Christmas, Weight Loss, Upcoming trials!

I got this *awesome* caricature from my inlaws on Christas, thanks guys! And thanks to John LaFree for his great work! Also got Linda Mecklenburg's Developing Handling Skills from my mom. Started reading it and can't wait to start practicing!

I've been on a low-carb/lean eating diet for four weeks now. I did gain .4 last week due to some holiday "cheating", but am down 10.2 for the four weeks. I am thrilled! I still have 18.6 to go to my goal, which I'm not sure I can do by 3/5 like I want to (when we leave for Maui!), but I know I will still have some great progress. The best part is that I don't really feel like I'm dieting most of the time. Sure, it was obvious when I was trying to resist the oreo truffles my dad made on xmas eve (I did cave). But the rest of the time, it's been really easy. And I haven't been having food cravings which is awesome. I start jazzercise class on 1/3 which I'll be able to do for two months (thanks to Groupon!). I know jazzercise is cheesy, but I figure it will a) be great cardio and b) be good ankle rehab (ankle brace ON, thank you very much).

I realized this morning that BRAG's late August trial will be after the cutoff for qualifying for the 2011 Cynosport games. Darn. I am not planning on doing a whole lot of USDAA this year (or any venue really) since we are on a debt diet as well! So, it looks like my USDAA trials, within the qualifying period, will be:
BRAG in Jan - Starter/Adv + Steeplechase, so hopefully Panic will get a PSJ Q here
POAC in Feb - going up for one day to enter P3 std & PGP/PSJ.
BRAG in March - this will be while we're in Maui due to the trial moving to avoid L'ville AKC cluster. So, my mom will run her in PGP & PSJ.
CCDAC in May
BRAG in June (will have Team)
K9 Athletes in July (will have Team I assume)
BRAG all tourney July/August

So, I guess that's 6 chances at PSJ with me, and 5 chances at PGP with me, one more for each with my mom. Hopefully that's enough!

Counting down the days until the Jan USDAA trial, running Dex & Spry was such a blast at the most recent CPE one. Am crossing my fingers for maybe a standard leg out of each? That would finish Dude's AD!

LONG overdue post

Well I was so bummed out about my ankle I got into a funk, and no posts. Good news is the ankle is mostly better. My achilles is still a little tight, but running w/a brace I feel pretty darn good and comfortable doing FCs etc.

I took a few weeks off of class w/Spry because I didn't want to run her "funny", my ankle needed time to heal, and I didn't trust her not to bash into me while my weight was being supported by my bad ankle. But once I brought her back, WOW! Big changes. She and I are finally coming together as a team in class. She's keeping bars up, reading my decel cues, and doing MUCH better collecting in sequence. I need to remember she's not Panic, her collection isn't going to look the same.

We had our club's CPE Trial Dec 11-12. I had Panic in 2/day, Spry in 3/day, and dude man in 4/day. I wish I had entered Spry in more, but work (vending) has to come first! I also ran mom's dogs once a day. My ankle held up great, and the dogs did *really* well! Spry and Dexter qualified both days in Standard, so Spry moved up to L2 standard for Sunday w/teeter & weaves, both of which she does fine at. I think both days she was clean too, so no off courses or bars. Dexter did have an off course one day, but that's ok. He's still being a little too slow probably to Q in USDAA. When he runs he is fast, but he takes detours!

Our runs are here:
Dex's runs start here, and there are 8 of them.

Fullhouse was his best because I planned a nice short path w/enough points to Q, but didn't push it and stay out there longer for the "win". He was fast & happy. In his second standard class, he ran really nicely too, and even leapt the apex of the Aframe on the 2nd frame (no DW either day, just 2xAF).

Spry's are here, and there are 6 of them.

Her best ones were probably both of the standards. I think fullhouse was pretty good too. Her Jackpot run on Sun was a little nutso. Really the first run both days was a little crazy, but after those she didn't visit anyone!!!

Can't wait for the USDAA trial in Jan. I'm really hoping for some std legs, but will take whatever I can get :)

:(

I was *SO* freaking excited for the BRAG trial last weekend. It was a starters/advanced trial, and Spry has been doing SO well in class. I had 27 runs throughout the weekend w/Spry & Dex in Starters and Panic in P1. Snooker was 1st on Saturday, and both Dexter & Spry qualified with 44 points!!! Whoohoo baby dogs! Then, I was running outside to switch from Dex to Panic because I only had 3 dogs in between them, when I went *crunch*. I tripped and my left ankle caved under, and I was in tremendous pain.

I went to urgent care and there's no break or tear, just a sprain. Dr says I'll be back to normal w/in two weeks. We'll see! They wanted me to just use an air cast, but I'm sorry - I could NOT have put any pressure on it Sat or Sun!! So I borrowed some crutches, which has been TOUGH but helpful. As of today I am using the air cast for short distances, and supplementing w/crutches for longer distances. Drawing the alphabet in the air w/my toes, etc.

