POTC AKC Trial Sunday

Happy New Year everybody! Grandma, mom and I went to one day of a trial today - my first trial since September when my back hurt and I was refusing jumps all over the place. In December we went to practice doubles and triples at my club every Wednesday and I've been doing very well there. So our goal was to do the jumps and have fun.

First up was the standard course. It was pretty twisty-turny and had turns after each spread jump. I don't know if you can see on the video but the triple jump (#6) had wings and they put the wings in line with the middle jump of the triple and not with the highest bar. A lot of dogs misjudged it and crashed. I fell into that trap too and knocked the top bar (although it is also hard to see in the video). But mom was glad that I recovered from that - I was not fast and I was very careful over all the rest of the jumps, but I did not refuse them. I even did the double at #14. I did the chute with just the tiniest bit of hesitation - really one of my best chutes in a trial. And of course my finish was fast - :)

After that was JWW. The course was fairly simple so don't you know, mom had to go and mess it up! I started out slow but steady. Then mom got to #7 and forgot what she was doing and took me over the off course (#13). I'm sorry but that was just plain stupid!! She got back on track and I skipped jump #13. I think it was because mom yelled so enthusiastically about me clearing the double at #12 that she threw me off! (Too bad my jumping of #13 earlier didn't count). I did the spread jumps and I flew through the tunnel at the end!

(Sorry but the first 3 jumps of the STD run are not in the video - the video starts at #4 teeter - thank you grandma for videoing though - we really appreciate it!)

So no Qs today but some positive things happened I guess. In two weeks we are going to try our first-ever USDAA trial. It is being held at a training building not far from here. I am going to run in Performance Starters. At the performance level I can jump 12" and there are no spread jumps! (If I jumped at the championship level I would have to jump 16" and mom doesn't want me to). We'll see if we like it. I am going to do Gamblers on the first day and we don't really know how to do it - I think it is like FAST, right?

Well, the holidays are over and mom and dad go back to work this week. I like having them at home with me but I am thinking that I won't have a problem taking some good long naps!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

HDTC Trial Friday

We had a good day today at the trial! Aunt Laura came to hang out with us and to video our runs! I love grandma but I also love having my aunt with us!

My standard run was good - I did the chute - and I beat the standard course time but I refused a double jump so we didn't Q. Mom thought I ran really well though.

My JWW run went great - I ran pretty fast throughout and mom made a nice save to keep me out of the wrong end of a tunnel and I got a Q! So if it weren't for that dumb double in STD, I would've had my first ever QQ. At least I know I can do it time-wise!

After the trial we went to Cousin Wilson's and we're here now spending the night so we can go to the trial tomorrow!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

BTCA Trial - Sunday

I ran JWW first again today. Mom stretched me before my run and she could tell that my right hind leg was tight because I wouldn't let her move it as much as my other hind leg. But I was moving ok and standing on my back legs and doing tricks so she wasn't too worried. I did a really good job in jumpers and ran clean but I was over time by 4 seconds so no Q.

As soon as we finished JWW, mom had to walk the standard course. She was really happy to see that like yesterday, the chute was towards the end when I am building up momentum because I can see the finish line and smell the chicken! Everything went well until mom forgot to front cross after #17 to block the weaves from my sight - I saw them and went to do them again - but mom was able to redirect me before the judge had a chance to start his dance! I went right into the chute - the fastest chute I have ever done in a trial I think! And then we were done! Guess what? I qualified and I got my AX!!!!!!!!! (This weekend was the first time I have Qed in STD since April!)

Here is today's video courtesy of my personal videographer grandma!

Now I am a total ExcB dog which is awesome but also means that I have to get faster or I will never Q again!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

BTCA Trial - Saturday

JWW was first up for me at the trial today! Mom walked the course more than usual to try to really have a plan and stick to it. We had a weird start because the leash runner disappeared and mom and I walked the leash over to the team that went before us. Then we got into position and off we went. Things were going well until #12 - the triple. I kind of tripped or stutter stepped before it but jumped it. Then as we approached #18 - a double - I don't know - I felt something stiff in my back leg and I refused to do the big jump and then missed #19 too and then just took the off-course for the finish.

