Last weekend Spot and Shelby were entered in the Gemini Dogs CPE trial. I like trialing here because this is where we train, and they have a chain link fence with gates, so I can close them for Shelby and be sure there will be no problems. The August trial is traditionally miserable weather, and this year was no exception. Saturday actually wasn't too bad. It was overcast, but then got really humid and warm around noon, then started raining about 3pm. The Sunday trial was cancelled due to the hurricane, which bummed me out because I lost about $75...
Shelby was entered in all 4 classes, Spot only in Standard and Wildcard. The day started with Fullhouse. I had a good plan and it was going well when for some reason Shelby decided not to take the tunnel, but instead to run around it a couple times. Of course by doing that we ran out of time so no Q.
Then it was Standard level 2 for both dogs. Spot was first. It was a doable course, but we only got about 3 obstacles in. He took 2 jumps and the dogwalk, then went in the tunnel and wouldn't come out. While I was doing the walk through, I had a friend hold him, since we were the first dog on the line. That's when it started to get hot, and I think he got a bit heated and needed the shade of the tunnel. Shelby was next and I was super pleased by her performance. She really gave me full attention and we ran well under time for a Q and first place.
Next was Wildcard. Spot and Shelby were both entered in level 3. One of the wildcards was a set of weave poles vs a double, then there was another set of poles, so I decided to take the double with both dogs. Spot went first and he was much better, since the sun had gone in again at this point. However, we had an off course and then he couldn't get through the weave poles, so no Q. Shelby was a little nervous as we were setting up, so I wasn't sure if she would perform well. I kept eye contact with her pretty much the whole time, and tried to cue 2-3 obstacles ahead and she did very well. I thought we Q'd until I saw the scores and we had a major fault, which I think must have been a dropped bar at the double.
Finally was Snooker for Shelby. By this point it was raining pretty hard. My parking area had flooded with about 2 inches of water, so I had put the dogs in the car. I had a pretty good plan, needing the do the closing through #5 to Q. We were doing pretty well until we hit the weaves at #4, then Shelby smelled something and started digging in the grass, then started rolling around. Everyone got a kick out of it, except me, since we blew our time and didn't get a Q after waiting around and getting soaked.
So we only had 1 Q for the day, but two others were really close for Shelby. Even though he didn't Q, I was pleased with Spot's performance because he did the A frame and the dog walk no problem, so I don't think there are any issues from his tumble last week.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
American K9 Country CPE Trial, August 19-20, 2011
This weekend Spot and I went to a CPE trial at American K9 Country in Amherst, NH. The judge was Denielle Stasa.
I like this venue pretty well. It is indoors with padded footing, the equipment is nice, and there is a good amount of room. I can't really trial Shelby there though because the way the ring is, there isn't room to set up a gate chute, so I wouldn't risk it at this point.
Spot was entered in Snooker 4, Jumpers 4, and Fullhouse 4 on Friday, and Snooker 4, Fullhouse 4, Jackpot 4, Standard 2 and Wildcard 3 on Saturday. We ended up scratching Standard 2 and Fullhouse on Sat.
Friday started out with Jumpers. Spot was very energetic and did some extra running which resulted in 2 off courses, then he skipped the tire, but we just kept going since I knew we weren't going to Q anyway. Next was Snooker 4. This course didn't have any weaves, which was awesome for us, however the A frame was the 7 and while I could have gone for it, Spot has some issues with the A frame now that he is 13 years old, so I decided not to risk it. I had a plan the just included the A frame once. I guess Spot didn't like the plan, because he first went to the table in the middle of the run, then I got him back, but he left the ring...see the video.
I didn't have super high hopes for Fullhouse at this point, but we continued on. I made a plan that was a lot of tunnels and jumps and the A frame one time. I was going pretty well until the end, when Spot was on the A frame. He was near the top and I was ahead of him and he tried to go too fast off the A frame and took a tumble, rolling over on the floor. He got right back up, and we did a tunnel and a jump and finished the course. I checked him over, and he didn't seem sore, so I figured I would just keep a better eye on his A frame performance on Saturday.
