Surviving the Wasteland

AKC show over the Memorial weekend. I worked really REALLY hard at not thinking about the fact that we are in a QQ wasteland (and remain there still, hint hint). I worked really REALLY hard at dismissing the NQing runs and recovering positively.  Since I got a lot of practice in over three days I can say it is all getting easier.

In fact, I held on to a pretty nice mental state all weekend.  Despite the fact that tempers ran hotter in correlation with the temperature, I did not let crabby people ruin my fun.  (Seriously though- SIDE NOTE- what the heck? Dog show equals dogs which equals some amount of barking. Stop giving my Pup the evil eye! She didn’t even display her full lung capacity. You got off EASY! And please don’t further suggest I move her outside when it’s either a tornado watch or 90 plus degrees.  I’d have had a quiet corner for her if there weren’t so many saved spots for people who didn’t even come until Monday. True fact! Side note done.)  I turned it around and just decided to make it all about me and my little Dog.

Let it be known that while we are in a QQ wasteland, I’m ridiculously happy with how she is running.  I’d be an idiot to be any less than pleased at this point.  Her jumping was very good. Back at 20” she is making nice choices about her take off points and I’m making better choices about motion and location.  I decidedly spent zero time worrying about ‘supporting jumps’ and instead focused on just handling regularly.  Clearly, something is working. No bars!

Other fun results- I tried a new (to me) concept for walking courses. Usually, I walk lines and try to handle in the way that gets the most efficient A to B line.  And then I find the challenging points and figure out the multitude of survival plans so my backups have backups. These methods have been leaving me horribly disengaged from the average AKC course for a lot of reasons.  And also, left me working WAY too hard.  Basically I have been trying to get places to collect when I don’t really need it, and in doing so was not always  ‘there’ to cue the true collections points.  So my new challenge to myself was to walk and then find the true collection points. Imagine my surprise when I found one or two ONLY per course. WOW.  So I worked on being at those points and relied on my motion and location for the rest. And wouldn’t you know- brilliant! And because we had an excellent balance going on, she was super tight- even at the times when I felt like I was letting her shoot clear across the ring. She went, but no further than necessary. And no hesitation!  Ahhhhh…synchronicity! It was awesome, totally enabling me to get downstream. I only felt unintentionally behind once all weekend.

AND (the best bit comes now). After struggling on start lines for what feels like years (oh, wait, it HAS been years), we may have found something that works to get Squishy Start line Dog up to full speed before hitting the timers.  She was boiling hot and looking dead on Sunday before our last run, and since it was FAST I decided it wouldn’t hurt to try something to wake her up a little. We went on course; I put her in a stay, moved ten feet behind her (she said WHAT?? Ok I am awake now!) then took off without her, eventually releasing when I was well into the course. She approved. Highly.  I employed this maneuver Monday and she was so intrigued she forgot to squish in her desire to race. So grateful to our friend who has been using this start line for giving me the idea!  

I put many of our runs in here to mostly show the difference between the old and new start lines.  Typically, starting with JWW bums her out to no end. Especially on Day Three. ESPECIALLY when there are no tunnels in JWW on Day Three. But the third day, no tunnel JWW course was her absolute best run of the weekend and her time really reflected it.  In general, in fact, she was much a Dog on Fire for her runs. And really, the NQs were so WEIRD that I’m not worried. Next time.  I feel the edge of the wasteland nearing. 

***

Pupdate- nothing to report. Pup sad. AKC hates Frankenpup and the people were readying their torches and pitchforks.  Pup, much like the original Franken Monster, only wanted to get out a little bit but NOT to eat anyone.  She was just a smidge unhappy being crated SO CLOSE to a tunnel, but never being able to take it.  Actually, I’m not sure WHY but she definitely was pretty high anxiety. I can guess that she was sad about not playing, or wanted the tunnel, or was bugged by all the traffic in front of her crate.  But who knows. All I know is that I left her home yesterday, but now she is sick and I really think she is sick from anxiety- too much stress.  From the being there, or being left though?  Not sure what to do with her now.  Snuggles sound like a good idea. 