When we left the course, people were asking if I was ok or was I hurt or something. You know mom - she was a little panicked. She had seen me trip before #12 but thought she had done something at the end to not indicate the jumps properly. We had Jenn's mom Susan look at me and she thought my right thigh muscle was tight. She showed mom how to do some stretches on me and said that in her opinion, I had a sore muscle but not a serious injury and could go on to do the next run. She said I would tell mom if I was hurt. And as a matter of fact, she said two of her Shelties had the exact same thing!

So mom decided to let me try the standard run. Silly mom forgot that the second obstacle was the DW but recovered in time to direct me to it. She thought she saw me willing myself over jumps (not just taking them easily) but I kept going and had no trouble with running up the aframe. It's impossible to see in the video but I did the chute - I very cautiously entered the barrel but came out pretty fast.

At the end of our run, one of our friends said the judge did not call a refusal! Seriously? Wow! We checked my time and guess what? I qualified!!! Thank goodness for the little bit of extra time you get in Exc. A! We passed the judge in the hallway later and mom thanked him for not calling a refusal on the chute and he said that I never stopped moving! WooHoo! He was a nice man!

Here is the video (thanks to my grandma again)!

Since we've been home, mom has done some stretching with me and I have run up and down the stairs a million times following mom everywhere. So maybe it was just a flukey thing? We'll see. Hopefully I will wake up tomorrow morning all fresh and raring to go!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

COSSA AKC Trial Saturday

The trial today went well - we spent 4 hours there (noon to 4:00PM) and got both our runs in. The venue is awesome and the air conditioning worked extremely well (it was actually a little chilly if you weren't running). Plus this place is 5 minutes from our house so there just isn't a single thing to complain about! :)

I ran my standard course first. Mom did a little lead out and it didn't seem to affect things one way or the other. My DW was pretty slow. The chute was the 4th obstacle and I DID IT (but not until after the judge did her YMCA dance)! After that the run was really good until mom forgot what she was doing going from #14 to #15 and she pushed me towards the weaves. Then I back jumped #16 instead of wrapping. We got back on track and finished fast!

Next was the jumpers run. Mom walked a good handling plan and then also a crazy outside path plan. Also she decided to try to get me to play a little at the start line (nope- didn't work - you'll see in the video) and I started out waaaaayyyy too slow! So mom abandoned her plan at #3 and that sped me up. I got the tunnel entrance at #8 - tons of dogs missed that if their handlers were behind - it was really tough) and then I ran pretty fast to the end even though mom tried to mess me up at #17 and 18. Even though I ran clean, I still got an NQ because I was over time.

Did we meet our goals? I was pretty happy (after the slow starts) and we were pretty connected (most of the time) and I did do the chute!

We'll see what tomorrow brings! I also don't want to forget - a big thank you to grandma for going with us and for taping my runs!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

GRCC AKC Agility Trial - Sunday

We did go back to the trial today with wet towels for our necks, more cold bottles of water, and a really cool fan that misted too that dad bought us! Mom was not as hot today with the wet towel around her neck the entire time she was there(except for when we actually ran).

The JWW course was very twisty turny at the beginning and ended with a big circle all the way around the ring. Mom was afraid she wouldn't remember the course if she tried for some unconventional path. So she didn't motivate me enough and I skipped a couple jumps. So NQ even though I was really running at the end!


Mom had a complete outside line plan for our standard run and she was so sure of her plan that she forgot the course and left out the yellow tunnel and two jumps - #3, 4, 5! She saw the judges arms going up while I was on the teeter and asked what happened and the judge said, "You left out 3 obstacles!" The judge had to laugh and mom laughed too but come on, mom!! I was doing my job! We got to the chute and the judge whipped her arm up into the air (she gave me no time at all) and after I got the refusal, I went through! So two chute refusals this weekend but also two completed chutes! WooHoo for me! Then just to make the run complete, I skipped another jump near the end. Mom says if I had gone through the chute with no problem and if her messing up had ruined our Q, she would've killed herself - LOL! So 8 tries at Exc A STD courses and only 1 Q!

