What is the quickest way to wake up a baby? Try writing a blog.

Andrew has been a sleep for almost and hour now so I am treading on precious time.  Read the paper, did some dishes, folded some clothes, got his bottle and oatmeal ready and he is still snoozing.  This however is like the bat signal to batman, beep beep, wake up baby!  Mom is trying to organize her thoughts!  Since this is the puppy blog, i will start with puppy thoughts.  My poor puppies are getting little to no attention right now.  I just don't have the time or energy.  I throw the ball a little, trim toe nails, cuddle in bed, and occasionally brush but that is about it.  I was heading out to Joc's barn for a once a week practice but that has pretty much stopped the last two weeks thanks to the holidays.  We are going to be SUPER rusty by the january trial.  We only have one and it is a two day so i guess it will be as usual, expensive practice.

 I am really trying to goal set for the next year and it is tough.  I would like to go to USDAA nationals and I am considering ASCA nationals but other than that, not much goal setting.  I have no intentions of even trying to qualify for next year's AKC nationals.  Probably not going to do as much AKC as I usually do. Would like to hit more USDAA and that is going to mean traveling which means extra dough.  I just don't see myself being able with the handful of AKC trials that i even do, making that nationals goal.  I am however very glad that they upped the qualifications but I do feel like you need to start your qualifying year out ASAP and go to as many shows as you can to make it.  I would rather spend my money elsewhere.  I also had planned on doing some camps and seminars this upcoming year but now with my job so up in the air, I am afraid to put down payments in.    We had a very mild winter last year so was able to teach all winter but it isn't looking that way for this year.  We have already had measurable snow and i have had to cancel a couple of times already for this current session.  I am at this point just hoping we can get through so I can at least be done so we can take a break.

My job, wow is all i can say.  We still are teetering on not so solid ground.  We are trying to complete the beta testing on the equipment and start up receiving samples but we have had some set backs.  We are going to have to purchase and fix some very expensive equipment which means we have to get another grant going.  We still haven't perfected the protocols we need to perfect either.  I have been working long hours and that isn't helping with my running/weight loss/stress level.  I few times i have thought, I should just quit and become a stay at home mom, but the whole money thing always gets the best of me.  Plus I need mental stimulation and I wouldn't get enough being at home.  Anyway, I am hoping things settle down in the new year and we are able to fix/purchase the stuff we need to make this successful.  I need a job!  I also need to get back into some fitness routine. I thought entering races would make me accountable but it hasn't.  I skipped my last race and just went shopping instead.  I keep telling myself that I shouldn't enter races in advance so i don't loose money but i keep on.  There is a trail race in february that i would LOVE to do but i have no clue what kind of training i will get in from here till then.  Plus it is 5 miles and I am only running 3 right now.  Excuses, excuses.  Oh well, that is the story of my life right now!

Well going to wrap this up for now.  I don't really have much time to really ruminate like i usually do.  My life is now all about diapers and bottles and baby food, which is good, just different.  I keep thinking things will settle down but the older he gets, the more complicated things get.  oh well, maybe in 18 more years, things will settle down?

so behind (as usual)

Wow, I don't think I have ever fallen this behind on my blogs.  Thank you life for getting in the way of my thoughts LOL!  My job has been super hectic lately and I am not sure I like it. I am barely getting to the daycare in time to pick up andrew and am lucky she hasn't charged me a late fee yet.  Tony is back to work which is a good thing but he is having some weird health issues so has had to take a day off since he has been back.  Let's see, since the last time I blogged, I have had two shows, a three day AKC or ICK as I have started calling it and a three day USDAA with team and tournaments.  The ICK show was exactly that.  I know this sounds weird but I really think if I am not under pressure or the course is hard, I don't do  well.  I didn't get a single solitary Q all weekend but it isn't about the Q now is it.  We had to drive at night on the way up thanks to my job so I had one day where i was a zombie and got lost on course.  The rest of the runs all had one bar or one mistake and every mistake was super stupid.  Like me saying turn before the jump and him doing what he was trained to do and turning and not taking the jump.  The courses were easy peasy but we just couldn't seem to do it.

