Learning to compete!

We just did the Kathy Keats seminar this past weekend, & as usual it was really great! Kathy is as much a coach as a trainer for us - she really gets into your head & makes you really want to go for it! She always has some surprises up her sleeve & this time was no different! We ran a couple of Worlds' courses & she had us betting on how our dogs would do.
The courses were tough, but boy, did the dogs do well! I intended to run Bizzie, and I did a couple of the patterns with her on Sat, but I thought Blast would benefit more from the Sunday session & he did pretty well. He can do some really great things, & then totally drift off - this then causes me to get upset & him to get more distracted. I think he really does try, but as soon as I hesitate, or seem unsure, he chooses to disconnect. So in other words, I'm probably causing most of his problem! (Except when he leaves me right at the startline - I'm not taking all the heat for that one!)
Anyhow, I really enjoyed the weekend, & I probably needed a kickstart to get back to training on a regular basis with some structure! Wish me luck!

Another trial Weekend

We did the Medicine Hat trial this past weekend with mixed results. Running 3 dogs is quite difficult, particularly when 2 of them, who need the most attention before they run, are often only 1 or 2 dogs apart in the running order. I'm thinking maybe I should rotate trials with them so they get more attention from me when they need it.
Blast was hot & cold (just like the weather). He was really stressed & left the ring quite a few times. I only did half the standard course with him, & praised a lot, & that was better. He managed to Q his snooker & I just realized that that was his 3rd adv snooker Q, so he's now in Masters Snooker, which is just wrong!
Bizzie had wonderful moments & cheeky moments. She did get a Q in Standard (even after stopping in the middle of the dogwalk to bark at someone) and an Adv Snooker Q. She can be very fast & driven, but I can also lose her really quickly - having no visible boundaries to the ring didn't help our situation! But I know that's a training issue!
Boo was really running - I think he really likes the grass surface. He did have a couple of off courses, but he managed a Standard Q & a Gambler Q. The challenge course was very fun to run - lots of obstacles, many opportunities for an off course, but he just missed the weave pole entry out of the chute. Note to self - better work on those entries, we also had some missed entries at Nationals!
Wayne & Cactus managed 3 Qualifiers this weekend, Jumpers (what a smokin run that was!), Snooker & Steeplechase. Still can't quite get those Standard Q's.
It was a fun weekend, lots of great friends & we really enjoyed the pot luck!

A Long Weekend

We spent the past 4 days in BC enjoying their wonderful weather.

We had a family event to attend in Creston, then moved on to take part in the Cookie Power trial in Kimberly.

We had a great time, but arriving late to do one day of trialing makes you feel like you're always playing catch up!

Blast & Bizzie had never been there before, so that plus spending 2 days in kennels & Xpens didn't help their confidence level. Both of them were very distracted on the first run of the day, which was a Standard round. The second obstacle was weave poles, which Blast can't seem to deal with at trials, so he left the ring to pee; Bizzie was all over the place, then bailed off the teeter & started limping. Not a great start to the day... Boo had a strange refusal at a jump, but he ran well for the 2 runs he was entered in. I sent him off course in Steeplechase, (second time I've done that recently!)

With Blast, we bypassed the weave poles for the next run & he seemed to be a little better, but much more distracted than normal. He had a refusal in the Jumpers & back jumped in Snooker, so we pretty much covered all that could go wrong! Bizzie was just entered in 2 runs, so she ran much better in jumpers & actually Q'd.

I'm getting quite discouraged with my training - or lack of - I need to get a structured program to follow since my dogs don't seem to be improving. Lack of a place to train regularly is a huge issue. And of course Bizzie is just coming off maternity leave. Maybe my expectations are too high. Sigh. We have another trial this coming weekend, so hopefully things will go better...

Practice, practice, practice!

We managed to get in 2 outdoor practices this weekend. Since the area is not fenced in, I was a little worried about Blast taking off, but he was really good. He stayed focused & other than his weave pole entries, he ran really well.

Bizzie had a good time, she ran quite well, but does still get distracted easily. I forgot how fast she is, & I remembered how out of shape I am!
Boo ran well, no major issues, he even ran for Wayne for one run!


Speaking of weave poles, a friend had his 24" weave poles there, so I ran all 3 of my dogs through them just to see if they'd notice a difference - Bizzie buzzed through them really fast & had no problem. Blast ran through them but not as confidently, & the same with Boo, but I'm sure none of them will have any problems adjusting to the different spacing. In the meantime, we'll continue to practice on our regular weaves.


I've signed up for the Kathy Keats coaching seminar in a couple of weeks, so I'm trying to decide if I should run Bizzie or Blast... I have run Blast in her past seminars, but maybe I"ll run Bizzie this time. That's the problem when you have 2 novice dogs at the same time...

A Sad Day

Well, today the last of Bizzie's puppies is going to her new home. She's 9 1/2 wks old now, so I've become quite attached to her. I'm sure she is going to be an awesome little dog - she's very brave & smart!

I think Biz will be quite happy to see her leave now -Mika's been tormenting Bizzie by grabbing her ear fringes & yanking on them!

It's been great fun raising a litter of pups - I learned a lot, and I was very proud of my little Bizzie for being such a great little mom!

Here's one last photo of Mika! Such a pretty little girl!

Wee Wed Trial

I was quite excited about the Wee Wed trial last night - it offered Starters classes, so it was a good opportunity to get Blast & Bizzie out for a run.

We hadn't been to Wet Ck for about 3 months because of the shavings that were so deep - I was worried about the little dogs getting wood chips in their eyes.

Anyhow, because it was so warm, they had the big back door of the arena open, but had barrels closing it off from the horses outside. Of course that was something my dogs hadn't seen before.

The standard course started off with a straight line heading straight for the back door ( I don't know why a straight line is supposed to be easier for starters dogs!! Not so for fast dogs with old handlers!) Blast ran first & did a lovely 2on 2off on the DW, then ran directly to check out the barrels & to see if he could get out the door... he did come back without zoomies, & did a pretty good job until the weave poles, which he thought he'd never seen before. He did finish off nicely, but it wasn't our best showing, that's for sure.

Bizzie, who hasn't done anything for 4 months due to having puppies, was back to her usual self - broke her start line & ran like crazy down the DW to the barrels, just like her brother. She had some great moments, was really fast - especially in that tunnel vortex where she had to get a couple more tunnels in, would not stay down on the table, but had a nice finish. So many opportunities for training!

I also ran Biz in the jumpers course, & had it not been for her stupid handler sending her over the wrong jump, she had a great run.

I took Mika along for socializing, she met lots of new people, barked at the dogs that got in her face, & had a good time watching some of the runs - she will be leaving on Sunday for her new home.

I have the dogs entered in 2 trials in sept, so I have lots to do before then!

I still have to figure out how to get Blast to weave at a trial - he does awesome weaves at home or in more controlled situations. Any suggestions?

Mika

Mika is the last puppy to go to her new home - she'll be leaving on Sunday for her big trip to Mexico! What a fun puppy she is - she was the biggest pup & the first to do everything. She's now almost 9 wks old & she thinks she is one of the big kids now - she zips around the house, trying to get the big dogs to chase her, she is sleeping all night in her kennel, & she loves to be outside!