So that was our super hot trial weekend! Next trial is a Novice/Open only trial held at our club in air conditioning in July and we're going to try Novice FAST for the first time!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

GRCC AKC Agility Trial Saturday

Today's trial was held in an indoor soccer facility that does not have air conditioning! It does not have ceiling fans! It has almost no doors to open! Can I tell you how unbelievably hot it was? Outside it was 90 but with the breeze it felt like paradise. Inside was 90 with no breeze!

And yet grandma and I were real troopers (mom, not so much)!

Exc. JWW was first for me (we got to the trial around 11:00 and I ran this course around 1:00). Mom watched a lot of people run it and when she walked it, she walked a sane path and an insane path (LOL). But she ended up running a sane path with me and I was fast for me and we Q'ed!


Then we waited about 2 1/2 hours more. We went outside for awhile and we even sat in the car with the air conditioning running. Mom kept wetting me down with water (I felt humiliated by that and only slightly cooler for a couple minutes).

The Exc. STD course seemed fairly straight forward to mom - she was relieved to see it started with a jump and the chute was not until later in the course. I started out ok but was a little pokey so mom ran the outside line at #5. Then I saw the chute coming (tricky discrimination between the tunnel and the chute for some dogs) and I almost went in and then after I formally got the refusal from the judge (LOL) I did the chute really fast! Hurray for me!! Mom was super happy too because I haven't done the chute in a trial in a very long time. Rest of the course was good! So NQ but for us, a good job!

And here's the video:

We're just not sure if we can or should go back tomorrow. It's not going to be any cooler. Mom was very proud of how well I did today even with it being so darn hot. But she says she felt sick most of the day and that's no fun. After we get a good night's rest we'll decide what to do. It's tough to decide - be happy things went so well today and let it go at that or go back and try again to build on how well it went today. Decisions, decisions. If only the building were air conditioned! LOL!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

This Weekend's Trial

On Friday we headed down to a trial near my cousin Wilson's house (it ended up being only 10 minutes from his house - very cool!). Aunt Laura came and kept us company and also video-ed all my runs for me - thanks Aunt Laura!! Meredith (Laura's daughter so she's my human cousin) came to see me run on Saturday. She gave me good massages while we waited for my turn!

There's really not that much to say about the trial days - it was a good venue and a smallish trial and we were done by 2:00 on Friday and 1:00 on Saturday. I felt pretty relaxed there and did tricks and tugged on my leash a little bit. I was slow in my STD run on Friday and didn't feel like going in the chute and then mom messed up my Q in JWW that day. On Saturday, the STD course started with the chute and I sure didn't feel like going in there then so I skipped it and the rest of my run was pretty good. Mom held it together in the JWW and ran fast around the outside to motivate me and we Q'ed (finally a Q) but just barely made time. Here are the course maps and the videos from each day:

While we were gone, my new 2X2 weave poles came! They seem really nice - heavy bases and well made. Mom set them up and I tried them a couple times. We put them in the grass and didn't stake them and they didn't move one bit. We're really excited to practice with them and to see if I can speed up my weaves away from home now!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Ouch that double hurts!

We went back for another day of the trial today - just me and mom because grandma couldn't go. It has been a long time since we have been to a trial without grandma! I missed her!

Any way, first up, Exc A STD. We weren't particularly worried about any of the course. But I knocked a bar on the double jump (#4) and it really hurt! I was surprised and it threw me and I refused to do some jumps and then refused the chute and then definitely I was not doing the triple or the panel jump (#14 and #16). So big NQ there! Mom was all worried wondering if I were hurt or not and wondering if we should stay and do the JWW run.

But I was physically fine. So next up was Exc.B JWW. Mom barely walked the course and was just concerned with getting me back out there and back up on the horse and in the saddle again as they say. The #3 obstacle was a big old double so mom was concerned if I would do it. We went out there and I jumped every jump (but not with gusto) and mom remembered all of the course despite her lack of preparation, but I didn't feel like jumping #14, so I just walked on by it. Hmmm....can't tell you why. But that blew the Q! Mom says she doesn't even care because she was just happy that I did as well as I did.