Then fast forward to this last weekend, USDAA goodness.  Our team DDT got a team Q and a third.  We came all the way back thanks to our first place relay run.  The funny thing was, we thought we didn't Q because the software had not updated from last year and the 850 point rule.  We were really bummed because every team had Es on at least one course and most teams had one course that had two es.  Our team had two es in jumpers and two in standard.  Deuce did E in standard on a n off course jump that I did not even see as an option.  He redeemed himself in jumpers with a 2nd place by a very narrow margin.  I was SUPER proud because we so in sync with that run and it had some very challenging stuff.  Can you say broad jump, back side of jump through the middle of the 180 to the other backside of jump and then into the weaves?  NAILED it!  I have been that excited about a run in a very, very long time.  No Q in steeplechase, two bars (DAMN it) and no Q in grand prix, one bar (double DAMN it).  OH well, one more show before regionals and if I don't get the one Q  I need, may have to pick up another show somewhere down the road. Had some really kick ass runs the rest of the weekend including a gambler's Q on a tough aframe, turn to a jump, take a jump and a beautiful sequence of three jumps in which i threadled, pushed through and ketchkered (*spelling) only to have  a freaking bar come down somewhere else.  Oh well.  I had so much fun and can't wait till february for the next one!

a quickie

Have 14 minutes before I have to take something out of the PCR machine so I thought I would quickly blog about my weekend.  Let's just say, even though we only had 2 qs out of 9 runs, I was very, very pleased.  We did the walk of shame a couple of times for self releasing and I did have to be a contact criteria nazi but I had a few runs where I trusted he would drive into position and hold and he did.  My last two runs of the weekend were the best.  Beautiful responsive runs, no crazy handling just dancing together on the course.  Of course a bar in each run but I will take it.  The only part of the weekend that bothers me was his weaves. He was struggling with entries and one day, missed every entry.  Part of it was the whole I don't want to pull issue, which seemed to have resolved itself by day three.  Part of it was i have no clue.  Maybe we haven't seen that particular entry. I should probably take course maps and write on them entries we are having trouble with and go home and work it with the short set of weaves either channel or 2 x 2 but I have so much on my mind usually that I forget.  I will take a weekend like this even without the Qs.  We did some handling moves that I haven't done on a course in AKC.  Thank you to Dan butcher for some really, really nice courses that were challenging and fun.  I really feel like the harder courses are the ones I do better on because I never take any thing for granted and I work every single obstacle.  Those are the ones that you walk away from and even without a Q you say, DAMN, that was fun!  It really restored my faith in AKC as the last two weekends have had some very USDAA master like courses.

Blowing in the wind

Lots of things swirling around in my brain so wanted to sit down for a minute and get them out.  The first and most important one probably is that I do have funding at my job till at least mid next year.  Kind of glad in a way but kind of sad as well. I know this sounds weird but I was kind of getting excited for a change in a way.  I think I will probably still keep looking for a job even though I hadn't found anything yet because I am always worried that I might be passing up on greater things.  Sometimes I feel like I am way to comfortable in this job and that i need a change, a jolt.  Other days it sure it nice to know that i can set my own hours and take off when I want to,especially if the munchkin has had a bad night or it snows.  So we have also been selected to be a beta test site for a new genome sequencer.  I have never done sequencing so I am excited/nervous to learn yet another new skill.  Helps bolster the ole resume for sure.

Did run my first 5 K post pregnancy. Pretty much had to give up running while I was preggers thanks to all day sickness and then my back.  I had tried to get back on track as soon as the dr. gave me the green light to and did so for about 10 weeks till I couldn't run due to the fact that hubby was working 12-14 hour days every day including weekends and i couldn't take andrew with.  I had to take a few weeks off, but I am happy to say that hubby is back working regular hours so I can finally get back into it even if it means running on the treadmill.  I prefer to run outside as I do better when I have somewhere to go, a course per se,  but I will take what i can get.  Stella and I ran our first 5 K together last weekend and despite me coughing up a lung pre and post race, had a great time and ran it in 37:55.   Not my 10 minute miles I was use to but hopefully I can get there.  Have a great running buddy that really encourages me to not feel guilty when I can't train but to feel good about the training I do get in and just have fun.  I am so competitive that I get very wrapped up into training plans and races and I loose the fun in it.  I am just going to train when I can and still enter races and hope for the best!  This last race was a trail race and it was fun so may have to find more like it.  Kind of nice having stella to pull my butt up those hills!  Time to invest in a running leash though, have some nasty bruises from my normal leash around my waist.  I love runner's highs and can't wait to have more!