More media seems required, I've been QUITE lazy with that recently. 

Dog park the other day (after I finished my 5k- without stopping! I am totally awesomeness. The dogs were unimpressed since they ran a marathon from lake to lake at the park that day. Pfff.). The Pup swims next to The Dog like a baby dolphin. Cutest. Swimmer. EVER. 

***

The Dog's butt AFTER the dog park. POOF.

Yes Dog, that fur DOES make your butt look big. 

***

Koi fish trying to eat my pal at the tattoo parlor! Ok, so they SAID they are friendly and want pats, but do they have to swarm like that??

***

And my new little tattoo. 

Yes, it's in Kryptonian. 

Yes, that is the language of Superman's home planet.

Yes. I am a nerd. 

Grin and Bear it

Because really, what else can you do?

***

Trial last weekend, filled with lots of successes though most won’t be reported to the AKC.

And that’s ok.

***

My goals for the weekend were to:

Focus on the process NOT the outcome

Work to mentally rehearse the look AND feel of each run before hand (this is harder than you’d think!)

Control my “self-talk”

Play within our skill set which includes trusting the skill set we do have

Find a routine that I can apply before and after every run and, well, apply it.

***

Yes, if it sounds like I’ve been reading self-help books, I sort of did.  After I read Blink (which was AWESOME) I decided to read With Winning in Mind because the former frequently referenced the latter and, as mentioned, I had decided that mental management was probably a necessary step.

WWiM turned out to be pretty awesome also, and not TOO self-helpy so I didn’t feel completely sad and desperate.  Lots of very thought-provoking ideas in there.  I recognized some things that I had been doing that were working against me, so now have decided it is no longer “like me” to do them. Take THAT, stupid limiting self-image! I’ll teach YOU to be lame and keep me at some bogus ‘comfort level.’

Or something like that.

Is it bad to yell at your self-image? He didn’t directly address that.

***

Anyways, so based on my goals it was a great, successful weekend.  It really did help to try and mentally run through the feel of the run in advance.  I found that I held to my plan much better than before.  I also was WAY better about focusing on the process before, during and after- each maneuver, each obstacle, each course matters, not the outcome.   Again, it helped me stick to my plan better and forced me to consider the skill set item more carefully. As a result, I think we did a great job in working our strengths.  And for me, a big ‘win’- I did not make the same mistake twice. Hooray for learning and adapting!!

I found a few things that we are calling ‘successes in process’ i.e. things to improve with a plan already in place.  While overall the ‘routine’ worked well (happy happy Startline Dog!), I’m still searching for a solution to the issue of waking The Dog up before the first JWW run when she is first dog.  My idea is to wake us up REALLY early and go for a run those days.  Since I probably can’t give her 5 Hour Energy. 

And I’m working on the ‘self-talk.’ I will be better next time.

***

Overall, I have to say The Dog looked amazing. She was feeling SO much better after her adjustments and moving really nice. Her jumping was back to effortless and her extension was FULL. This was probably the best and most consistent jumping I’ve seen of her in a show.  To think it will only get better!  She was really fun to run on those courses, very challenging and interesting standard set-ups. Her attention to my motion and location cues was tested pretty heavily and she read every line I put her on perfectly AND is really nailing the decel/front cross cues now.  Lastly, glowing over her perfect contacts. Last DW was a tough push into space with a 90 degree turn following and she ran off and responded so well. Glowing!!

***

The Pup ran as well- possibly her last show for the summer. We'll see. I pulled her from the next trial and am still debating the memorial weekend three day, then she isn't entered after that.  

While her first run was filled with social calls, she came back and had REALLY good focus for the other three runs.  She waited on the table!! And the teeter!! And maintained all her other good behaviors!! So much improved.  She even got a standard Q!