.

So that was our second day. Not much to write home about. We were finished by 1:15 but stayed to watch some friends run in the 8" class. When we got in the car to leave, it started raining really hard and then hailing! The hail was super loud hitting the roof of the car and mom had to pull over and stop driving until the hail let up. Fortunately it didn't last long and the rest of the trip was uneventful.

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

POTC Trial Friday

Nice and quiet trial today - not many people since it was a Friday. The trial started at 10:00 and we were all done at 2:30. Pretty good, if you ask me. My first run was Exc. A STD. This was my third try to get a Q (remember in my first two tries, I wouldn't do that chute/shoot!). There were a few tricky spots in this course - the weave entry (because of that dummy jump), the table and the chute were really close together (doesn't bother me since I am definitely not a chute-sucker!), and the wrap of #16 to get back to #17. But mom watched lots of runs and felt confident we could handle it. And we did! I did not start off fast (no surprise, right?) but I did the chute (slowly) and then finished the course well! We got a Q and first place and were the only 12" Exc. A team to qualify ( out of @ 6?)! But I barely made it - the STC was 70 and my time was 72.81 but we found out you can have time faults in Exc. A! So my score was 94. Whew!

Next up was Exc. B JWW. We watched a lot of runs of this course too and mom felt pretty good about it. One thing though, the start line was right next to the ring gate and the door to leave the room to go to the other ring. We didn't like that much. This is the first course where we had to do two pinwheels and a serpentine too. Interesting. One tricky part was back in the left-hand corner with #14 (and a dummy jump straight ahead) and #15 to the tunnel. When it was our turn we started out slowish and mom front crossed after #3 and then turned her head away from me to look where she was going and she forgot about me and I skipped #4 and just followed after her. Then we skipped #5. I jumped 6 and didn't feel like doing #7 so I didn't! Mom was like in shock or something, so she didn't reconnect with me until around the weaves. Once we did connect again, things went well and we finished the difficult parts without problems. It's all there in the video - not a pretty sight!

So a good day, all in all. Mom says she learned a lot from the JWW run and she'll try not to make those mistakes again! Grandma went with us today and we had a good time visiting with her! She also did the video-ing - thanks Grandma! We go back to the same place on Sunday and we'll try again and see how it all goes!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

GRCC Agility Trial - Sunday

We headed off to the trial today at 11:00 and got there a little past 11:30 and the 16" dogs were walking the standard course. So we arrived at the exact time mom wanted to. It was a little warmer and a little less rainy today and while it was still super muddy every where, at least mom had less to complain about! LOL!

Mom memorized the course as she watched others run it and everything looked ok for us except the chute was the third obstacle (we think I do better with it when it is later in the run). Mom made a plan for where to throw my slip lead too (since it was another tunnel start). When it was our turn, we took off and got to the chute and I refused to do it again! Mom is now calling it the "SHOOT!" Notice how well I did after she let me go on - fast teeter, fast aframe, and then check out my weaves - I did my fastest-ever-at-a-trial weaves - especially the last few poles because by then I could see the finish line and smell the chicken!! We NQ'ed again (my fault, I know and I take full responsibility) but even with my fooling around at the chute/shoot, I was only 2 seconds over standard course time.

When we finished the STD course, they were still running 20" dogs in the JWW. We waited about an hour and a half and that was ok for mom because she got to learn the course again by watching. People were saying that no one was qualifying and the course was too hard, etc. It did look confusing with that serpentine the first time through, then take only the middle jump there and then go through there a third time and take the outside jumps only. Mom tried really hard to look for the patterns and also the color of the jumps to help guide her. Any way, when it was my turn, I started out slowly (can you see a pattern here?) and poked my way through the weaves and the first jump of the serpentine and then I took off! It is really hard to tell from the video, but I was running my heart out. We did it!!! We Q'ed - our first Exc. B JWW Q - on our very last run of the weekend! We barely made it - my course time was 47.18 and standard course time was 47. Thank goodness they round down! Out of around 20 12" dogs, only 10 qualified.