I was so mad at myself for doing something so STUPID on a weekend I was so excited for.

Others ran my dogs the rest of the weekend. Total tally:
Spry - starters snooker & relay legs
Dexter - Starters snooker & gamblers leg (and finished his Gamblers title, so on to advanced!)
Panic - P1 jumpers x2, standard, relay, gamblers leg, finished her P1 jumpers title

So not too bad considering I didn't run them, but boy I was hoping for a standard leg w/Spry! On Sat when my mom ran her, she actually only got two faults - one knocked bar, and one time jumping off of the table, which is pretty good :) She maintained great contacts & stays with everyone which is fantastic.

Here's hoping to my fast healing - everyone's entered @ BRAG CPE Dec 11-12! And I'm judging in TX Dec 4-5!

Thoughts on Nationals

As I mentioned before, this was my first nationals event since 1999, and Panic's first ever "big" event as well. So, even though at 1st glance we didn't do too great, I am honestly thrilled at how we did. I overcame my nerves which is huge. Other than our "oops" in each run, the runs were really pretty good!!

This last week was quite an emotional one. One of our friends who was in L'ville had a dog pass away at home over the weekend. Another friend in L'ville had a dog who was just recently diagnosed with cancer not be able to run at all at nationals and he had to put him to sleep Monday morning after returning home. Another friend who wasn't in L'ville also had to put their dog to sleep over the weekend. Watching Houston's victory lap during the vet's AA thing on Sunday.

It all made you think about your dog and why we do agility... is it for the competitive glory, or for the bond between us? (There's nothing wrong with being competitive, I am competitive myself. I want to do the best we can do, and if the best we can do is beating dogs at a national level, then I would strive for that. But if we're not physically at that level, that's ok too.) All of this has helped me come to a decision. Panic is moving to Performance. In Steeple quarters, she wasn't terribly slow, but I just felt like I was dragging her along the course. I don't feel like that when we run 16" in AKC. She has slowed down some over the year jumping 22", and still is fast at 16". She doesn't appear uncomfortable jumping 22, and still Qs, is still competitive locally, etc. I am sure I could run her at 22 for a few more years, accruing more Qs and doing well. However, the fact that she runs faster at 16" tells me she is more comfortable there. And does it really matter what program we run in? Not really. She wasn't a top competitive dog at 22", she won't be at P16" either (at nationals that class is DARN competitive!). The titles being championship or perf don't matter. What matters is that Panic loves to run agility, and I love doing it with her. I want to be able to do that for as long as possible, and I think jumping 16" will make that last longer. I always knew her career at 22" wouldn't be super long... being a 17" tall dog with straight rear angulation just makes it tough!! I can't wait now to run her in Perf. I think it will be interesting to see if when she "gets" that 16" is what she's running now, she starts extending more. I have run her at a BRAG starter/adv trial before in P1, so we have to finish our P1 and P2 titles, and it will be fun to run the "easy" stuff again.

I look forward to running agility with my awesome little yellow dog for as long as possible. Her smile after we run tells me she doesn't care how we do, or what program she competes in... she just loves me and the game.

Nationals Wrap Up

Whew, my first USDAA nationals (or of any sort really!) since 1999 is done. It was long, but I had a *great* time. This is the post that will detail my runs, my thoughts on the whole thing to follow in another post!

It's only about a 3.5 hr drive for us, which was of course fantastic. We arrived on Monday evening bc we made our hotel reservations eons ago and didn't know they'd be starting so late in the day on Tuesday, or else we probably would have just driven down Tues morning. But it ended up being very nice, we slept in some on Tuesday and then went to Bob Evans before heading to the site. Our crating space was perfect, it was close to the big garage door entrance on the wall - so our dogs had a wall behind them, and in the afternoon when it was sunny the light streaming in the windows did not hit them.

We got checked in, and ready to walk at 3pm. Or.... not :) For whatever reasons that was delayed quite a bit. But, we ran European Standard, and E'd. Panic ran off the DW into the tunnel, which was not correct. Oh well, she was moving quite fast and had some killer poles. Also, I was a nervous WRECK. I really didn't expect to be nervous, but when I went to the start line, I was shaking all over. Could barely get Panic's leash off! I felt like I was in the obedience ring with Dexter again (an experience I really never wanted to repeat!). So I was handling kind of goofy (Andy told me I looked pretty ridiculous).

Ok so *that's* over with. Now move on and forget about the nerves!

Wednesday was Team Gamblers. Our section ran first, and Panic was 15th in. We did OK - I wasn't very nervous and practiced my deep breathing before I ran which really helped! She did get called on one AF contact, but got her 2nd one. I wasn't exactly where I had planned to be for the close, so I didn't execute my original closing plan. I wish I had, I'm sure I still would have had enough time, but since we were so early in the day I hadn't gotten to watch enough dogs to get a feel for it yet. So we ended up with only 35 points, which was not great but at least we got points. And most importantly I conquered my nerves.