However- she is clearly a baby still. Her brain needs more time to bake. I don’t want to run the risk of rehearsing the unwanted or shutting her down because I have to get on her about the one naughty thing that continued- trying to leave the ring at the end to get her cookies!! Naughty ring-wise Pup!! I noticed for her second, third and fourth runs that although her focus was awesome, she faded out on me a bit for the last few obstacles. By the last run I knew why- she was anticipating leaving and getting treats. WAY TOO SMART.  I did manage to catch her after the clean standard run, but she unfortunately vacated without me after a lovely JWW run, so NQ there! She NQ’d the other Standard run after running into me (blocking, even if it was her head crushing my leg!) because she stopped focusing at the last obstacle and I was in the way of the path to the treats. So we are planning to teach her to target the bucket (yes, worth the risk!). 

So we will take at least a month to work on that. Plus I will start classes with her again. Time for her to get to be ok with people in the ring. I think I’ve asked enough people to hop out when we run. So after we solve THOSE issues, we will worry about finding more. Whether this happens before the memorial day trial is up to The Pup!

Video!

***

Project Puppy Nephew is doing awesome as well. He is so much fun.  And I can’t believe how well he retains things- we can go a week or two without working something and he always comes back stronger! Latent Learning is his BFF. 

He has mastered:

Targeting with his paw

Back up

Here (which means he has to shove into my hand with his collar, since he didn’t like being held)

Tunnel (ruh-roh! A little TOO much!)

Table with an auto-down

Four feet in a box

2o2o

Four feet on

TUGGING!

RECALLS!

And has started:

Plank familiarization

Wobble boards

Perch work (starting to move back feet really well!

Front crosses

Circle work (he SO wants to herd me)

Falling in love with Marvin the MM

Cone work

Such a party with the Nephew!!

***

Oh, and my opening advice - grin and bear it!

Sometimes, it’s all you can do. Like when your glasses fall off during your fabulous run and you are blinded and send your dog in the wrong tunnel. Because you are blind.

And then everyone gives you duct tape to prevent this from happening again.

The best thing to do?

LAUGH, BECAUSE IT IS FUNNY!

But then get contacts. 

Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (A Star is Born???)

So glad I was sent a link to a clip of this obscure 70’s show last week.  Hilarious! But totally relevant. Since running agility with The Pup is totally like a cheesy crime-fighting duo of chicks battling villains. 

Our Arch Enemy…the TABLE! Dastardly scoundrel.

Now each week we will employ our top secret gadgetry against him in pursuit of justice, honor and a Standard Q.

***

Yes, The Pup had her debut.  If you missed it… you missed a great show! In true Pup fashion, she did it with flair, originality, and just a touch of amazing to ensure her continuing survival. 

First of all, I’d like to say to everyone who secretly rolled their eyes at my seemingly bizarre behavior before we ran…TOLD YOU SO!!!! Mwaahahaha! And YOU thought I was paranoid!

Ok, so while I had HOPED that my Pup would show her mad skillz and be a complete rockstar, I suspected that, having her first run ever in Standard, at the end of the day, in front of actual PEOPLE and around working DOGS would result in some theatrics.  My main worries were a friendly maiming and mauling of ring crew, picture takers and judges, running amuck and skirting attempts to secure her leash upon exit, general escaping, and chasing furballs.  In order to prevent any of the above I may have gone a bit (some might say) “overboard” by briefing ring crew, competitors and bystanders with a Pup Protocal and testing the integrity of the ring barriers.  So what if this meant I had people closing off the exits, ring crew hopping out of the ring or squishing themselves into little invisible balls?? AT LEAST NO ONE WAS HURT!!!!!

The judge was the only one who didn’t listen very well… and look what happened to HIM!

Lesson learned.  He was new; he was going to learn one day anyways, why not now?

NEVER LOOK AT THE PUP!! NEVER EVER!!!

***
She fulfilled every one of my worries into fruition in Standard. Furballs- chased. People- maimed. (And maybe smacked in the junk a little.) Amuck- run. Leash- Avoided.

Oh, wait, taking it back. SHE DIDN’T ESCAPE THE RING!  That’s why we tested for integrity, people.