Well, we're really happy with my speed and confidence this weekend and even though we only came away with one Q, we think we got a lot out of our 4 runs. But what are we going to do about my chute/shoot performance? Jenn thinks I don't like the darkness and the fact that I can't see the way out - but mom isn't sure that's what the problem is. She got out my own chute/shoot and set it up in our living room this morning and I went right through it many times, no problem. There's always something, right?

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

GRCC Agility Trial - Saturday

We went to a trial only 35 minutes from home today. Grandma, mom and I got there at 11:00 (the trial started at 9:00) and waited almost 4 hours for our first run - our first try at Exc. A STD. It was cold, cold, cold in that barn and dirty! And outside was rainy and cold and muddy and swampy and muddy and rainy and cold! Have I mentioned cold? Mom complained all day but grandma and I were real troopers and didn't complain at all. Any way, mom had time to watch tons of people and dogs on this STD course, so she had it memorized before she even walked it. I started out a little pokey and then when I got to the chute, I just blatantly refused to do it. I crept into the barrel and then came back out. So mom gave up and kept running and then I did really well! My dogwalk was fast and I was fast on the last few jumps too. But NQ - my fault this time - I can't blame mom because she did her part!

Then we had about an hour until our Exc. B JWW run. Mom was worried about this because of how badly she screwed up last week's JWW course by not remembering to tell me to do all the jumps. This course started out tunnel to a red wing jump (you can't see all this in the video - the video starts at jump #3). Any way, we went out to get ready and mom threw my slip lead on the ground not too far from the tunnel (she should've thrown it much farther out of the way) and I got all worried and wondered what my leash was doing on the ground over there? I went in the tunnel and worried more and then came out and got a refusal on the jump (#2) because I stopped to make sure things were ok with my leash! After that we got going and mom had to do some unconventional handling to motivate me to MOVE but I was really fast towards the end again - as a matter of fact, I was ahead of mom! But sadly, NQ again and mostly my fault again, although mom blames herself for the position of that silly slip lead! I am proud of mom for remembering the course this time! Maybe tomorrow we can both get our acts together at the same time?

We are not going there until noon tomorrow - the trial starts one hour earlier - but we are going to take a chance and go much later. Hopefully it won't be as cold and we won't have to wait as long!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

Puli Club AKC Trial

We went to our first trial since the beginning of January yesterday - only one day since mom had to work on Saturday. Mom is terrible at guesstimating when we will run our first run so we got there way too early. So mom worked the Novice JWW class and I hung out with grandma. Then we got ready for our first try at Exc. B JWW. The course was not difficult and mom had a plan. It did start out slowly for us because tunnel to weaves is not super motivating for me. But I got faster after that. The only problem - MOM! She messed me up. See the course map below - well, mom forgot to do jumps #12 and 13 - she took me straight from #11 to #14 and then to make matters worse, she didn't support #15 so I followed her right past it. It's a shame about my handler because I was doing a GREAT job!! Check out how much speed I had in the jumps at the end of the run! Mom was disappointed in herself but I forgave her right away - it was all good to me!

Our wait for the standard run was not all that long. We needed a Q in this run to get our Open STD title. The first part went well - it was a good start for me, but even with the jump and then the tire, my dogwalk was pretty slow. Then as we went toward the aframe, mom was way over on the side and telling me to go to the aframe, but I was excited and saw that tunnel and ran all the way over there on my own and started into it. Mom called me and I came back and went up the aframe. I was a little leery of that judge doing all that walking around, so my sit on the table was slow. But check out my teeny little hesitation at the chute (probably my fastest chute in a trial) and then a fast teeter! After that, we were home free! We did it! I Q'ed and got second place (fortunately you can have one off-course in Open and still Q - whew!) and so I got my OA!

