Bo Gee CPE Trial June 25-26

Last weekend I entered Spot in the Bo Gee CPE trial at the Deerfield Fairgrounds in NH. We entered 2 classes on Friday and 3 classes on Sat.

Friday was planned to start at 4, but got off to a little bit of a slow start. The first class was Jumpers, and Spot was entered in Jumpers level 3. Spot and I really weren't in sync for this run. He ran around 2 jumps, then had an off course, and we were over time, so no Q. Second run was Jackpot. It was a non-traditional Jackpot and you needed to take 3 single jumps for the jackpot. Spot did much better in this run. I tried to keep him running, using the tunnels, and not as many jumps. There was a combo of 2 jumps worth 5 points, but Spot ran around the second jump, so I just kept going. I had planned it so we were in the area where the jumps were when the whistle blew and it turned out to be really good. Spot had just entered a tunnel when the whistle blew, so I was able to call him out, then send him over 3 jumps, then the table. A lot of people either were on the A frame when the whistle blew, or their dog took another obstacle on the way to the jumps,so they didn't Q. But we did!

On Saturday we were entered in Snooker level 2, Wildcard level 2 and Colors level 3. I moved Spot up to Colors level 3 not realizing there would be weaves. Oops! We started out well. My plan for Snooker was not to go for 3 7's in the opening because the flow would be not so good, so instead I went for the 3 tunnel, a 6 jump, and the 7 A frame. This made a little loop, which worked well for us. Spot finished the entire course and the whistle blew just as he jumped onto the table.

Next was Wildcard. This was a pretty easy course, but Spot didn't want to get set at the start, so I ended up running with him instead of leading out as planned. And he took the first two jumps, but then didn't take the tunnel, which was a wildcard. He never misses tunnels, so I wasn't sure what was going on. The rest of the course he did well, except for running around a jump, but I brought him back around and then we finished the course and got a Q.

Last was Colors. The course was super easy except for the poles. He did great with the first 5 obstacles, which were jump, jump, tunnel, jump, tire. But then he just basically ignored the weave poles. I almost got him through, but then he wouldn't do the last one, so I just tried to finish the course, but I guess he was stressed out because he skipped a couple of jumps. Oh well.

So it is becoming imperative that Spot learn weave poles at least at a basic level, or all I will be able to enter him in is Jackpot and Fullhouse and Jumpers!

Earthdog practice!

Today we had earthdog practice in Gardner. Of course, I was too tired to show up at 9, so I rolled in around 10:30. Thankfully a few other people arrived after me, but the early arrivals were a little peeved, I could tell.

First I tried Shelby in IQ. In the past, she hasn't wanted to go around the corner in the tunnel, so we started with a straight piece and she went in no problem. So then we just added the corner piece. She was hesitant, but when she backed out a little I gave her a little push and encouraged her to go back in, and she did. She was really working the rats well. She barked, dug and bit at the bars, which is great.

So then we added another piece to the tunnel, and she went in and hesitated just a second and then went around the corner all on her own. We did that twice to make sure she was good with it. I'm very excited-I hope this is the breakthrough she needed. Hopefully we can practice again next Sunday if it doesn't get cancelled.

Spot was last. I actually took him to the IQ tunnel because we just needed to work on taking him out of the tunnel. So we took all the pieces out except for the end piece and had someone stand in the tunnel so he couldn't back out. He worked and I took him out, then put him right back in, and we did that about 5 times. Hopefully it reinforced that getting taken out means he gets to go again, not that the fun is over. We'll see what he does next week!

Courses from this weekend

Here are the courses from this weekend.

Standard level 2-Almost Qd-slightly over time.



We Qd in Level 3 Jumpers-our first level 3 Q!



We Qd in Colors level 2, finishing our Colors level 2. We did the circle course.



We did not Q in Jackpot due to a handling bobble on my part.



We did not Q in Snooker level 2 because Spot got distracted then back jumped a red.



In Wildcard level 2 we only got as far as jump 1 before Spot disengaged and I left the course.



We did not Q in Standard level 2 because we can't really do weaves yet, and Spot wasn't engaged in general. We left the course after he skipped a tunnel and A frame.



