12.19.2007

Tweener weeks, Fun Night

happy hump day b4 Christmas!

We didn't go to fun night doing relays last week, 'cause she came up with a limp again... other foreleg this time. :( We did do a ring rent that Thursday and she started out fine, but started limping toward the end of the hour. I think I just didn't wait long enough. By the time of our next Fun Night, she was fit as a fiddle and ready to run.

This was our last 'fun run' for the year... next Tuesday will be Christmas and the following new year's! a few of us still have some plans to rent the ring for some extra work in the meantime...

We did a 'tunnelers' run and a 'touch and go' run last night... with a Christmas twist.

Tunnelers is just like it sounds... no jumps or contacts or weaves... just tunnels and the table.

it starts with a right 90d tunnel to 2 tunnels side by side and we have to take the right one which bends another 90d right, to a left 80d tunnel to another left 90d tunnel back to the right side of that double tunnel - this time the right side going the other way and out to the table. put the dog into a down-stay, walk to a people table loaded with Christmas presents. Pick one and unwrap it - some were wrapped with duct tape and other nasty stuff to make us slow down - I got one of those and it was a skinless tennis ball - icky! If your dog moves, you have to leave your present, reset your dog and return to unwrapping your present. Then, once unwrapped, you have to carry the present with you as you finish the course...
from the table thru 3 more tunnels!

First, I have to say that I did not bring a difficult to unwrap present. I put several squeakies and a large biscuit in a bag... just carrying them is what presented the difficulty! too much fun. :)

I was a bit concerned because she has been having some dis-interest problems with tunnels lately... she did opt for the left tunnel two or three times and we finally got the right one... she all but fell asleep in her down-stay... no inclination to move there at all... what a good girl... then she ran by a couple of tunnels looking for something else... but she came back and got them just fine.

after we all got our presents, we did a 'touch and go' course... this added contacts to the tunnels... it was the tunnel to the dog walk to a tunnel to the a-frame, to the right side (far side) of the tunnel to the teeter, a hard right (40d) to a tunnel to a left 90d turn to the dogwalk (easy to cut corner and slide off), to a right 90d to the table to 3 more tunnels.

this time, after we completed our course, we got to 'steal' someone else's gift.

She nailed each and every one of her contacts and waited while I led out... she hit the teeter so hard I thought she was going to slide off... She had her claws dug in so deep, that she was losing traction... but she stuck it and gained a big jackpot for that!

like before, we drew names for order of go... we were lucky enough to get picked last so i got to trade our tennis ball for some Bil-Jacs and huge biscuits.

We got some amazing feedback from the advanced handlers again... She just makes it so fun!

We all wish you all the Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years!

Love, Trish, Dan & Waste'

12.05.2007

NCA week 8

This was our last class of the 8 week session again. Time flies when you are having agility fun! As is our habit, the 4th and 8th weeks we meet as a combined class and run courses. This time we did standard and jumpers.

The standard course started over a vertical (1) coming home and a right 180d to the teeter (2). Off the teeter there were two verticals (3&4) at precarious angles, left and right, the 2nd dropped us on the left side of the weaves (5) - a hairy angle! Then to another vertical (6), the right side of the gray tunnel (7), up the dogwalk (8) and onto the table (9). From the table we went back toward the dogwalk, but went into the yellow tunnel (10), out to a vertical (11), hard 90d left to the 6 jump (12), hard 90d right to another vertical (13), up the a-frame (14), another vertical (15) and the chute (16).

Not one of the novice dogs got the 10- 13 combination. There was nothing novice about it... it was evil and we told the course designer so... (he is part of the advanced group). He took it with dignity and a sense of self-satisfaction. He knows we love the challenge! After we ran the course the first time, we walked it with him and discussed the ways we could have handled it better.

The 2-4 combination presented a challenge to most of us, but since I'm really working on her contacts and stays, I left her on the teeter and took a good lead out over the next 2 that got us to the weaves in good shape. I did a rear cross behind the entrance to the weaves which (I thought) put me in good position for the tunnel to dog walk. Matt was surprised it worked for me, 'cause he thought it would send her to the left tunnel, but it didn't. It worked great! I was the only one of both groups who did that.

Then there was the table to tunnel. I took a lead out and stood in front of the dog walk to force her into the tunnel... that put me so far behind her at the out of the tunnel that i had her spinning left and right thru that evil combination I mentioned above. We never went off course, but wasted a lot of time.

During the walk-thru, Carrie said I should trust her more and send her out to the tunnel... I did on the next run and it worked great, but we were still discombobulated thru the evil combo!

The a-frame thru to the finish didn't present any problems at all. As a matter of fact, on the second run - for practice sake - Rosie & Jetta and Karen & Sadie stayed in the ring to distract us... and not one little glance their way thru the whole thing! :-D

The jumpers course was next. The same first jump (1), going away to an offset vertical (2), then the original jumps 3&4 (3&4) and a right bending line to a square oxer (5), a 90d right to a vertical (6), a pinwheel left (7&8) to the right side of the gray tunnel (9), out over a vertical (10) to the weaves (11), left over 3&2 (12&13), across the ring over a vertical (14), 90d left over a right pinwheel (15,16,17) and finish going home over 18. phew!

I was sure I was going to go off course, but I didn't. I led out past the 2nd jump and almost to the third... I heard an "ooooooooooo" from the class... this was a brave thing... maybe foolhardy even... it would have worked if I hadn't gotten jumpy and pulled her off the 2nd jump... but at least we tried! I also got ahead of her and pulled her off the weave entrance... my bad... but we got them on the second try... everything else she nailed... she even worked way off from me thru the pinwheels and we got some great rear crosses in! when finished we received great applause and someone even asked "can she do windows too?". Oh, I'm so proud of my little girl!

Next week is a 'tweener' week and there is rumor of a relay race... hmmmmmmmmmm
stay tuned...

Culver Academies 2007

Beginner Agility 2

sheepherding 101

The last day of our first Agility class

Basketball herding

Susanne's bday party

New Year's Party 2007

My visit to Florida, Fall 2006

Feast of the Hunter's Moon 2006 - early Saturday morning

Mist on the Wabash River, Feast of the Hunter's Moon 2006

Massed Bands Part 1

Massed Bands Part 2

KohKohMah 2006

Theatiki 2006