This weekend we showed at the AKC trial in New Smyrna Beach...what a very different weekend than last weekend's USDAA trial...in many many ways. The first big difference was neither judge ever got in my path - LOL!!! But in spite of that, Burn still managed to blow his aframe contact on Saturday and his dog walk contact on Sunday, so...guess what he'll be working on this week?? :))) But he ran well at 20" and was feeling good and at 8 years old and having just come off a couple of injuries, he can still win the 20" jumpers with weaves class - that was nice to know!!!
I was pretty discouraged after last weekend's USDAA trial - discouraged with some of my runs, some of my handling, some of Triumph's jumping, his start lines, his pushiness on the contacts and table, my feelings about feeling "judged" by other competitors, my reaction to some of the issues I had over the weekend, my inability to run 3 very different dogs and do well with all 3 of them, and the list goes on.
I LOVE USDAA and it has always been my venue of choice...until this past weekend. As of Friday, I was actually not really looking forward to going and even considered not. But New Smyrna is only 25 minutes from my house and I hated the idea of throwing away my entry fees, so I reluctantly went. It was a decent size trial and much to my surprise, very laid back with a very different "air" about it with a totally different group of people and dogs that I spent last weekend with. It was so apparent that most of the competitors just wanted to go out there and have fun with their dog and qualify - there was no competitive edge in the air - it was refreshing for me. It was also a major bonus that big dogs ran first both days and we were done by noon both days!!!
The courses both days were super fun, super fast, with some very subtle challenges that kept you on your toes! While Triumph was completely ridiculous about his start line, I was VERY happy with MOST of his jumping!!!! Saturday he earned his second AX leg with a 1st place and a 36.69 second run. He had a very nice JWW run but he took an off course before the weaves - totally my fault as I just didn't tell him where to go.
On Sunday he had another nice standard run with another 1st place for his AX title and then he earned his 2nd jww leg with another 1st place!! Hence, our "practice double Q."
There were eight 24" Excellent A dogs and like another 20 Excellent B 24" dogs - a lot bigger than the 26" class at most of the local USDAA trials...interesting.
Another interesting thought...maybe two classes a day for Triumph as opposed to 5 or 6 classes a day doing USDAA (and more when we do DAM team) may suit him better right now...I think he gets somewhat overloaded by the end of the second and sometimes third day of USDAA trials...he seemed to have more of a brain this past weekend and was a little more under control in the ring which made me more relaxed and even more confident in my handling.
Here are his runs from the weekend...
His Excellent A Double Q runs...
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Never say never!
Okay so I've been showing in agility since 1994...yes for EIGHTEEN years...before some of my agility friends were even born!! I was pretty sure it was safe to say that in those 18 years, just about anything that could happen to me in the ring has happened...until this past weekend at Dog On It's USDAA trial...
As usual it was a well-run trial with lots of great teams to watch, beautiful weather, lots of laughs with friends, and very challenging but very fun courses and as always, Burn, Triumph and Rudy gave 100% effort...what more could I ask for?
Answer:
Triumph's Snooker on Saturday was fun and going well, but I never imagined he would take a jump instead of the tunnel on the closing...and then Rudy did the same exact thing...obviously I didn't cue the tunnel for either dog in the closing - duh!!
Triumph's standard run on Saturday resulted in an elimination with an off course tunnel. Sunday started out well with Triumph and Rudy both qualifying in the gamble class - not an easy gamble!
Sunday's standard runs proved to be much more interesting and entertaining as that dang judge got in my way again with Triumph AND with Rudy and pretty much at the same place on course!!!! Triumph ended up with a refusal at that first tunnel and Rudy ended up in the wrong end of that tunnel...I wish I had Rudy's run on film, but here's Triumph's...bad boy for releasing himself from the teeter AND from the table on the judge's "go" :))
As usual it was a well-run trial with lots of great teams to watch, beautiful weather, lots of laughs with friends, and very challenging but very fun courses and as always, Burn, Triumph and Rudy gave 100% effort...what more could I ask for?