Saturday I brought Shelby with us for the day, even though she wasn't running. It was a hot day and I set up my tent outside rather than inside because the crate room was open only to competing dogs. Saturday started with Snooker. This was a tough course for us because the weaves were #4, so I had to figure out how to get enough points, yet not do the A frame multiple times. I decided to run a course that would get us enough points if we could finish the poles, and we did, so we got a Q. Spot did the A frame with no problem, so I figured we were good.
Wildcard 3 was next. It was a very do-able course. The first choice was the A frame or a tunnel, and I was going for the A frame. Spot ran around it, and then didn't want to retry it, so I had to do the tunnel. We kept going but used a lot of time at the poles. Then on the up part of the dogwalk, Spot was very tentative, and I'm not sure why. The buzzer rang while we were on the dogwalk so we ran out of time on that one.
Jackpot was next. Again, a very do-able course. I planned to do all jumps and tunnels, no contacts. Spot got set up and we started, but his heart wasn't in it. He was running so slow. It was more like walking. We ran out of time halfway through the gamble, so no Q there. Then I decided to make it a day and we scratched Standard and Fullhouse.
Looking back, I'm still not sure if he was just tired, if he was sore, if he could tell I was in pain from my back...but he seems to be acting normally now, jumping on the furniture, etc. We have a trial this weekend where I am running Shelby in everything and Spot in 2 classes per day, so we'll see how he is there. It would really be too bad if Spot's agility career were over...especially with Nationals in New York next year.
I like this venue pretty well. It is indoors with padded footing, the equipment is nice, and there is a good amount of room. I can't really trial Shelby there though because the way the ring is, there isn't room to set up a gate chute, so I wouldn't risk it at this point.
Spot was entered in Snooker 4, Jumpers 4, and Fullhouse 4 on Friday, and Snooker 4, Fullhouse 4, Jackpot 4, Standard 2 and Wildcard 3 on Saturday. We ended up scratching Standard 2 and Fullhouse on Sat.
Friday started out with Jumpers. Spot was very energetic and did some extra running which resulted in 2 off courses, then he skipped the tire, but we just kept going since I knew we weren't going to Q anyway. Next was Snooker 4. This course didn't have any weaves, which was awesome for us, however the A frame was the 7 and while I could have gone for it, Spot has some issues with the A frame now that he is 13 years old, so I decided not to risk it. I had a plan the just included the A frame once. I guess Spot didn't like the plan, because he first went to the table in the middle of the run, then I got him back, but he left the ring...see the video.
I didn't have super high hopes for Fullhouse at this point, but we continued on. I made a plan that was a lot of tunnels and jumps and the A frame one time. I was going pretty well until the end, when Spot was on the A frame. He was near the top and I was ahead of him and he tried to go too fast off the A frame and took a tumble, rolling over on the floor. He got right back up, and we did a tunnel and a jump and finished the course. I checked him over, and he didn't seem sore, so I figured I would just keep a better eye on his A frame performance on Saturday.
Saturday I brought Shelby with us for the day, even though she wasn't running. It was a hot day and I set up my tent outside rather than inside because the crate room was open only to competing dogs. Saturday started with Snooker. This was a tough course for us because the weaves were #4, so I had to figure out how to get enough points, yet not do the A frame multiple times. I decided to run a course that would get us enough points if we could finish the poles, and we did, so we got a Q. Spot did the A frame with no problem, so I figured we were good.
Wildcard 3 was next. It was a very do-able course. The first choice was the A frame or a tunnel, and I was going for the A frame. Spot ran around it, and then didn't want to retry it, so I had to do the tunnel. We kept going but used a lot of time at the poles. Then on the up part of the dogwalk, Spot was very tentative, and I'm not sure why. The buzzer rang while we were on the dogwalk so we ran out of time on that one.
Jackpot was next. Again, a very do-able course. I planned to do all jumps and tunnels, no contacts. Spot got set up and we started, but his heart wasn't in it. He was running so slow. It was more like walking. We ran out of time halfway through the gamble, so no Q there. Then I decided to make it a day and we scratched Standard and Fullhouse.
Looking back, I'm still not sure if he was just tired, if he was sore, if he could tell I was in pain from my back...but he seems to be acting normally now, jumping on the furniture, etc. We have a trial this weekend where I am running Shelby in everything and Spot in 2 classes per day, so we'll see how he is there. It would really be too bad if Spot's agility career were over...especially with Nationals in New York next year.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
A New Year
Wow, I can't believe it's been six months since I posted!