I had a good time at the trial. I got lots of chicken, I got to hang out with mom and grandma, I got to see lots of people and dogs, and I did some good agility!

Next weekend (or actually now it's already "this weekend") we are doing Saturday and Sunday of a trial in a horse barn - the site of the 2007 AKC Nationals in Sunbury. (At least I think it was the site of the 2007 Nationals). We've never been there before but we're assuming that it is a nice facility. I'll get another chance at Exc. B jumpers - well, mom will get a chance to redeem herself) and I'll get to run my first-ever Exc. STD course! About 3/4 of the snow in my backyard is gone, so mom is promising to set up my dogwalk today and maybe we'll finally start practicing again. Although we're supposed to get rain Wed. through Sun. We're just exchanging snow for mud!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

AKC Puli Club Trial Sunday

Second day of the trial today! Mom, grandma, and I got there at noon and that was of course way too early. But we sat and watched a lot of the Exc JWW and got to see some really outstanding handlers and their dogs. Mom had the course memorized before she walked it. We almost had a conflict again - mom got us moved up in the JWW so she wouldn't miss the walk-thru for Open STD. Our JWW run went great! Mom actually ran it like she walked it (she thinks) and it worked well and kept me moving. We Q'ed and got 2nd place and our AXJ title!

After that exciting run we went over to wait for our Open STD run. This course started out similarly to yesterday's - a few jumps and then the chute. Today mom made sure she didn't run past the chute and coaxed me in - I went in and didn't get called for a refusal. Then we were going along just fine and I decided it would be cool to do the chute again!!!! Mom veered to the right and I went left and I completely shocked her and she yelled, "Ricky!!" and saved me from the chute but I was not thinking about jumping and knocked the top bar of the triple. Oh well. Mom says although we didn't Q (or get that last leg in Open but who's really counting - ha), she is super proud to think that I wanted to repeat the chute of all things! I am gaining more confidence every time I run now and it's not a bad thing to stay in Open a little longer. Once we get to EXC STD we can't make any mistakes and we have to run faster to make time. So waiting is a good thing! (PS. We just found out that the standard course time was 71 and my time was 66.83 - so I was well under course time! Yay! That's major progress!)

As if all the agility this weekend wasn't exciting enough, tomorrow morning we start a new handling class taught by Jenn Crank! We are super excited to be taking her class and we will tell you all about it. For now I have to rest up - a dog's work is never done!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

AKC Puli Club Trial Saturday

We went to the trial today that is being held 5 minutes from our house! That part was awesome! We got there at 1:00 (trial started today at 9:00) and didn't run our first run until 4:30! Mom was super panicked because both our events were happening at the same time. She walked the JWW course and then had to go over and walk the STD course and warn the gate stewards that we might have a conflict. We were ok and ran our EXC A JWW run first. It went really well - I was happy to finally be doing something! We Q'ed and got 2nd place!!

Then it was straight over to the other ring for Open STD. We waited a little bit - fortunate for mom who was gasping for air from running the first time! Our Open run went well too - except for the refusal at the chute - but I did it! And we actually made time! Q and 3rd place! WooHoo!!!





The field turf surface is very good - it does get all over your feet and shoes and sheltie fur like newly-mown grass. We weren't expecting that part. The facility was really nice except did you notice in the video the basketball playing going on behind the see-through mesh curtains?

We didn't go through trying to convert the video to avi today so that it would work in the WMM. So sorry about the no-frills, black background, horrible Flip software editing! And the movie took forever to upload to YouTube because I guess the mp4 makes much bigger files. Maybe the actual video quality is better?

Well tomorrow the trial starts at 8:00 so we should be done a little earlier! This will be our first time doing two days of a trial with two runs both days. But I feel really good and I had fun today and I think tomorrow is going to be fun too!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

PS. Grandma came with us again today - I really like having her there! Thanks grandma!