Answer:
that the judge please stay out of my way...not once, not twice
but three times :)))
but three times :)))
Friday afternoon started with jumpers...Burn was only entered in a few classes as he has been very tight and sore in his left shoulder...he ran in Friday's jumpers class and was off to a good start with a good run winning his class...Triumph had a nice run too with one knocked bar and Rudy had two knocked bars but a nice run as well.
Burn's jumpers run...
Then we had Grand Prix...Burn was one of the first dogs to run as performance dogs ran first...I loved this course...it walked nicely but turned out to be very challenging for everyone...not ONE 26" dog made it through clean and only a handful of the 22" dogs ran clean...most faults came at the 3 jumps before the aframe...Burn handled that part of the course better than any other dog I watched. However, our problem came when the judge put himself right in my handling path to the aframe causing me trouble getting where I needed to be to work Burn's contact and he missed it...dang it, we needed that Grand Prix Q!
Right after Burn's run, I couldn't help but notice that the judge changed his judging position at the aframe to the other side of it and he never got in anyone else's way...sure wish he would have figured that out before we ran!!
Rudy had a fabulous Grand Prix run but took an off course before the aframe - totally my fault as I gave him no information there - I should have handled that place just like I did with Burn, but I'm pretty sure I was wondering if the judge was going to show up in my path again! (notice where the judge is standing when we get to the aframe)
I sent Triumph off course at a completely different place so at least I didn't keep making the same handling mistake!!!! I thought he handled the 3 jumps to the aframe brilliantly...then he got caught up in the tunnel dog walk discrimination :) he did have some good pieces in this run...
Saturday started with pairs which is the only championship class I've been running Burn in as we usually pair with Lyn and Jock...Burn ran the first half which started with 2 jumps to the chute...it was a little windy that morning and the judge had asked one of the kids working the ring to stand on the end of the chute to keep it from blowing...stupid me as I assumed the kid would get off the chute before or as the dog came through it, but he didn't!!! Burn blasted through it, but couldn't get out of it because the kid was still standing on it! When he finally managed to get out, he was on his face and shoulder...long story short, I had to pull him from the rest of his runs...spent over $100 having him worked on throughout the weekend and by Sunday afternoon, he seemed better.
Triumph and Rudy ran pairs and it was a disaster...then came Steeplechase and Rudy had a very nice run but got a fault on the broad jump and came out of the poles so with the time faults, we did not make round 2. Triumph's steeplechase run was quite amusing as he decided to take the aframe instead of the tunnel on the way out, not once, but twice, so he ended up doing 4 aframes in that run :))))
Here's Rudy's steeplechase run...
Saturday's gamble class was fun with a very challenging gamble that not many dogs got - Triumph did the gamble and earned his master gamble title...still pushing that start line!!!
Burn's jumpers run...
Then we had Grand Prix...Burn was one of the first dogs to run as performance dogs ran first...I loved this course...it walked nicely but turned out to be very challenging for everyone...not ONE 26" dog made it through clean and only a handful of the 22" dogs ran clean...most faults came at the 3 jumps before the aframe...Burn handled that part of the course better than any other dog I watched. However, our problem came when the judge put himself right in my handling path to the aframe causing me trouble getting where I needed to be to work Burn's contact and he missed it...dang it, we needed that Grand Prix Q!
Right after Burn's run, I couldn't help but notice that the judge changed his judging position at the aframe to the other side of it and he never got in anyone else's way...sure wish he would have figured that out before we ran!!
Rudy had a fabulous Grand Prix run but took an off course before the aframe - totally my fault as I gave him no information there - I should have handled that place just like I did with Burn, but I'm pretty sure I was wondering if the judge was going to show up in my path again! (notice where the judge is standing when we get to the aframe)
I sent Triumph off course at a completely different place so at least I didn't keep making the same handling mistake!!!! I thought he handled the 3 jumps to the aframe brilliantly...then he got caught up in the tunnel dog walk discrimination :) he did have some good pieces in this run...