Thursday was Team Standard & Steeple Quarters. I ran standard first. I thought it would be a great course for Panic. UNfortunately, she went off course after jump #3! I am really not sure why - I guess from the vid my shoulders were SLIGHTLY open as she went over jump #3 and she assumed she was supposed to take the backside of this other jump. Weird since we don't often practice that skill! BUT I will say, the rest of her run was quite lovely, so I certainly didn't want the E for my team, but I was happy the rest went well. Steeplechase - she skipped jump #4 and then went off course. I have NO CLUE why this happened, still can't figure it out from watching the tape. I was moving laterally away from the jump but cued it, maybe I didn't give a verbal, not sure.

Friday was Team Snooker. I planned to do 5-4-7-7 in the opening. She did this BEAUTIFULLY. I was really happy with the opening. In the close we took #2 going the "hard" way, which meant I had to wrap her between the tunnel/AF to get to #3. I was 95% sure she could do this. Well, the 5% prevailed! So we only got through #2 in the close :(

Saturday was Team Jumpers. I did something goofy at the beginning and almost got a refusal, but saved it and she was clean. Not super fast, but clean. I was pretty happy with this.

Sunday was Rekoons. It took me several times in the walkthrough realizing I was not following the rules before I finally "got it". She held her stay at the start, and ran beautifully. I was THRILLED with this run, nice to end the weekend on a good note :) She placed 8th, and got a ribbon!!!

off to nationals...

We're off after I get out of work today! I can't believe nationals are finally here. They seemed so long away then all the sudden - WHAM they're here.

Am I ready?

I think so. I am *not* going with the aspirations of winning anything at all. Panic is a great dog - but she is a great dog with the stride of a 17" tall dog with straight angulation - aka nowhere near as long a stride as a BC. So locally we do fine and often place well, but I know at nationals we will be SO far out of it.

My plan is to go, and run our hardest, push myself and her, and just have as much fun running fast as we possibly can. And I know we can accomplish that.

I do have hopes that my team will do well. I don't feel nervous about it, but I am excited. To make it to relay on Sunday we have to be in the top 36 teams. There are 203 teams entered, so that's top 17.7%. I think we definitely have a chance at that, and running in the finals would be beyond cool.

I may be able to post videos as the week goes - not sure. I am so looking forward to watching everyone's runs and visiting with people :) I'll update sometime this week!!

Funny Spry

She lost her MIND at class last night. She was pushy - pushing her start line stays, blew a DW contact (1st time I think EVER quite honestly), almost flew off the teeter, etc. She also fell off the DW - she was fine, just being a looney. She fell off the up-ramp, right where the tunnel went under the DW. So she kind of jumped off onto the tunnel then onto the ground. Then without even a hesitation, she jumped back onto the tunnel and put three paws on the DW, facing the direction she had originally been travelling, and looked at me like "is this ok?" I just said "walk it!" and she put the fourth paw on and took off! I guess she figured she ought to fix the mistake where she made it? Never realized before the tunnel was a way to get on/off the DW? Who knows but it made total sense in her little brain!

Panic's team @ NC Regional

Spry on TV!

http://www.abc6onyourside.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/videos/wsyx_vid_6648.shtml

Regional & a little bit of Spry training

We went up the NC regional in MI last weekend. I wasn't entered in a ton - only Standard, Gamblers, & Stpl rd 1 on Friday, 4 team classes Sat, and team relay & gamblers Sunday. It was nice to relax and visit with people we don't get to see often.

Friday was a training day for me... I'm working hard to mark her bad DWs and she gave me several to mark!! Unfortunately she did not EVER perform it correctly. Standard was first and she jumped and missed it, layed her down and left the course. In gamblers, I was goign to do it until we got it right, until I realized if she ran through the contact and didn't stop, I was goign to mark it but still get the points, so I couldn't do that more than twice... and unfortunately that's exactly what happened! Also the gamble was not possible, so we definitely did NOT get it. Steeplechase - I was very disappointd after this run. She ran clean, but slow. She did not make the cut... I know she is not a BC but I have always thought she was fast enough for something like this! I went back and watched the videos, and all three runs on Friday she was running & jumping funny. Putting in baby steps before *every* single jump - so no wonder she was slow. She must not have been feeling well.

