I have been avoiding writing this blog and I am not sure why. Blame it on the fact that I have been getting up at 4:30 am to run. Yep, addicted, just like I am to agility. So the weekend went like this. Headed down to oklahoma city friday around 10ish. Traveled with great pal, the lady I rent the agility field from. We have similar traveling styles so we travel well. Got checked into the hotel and went to the trial site to put down crates. Crating was a little weird, not much just open space so you either crated on the floor of the arena or up in the seats. The bottom half of the arena was chairs but the top half was bleacher style so we just put our crates on the floor between bleachers. Made it back to the hotel in rush hour traffic and got dinner. Got in bed early but couldn't sleep. The other inhabitants of this motel 6 were having a fiesta which seemed like right outside of our room. Made going out to potty the dogs very interesting. Man, I really wish I knew spanish. Anyway, got up bright and early and headed over to the show site. The club had provided gift bags for each handler that had tons of goodies. We had seven runs that day. I didn't know how this would go with his bar issue. We had been practicing our jump grid work but you add in that extra does of adrenalin and all bets are off. Here is what my sleep addled brain remembers of each run. Will have to add videos later.
Jumpers: Bar. Will have to review video for other details. My sleepy brain is hurting right now. I do remember having to collect him on the start and doing my front cross too tight which flung him over the broad jump which he may or may not have seen in time to jump properly.
Snooker: Knocked first red. Set up, led out and tried to collect him prior to first red. He saw tunnel and wouldn't collect and took a jump on way to said tunnel so we got a big fat 0. Lesson learned, need to work on collection even if a tunnel is calling your name.
Steeplechase: One bar and missed the weave entry. Might have qualified with just one mistake. I pushed him really hard on this course and he and i both kept our heads so I was proud of this run. Did not give him enough info on the weaves but I think I was worried about the bar prior to the weaves if I pushed too hard.
Standard: Honestly can't remember what happened so will have to view the video.
Master's Gamblers: The gamble was not a skill we had in our tool bag. It was a jump to a tunnel under the dog walk and then they had to come back towards you and go up the dog walk. I tried standing there so as he came out, he saw me and i could direct h im. In retrospect i think going ahead and running and saying walk it would have worked better. He came to me and I think if I had been moving forward that he might have gone up the dog walk. Add that to the train that shit list.
Pairs: Very embarrassed. I did three front crosses in a row and was cueing the a-frame. He crossed my body and literally accelerated like a fire was lit under his ass and took a jump 50 feet away. Not joking. I have no clue what he saw or what he was thinking. A-frame was right there. Didn't get video of this run. I am afraid my pairs partner was not so happy about having a baby brained dog as her partner. Would have been a smoking run.
Master's Challenge Standard: God do i love these classes. These are my all time favorites as we actually get to USE the skills we train!!!! Loved this course. Got through the beginning very nicely. I can't remember what else happened so will have to view the video and revise this.
Was kind of sad but at the same time really happy. That was the first time we got through a steeplechase course with only a small mistake at the weaves. Was not happy about snooker but something to add to the train that shit list. Got some good skill work on the gambler's course and he didn't knock the first bar of the gamble as he has done so many times before.
Sunday's runs:
Masters Gamblers - The gamble was doable. Unfortunately instead of going back into a tunnel that was under the dog walk to line us up for the teeter and then the start of the gamble, he went up the dog walk and so when the buzzer sounded, we were NO where near the start of the gamble and were coming into it very wrong. He knocked the first bar and missed the tunnel instead taking a jump near me. I blame myself for poor handling and didn't put the bar on him at all. However, he did release off of my hand prior to me releasing him and probably would have been able to line him up better for the gamble had he not. I should have been tighter on the tunnel to q him back into it.
Masters Standard - Don't remember what happened, will have to review the video
Grand Prix Qualifier - Don't remember what happened, will have to view the video. I do remember his cue from table over a jump to the weaves which was a huge push. I had him super collected over the jump and sent him to the weave and he nailed the entry. The weaves were going straight into the wall and I think he looked up and saw the wall coming at him and stuttered and popped out. It wasn't like he was coming with me, it was like his feet got hung up and he just popped out. That was the closest I have ever seen weaves going into a wall but again, train don't complain.
The ride home was good. Overall I think we have made progress. He has dropped weight, is playing ball a couple of times a day and I hope to get out to the agility field more these next couple of months. We had a couple of runs where he went off course and that bothered me. He had been really in tune to me last show and we had hardly any off courses. We have a break till regionals end of august. My teammates have decided they are not going to nationals so don't have a team so may not go or just may enter friday and pray I get that last local qualifer so I can enter saturday. If not, it may be a quick trip to KC and back in a day. Oh well, not doing team saves me money. Couldn't start my next session of classes due to extreme heat and rather than fighting the heat every week, canceled classes till the fall. Am pulling money out of savings to deal with that and will pay back when classes start. Scares me to do that (van you'd better not break down, knock on wood) but I know I will have sessions this fall. I think we are moving in the right direction. Will post videos as soon as I get them and can fill out my runs better. Overall, happy, so close on so many runs. Will keep plugging along and keep my chin up. My friends are really awesome and have been cheering me up so much. He has so much potential so I have to keep that in mind. Nationals for USDAA are out this year and next year is too far so no goals for that. Nationals for AKC are too far away for this qualifying year so no big goals for that. Just go out and have fun is my motto and goal and there is always next year:)
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