do well! If you think it won't work then it probably won't. I think this came from Jody Brown. I really have to thank Jody as he has been the most encouraging person through out our training and made me see there is no such thing as can't. The best advice I can give is have fun and stay positive.

What was the most difficult training problem that you have overcome?  With Enna it was her unbreakable stays at the start line!!! (I’m sure some of you remember me jumping up and down like an idiot trying to get her over that first jump!) We fixed that problem by not doing any lead outs for 12 months then retrained the stay and release with a BIG reward.

For Taffy it has been speed, (he is a short strider and takes many more steps to cover the same ground that any does) and, working away from me. Weave poles are particularly slow at a trot!!! If anyone has some good ideas to improve this we’d love to hear them.

For both these 2 weavers has been the most difficult thing to train. It was very hard especially with Enna because if it wasn’t right and you went back for another try she would do worse!! Taffy has just never been excited by them and the more you practice the slower he gets!

Mochi’s biggest problem has been her fear of other dogs. We were unlucky to have 2 big dogs on one night rush at her and frighten the living out of her when she was 5 months old. They were only coming to play but Mochi didn’t know that. We spent a longggg time trying to desensitize her to other dogs and although she is less fearful now she still doesn’t cope well with others real close. (except of course if it’s another poodle). She’s now realised though that at a comp she is the only one on the field and works really well.

What is your most memorable moment in agility? Uralla 2004!! We’d only been competing just over 2 years and Taffy came home with runner up in the individual challenge and was part of the winning mini team. That was our first trip to Uralla. (We’d missed the previous year because Taffy & Enna decided it was time to start a family.) It was a fantastic feeling to realise how far we’d come. UPDATE Uralla 2005! WOW!! How can you top a win in an individual challenge at Uralla. Mochi now has a lot to live up to.

What will your next dog be and when do you think you will get it?  I would like a medium size dog. Breed?? Working orientated definitely like a kelpie cross maybe. Would probably get something from a refuge around 6 months old that already showed lots of DRIVE. It’s been hard work with the poodles sometimes trying to create that desire, that enthusiasm. Mind you I still like the ones you can cuddle up to so who knows.

What is your favourite training game and how do you play it?  Tricks! We have worked on tug and chasing balls with some success but the thing that revs them up the most is doing tricks. I have found it a great way to get their focus before we head off around the course.

What is your next goal in agility?  To achieve GREAT weave poles. That is, speeeeeeed and accuracy all at once! I don’t want much?!?! I was watching Gordon with Cody at ADCQ in August send his dog from a sitting position out to the weaves. Cody did every one then returned to Gordon. That was amazing! Also to master distance work for gamblers. I’d love to be able to get a games qualy with Taffy before you cant tell he’s actually a black poodle. He’s getting greyer by the day.

Any other interesting information about you that you would like to share with the members:  I’ve probably been lucky that my years in child care have taught me a great deal of patience and that small steps ultimately lead to big achievements. My years of competing in dressage have helped me to remember courses although this year I have gotten lost a few times. Maybe I need to take up the dressage again.

[Top]