We've been very busy with Agility and Earthdog.
Spot has been working on the last leg for his Master Earthdog title, but we weren't able to get it this season. He has a problem in that he likes to back up when it is time to take him out of the tunnel. So we will work on that this Spring. Also, his mark could be better, so we'll work on that too. Spot will be 13 in July, and I am starting to see he is looking older. He still has energy and loves to work, which is good. And earthdog isn't too taxing, so I hope he can compete for a many more years.
We've also been working on agility. Spot is in level 3 in everything except Standard, because he can't weave yet. So we are working on that. We recently tried using a target at the end of the weaves, because he understands this concept from the jump grid work we did. He seemed to pick it up really quickly and we have been practicing a little bit each night. I entered him in Standard level 2 in a trial in February, so hopefully we will be ready!
Shelby has also been practicing agility. She competed in early Sept in Vermont at Muddy Paws. My instructor suggested it because the ring is in a barn and we were able to close the doors so no other dogs would be around. Shelby was nervous, and very alert to other dogs, so we worked on that. She was happy to do agility, but did disconnect to go check the doors to see if other dogs were around. I hoping to enter her in the next trial at Gemini, since we can close the gate during her runs. We'll see. I wish I could trial with her, because she is really skilled and it is fun for me, but I don't want to stress her out.
We've been very busy with Agility and Earthdog.
Spot has been working on the last leg for his Master Earthdog title, but we weren't able to get it this season. He has a problem in that he likes to back up when it is time to take him out of the tunnel. So we will work on that this Spring. Also, his mark could be better, so we'll work on that too. Spot will be 13 in July, and I am starting to see he is looking older. He still has energy and loves to work, which is good. And earthdog isn't too taxing, so I hope he can compete for a many more years.
We've also been working on agility. Spot is in level 3 in everything except Standard, because he can't weave yet. So we are working on that. We recently tried using a target at the end of the weaves, because he understands this concept from the jump grid work we did. He seemed to pick it up really quickly and we have been practicing a little bit each night. I entered him in Standard level 2 in a trial in February, so hopefully we will be ready!
Shelby has also been practicing agility. She competed in early Sept in Vermont at Muddy Paws. My instructor suggested it because the ring is in a barn and we were able to close the doors so no other dogs would be around. Shelby was nervous, and very alert to other dogs, so we worked on that. She was happy to do agility, but did disconnect to go check the doors to see if other dogs were around. I hoping to enter her in the next trial at Gemini, since we can close the gate during her runs. We'll see. I wish I could trial with her, because she is really skilled and it is fun for me, but I don't want to stress her out.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
A Busy Weekend
This weekend was all about the dogs. On Saturday we were at All Dog's Gym for a CPE agility trial and Sunday we went to a New England Terrier Club earthdog fun day.
On Sat, Spot was entered in Snooker level 2, Fullhouse level 3 and Wildcard level 2. Snooker was first. It was a pretty easy course. The 7 obstacle was a combo of a jump and a tunnel. My plan was to do 7 twice and 6 once in the opening. It started out red, 7, but Spot ran around the jump part of the 7 obstacle, so I had to call him back, but then he took the next red, and then 6 jump, then a red, and then the 7 combo. The 2 obstacle was the tunnel, which was bidirectional in the opening and the closing, but the way we did it, Spot took the tunnel as part of 7, then I had him turn around and go back in, which worked fine. The closing was a big circle, so the flow was really nice, and we were able to run fast, which Spot likes. We got 50 points and first place. One question that came up for me (when scribing Snooker 3, 4, 5, C) was that people faulted the combo color, but just got a zero and were able to keep going. In May at the Act Up trial, I did the same thing but got whistled off...which I think was incorrect.
