Sunflower 2012 day 1

Back from the show, showered, treadmilled and pups worn out so I thought I would sit down and write.  Hubby is snoring away on the couch from working yet another overtime weekend so I am trying to stay busy and quiet.  Am trying not to pick up the second book in the hunger games series.  Was half way done with book one and had to finish it last night so stayed up past 12 reading and then had to get up at 5 and drive.  Don't you just love a good book though?

Had Excellent FAST first thing.  Had planned a nice twisty turner, collected course.  Everything worked really well until i needed him to go in the send.  I guess I had had him on me so  much that he wouldn't send.  Finally got him over the first jump and then the second and had to turn back to a tunnel and he just wouldn't leave me.  That is what I get for trying to get him to run collected the whole course I guess.  His contacts were great, waited for a release on every one and his weave entry was AWESOME!  I set him up to take them at an angle and set him pretty far back so he had speed and he found them and collected so nicely.  Had a nice 180 and a pull through to the a-frame next and he executed so well.  Oh well, great training run even if he didn't get the bonus.  That is the purpose of that class for me anyway.

Excellent JWW was next and a very nice course.  Had walked the opening with a lead out push but then the more I thought about it, the more I felt like a moving FC would be more applicable.  About the time I was to go walk the other plan, the judge blew the whistle so I didn't get to walk it.  I will have to say other than the weave poles, that was the best part of his run LOL!  We started out nicely and sent him in a straight tunnel with a dummy jump at the other end.  I was calling as he was in the tunnel but once again, he locked onto that dummy jump and was almost to it when I gave a big DEUCE and he put on the brakes and came to me.  Then of course, I couldn't get him to release off so he ran past a jump.  Sent him again to the jump and he ran past it again.  So weird.  Kept going with a nice rear on the triple to the weaves.  Perfect entry YIPEEE!  The rest of the course was not so pretty.  He took an off course jump again and then went way wide on a serp.  We just seemed like we couldn't reconnect after that one mistake.

Last for the day was standard.  I elected to be on the far side of the dog walk and push to the correct entrance of the tunnel and then rear after the jump tire, chute combo.  The dogs were suppose to come out of the chute and come essentially back to a table.  Many people did not estimate how much calling they needed to do after the chute and their dogs shot out and took the off course jump that was calling their name.  SO what did i do, as he was in the chute that i had just rear crossed thus telling him where to go, I called and clapped loudly.  I over called so he came out and stopped and looked at me like WHAT?  Of course got him to the table but thought for sure he probably got a refusal.  He had creepy dog walk and a nice teeter, both of which I made him hold till I said the magic word (thus causing us a ton of seconds).  I was hoping to have  repeat of the a-frame I had in fast as there was a nasty wrong course tunnel right at the bottom of the a-frame calling their name.  As he ascending the a-frame, he locked on to the tunnel and I had to say his name to get his attention as we were going back the other way.  He released himself on his name which i don't like, but it did get him to focus back on me versus taking that off course.  By that time, I was behind on the line and he took off headed straight for the weaves and a dummy jump.  I just told him weave and he turned and dove into them like a pro!!!!  Not bad since I was a MILE behind and really not up there to handle them.  He really didn't even look at the dummy jump at all.  We had a Q, it wasn't a pretty one but it was a Q and that is our second MX leg.  We only got 14 points thanks to the creepy dog walk and the held teeter but I will take it over him releasing and going without permission.

All in all, three for three on some tough weave entries.  VERY happy at this point even with the lack of Qs.  Would like to not handle so reactively.  I feel like a back seat drive some times and i hate that.  I know the yelling is getting on his nerves as it is on mine.  I feel like my timing is getting worse, some due to the fact that I can't run as fast as I normally do and I get out of breath so easily.  Will try and do a better job tomorrow at being proactive!