We did not Q in Fullhouse because we did not get enough points.

Gemini Dogs CPE Trial June 5-6, 2010

Well, I had high hopes for this trial held at our training center, but it didn't turn out very well. We got 2 Qs out of a possible 8. We came close on 2 more, but Spot showed some behavior I wasn't very happy with.

Saturday was miserable. The temperature was about 82 and sunny, but the humidity was also very high. It really sapped my energy, and I think Spot's too. I definitely didn't plan my courses too well. Plus, I was working every class and it was just too hectic. I didn't really have time to study the course maps.

First class was Fullhouse. If I recall correctly Spot broke his startline say, and then ran around jumps and we were over time. Next was Standard Level 2, which I knew Spot would have trouble with the weaves. He did the course well and I got him through the weaves with some effort, but we were 6 seconds over time, which meant 6 fault points, and you can only have 5 faults to Q. So 1 second faster and we would have made it. Next was Snooker. The 7 point obstacle was the A frame, which Spot likes, so I planned to do that twice, then the 3 tunnel. Spot got through the A frame the second time, took the next red, but then disengaged and was sniffing. When I called him, he back jumped the red, so that was the end of that. Last was Wildcard. We started, took 1 jump, then Spot disengaged and was sniffing and the judge gave us a majot fault, which I still don't really know why. She didn't really give me a chance to get him back in line. So when that happened I just left the ring and Spot followed me.

Sunday the weather was iffy. It was cooler, but it rained and there was a threat of thunderstorms all day. We started with Jackpot, and it rained. By the time we went, it had stopped, but everything was soaked. It was a non-traditional Jackpot where the gamble was a tunnel/A frame combo in any order, then a distance to a jump and table. Spot actually did really well, and was faster than expected so I had to fill time by having him take the A frame and tunnel a few times while I waited for the whistle. Once the whistle blew, I asked him to do the A frame, and then the tunnel, but when I released him from the A frame I didn't come out far enough and he turned around and went back up. I kept going, because I didn't hear a whistle, and we completed the rest of the gamble. Some people thought I got it because they didn't think Spot had actually come off the A frame, only turned around, but in the end we did not Q.

Next was Standard again. We started well, but then got the weaves and Spot didn't do them and we got a major fault, so I kept going, but then he skipped a tunnel, and then the A Frame, so I left the ring. After that was Colors, which we actually Qd in! The course I chose had fewer jumps and more tunnels so we could just keep on running as fast as possible. Spot actually listened and we had a good run. We came in second. The last class of the day was Jumpers level 3. This was a fast course as well, and the first 7 obstacles were the same as the Colors course we had just run, so I had high hopes. The course went well, except for one off course that was my fault. Spot took the near tunnel entrance rather than the out tunnel because I didn't cue fast enough. Really I should have been on the other side for that section. Other than that it went really well and we Qd and got 4th place.

So we were able to end on a high note, which was good. I really need to get Spot learning the weave poles, and also to go ahead and take jumps that are ahead of him.

Photos from Act Up Trial, May 15, 2010

Spot was entered in the Act Up CPE trial on May 15th at Canine Mastery in Seekonk.
We were entered in Fullhouse 2, Snooker 2, Colors 2 and Jumpers 3. We Q'd in Fullhouse and Colors. I'll give the full rundown later, but here are some photos! Spot looks so happy and shows great form. I love the A frame picture where he's looking over at me.

GBAEC Earthdog Trial, May 22-23, 2010

This weekend the GBAEC hosted its first trial of the 2010 season. Spot was entered in Master both days and I entered Shelby in IQ Sunday morning just for the heck of it.

On Saturday, Spot was in the first brace with Buzz, a border terrier. The walk up went well, they both hunted together and Spot found the scent line on the way up. When we got to the tunnel, both dogs were ranging around and Buzz marked first. Once Buzz was picked up, Spot ran over and marked. He barked twice and the judge said, that's a good mark, pick him up. I was really surprised because a lot of judges want the dog to mark for a while and be really vocal. Also, Spot didn't stay at the mark, he left to come to me and be picked up, which I think some judges would fail.