Next was Fullhouse. It was all levels together. Spot does better with contacts, but contacts take longer to complete, so it definitely was something I had to keep in mind when planning our course. Generally I like to do back to back tunnels when possible, and in this case there were 2 chances to do that, but I realized we could get the same number of points faster by doing the tire back to back, so that's what we did. The course was jump to the A frame, which I led out to, then 2 jumps, which Spot ran around the second one, so I called him back. In hindsight, I should have kept going, just for timing sake. Then I did a tunnel back to back, a front cross to the dog walk, then the tire 2x and a jump, and then we headed to the table and the buzzer sounded just as we hit the table, so I timed it pretty good. We got 26 points, and first place. Although Spot scared me at the start of this run! We walked in to get set up and as we approached the jump, Spot decided to take it while still on leash, and I ended up jerking him back in mid-air and he knocked over the jump. Thankfully he was fine. I guess he was just wanting to do some obstacles!
Then we had to wait a while for Standard to run. We didn't enter because Spot can't do poles yet. The last class of the day was Wildcard. We needed 2 As and 1 B. The first choice was the A frame (B) or the tunnel (A). The second choice was the tire (A) or the double (B) and the final choice was a jump (A) or the weaves (B). We chose the A frame, the tire, and the jump. I lead out to the A frame, and it went really well until the last two jumps, which Spot ran around and I had to call him back. We Q'd and got third place.
On Sunday, we went to the New England Terrier Club earthdog fun day. Spot ran Master and Shelby did IQ. Spot did well in ME, except for removing him (again). He backed up, but then came back and I was able to open the cover and praise him a bit, and then he was actually ready to come out. Shelby did IQ, and I was disappointed, because we took a step back and just did the short straight tunnel. She worked the rats, but not as well as she did at the Gardner practice. So I don't think I'll enter her at Brimfield.
On Sat, Spot was entered in Snooker level 2, Fullhouse level 3 and Wildcard level 2. Snooker was first. It was a pretty easy course. The 7 obstacle was a combo of a jump and a tunnel. My plan was to do 7 twice and 6 once in the opening. It started out red, 7, but Spot ran around the jump part of the 7 obstacle, so I had to call him back, but then he took the next red, and then 6 jump, then a red, and then the 7 combo. The 2 obstacle was the tunnel, which was bidirectional in the opening and the closing, but the way we did it, Spot took the tunnel as part of 7, then I had him turn around and go back in, which worked fine. The closing was a big circle, so the flow was really nice, and we were able to run fast, which Spot likes. We got 50 points and first place. One question that came up for me (when scribing Snooker 3, 4, 5, C) was that people faulted the combo color, but just got a zero and were able to keep going. In May at the Act Up trial, I did the same thing but got whistled off...which I think was incorrect.
Next was Fullhouse. It was all levels together. Spot does better with contacts, but contacts take longer to complete, so it definitely was something I had to keep in mind when planning our course. Generally I like to do back to back tunnels when possible, and in this case there were 2 chances to do that, but I realized we could get the same number of points faster by doing the tire back to back, so that's what we did. The course was jump to the A frame, which I led out to, then 2 jumps, which Spot ran around the second one, so I called him back. In hindsight, I should have kept going, just for timing sake. Then I did a tunnel back to back, a front cross to the dog walk, then the tire 2x and a jump, and then we headed to the table and the buzzer sounded just as we hit the table, so I timed it pretty good. We got 26 points, and first place. Although Spot scared me at the start of this run! We walked in to get set up and as we approached the jump, Spot decided to take it while still on leash, and I ended up jerking him back in mid-air and he knocked over the jump. Thankfully he was fine. I guess he was just wanting to do some obstacles!
Then we had to wait a while for Standard to run. We didn't enter because Spot can't do poles yet. The last class of the day was Wildcard. We needed 2 As and 1 B. The first choice was the A frame (B) or the tunnel (A). The second choice was the tire (A) or the double (B) and the final choice was a jump (A) or the weaves (B). We chose the A frame, the tire, and the jump. I lead out to the A frame, and it went really well until the last two jumps, which Spot ran around and I had to call him back. We Q'd and got third place.
On Sunday, we went to the New England Terrier Club earthdog fun day. Spot ran Master and Shelby did IQ. Spot did well in ME, except for removing him (again). He backed up, but then came back and I was able to open the cover and praise him a bit, and then he was actually ready to come out. Shelby did IQ, and I was disappointed, because we took a step back and just did the short straight tunnel. She worked the rats, but not as well as she did at the Gardner practice. So I don't think I'll enter her at Brimfield.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
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!
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!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
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!
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!
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, May 24, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
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.
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