Have a dog show this weekend.  Got out on sunday and did some training with my trainer.  Not really a lesson, but she had to set up some courses for the WAO try outs so helped her set them up and then got to run them while she was taking a break.  I LOVE international courses!  SO fun, so challenging and so rewarding when you get through them.  The wind was really bad that day so had to get creative with keeping the winged jumps up.  Got to try lots of back side blind cross combos (I am sure they have an official name).  I love those international moves!  So fluid and so trusting:)  Wish we had more of this kind of thing more often on regular courses  but the majority of my agility is AKC (ick) so not likely.  I am looking forward to seeing how deuce's contacts will be.  May have to baby sit them the first day and then test them the others.  I  think I am entered in T2B so that may be the place to work them if it is first.  Just looking forward to getting out and playing with my baby d.  I wuv him so much!!!!!

Here is how we have to do it in KS.  There are also stick in the ground weave poles behind each wing!

I wasn't going to do it, but did anyway

Had time to really process this weekend and pick it apart, piece by piece.  No video which sucks but here is my analysis.

  Had 6 runs this weekend and only had one really decent run that was in any way good.  First run of the weekend was standard.  He had a good run, missed his weave pole entry but it was a super tough entry (discrimination with the dog walk and a dummy  jump on either side of the entry, drove to it hoping to eliminate the off course options and he didn't collect, went 2nd pole).  I will take that, something we need to work on.  Noticed that he wasn't really waiting for the okay to come out of my mouth all the way on the contacts.  Jumpers was yet another pull to the correct end of the tunnel like we had in standard on sunday in lawrence.  Even though i was shoulder pulling, calling, had his head, he released off of me and took the wrong end of the tunnel.  Was disappointed but oh well, obviously we need to work on pulling, sent him in the correct end and he again, released off of me and went to the other end of the tunnel.  I felt like he really wasn't listening and it was pointless to continue to run the very technical course if I didn't have his head so we did the walk of shame.  Bummer but had the one good run in standard to go off of.

Saturday was standard first again.  We had a jump to the teeter and then a slight turn to the right into the weaves.  There was a dummy jump as they came off the end of the teeter so they came down looking right at it and they couldn't see the weaves at all because of your position.  I figured instead of releasing him with "okay", I would release him with "go weave" since he needed to be in obstacle focus to find them.  He came down the teeter locked in on that jump, I said go weave, he released and went across my body out into no where.  Weird but oh well, must be another skill we need to work on.  Then did a really hard long line out of the weaves into the tunnel that was a hard entry.  I ran like hell, pushed and got it no problem, where as most dogs were biting the bullet and getting the wrong end (2 dogs in all of 20 inches qualified). Next contact was the a-frame.  Needed to do a FC to handle the rest and he self released off the contact and was gone and I was out of position.  Called him back, did the walk of shame.  No cookies, back in the crate.  Got him out a while later and did some behaviors that i could reward.  Did JWW and again, i didn't get him collected enough and he missed his first pole.  One of those things were i was  in decel,  thought he was to so I think i accelerated too early to get to the end of the poles and he just did the same.  That didn't bother me as much as standard as that was just on me and him being young and us having timing issues.  Oh well.  But after that run, after I had sat for a while, I got really bummed.  I was really mad at myself for not holding his contacts longer and thus causing my criteria to be too gray thus allowing him to think self releasing was okay.  Again, I can stay mad at myself for a really long time.  Finally had some people talk me out of my funk and I got over it.

Sunday I decided to work every single contact regardless of a Q or not.  I held every contact long enough to say good dog, okay.  Of course we had a minor mistake somewhere else and i pulled him off a jump, but I was happy with his contacts (even though we were 10 seconds slower than the 1st place dog, even with him missing a jump).  Jumpers had a spot that worried me and of course that is where we blew it.  Coming out of the weaves, it was a curving line right out over a triple and into an off course tunnel.  One of those if you support too much, you will get the off course tunnel but if you don't support enough they won't go out and take the triple.  Well I had the latter happen but he read my pull and came with so had to be happy.  I hate self fulfilling prophecies.