Saturday - I was thrilled w/Panic's performance in the team classes. We ran standard first and she was clean and (for her) pretty fast! I focused on speeding myself up as well. No DW which was nice :) Our team was 3rd after standard. Next up was gamblers. She did well in the opening (but I avoided the DW so couldn't get the high points) and was moving out nicely. We did 6 jumps in the close. She was in the air over a jump when the first buzzer went off and the judge didn't call opening OR closing points on that. I think she should have gotten closing points based on where she was, but oh well. Our team was 8th after gamblers. Next up was snooker. We did the same plan as most people, 3 fives. I really wanted to do a 7 as my second color but didn't want to screw up for my team, so I kept it safe. The opening was a little funny and not quite what I planned in terms of the direction we turned around jumps, etc, but we made it through and got 6th place I think. After snooker, my team was in FIRST place!!! I was thrilled to see this. There weren't a ton of ppl there but there were some pretty good teams. Unfortuntely in jumpers my teamies both E'd. Panic ran clean with moderate speed - started out kind of slow but got faster as we went on. I was again pretty happy with this run but wish I had handled the opening differently. After this class we were 15th.

Sunday - Team Relay - we were all 22" so could pick our section. Malibu went first, and ran with 1 refusal. We were up next. I was very happy that Panic sat after the exchange and gave me some sort of self control here! We ran to the weave poles and she drove ahead of me to do them, making my RC very easy. Unfortunately next she went off course :( and then Bekah did too :( :( So, 31st after this run!! Haha big fall from 1st to 31st! But this was just practice, and we know we have potential to be competitive at nationals.

Gamblers was the last thing I ran, and there wasn't much to do in the opening so we didn't get a ton of points (and kind of loitered!) but she got the gamble. It was pretty easy... jump on the line, 90 degree turn to 6 poles about 12 ft from the gamble tape, and then after they did the poles you could cross the line for the last two jumps which were going away from the line. You could stay behind the tape for bonus points, but no way would she have sent that far (30 ft or so) and we are so low on gambles I wasn't chancing it!

So now miss Panic has 7 gambles, 7 relays, 10 standards, 25 jumpers, 23 snookers, and I'm not sure how many tournaments... we are short on GPs (only 3). So maybe one day we will actually get our ADCH/LAA Bronze! That would be pretty cool :)

Last night I took Spry to the building before lessons. Worked on collection while I'm moving and after multiple jumps. She was picking it up pretty well! Also worked on layering a jump while she does the DW contact, so I can release her after I've gotten in position for the next sequence. She did beautifully considering we've never done this before!! She was exhaused last night which was good - she's been exceptionally ornery in the evenings lately!

my baby dog is growing up!

it is so fun to watch spry grow up and see her mature. between class last night and class two weeks ago, I see *huge* improvements in her. She is now realizing that agility is a fun team sport!! She has always loved agility but found visiting to be perhaps more rewarding. Once it finally clicked with me that what she needed from me was *not* treats, but interaction (tugging), we have grown leaps and bounds together. She is focusing on me throughout class, not pulling me all over the place to visit her friends. She is not running off during sequences. She is starting to turn tighter and notice my more subtle cues. it's pretty cool :)

Giddiness, and Grand Prix decisions

I am just giddy with happiness after this trial weekend :)

First up, Panic.
We had our ups and downs - biggest down is our DW :( She is missing almost every single down contact. She has a gorgeous stop in class, but will not stop at trials. I have GOT to start marking this but for whatever reason can NOT ever remember. Or, I allow good running DWs and don't want to "mess up" our standard run or whatever class it is. Well I've got to GET OVER that and mark her not stopping so we can hopefully get a nice behavior and soon!

But other than that she had a nice weekend. She Q'd in Standard to finish her Standard Agility Champion title, two times in jumpers to finish her Jumpers Champion Silver title, and also Qd in Relay w/Sonic, and Steeplechase, finishing 2nd in both rounds. We had some entertaining snooker rounds, including her jumping over tunnels! Unfortunately I don't have that on video because I accidentally deleted Saturday's runs off of the camera.

Dexter - Only 1 Q, but a GREAT weekend for him! He was fast and happy every single run and that is really thrilling for me to see :) On the start lines, I hold him on the ground saying "are you ready?" and a few runs he almost broke out of my hands he was so eager to run!! The weave pole stress still is there, but I am not forcing anything and know he will get over it. He did Q in Starters Relay with litter sister Calypso. They are too cute together.

Spry - Oh my little Spry-belle :) After the 8/1 trial where she ran out of the ring every time, I thought I might be nuts for keeping her entered (in every class except GP) at this trial... but it paid off!!! I think getting to work outside at another location and the CPE trial in between really helped us out. She still visited some but only one time really left the ring. Every single run she improved. She still had SO much fun and maintained excellent start line stays, weave poles, and contacts. Sunday we got through jumpers with NO off courses! Overtime due to me realigning her at a few jumps, but beautiful run!! Standard we also did everything :) We ran relay w/Dave & Mocha and it was actually gorgeous!! We did not Q because Mocha had one bar, and Spry had one off course... unfortunately, after the baton exchange, she skipped the first jump and went into the chute. She came back to me, but had seriously messed up the fabric. I put her in a sit and ring crew came running to fix it, but it took a lot of time. She then ran her half perfectly :) But w/10 faults and a lot of extra time we did not Q. Oh well!