Buzz worked first and Spot had to honor. Buzz actually wouldn't go into the tunnel. Spot was good at honoring, just barking a little bit. When it was time for Spot to work he went right in and got to the rats in about 20 seconds. He worked like a champ, and when it was time to take him out, the judge removed the cover, which I wasn't expecting, so I wasn't quite ready. Of course, he backed up, and wouldn't come out. Instead he backed up all the way to the entrance! the judge said the whole run was perfect up until that point and he would have passed if he had come out.

On Sunday, Spot was in the third brace with Phoebe, a female fox terrier who already had her ME title, but was going for the EE title, which is Q'ing in ME and SE in the same day. The walk up went well, Spot was hanging back a little more than on Saturday. He likes to run ahead, then stop and look back, then come to me, then run ahead again. Judges generally like this when the dog checks in on his own. I did have to call him back to check the false den, which was no problem. When we got to the tunnel, Phoebe was checking out around where the rats were, while Spot was checking out the whole tunnel. Well, the cover to where the dog gets taken out was left off the tunnel, so Spot went in! There was a momentary panic as the rat steward ran to where the rats were to make sure Spot didn't get to them from the other side. He was actually at the exit and was stuck because it was barred. So I went over and let him out, and then he was able to mark and did a nice job. He was a little noisy on the honor, getting excited when Phoebe was vocal, but not too bad.

Then Spot got to work the tunnel. He went right in and came out the exit, turned around and got to the rats. He worked the rats for 90 seconds, barking and digging, and then it was time to take him out. This time I opened the cover, and he backed up, but then came forward again and I was able to grab his scruff. I praised him a bit and let him work for a second, and the judge was telling me to get him out because I was running out of time. So I pulled him out, and we Q'd! So now we just need 1 more leg.

Shelby was entered in IQ on Sunday. I just wanted to see what she would do. I went in and I put her down and he nose picked up the scent right away. She followed it right to the tunnel and stuck her head in and then went in. I was optimistic, but then she came back out. She was scenting around, obviously interested, but not wanting to go in the dark tunnel. I went up and encouraged her, and she went in again, but even with the judge rattling the cage, she wouldn't go all the way. That's ok, I was encouraged that she followed the scent in. We just need to work on the corner.

Spot shines at Bo Gee CPE trial

On Saturday, Spot was entered in the Bo Gee CPE trial in Deerfield, NH. He was entered in Jumpers, Snooker, Jackpot and FullHouse. He Qd in all 4, got 51 points in Snooker, 2 first places, and 1 second place. It was a great day!

Jumpers was first, and of course Spot was excited. He was fast off the start, but held his stay while I lead out. The course was pretty easy. Spot had a couple of jumps he ran around, but I was able to call him back and we finished the course under time. However, we were the slowest, so we got a Q but didn't place. Ok with me!

Next was Snooker. This was an awesome course because the 7 obstacle was a tunnel. So I did the 7 tunnel 3 times, and we finished the entire closing, earning 51 points out of a possible 51, getting a Q and first place. It was a thing of beauty if I do say so myself. I really planned well, calling him out of the tunnel each time, and calling him around the jumps so his turns would be tighter. He listened to me, did a great contact on the dog walk, did the tire twice correctly, and the only bobble was coming out of the 7 tunnel in the closing, I didn't get ahead enough and we almost collided on the way to the table. I need to check the scores once they are posted to see how many others were able to get 51 points. :-)

Then came Jackpot. It was a standard Jackpot, with the gamble being jump, tunnel, jump, table. There was a tunnel under the dog walk, and that was worth 7 points the first time, so I took advantage of that. I started with a single jump, then the double, then the tunnel once and then back again, then another jump, then the 7 point tunnel, then a 5 point combo, then the tunnel under the dog walk again. Then the whistle for the gamble blew, and we were in a great position for me to send away to the jump, then the tunnel, then I called him towards me out of the tunnel so I could send away to the second jump and then the table.

Last class of the day for us was Full House. It was pretty hot by then, so I wanted to make it as easy as possible for Spot, and planned a course with a lot of tunnels. There were 3 tunnels on the course and I did 2 of them twice. Also, there was supposed to be a triple as a joker, but they just used the double instead, so I used that instead of the A frame or dog walk. I did a single jump, then a tunnel twice, then the double as my joker, then another tunnel twice, then three single jumps, then a tunnel again, and then one more jump as I headed to the table. We ended up with 25 points, which is enough for level 4,5 C, so I consider that a success!