Saturday started with pairs which is the only championship class I've been running Burn in as we usually pair with Lyn and Jock...Burn ran the first half which started with 2 jumps to the chute...it was a little windy that morning and the judge had asked one of the kids working the ring to stand on the end of the chute to keep it from blowing...stupid me as I assumed the kid would get off the chute before or as the dog came through it, but he didn't!!! Burn blasted through it, but couldn't get out of it because the kid was still standing on it! When he finally managed to get out, he was on his face and shoulder...long story short, I had to pull him from the rest of his runs...spent over $100 having him worked on throughout the weekend and by Sunday afternoon, he seemed better.
Triumph and Rudy ran pairs and it was a disaster...then came Steeplechase and Rudy had a very nice run but got a fault on the broad jump and came out of the poles so with the time faults, we did not make round 2. Triumph's steeplechase run was quite amusing as he decided to take the aframe instead of the tunnel on the way out, not once, but twice, so he ended up doing 4 aframes in that run :))))
Here's Rudy's steeplechase run...
Saturday's gamble class was fun with a very challenging gamble that not many dogs got - Triumph did the gamble and earned his master gamble title...still pushing that start line!!!
Triumph's Snooker on Saturday was fun and going well, but I never imagined he would take a jump instead of the tunnel on the closing...and then Rudy did the same exact thing...obviously I didn't cue the tunnel for either dog in the closing - duh!!
Triumph's standard run on Saturday resulted in an elimination with an off course tunnel. Sunday started out well with Triumph and Rudy both qualifying in the gamble class - not an easy gamble!
Sunday's standard runs proved to be much more interesting and entertaining as that dang judge got in my way again with Triumph AND with Rudy and pretty much at the same place on course!!!! Triumph ended up with a refusal at that first tunnel and Rudy ended up in the wrong end of that tunnel...I wish I had Rudy's run on film, but here's Triumph's...bad boy for releasing himself from the teeter AND from the table on the judge's "go" :))
The last run of the weekend was jumpers...by now it was hot and we were all sun burned, tired, and I couldn't help but wonder where the judge was going to stand to judge...after all, this was jumpers and there were no contacts so no reason to get in anyone's path...right? I am happy to say that he stood by the timer and scribe and totally out of the way...yeah!
Triumph had a nice clean run earning his master jumpers title...well there you go!!!!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Pauli - Sunday Afternoon Treat
So I get home from Vero Beach last Sunday and turn on my computer. There was a Facebook message in my inbox from Renee King. Renee lives in Texas. I met her probably 12 years ago when she came to a local Dog On It trial with her little Jack Russell, Hamlet. We ran pairs together and both Pauli and Hamlet earned their first master pairs leg that day. I was a Hamlet fan from that day forward.
Anyway, Renee had been watching TV on Sunday afternoon and just happened to catch this show, recorded this little clip and shared it with us on Facebook...
The filming took place in Perry Georgia at one of Pauli's first regional events probably 10 years ago...Karen Holik and Sizzle, Shawn Steadman and Hobbit, Stuart and Qwik, Jody and Gator and me and Pauli appear in the televised clip...I had no idea they had filmed Pauli and Sunday was the first I had seen this...
P A U L I....aawwww such a very special little dog...I so miss running her!
Anyway, Renee had been watching TV on Sunday afternoon and just happened to catch this show, recorded this little clip and shared it with us on Facebook...
The filming took place in Perry Georgia at one of Pauli's first regional events probably 10 years ago...Karen Holik and Sizzle, Shawn Steadman and Hobbit, Stuart and Qwik, Jody and Gator and me and Pauli appear in the televised clip...I had no idea they had filmed Pauli and Sunday was the first I had seen this...
P A U L I....aawwww such a very special little dog...I so miss running her!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Coldness...
Last weekend we showed at the 3-day USDAA trial in Vero Beach...man was it COLD...I had to wear clothes, lots of them, a ski jacket and a wool thingy around my head to keep my ears from frost bite...LOL!!!
There were lots of "big name" agility people at this trial that are here for the winter...so many great teams to watch and compete against which made the weekend even more fun!