THEN, we ran snooker, and she Q'd!!!! She stayed with me and just did so well. I am SO proud of my baby girl, and can not wait to see how she matures. I know, who knows what will happen, but I think she has potential so be a very competitive girlie :) Totally different than Panic, which I look forward to. It will be a lot of fun to encounter new handling challenges!

Also, I have made a few decisions this weekend.

1) I will be stopping my attempts to run GP at nationals this year. We have been trying all year to get 2 Qs and have only gotten one, so really - even if I eked one out @ regionals, is it worth it just to go and miss my DW in round 1?? Probably not. I will run in Steeple and Team at the regional and at nationals and have fun and not stress out over GP.

2) Just running Panic @ regionals. Too many people for Spry to run off and visit, and with all the progress we've made in a short time I'd hate to backslide. With so much activity, I doubt Dexter would run that well. And now I can just focus on Panic. She will really enjoy that.

3) Dexter has been having a lot of fun running agility recently, at class, when I train him by ourselves, and at trials. However his fun doesn't have much to do with doing every obstacle on the course :) As much as I love him having fun, I'd rather him have FREE fun :) So, for now, Dexter will mostly be doing agility on a non-trial basis. I think it will help in the long run, he does WPs fine at practice, so we'll forget the stress of them at trials hopefully! He also just turned 2 and is an intact male, so I think some maturity time is not a bad idea!

Ok, videos posted soon!

short & sweet - weight loss accomplishment!

I have lost 10.45% of my goal! and 2.37% of my total body-weight.

More detailed post

Ok so like I said in my short post below, I'm forgetting BRAG as Spry's debut :) I knew team courses would be too hard but figured it didn't matter because I would just handle her like a baby dog and didn't care if we Qd or not. What I didn't think hard enough about was the fact that my mind would be frazzled from secretarying - which it definitely was (as evidenced from panic's runs!), and that my baby girlie who LOVES people more than anything else in the world, would have a hard time outdoors w/flagging only.

So, we'll forget that weekend ever happened, and count this past weekend's indoor CPE as her first show :)

I only entered her in Jackpot and Standard on Sunday. I debated which level to start her in and decided on 1. She can do teeter and weaves just fine but a) this club's teeter is VERY loud on their floor, and b) I really wanted her to be successful so figured the easiest possible course would be better.

Actually I'm very glad I chose 1, because the standard 1 course actually had some difficult challenges and the level 2 was of course even harder.

Comments I have from running:
Jackpot - was very, very happy with this run :) She did not pay attention to judge/ring crew at ALL (until she was done that is!). This is the first time she has ever done that jumping/biting at me thing, which obviously I don't love, but I was happy that when she didn't know what to do she focuesd on ME instead of checking out who's lap looked best to jump into. I think I didn't cue the jump after the AF so much as just run by it, so I can't blame her for not taking it, and then I think she was just fixated on me after the jump as well. She had gorgeous contacts, weaves, and start line. Didn't expect her to do the jump in the jackpot. THRILLED she came to the table instead of bursting out of the ring (exit gate was right there and open).

Standard - I was planning on releasing her when I did, but am pretty sure she was already self-releasing! Oops, can't allow that - she has SUCH a nice stay we don't want it to go away. Also I don't know why I didn't lead out farther. She barked at me when I brought her back around to do jump #2. Also a first! I decided to keep my shoulders straight at the AF contact since I noticed I really turned into her in jackpot for the AF. She *kind* of stopped but also was pretty much all the way on the ground so it realy was NOT the desired performance. I had planned on a FC at the bottom of the AF but wasn't able to do it since she didn't really stop, and then we got all confused with eachother. But again, at least she's asking me where to go, instead of choosing on her own.

Now for the next sequence, I really debated how to handle. The line from the tunnel to the two jumps was pretty tough if you FC'd right by the tunnel exit, the handler would have to diverge from the dog's path to get around the jumps, and I was pretty sure she would pull off jump #2. I decided to do it anyway and tried to get as far to the left side of the screen as possible for the FC so I could try to set a nice line to jump #2 after the tunnel. You can see it was still a challenge but she did it and I was pleased. I still should have opted for a RC on the flat between that 2nd jump and the double though I am pretty sure. She knocked that bar HARD with her front feet. I was already pulling laterally to cue the turn to the DW which was inappropriate for her. I should have waited. Similarly, I was pulling to the tunnel because I was worried about the closing line, so she skipped the wingless after the DW. Again, really can't fault her here.