Well I do feel better after I analyzed every thing.  You know, I think it is time for some goal readjustment.  Of course AKC nationals is out of the picture.   I still want to go to USDAA nationals and think it is still a viable goal if I can get some training time in.  Getting ready for winter here in KS and while last winter was mild, who knows what this winter holds.  Hoping I can get to my friend's new indoor barn to do some training this winter.  My main goal right now for him is solid contacts.  I hate creepy contacts but I think letting him quick release has come back to bite me in the ass for sure now.  I vowed to never have a dog where the Q was more important than my criteria and I have to stick to those guns.  I think that is what bummed me out the most, the possibility that I caused his self releases and in all honesty, I am sure I did.  A fellow competitor pointed it out that most of us that had two on two offs this weekend sure were muddy in what our criteria was as she was for sure second guessing what we meant.  I think alot of us got wrapped up in the Q this weekend and again in all honesty, I think alot of us sacrificed Qs in the end because of it.  I have another show in a couple of weeks and I am looking forward to redeeming myself and upholding my end of the training bargain.

Perspective

I had a really bad weekend.  So weird.  Haven't had one of these in a long time.  The good news is that I truly am lucky to have an awesome dog and family that loves me.  I won't get into any long details but after having four bad runs and basically being mad at myself all day saturday to the point of tears, I had a talk with a good friend who really put things into perspective for me.  I have a happy, healthy dog and I know that this is just a game.  I hate that I can get so wrapped up into competition that I let my criteria slide.  I can stay mad at myself for a really, really long time but she snapped me out of it and made me feel like I should just let things go and go on.  She had been through some pretty scary and life threatening health issues, had a crappy hubby who basically was not by her side during any of it and even had had an emergency appendicitis surgery that monday and was running agility with her best friend by friday.  If she can go through life and those crazy circumstances with a smile on her face and a positive attitude and continue to enjoy life, then what was making me so upset and pouty was completely minuscule and should not be dwelled upon.  So i snapped out of it.  I look forward to our next agility show and I will uphold my criteria, even if it means loosing a Q.  I have been through this before with one dog and i will NOT do this again (please hold me to this:)

exhausted

So this is mommy hood.  I am physically exhausted.  I had a great weekend but it is SO much work dragging him and all of his stuff to the shows.  I am super lucky to have great friends who step up and help me but man, it really takes the fun out of showing.  I feel like poor deuce gets no attention other than when he runs.  I don't do super long warm ups or cool downs either so it is pretty much run, cookies, crate, sit for how many every hours, run cookies crate, car.  Poor guy.  The story of our weekend was mainly bars.  We had one crazy T2B run where he looked at the weave pole base (they had two sets with a space in between so a break in the base) and skipped that section that was missing.  So weird that they even notice that but he did and just skipped right around them.  Plus the surface had very slick packed spots but I am not one to complain about things like that.  We did do the walk of shame in standard on sunday.  He completely self released on the dog walk and we had already NQd so I thought that was a perfect time to get some training in.  The other runs were very, very nice.  We did get a Q in T2B on sunday and just barely got beat out by a very, very fast border collie by .03 of a second.  Always makes me smile when we are up there with those fast BCs.   Overall was very pleased with the trials and once again do believe that his bar knocking is an indication of lack of conditioning.  Once again, hubby will be working 12 hour shifts this week so not sure how much training I will actually get in.

We have yet another 3 day show this weekend and I am dreading it a little and this is one of the most fun shows we go to.  A four hour car ride for Mr. Andrew which will be very interesting since the longest we have done is 2.  Trying to figure out a way to break it up so maybe we could go down thursday night and then continue on friday morning.  He did scream some on the way home this last weekend.  He decided to take his big nap early so instead of it being at the normal time, when I would be driving, he was wide awake when I was driving.  He did play some with some toys I put back there and the screaming wasn't too bad but that was an hour and a half car ride with lots of places to pull off and take a break.  This ride will not have those convenient places.


Anyway, I know I shouldn't but thinking about buying a new crate.  I have no clue why when i know money is going to get tight that I immediately shop but I do.  I really like the new cabana crates and how portable they are for traveling.  My crates take a ton of room and all of them are in some state of broke.  It would be super nice to have a crate that breaks down that small for storage and set up.  AND the kicker is, they come in purple.  DOUBLE BONUS!  Me want, want, want!