WHY did this happen in Standard, you ask? Gee, aren’t you the one that works so hard on the weaves and contacts and table and yadda yadda? Yes, that’s me.  And we do. But, what I hadn’t foreseen was that a five second wait is ETERNITY to a Pup who loves people and wants to see people and ooo, look, a person! Walking over and talking- must want a friend??? Well, she nearly made it to “go.” Sigh.  Pups require constant motion, apparently. Even though the table has been our #1 friend since she was 9 weeks old, the count is simply too long and boring when there are friends to be made.  And when I just stand there.  Perhaps I needed to use some Electra Woman moves to keep her attention. 

***

At any rate, she did a lot of good things.  AWESOME start lines.  NICE contacts, though adrenaline put her departures a bit higher than normal. HOORAY WEAVING. Jumping and response to handling was good too.  And of course, she was the Angel of Attentiveness is JWW.  Perfect little girl.  She is always sure to throw me those bones.

So for next time. DON’T LOOK AT THE PUP!

Or maybe we will train that little issue.

***

The Dog had a Weekend of Sadness.  Q in the first class, where she took awhile to get into the run, Q in the last where she tried her butt off but was more careful than I’ve ever known her to be.  In between…ugh. Sadness.  I thought she was being particular at first, then stressed, but after a whole weekend of signs I have settled on sore.  The weekend before we had a HUGE practice outside and I think that did her in.  So we are resting now. Chiro next week. Then she gets to be my running partner because I think she just needs real exercise.  I should put some video up in comparison of the last trial, but I don’t want much to look at it again. Once was enough to know I’m right in my diagnosis.

She did have this one dogwalk though…shazam.

We both liked that part the best.  

New Friends and New Habits

We have a new friend!

Well, The Dog hates him, but he’s family so she is stuck with him whether she likes it or not, but at least The Pup loves him! Er, well, sometimes. Just as long as there are no crates, toys, laps, or bully sticks around…

 

“Him” is The Dog’s bitty baby nephew. For our purposes he will be known as Chunk.  Because he was never really a bitty baby.  Kind of have to feel bad for his mom…

 

Anyways, he was super fat. Very substantial. You can see the size difference between him and The Pup.  She looks quite a bit twiggier than normal compared to his elephant stumps.

 

I did put these pictures on Facebook but not with any explanation. He isn’t mine! One Pup is enough and Chunk is enough for two more!

 

But due to sad circumstances, his planned home fell through and he will most likely stay with our friend, the breeder. She has her own puppy to worry about so I wanted to help out and be his friend. For now we are working on social skillz and turning on the brain. You know, because that’s what friends do? If it works out I will for sure do some obstacle work and possibly run him someday. He may end up really being a Big Boy (though after just a few weeks have already grown into his girth considerably) so that will be a fun challenge. 

 

He’s very cute. And even clever…for a boy… heheheh. I jest! He is very interesting to me in that he isn’t super food motivated but is into toys and tugging (super loud squealy tugging!).  Not the first dog like this, I know, but I’ve been using clickers so long that it’s fun to work out how to shape behaviors with toys again. Luckily he IS clever and has picked up on a few things very quickly. I’m already looking forward to trying Silvia’s method with him…

 

***

So I realize the timing of this is weird. Here I was just losing my grip because I had too much going on and now a new friend? Well, you can never have too many friends…right?

Really, I’m in a good groove now.  I settled on my path for the year and now everything has slotted into place. Suddenly I feel as though I have endless time again. A weekend off (and more to come) really helps too.  Once you realize you can watch 24 hours of sci-fy (and then do it…) you feel a lot of control again.  

We are in a really nice training groove going now too.  The girls each get two agility sessions a week. The Pup’s time is mostly dedicated to focusing throughout a whole course now, making sure that obstacle proficiency remains high. Why course work? BECAUSE SHE IS OFFICIALLY RUNNING IN A SHOW… IN 4 WEEKS!!! WOO! So excited. AKC debut, 3/31/12. Be there or you will miss a guaranteed spectacle. No, really, I entered her because I think she can do it. The last things she needs to learn all come from exposure to that environment so might as well dive in. So whether she will do it remains to be seen, but I don’t feel like I’m setting her up to fail.  She wants to play, she gets to play. Fun!