BCCA Trial

Mom, grandma and I went to a trial today! For the first time, I ran my standard run before my jumpers run. The course was not difficult and I handled it quite well until mom loomed over me and told me to down on the table and I wouldn't do it! We lost a lot of time there so we N.Q.ed! Score: 84, Time: 72.22 SCT: 64 (so I was 8 seconds over and lost 16 points that way - if I had only been 7 seconds over, I would have Q'ed) and YDS: 139. A lot of the run looked pretty good though. Here's the course map:


I waited around two hours for my second run - my first time in Exc. A JWW! Mom was totally stressing out about memorizing the course because it looked confusing to her. But she was able to watch lots of team run it (the trial ran big to little dogs) and then she walked it a few times more than she usually does. I thought it was a fun course - I will admit that I did stop to sniff once but it was far enough away from the jump to not get a refusal - and mom once again abandoned her plan and ran outside jumps and stuff to motivate me. It worked - we Q'ed and got 1st place! Score:100, Time: 46.62, SCT: 46 (good thing mom ran weird to speed me up and too bad I took the time to sniff - we barely made time - guess they round down because we were technically over), YDS: 149. Here is the course map:

And here is the video of both of our runs:

I would write more, but I am so tired! I may be a bit of a wimp, but I'm glad we are not signed up to run tomorrow too!

Gotta zoom,

Ricky

WooHoo!!

We had a great day yesterday! Grandma got here about 7:30 and we left. It only took a little over an hour to get to the trial site - not a bad drive at all. Of course, grandma and mom talked the whole way and kept me awake! This trial was held at a fieldhouse/fitness center. The standard ring was in one room and the jumpers ring was in another (so it made for a quieter atmosphere). I ran my Open JWW run first at 10:00AM. We didn't get a video of it (sorry) but the course map is below. Mom liked the course because she could do a lot of front crosses and keep me motivated. As a matter of fact, she was a front-crossing fool! She did a FC between #2 and #3, #5 and #6, #7 and #8, and #12 and #13! (Click to bigify so you can see what we're talking about!) But it worked! I ran fast and happy! Mom was completely winded when we finished - she's a wimp! Standard course time (SCT) was 44 and my time was 37.22. I ended up Q'ing and getting first place and getting my Open title!! Hurray on to EX A JWW!

Ok, then the big wait! Mom had high hopes that this would be a short trialing day but we waited 4 1/2 hours for our STD run! Grandma was good company though and we also talked to some of our agility friends. And it was cool in the building (cold mom says) which helped me out a lot. I had a little nap in the car but spent most of my time just hanging with mom and grandma. Finally it was my turn to run again! We got video this time but we're also including the course map. Having a couple jumps at the beginning and then a tunnel was good for me to get going. Mom made sure she slowed down and got me on the aframe (no sniffing!) and then I strutted very proudly over the dogwalk (I love the dogwalk now!) and also sat proudly on the table (also no sniffing!). Then mom got very animated and sent me into the chute (I did my fastest-ever-at-a-trial chute!) and then fast-for-me weaves and then mom was worried about the tunnel/DW discrimination so she slowed down to make sure I went into the tunnel and then we were home free!

So I got my first Open STD Q and placed 2nd! SCT was 77 and my time was 64:43 - well under SCT! Yay!! I had a really fun time doing agility with mom yesterday. Seems like our hard work is starting to pay off!

Here I am in the obligatory pose with the ribbons and toys. Mom loved the green title ribbon and I loved the toys!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

CATC AKC Agility Trial

We ran two runs today in the Columbus All Breed Training Club Agility Trial held nearby at a Sports Barn (usually the building is used for soccer so the surface is artificial grass carpet). It was our first time competing somewhere other than the horse barn. So new place, new surface. Mom decided that she wanted me to get used to spending some time in my crate at trials, so my friend/trainer Deb let us set up with her. That part was nice, but I was not too comfortable in my crate! (I like my crate at home but this building was hot and noisy - too many people and dogs!). Mom didn't make me stay in there very long - it was cooler outside than in and I also spent some time sleeping in the car.