Overall the day was a huge success. I don't know if it's because Spot is so bomb-proof that nothing bothers him, or that I have more experience and can keep my head on course, but we are doing really well. Spot loves doing agility, but he's not so hyped up while he's waiting that he loses his edge. He's ok if we have to wait a little bit, and he's ok if I don't have food. He's happy just being with me and getting attention. I hope that he stays healthy and we can play agility for a couple more years.

Opening the Gardner site for GBAEC

Today we opened up the Gardner Fish and Game Club site for earthdog season. I seriously did not want to get up and get there this morning. It was rainy and cold, only 40 degrees. I didn't bring the dogs because I figured I would be dying to get out of there ASAP because I wasn't expecting too many workers to attend.

It actually wasn't that bad. There were about 20 people there to help, and the work went quickly. I helped put in Master and then finessed Junior. It only took about 90 minutes. Then I stayed and helped train Senior.

In hindsight, I should have at least taken Spot. He doesn't like to get wet, but it wasn't raining too hard and I think he would have enjoyed it. I was worried we would have to wait around to do training, but that went fast too.

Oh well. Next training day is in a couple of weeks, so I'm hoping the weather will be better.

Spot Was an A** Last Night

Spot had agility class last night and was a total jerk. So much so that I was tempted to just leave, except I didn't want to waste the money.

We were warming up and everything was ok, and then he pooped. He tried to poop on the A Frame, but thankfully I caught him in time. That alone is not such a big deal-poop happens.

But all night he was sniffing the floor, pulling on the leash, and not paying attention to me at all. We did a jump grid and he would not get set up. He just kept running around. We were trying to work ow weave poles and he kept going over to the teeter instead. If Shelby had been there I would have put Spot away and worked Shelby instead.

At the end of the night we ran a course and that actually went well.

Bo Gee Trial at American K9 Country

On Friday, I took the day off and entered Spot in the Bo Gee trial at American K9 Country in Amherst, NH. There were 2 classes offered: Jumpers and Jackpot. Spot was entered in level 2 Jumpers and level 1 Jackpot.

Due to some crazy circumstances, I got really lost on the way there and was late, but thankfully there were running Jumpers tall to small, and level 345C, then 1-2. So we had a little bit of time to walk around before I walked the course and got Spot ready. He was a little crazy, so I wasn't sure how we would do.

The jumpers course opened with 3 jumps in a row, then a left turn to a double, 2 jumps, then a tunnel. Then 2 jumps to another tunnel, 2 more jumps and ending with a tunnel. I was able to lead out to the 3rd jump, but then Spot ignored jump 4 and decided to go exploring! I called him back, and did a rear cross between 5 and 6 to the tunnel, then he did fine with the next 2 jumps and the tunnel. I did a landing side front cross after jump 11, calling his name while he was in the tunnel, and it worked well to get him headed in the right direction coming out of the tunnel. Then it was easy 2 jumps and ending with the tunnel. Spot Qd and got 1st place!

Then luckily, Jackpot was all levels together, small to big. So we had time to cool down, I put Spot back in the car while they changed the course, and then the briefing. It was a non-traditional jackpot, so people had a ton of questions. The jackpot was a 2-part combination. You had to do jump/tunnel on one side, then the same thing on the other side. You had a choice of distance lines. The first line had both the jump and tunnel behind it, and that was worth 20 points. The second line only had the tunnel behind it and was worth 15 points. You could do the jackpot at any time during your run and didn't have to do them consecutively.

Spot needed 32 points to qualify. My plan was jump, A frame, double, dogwalk, jump, jump, jackpot 1, jump, jackpot 2 (for 15 points), then table. Spot ended up missing on of the jumps after the 1st half of the jackpot, so I added a tire at the end for 3points. We Qd with 35 points and got 1st place!

Overall it turned into a good day, even though it started out horribly. Spot just needs 1 level 1 snooker to finish his level 1 title!