Our 2025

Now that our annual agility break is over and the competition season is slowly starting again for us, it’s time for a little review.
Many people ask us if we regret missing the qualifiers (obviously, the question is directed more at Gergő and Nia). Indeed, this was the first year since our “sheltie agility life” began that we did not participate in the qualifiers, not because of COVID or a litter, but “just because.” This is a very complex question, and although I will try not to get too deep into it, I would like to share a few thoughts on the matter.
We both have jobs, and although we try to be perfectionists, agility is our hobby. A World Championship and a European Championship are not only financially burdensome, but also take up a significant part of our free time (I am obviously referring to the preparation as well). In the years when we participated in these competitions, literally nothing else happened during the year except for the qualifiers, the World Championships, and the European Championships. We put absolutely everything on the line. In addition, these competitions usually meant that the dogs spent much more time in the car than they enjoyed.These competitions are fantastic. The experience and atmosphere are incomparable, and it’s amazing to be there at such an event. We can only congratulate everyone who gets to participate in these prestigious competitions from the bottom of our hearts; we enjoyed them immensely.
However, I can safely say that we enjoyed last year just as much, and what is even more certain is that the dogs enjoyed it much more. We always try to make the most of our opportunities to give them the best, and since we can’t fit everything in, we decided to try this route. Although it is obvious that nothing can compare to the atmosphere of a World Championship, many small things add up to a lot. And last year, we accumulated a lot of “small” things in terms of experiences. And if I ask the dogs, they certainly don’t mind that they got to run in so many other places instead of two major competitions.
For us is not important to summarize the specific results, but here’s a little video review from Nia’s perspective, who made it to the finals in all the competitions she entered and finished on the podium in most of them. It also includes Nova’s perspective, who has to contend with a less skilled handler, but still managed to reach the finals in almost every competition with impressive consistency.
In a nutshell: it’s wonderful to run at a World Cup or an European Championships, but no, our year wasn’t any less good on this path either.