Any way, we ran our Open JWW run around 11:00AM. It went pretty well - mom quickly gave up on the plan she had for running the course and started running on the outside of the jumps - it worked - I sped up and fortunately finished the course just under the standard course time (STC:42/My time: 41.88)! Here is the Open JWW course map:

Then we waited nearly 5 hours for our Open STD run! We hung out in the car, we walked, we hung out with Deb......it was very boring! When it finally got to be my turn, I was less than excited (even with the prospect of meatballs)! I sniffed the ground before I got on the aframe and the judge called a refusal. One refusal is ok in Open. Then the chute - I surprised mom when I came out faster than I usually do. Then when I was supposed to be going into a tunnel (mom clearly told me "tunnel"!), I thought I saw something near the table and headed that way. Mom yelled, 'HEY!" and I turned away and took the tunnel. But the table was next and I stopped to sniff and darn if the judge didn't call another refusal (so now NQ!). I wasn't refusing to do these obstacles, I was merely sniffing, but apparently the judge didn't know that! The rest of the course went well - good weaves and faster than usual dogwalk. We finished a little over course time (not sure of the timings but I think it was 10 points off so we could've Q'ed if it weren't for the second refusal!). Here is the Open STD course map:

And last but not least, here is the video of both runs:

It was a pretty good day! I have two legs toward my Open Jumpers title (just need one more) and I made some progress in the Open STD run - at least we didn't get whistled off for running out of time like we did the last time we tried an Open STD course. Maybe we'll actually Q next time! Tomorrow I get to stay at home and mom is going to volunteer at the trial. I am looking forward to my day off after working so hard today!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

COSSA AKC Trial Sunday

Well today we had another try at Open JWW on the sand! This morning they rolled the sand and wet it down so the footing was a little better. But by 11:00AM it had dried out enough that they stopped everything and wet the sand again. We ran right after that. I didn't have any trouble keeping the bars up, but for some reason, I didn't want to weave. The weaves were the second obstacle (that kind of surprised me) and mom told me to weave and gave me a little more room than yesterday, and I just walked out of them. She tried to get me to do them two more times and I refused. So she ran on to the next obstacle and after that, we did great! Sorry that most of the course is so far away in the video. I really ran my heart out! We even had to do a wrap at #11 (our first wrap in a trial!) and then mom did a rear cross at #13! So you can tell I was moving!

Here is the course map (we checked already and are pretty sure you can bigify it):

And here is the video:

Mom really likes to get those Qs and we were a bit spoiled by our Q-rate in novice. But considering the new sandy surface this weekend, we're proud of how it all went! Yesterday was perfect (except for the footing making me drop that bar) and today was perfect (with the BIG exception of the weaves!). But I think we have made some progress as a team and we're looking forward to more classes, more training, and our next trial experience!

BTW, after we came home and had lunch, mom told me that I owe her some weaves - so we went out in the yard and I did them with no problem! I know, I'm silly!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky

COSSA AKC Trial Saturday

We just got back from our Open JWW run at the Central Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Association Trial! This is the weekend that mom decided to enter us in the JWW only on both Saturday and Sunday and what a good decision that was! We left around noon and the temperature was in the upper 80s already! I was very happy to get out of that building!

So our run went well. However since we trialed there last (at the horse arena), they changed the dirt/mulch stuff and put in a sand mixture. Today was the first time we all got to try it. And it was so different! Very sandy and deep - it was just like trying to run in the sand at the beach (and not that nice hard wet sand at the water's edge either!). So it was very hard to get your footing as your foot/paw slid out from under you. Our run went very well (sorry about the little hiccup in the video when I went into the tunnel - videographer error!). Mom voted for "drop and run" at the start line and it seemed to work ok. She babysat me in the weaves - not sure why cause I'm a good weaver! - then shortly after the tunnel, I knocked my first bar ever! That darn sand felt weird and I pushed off to jump like usual and didn't quite make it. But I think mom and I did really well at navigating around that twisty course! It was a much harder course than our last open JWW course - our most difficult course at a trial yet! And we did it!!!

Here is the course map so you can see all the twists and turns!

And here is the video:

So now I am going to take a well-deserved rest and we'll see what happens tomorrow!

Gotta zoom!

Ricky