The closing line was TOUGH - out of the straight tunnel to those 3 jumps at 90 degree angles. I probably should have called her to me after the tunnel to set it up better. I wanted to get some lateral distance while she was in the tunnel so she could see my motion towards the first jump, then turn hard to square up her approach to #2, and RC on the flat for the third jump. As it was, I converged hard on her for #1 and she just barely made it, and ended up doing a regular ole RC... and I am shocked I didn't get a spin before the jump or knocked bar. Maybe noticing daddy in the corner helped :)

overall THRILLED with her performance. I have to maintain her criteria for contacts and startline stay. I saw some moments of brilliance :) I think she is going to be VERY fast once we get it all together.

I would like her to stride bigger on the DW but am not too concerned because this is the first time on a DW other than BRAG's, and I like that she used a little bit of caution - she usually is not a cautious dog at ALL. Also she needs to come over the apex of the AF instead of slowing/stopping there. We will work on that.

Really happy we only got one bar. Very pleased to see her looking for me out of tunnels and doing such a nice 180 onto the DW.

I think she is going to challenge my handling skills and really help me grow. She is going to be *totally* different than Panic, who just made life waaaaay too easy for me :)

Quick Vid - Spry's actual Debut

Since I'm not counting BRAG

p90x lean - day 3 - Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper

Ok so I don't look like this quite yet. Not sure I want to either!! Anyway, we did Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper yesterday. Or should I say, we did Shoulders & Arms and *attempted* Ab Ripper! Shoulders & Arms was not bad and I enjoyed it as I expected too. My favorite moves were actually in the "bonus" section. The Congdon Curls and the Side Tri-Rises were the best :) I liked the latter because they also worked my lats pretty well!

The hour went by pretty quickly! It really helps that the warm up is about 8 minutes and the cool down is 5 or so. Then... onto ab-ripper.. this was NOT so fun! It's about 15 minutes long, but only got through 5 minutes of it. I felt like I couldn't do any more of it, but lo and behold my abs are not sore this morning, so I'd better push it harder next time!

I was talking to someone at the office about p90x this morning, and it's crazy how excited I am about it! It's great doing a different workout every day.

We have yoga tonight. It's the one people complain about the most... it's an hour and a half long which is looong plus I felt like the 15 mins or so we had of it during cardio was a killer! Just gotta push through.

3 days down, 87 to go!

p90x - day #2 and weekend

Friday, I called Andy again on my way home so he could get our workout ready. We did day #2 of the lean program - Cardio X. I was pleasantly surprised by my ability to do the whole thing! Each time I thought I was hitting a blocking point, they moved on to a new section. The yoga part was really hard - it always surprises me how much it is hard on my arms just keeping them up and extended for so long. Also doing the warrior poses I was finding the outer part of my ankles were hurting, so I probably need to do some ankle strengthening exercises. Sometimes when doing tight turns in agility I also notice my ankles feel a little weak. Any good suggestions?

The Kenpo section of the cardio workout was great! I felt like a limp noodle during the kicks (note to self - if attacked, a side kick will NOT be an effective mode of self defense, for now at least!) and I'm sure I looked ridiculous, but boy was the sweat streaming! The plyo section was also not as tough as I'd anticipated.

We had all intentions of continuing our workouts throughout the weekend. We were vending @ Flashpoint's CPE trial. However it ran pretty slowly and we weren't done until 6pm on Saturday and maybe 530 or so on Sunday... and it was pretty warm out there. We both felt drained and not at all like working out. I'm nearly certain if we had we would have psyched ourselves out for this program... Sunday especially was fairly miserable outside all day - high humidity meant near constant sweating. Not so pleasant. And realistically we are going to be gone almost every weekend, and probably not working out at the Red Roof Inn. So I think our "90 days" will take longer, but that's ok.

Today is day 3 - an hour of shoulders and arms, and 15 mins of ab ripper. Ab ripper scares me, but I can do it! I'm looking forward to shoulders and arms. Looks like lots of tricep exercises which I badly need, and usually enjoy :) I'll post tomorrow and let you know how it went!

p90x - day 1 - core synergistics

Well, Tuesday night Andy and I were woken by the storms and Dexter stressing kept us up. So we turned on the TV - and it was 3am or so, so of course infomercials were on. Well we watched the P90X one again. It convinced me to give it a real try. It's a hard workout so I have let myself get discouraged before and never even really complete one :) BUT there was one guy on there who was pretty overweight/out of shape to start with and he just emphasized it doesn't matter if you can't do all the moves at first, just keep moving and trying. So it inspired me to go for it!