The Dog will be spending one night on coursework (in a class, a real class!) and one night on all the location cue/jumping homework we received from our private. On other nights we do a bit of collection work at home (and both girls work on tricks and conditioning most other days). 

The Pup proves that we do our tricks homework too!

One week alone has made a HUGE difference in her focus on course. I doubt it looks much different, but truly, I can feel it. There is a level of control and connection that I rarely have that is starting to come in.  I mean, she pulled off a jump last night! And it was totally what I cued! WOW!!! I can’t recall the last time I ran her a whole night and she did everything I cued. The bars were good too. I did run her at 26” and the bars that came down were before the tunnel. I think I’m doing something in those situations like anticipating the bar. Need to remember to drive through.  She will be running 26" starting the next show, which I am feeling pretty good about now!

We are also working on forbidden things like correcting mistakes and startlines. And not letting her circle at those times. She got circles in, but came back quickly (uh, for her) and was happy to go again. I even managed to squelch the circles a few times and she was still more than happy to go. She and I have some new habits to learn and it may take awhile to erase the old but at last I feel that this is the right direction!



Tired.

A) Exhausted.

B) Worn out.

C) Sleepy.

D) All of the above.

The correct answer is “D.”  I am so very all of those things right now.  I’m hoping it doesn’t also mean that I am (secret hidden answer E) burned out.  I might be. Not really sure.   What I am sure of (in a not so sure, non committal way) is that I’ve probably really overextended myself recently which usually leads to me being burned out.

I’m a lazy person.

I don’t handle a full schedule very well.

Where is the time for watching sci-fi and napping?

Those things are important for mental health.

What’s funny (in a not so funny way), is that I usually only get burned out over work.  Never dog stuff.  My old job was so consuming- it was always bleeding over into my personal life and I let it. Now I’ve got a job with reasonable demands and lots of support and the ability to have a personal life and I’ve gone and gotten consumed on the other end of the scale. Now I think about what to do at class and appointments for the dogs and training drills at work. Because there aren’t enough hours in the day to think and do otherwise. Sigh. All things in moderation (apparently is something I never thought of).

***

I kind of have this complex. When I was little my dad would tell me my eyes were bigger than my stomach. I always want to try everything which sounds good but in reality it just leads to barfing.

I get that what I actually should do is, you know, say no once in awhile.

Everything looks so good though.

So then I fill my plate.

Oops.

Now I pay for it.

What’s the mental version of barfing?

Being sleepy-

I am spewing incoherence.

***

What this actually means (in my attempt at cohesive thoughts) is that I probably can’t continue to focus both on two completely separate agility organizations, with completely different and conflicting aims in each, AND teach classes AND train two dogs AND work AND sleep. Forget about watching sci-fi, it just isn’t going to happen.

I look at my list and obviously, at this point, I need to work. And sleep. I can’t show and not train. I could train and not show, but I love showing and that’s kind of the point of training. I could not teach, but I love teaching, plus the extra money lets me show two dogs. So it kind of seems like the thing to do would be to pick either AKC or USDAA as the focus.

Good lord. It’s Sophie’s Choice.

***

I’m here though, because I don’t think we can be good in both right now. I cannot show every weekend and The Dog certainly cannot show every weekend. 

The Dog cannot be expected to flip around from 20” to 22” to 26”. I don’t know if I am ok with her jumping 26” in every show, especially if our trial load will increase this year.  I don’t think I can adjust that rapidly and frequently to the timing differences either.

We need to train, but again, she is a little dog, not a robot. She can’t train every day.

I feel that without some focus here, we are just going to be mediocre in everything.

Ick.

