If you post the good, you also have to post the bad (HDTC Trial Saturday)

Not a good day today....

More about it some time maybe.

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