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...
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