We did day one yesterday. On Saturday, I did something to make the muscles over my left hip really sore. I think it was carrying the AF w/Dave that did it because I was hitched over to the side and stretching out those muscles to do it. Anyway it was feeling better until I was waiting on the elevator yesterday, and just STANDING there somehow I tweaked it again. Not a good way to start the first workout! Oh well. We're doing the "lean" version of the program which is more of the cardio and a little less of the muscle building than the traditional. So the first day of this program is core synergistics. I was scared by the name! I figured it would be a lot of ab stuff which would hurt my lower back. I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong! Lots of push-ups/plank stuff though. Definitely couldn't keep up all the time and next workout I need to do a better job of doing SOMETHING if I can't do what they do for as many reps - instead of laying there on my stomach panting on the floor. That's not super productive :) I will say after the workout I felt like it was good but I wasn't going to be super sore. Then I went off to agility and ran the girls & the dude - continuing to keep moving probably kept off some of the soreness for a while. This morning though, I can definitely feel it in my chest, abs, hamstrings, biceps & triceps, and back! So I guess I did get a good workout.

Today is cardio x. I'm not awesome at doing long bouts of cardio, but I guess that's why I'm doing this, to improve! It's only 43 minutes, so I can do it. Last night's was 57 minutes. I have to say, doing the bootcamp - even though I didn't complete it - I think really helped me. I don't think I'm necessarily still in any sort of better shape, but mentally I know I can do a hard full hour work out. In the past I would have seen 57 minutes and given up around 20. For whatever reason, I'm really excited about this. We took pictures and measurements yesterday. I took a starting weight this morning (actually a few pounds less than I expected). But yesterday I was being kind of bummed out and depressed at work. And then I talked to Andy and we decided to do day 1 yesterday, and I got pumped and it really elevated my mood for the rest of the day! And now this morning I don't feel tired and discouraged by the work day like I usually do. I feel energized and ready to work out again tonight!

As someone on a p90x blog that I read yesterday said "1 day down, 89 days left. I can do anything for 89 days."

addendum to previous post

I forgot poor dude-man! He ran only in steeplechase. He actually did great! I got in his way for a FC because of our lack of start line stay, and he came behind me for another FC but went in the tunnel anyway... He didn't do his weaves, but other than that he was awesome :) He had fun and isn't scared of stuff anymore. He had decent speed. AND he did all of this after sitting in the pen for like 11 hours without getting out for more than just potty walks. I didn't think I was goign to get anything out of him considering each time I came over to the pen he was passed OUT. So yay for dude man, and can't wait until he gets over the weave stress (but he got over the contact stress so I know he can do it!)

BRAG all tournament trial wrap-up

Trial Report time! (enjoy, Kathy!)

I got everything packed and I showered on Saturday night so I could devour every minute of sleep possible Sunday morning, figuring I would need it! I got up at 5:30 and was out of the house by 5:55. Stopped by mom's house to drop Fancy off for my dad to watch during the day, and we were off to the show! We got there a little before 6:30 and started unloading the day-of type stuff, got the score table set up quickly, and began check in and measuring. We started with the first run at 7:35 I think, scheduled to start at 7:30 so that's really not too bad!

Started out with Team Gamblers. I wasn't thrilled with the course - didn't give a lot of great options that had safe contact approaches. Panic did well, tied for 3rd. I was pleased with her during this run. Then... Spry's debut! She held her start-line stay very beautifully and let me lead out. Unfortunately there was quite a distance between what I was taking as obstacle #2 and #3, which was good for distractions! Actually I am pretty sure she passed up jump #2 anyway. She noticed Mike Lifer taking photos (clear on the other side of the ring, I might add!) and ran off to visit. Then she visited Drew. I was able to get her back and she was a little crazy, but then I got her a little settle and did an AF. Unfortunately as she approached I slipped and fell! She ignored that and went on over and I got up and she did a lovely "feet" (much to the surprise of everyone watching I do believe!). We clearly didn't have enough time to do the whole gamble but we did 3 obstacles in a nice fairly controlled manner. This was her best run of the day :)

Team Jumpers - Panic ran great but I directed her into the wrong end of a tunnel unfortunately! Spry visited ring crew again but I got her back and we did the weave poles, very nicely if I do say so myself! We then did a few more jumps but the people were just too tempting, so we left.

Grand Prix - oh grand prix... I did a FC coming our of a tunnel to some WPs and she ran by the entrance. I don't know if I blocked her view or if she thought I was going to keep rotating to the teeter or what, but when I ran Sniper for Jayne he did the same thing so obviously I did something wrong here!! And she missed her DW. Phooey, we really need one more of these...

Team Snooker - I had such an awesome plan. And then on the start line I waffled - should I wrap the 1st jump of the 1st color to the left or right? I decided to go left, Panic decided to go straight. To another color. TWEET! Sweet - one point snooker :) Spry - I came up with a nice baby dog plan (that worked quite well for mom and Fada!). Spry saw a group of 4 people sitting on the ground about 30' from the ring. ZOOM. "Thanks Elaine, we're done!" Whoa - ZERO point snooker! They were very good and neutral though so no rewards for Spry for visiting.