Burn showed for the first time in performance III 16" and he kicked butt! He won both steeplechase rounds and jumpers and would have won Grand Prix and had a great run going until he came off the side of the dog walk at the very end of the course - uuugghh :)
I also ran my friend Nancy's dog Rudy...she's having some issues with his behavior at the end of a run and we were curious to see if he'd exhibit the same behavior if I ran him...he did not and OMG is that dog fast! Here is his standard run from Saturday...I could have done a better job communicating the opening to him and the jump before the dog walk...but he ran great for me and ended up 4th in this run in a very large and very competitive 22" class...I am going to run him for her for a while...
Triumph did pretty good...pushed his start lines and contacts but what else is new, right? His jumping was okay - been better, been worse. We came home with a standard Q, a gamble Q, and a Grand Prix Q and a DAM team Q!!! Yippie!
He was on a team with half brother Dapper and half sister, Legend...Merles Gone Wild aka Who's Your Daddy - we ended up in 5th place even with our off course in standard - I HATE screwing up in a team event - uuugghhh!!!
Here's our relay run...check out the start lines of these guys...it's pretty obvious they are related...very closely related :)
Team Jumpers...one bar
Team Snooker - 3rd place...
Master gamble - Q and 3rd place...
Master standard - 3rd place...
And Grand Prix - I only got part of the run on film - 2nd place...
Burn - performance speed jumping round 1 - 1st place...
Grand Prix...
And Performance III jumpers - 1st place...
There were lots of "big name" agility people at this trial that are here for the winter...so many great teams to watch and compete against which made the weekend even more fun!
Burn showed for the first time in performance III 16" and he kicked butt! He won both steeplechase rounds and jumpers and would have won Grand Prix and had a great run going until he came off the side of the dog walk at the very end of the course - uuugghh :)
I also ran my friend Nancy's dog Rudy...she's having some issues with his behavior at the end of a run and we were curious to see if he'd exhibit the same behavior if I ran him...he did not and OMG is that dog fast! Here is his standard run from Saturday...I could have done a better job communicating the opening to him and the jump before the dog walk...but he ran great for me and ended up 4th in this run in a very large and very competitive 22" class...I am going to run him for her for a while...
Triumph did pretty good...pushed his start lines and contacts but what else is new, right? His jumping was okay - been better, been worse. We came home with a standard Q, a gamble Q, and a Grand Prix Q and a DAM team Q!!! Yippie!
He was on a team with half brother Dapper and half sister, Legend...Merles Gone Wild aka Who's Your Daddy - we ended up in 5th place even with our off course in standard - I HATE screwing up in a team event - uuugghhh!!!
Here's our relay run...check out the start lines of these guys...it's pretty obvious they are related...very closely related :)
Team Jumpers...one bar
Team Snooker - 3rd place...
Master gamble - Q and 3rd place...
Master standard - 3rd place...
And Grand Prix - I only got part of the run on film - 2nd place...
***********
Grand Prix...
And Performance III jumpers - 1st place...
Thursday, January 12, 2012
sweetness!!!!
Allison, my dear friend who lives in California, my friend who lost her beloved Quinn to IMHA last month, got a new baby boy yesterday...he is a half brother to Triumph by Brick...his sire is The Flash...is he just adorable??!!!
I am so happy for Allison...
I am so happy for Allison...
On Target Without Question
I wish them a life of good health, happiness, fun and all the
very best in their new journey together!!
Monday, January 9, 2012
some training
We had some glorious weather this weekend...and we got to do a little training with friends...tough courses but fun stuff...blue skies, sunshine, nice temps...perfect!
Triumph, he must hold a toy...it's in his genes...all of his brothers and sisters do the same thing...
And he must be dirty...
Here's a little clip of one of the courses we played on...so the blind cross after the poles the second time through made it perfectly clear to him where he was supposed to go...imagine that :)
Triumph, he must hold a toy...it's in his genes...all of his brothers and sisters do the same thing...
And he must be dirty...
Here's a little clip of one of the courses we played on...so the blind cross after the poles the second time through made it perfectly clear to him where he was supposed to go...imagine that :)
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