Training Troop Trial

Well, I'm pretty tired today after two full days of trialing 3 dogs. As usual, it was a fun time, complete with Hallowe'en costume contests, lots of cake & goodies & lots of great dogs!

Boo earned his Silver Award of Merit this weekend, getting his 25th Master Standard Q. This also requires 50 Masters Games, which he had already. He had a couple of nice runs, but I managed to screw up a few times, still having trouble with our timing. He also earned a Steeplechase Q.

I was happy with Blast's runs this weekend - he did the entire trial. We only managed one Standard Q, but he was much more focused (although slower) on all of his runs until the last one - Snooker, where his brain was elsewhere. He almost got the gamble, but missed the DW contact by inches - his contacts are still a work in progress... He had two 5 fault standard rounds, a 5 fault jumpers round, ran clean in team, & had 10 faults in Steeplechase, so I guess that's progress. My goal for the weekend was for him to focus, which he did for the most part. We've still got weave pole problems, he wants to avoid them, but once he's in them, they're pretty good.

Bizzie had an exciting weekend. We've been working very hard on her start lines & she did hold them for most of the runs. She broke when someone held her puppy up to watch her & she caught sight of that, but came right back. When I led out (quite confidently..) for Steeplechase, she ran past me like a bullet, but took the entire opening line correctly, which won her a prize from the judges for most memorable starters run! Other than her first run, which was gamblers, where she was like a little ping pong ball running from tunnel to tunnel, she stayed with me pretty well. She didn't earn any Q's, but she had some really nice runs. She's very quick, so I can lose her on course in the blink of an eye! Hopefully I can improve my handling so that we can work better as a team.

I really need to practice weave pole entries at speed for both my young dogs, it was a problem all weekend, but the footing is so deep, it's difficult for the little dogs, they're having to jump over mounds of shavings & it's interfering with their footwork.

It was a fun weekend - it's nice that the agility folks are very supportive of each other & always are willing to offer advice & support for each other. Thanks to those who have helped me out!

Finally some successes!

We did a one day trial on Sunday(fortunately indoors since it snowed!)
My dogs all had some brilliant moments!
Boo was entered in Masters Standard, Challenge, & Masters Gamble.
In the standard course, I'm finding our timing is off & I pulled him off a jump that I thought he was committed to, then I sent him off course - not our best showing! I probably need to practice more with the little fella, but I've been spending more time with the young'uns.
The challenge course sure was a challenge! I really liked it & other than pulling out of the weaves early, Boo ran it very well. I think there were only 3 clean runs!
Gamblers was awesome - we racked up 80 pts, did the mini gamble (12 weaves away from me to a teeter), & got the final gamble - I still can't quite believe Boo can get gambles now since he was such a velcro dog for so long!
Bizzie did the starters standard, Adv gamble, & starters Jumpers. She had a brilliant very fast start on the standard course, jumped onto the table & had a poop! Wasn't expecting that!
She did some good things in the gambers course, but the final gamble was really difficult & she blew her contact on the Aframe & it was over! (There were no Q's in Adv Gamblers!)
She redeemed herself with a lovely jumpers run - we're still working on Rear crosses & sending ahead, so I was very pleased with her run. And yes, Amanda, I promise to praise her more on course - I just find I have to concentrate really hard running her!
Blast did the starters standard, Adv gamble & Adv Jumpers. He had a pretty good weekend, a few problems in the standard round, but he did awesome weaves after the first attempt (this has been a big problem in the past); did some good things in the gamble, but didn't get the final gamble either. He aced his Jumpers run, so that was a great way to end the day! He really did much better staying with me - less distractions running indoors than outdoors I guess.
He actually seemed more relaxed between runs, I let him hang out with me for a while & he was actually tugging & playing, which he does all the time at home, but doesn't often do at a trial.
All in all it was a great day running fun courses & I got to see some great runs from some of my agility friends!

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!