***

If it isn’t obvious, we didn’t do so hot at the trial this weekend. Rather, I didn’t. The Dog was good. I was just so tired and…unfocused (see?!?!).  I honestly can’t remember much about our runs. That says something, usually I remember everything. But here I barely paid any attention to her.  No matter how hard I tried to turn my brain on and get engaged, I just couldn’t get it jump started. I did dumb things; completely horrid timing on her jumping, so she took one bar in 3 of 4 runs.  All. My. Fault.  I realized what I was doing (finally) in our last run. First, I told her to wait on the teeter and took off. I got to my position and expected her to be there for a front cross with me… but no Dog. No Dog in the chute? Where is The Dog? Awesomely waiting on her teeter. Which I’d forgotten I’d been drilling but she didn’t. Then, I cued her to collect. Over the double. Off the dogwalk. Why? Because I wasn’t thinking. Just spewing incoherence.

I also figured out that I hate Jumpers. That’s a whole new bag of…worms? Is it a bag of worms? Is that really the phrase? That doesn’t sound right. Can? I don’t know. I’m so sleepy.

Someone tell me what to do.

K thanks!

A Sense of EnTITLEment

I have some thoughts:

It annoys me when Blogger doesn't work but I forgive them because they used the word 'widget' in their apologetic explanation,

Rain makes places where dogs go potty at a show smell really yucky,

Pineapple Upside Down Cake is my favorite cake AND my favorite drink. 

I actually like AKC now.  Dun dun DUNNNN! Shocking, right?

Here is what I like. AKC has removed the competitive aspects.  It's true- I doubt I'm saying anything controversial here. Yes, they have a National, and sponsor a highly sought after world team, but even at those events, they still prize consistency first.  I get here that it's really not about whether you win or lose, but seriously, how you play the game. When you go to run, it's 100% you and your dog against the course.  Because of this mentality, you get a far more accessible organization. I really do like this part too. If it's accessible, you get breed loyalty.  People can stick with their breed of choice and- in theory-have a great time running their dog and earning some titles. I think that when the competitive component is introduced, you get pressure to get a dog that can not just run, but win.

Don't misunderstand- I'm not saying any one breed is better for performance than any other, nothing is ever guaranteed. Just pointing out a common misconception. We have all seen slow BCs and amazingly fast representations of other less likely so-called 'agility dog breeds.' It really all comes down to the dog you get and how you TRAIN it. But still, there is perceived pressure and with pressure comes doubt and then things go downhill from there.

I might be wrong, but I ask how else one would explain the BC breakout in USDAA? There is an organization that holds the competitive spirit above all else. Right down to the structure of their Nationals, they hold dear the wildcard dog that can come in and take it all in one run.  I love this too. It's exciting! It's why I do USDAA and gives me reason to run to the limit every time. But I think it's at the cost of variety and breed loyalty and that makes me a little sad. Sad too, that it feels sometimes like people don't have faith in their breed and their own ability to train it to greatness.  But that's my opinion, like I said I always think it's down to the dog and handler. Confidence and all that.

But besides variety and breed loyalty and all that, there are other things that give me reason to do AKC more now. The environment is so...friendly.  I told a friend the other day that there was a supportive aspect- camaraderie. You forget what it is like to sit and watch fellow competitors and to hear cheering for run after run.  The level of niceness is very refreshing (so are the high levels of cake). I think this is something else USDAA has lost (plus there is almost never cake).

But what I don't like about an individual, title-driven mentality is that it is ALL about the Q. Or, the QQ actually.

Whenever I have downtime to observe at an AKC show it amazes me how much seems to ride on qualifying.  A beautiful first run often is dismissed as worthless after a mistake in the second run. Literally, I hear people saying to their dogs "well, we might as well have not even come today." What about the first run?? I saw it, it was lovely! Did you forget? Did you forget that your dog is only here for because you brought him? So, you're telling me you had no fun?? There really doesn't seem to be a lot of fun, on an individual level. Lots of disappointment and dogs without treats, but not much fun despite it all.

So here is some unsolicited advice.

