Though I had dogs when younger, Cally was my first Agility dog, and the first dog that I trained to any great degree, and therefore, the dog I made most of my mistakes with.

She wasn't an easy character, being very strong-willed and stubborn, (a bit like me really!!) We started by going to Obedience classes run by some serving police dog handlers, and the training was the old check-chain/ Barbara Woodhouse style of thing, which wasn't the best approach for Cally, she would have done better with the more gentle reward-based way Obedience is taught today.

Apart from a mania for being either in water or in my car, Cally was quite smart, and learned to do all sorts of odd things. I could scatter loads of tiny marked pieces of twig or straw in long grass, and Cally would find the lot.

In 1985 Agility came into our lives, and Cally adored it. Sadly she wasn't very athletic, so found the jumping a bit of a challenge, but she was quite happy to climb on anything, and her eyes shone with delight when she was in the Agility ring.

 

Cally competing at Picket's Lock in 1988.
I can't get over how thin I was then!!!

 

Cally was able to go up ladders.

She used to take herself up.......

 

...... so she could come down the slide in the playground.