I've learned a lot in the last year. It actually took starting AKC again to realize that I too was guilty of putting too much value on a Q- I was a Title Chaser.  When I started AKC again last summer, I looked around and saw myself- but to the next degree. I was shocked at what the pressure of title chasing did- let me just say, it's not good. Wrong mentality.  No fun. No treats for doggies.

One of the big reasons I started my little project was to hold myself accountable.  That means obsessing over running well, not over running clean. Running well means running as a team- having a good relationship with my dog. Having a good time. Getting smarter. I force myself every weekend to shed the conservative and abandon what is safe- not to buckle to the pressure of running clean but to run my girl in a daring way.

And you know what? It's working. She is running better than ever. And all those former main goals of running clean and getting titles? Just falling into place. A pleasant side effect of GOing for it.  No- every run is NOT clean.  I can honestly say some of her best runs have not been clean, but I was just as proud and praised her as though they were. And I can honestly say we are both having fun. Can you? I hope so. If not, consider this option-

It's NOT all about the Q. Or the QQ. Every run is a new opportunity for being great and seeing your dog do something amazing. Remember the best part, it IS you and your dog- together- against the course.  Let go and Let Dog, as they say. 

They say that, right?

As for my gorgeous girl- she blew me away in Standard (and finished a title!! hahaha). But before you call me hypocrite, I would have called her a genius even with a missed contact or a bar down. More to my point- the best part of my day was her recovery after a smashed bar in JWW. Bars still make her sad, but she bounced back and flew through the second half, nailing a tough exit line. Good girl. Doggie treats flowed like cake.

Gettin' Dirrty...

At Simon Arena!

Played AKC in the dirt this weekend with the girls. We had fun, challenging courses and nice, forgiving judges.

Black Dog ran really well for me, though she has officially accepted me and I have lost the grace period as a New Handler, meaning she will no longer wait at the start line. Darn.  She manged to finish her OA/OAJ anyways Saturday and got a nice first Q in ExA JWW today.

The Dog finished her AXJ on Saturday (no thanks to me and my missed walk through! Actually an amazing run considering I had to read the numbers...) and moved into "B" today where she also qualified... barely! The off course tunnel lured her like a Siren of the sea BOTH times she had to pass by.  The first time she actually stopped and looked at me in disbelief.  Clearly she contested the jump as the correct obstacle.  It was with begrudging steps that she came in for it eventually. The second time was hairy, but she was more amicable about the redirect.

She also had a very nice Standard run on Saturday with a qualifier.  I was surprised, as I walked the course and then decided it would be more fun to experiment with some new material than it would be to try and run clean.  So my goals were to mange the turn off the DW (since an off course jumped loomed in a straight line off the DW), and to try the weird backy-uppy blind wrap...thing. Move. Whatever.  I've run it in practice and the usual result yielded was a super tight wrap.  I thought the wrap back to the Aframe was an ideal place to give it a go, as yet another off course tunnel was set to draw to dogs out. 

Low and behold- it all worked! The wrap maneuver wasn't super tight, but she followed me and didn't take advantage of my back turned to dive into the tunnel. The DW part was also great- an amazing left turn to the correct jump. Very happy with this run, and I think she ended with the 6th best time in 20" too.

Here is the video from today's Standard class- no, not an instant replay, but both girls, just eerily similar. I missed their weave entries... yep, plural- same error with BOTH girls. Ga! Bad Leader! Oh well. Still a lot of good stuff. The Dog was really moving, so I will take that any day (especially since she started out Saturday a bit freaky). She finally swam the poles- YAY! And Black Dog held her contacts and managed the jumping portion in the beginning so well.

On this side of the weekend, NEXT weekend is practically here! We have THE SEMINAR next weekend! I am so excited for the opportunity to work with such an accomplished handler. I am hoping for good feedback and suggestions on improving some lingering issues. Still crossing fingers for magical solutions on the DW too! Yep, totally reasonable expectations. That's how we roll in Project Go Dog.