Team Standard - Panic ran very nicely here (helps that there was no DW!) and did run around a slightly offset double at the end because I just ran and gave a slight hand signal but no verbal. Bad mommy! Other than that it was good, but I can tell she is getting tired and slowing down. Spry - It started jump-tire. Tire was the one obstacle I wasn't sure she'd do because she's had very little practice on it. She did jump-tire very nice but when I cued a 90 degree turn after to the teeter she just kept on going, and going, and going out of the ring... *sigh*

Steeplechase Rd1 - Panic did pretty well! Again she was pokey, but I was happy with this run. She seeded 3rd for finals. I came up with a short path of jumps to get Spry in and out of the ring successfully... well she went out of the ring alright, just like all of the other runs.

Team Relay - one of the ONLY team relays I've done where Panic and I haven't done totally goofy things! All team members ran nice and clean (Sniper & Furley) and we got 2nd in this class, and our team ended up Qing despite my attempts to sabotage with a jumpers E and a 1 point snooker :)

Steeplechase Rd 2 - Panic did pretty nicely and I tried to push her but she was really beat by this point (as was I!). I did leave her in the poles to execute a FC in front of the next jump, which is something I don't usually do in trials because it usually doesn't work and she pulls out. But she stayed in! Great to know, and something I will start throwing in more because there have been many situations I wish I had this skill but didn't yet. She ended up 3rd here too, just behind 2nd place but about 3 seconds behind 1st place.

Overall - Panic had a good day, MY brain was frazzled all day long and I was having a hard time focusing. So all of our mistakes are squarely on me. I was happy with Spry's first run, and not even that bummed about the 2nd. She got worse as the day wore on though. Luckily no one pet her when she ran out of the ring. She used to not be able to work at the building with anyone else there and we got over that, so we'll get over this too... I will add more distractions at class though, such as people sitting on the ground, and eventually hopefully very close to where she is working. I will try to get her outside to a few places as well just don't have a lot of opportunities for that other than our backyard. I'm not upset/disappointed with her at all. She is a baby baby dog and I know has the obstacle skills down. I am THRILLED that even with all her excitement she held every single start line stay, had a beautiful contact on the one contact we got one, performed her weaves, and also a tire!

It was my first time as secretary. Pre-trial it wasn't bad at all, although I barely got any sleep Sat because I kept going over checklists in my brain. At the trial it wasn't bad either since I've worked so closely with my mom for so many trials. The only bad thing was being the punching bag for the one upset exhibitor! But I think I handled it ok, and it really didn't stress me out too much since there was nothing we could do anyway. After steeple rd 2 we ended up with over 560 runs, and I honestly don't know what time we were done, around 7pm? That's a long day, but considering how long some 330 run AKC trials can last when they only have 3 courses to set, I think it's not too shabby at all. I never felt like we were lacking for workers, and I didn't personally hear any grumbling from exhibitors. I think our new rubber contacts went over well, and I know I was glad to have them for some of the contact approaches we had. I hope we have this trial again next year if nationals are again close. Maybe 2 judge/2 ring with splitting up people into groups like a regional??? We'll see, hard to think about that now when every single muscle in my body is still aching :)

It's almost here!

Spry's debut is on Sunday :) :) :) :) I am very very excited. The tough part will be walking the same course for Panic & Spry. I told Andy to remind me when I go in the ring with Panic to run fast & really push it, and with Spry that she is a BABY DOG! I anticipate tunnel suckage, some visiting the judge, and probably a few knocked bars. I am hoping to maintain her great stays & contacts. Handling-wise I hope I give her fair approaches to everything and give her reason to trust me.

I am interested to see how she does outdoors in the heat - she tires quickly but will have at least an hr between runs. She has a cool coat, I will be using the power boost, and i bought one of those Ryobi fans to run on the xpen as well.

can't wait :)

working w/spry, upcoming brag trial

Working through more of DJS with Sprybelle at home. She is doing very well - sometimes she still extends more than I'd like, but no reward and the next rep is very nice. What this tells me is she does understand and I just have to be very consistent in not rewarding extension when I'm asking for collection.

Worked her at the building last night. I set up a course. I was very happy with her performance, she hit a decently hard WP approach (ps - 1st time on 24" poles and as expected, she looooved them), is taking jumps at flatter angles now, and is also starting to gain confidence and go ahead of me more when I'm giving her forward cues instead of pacing herself to me and head checking me a lot. Yay for progress! Now what I think our biggest problem is goign to be at the BRAG trial is off-courses. of course, this would be because she is running team which is going to be way over her head... But I'm trying to figure out how best to handle off-course possibilities. I am doing my best to handle her like a baby dog and give lots of forward cues, so for example if I have a 180 where I need to change sides and an off course obstacle near the top of that arc, it's going to be hard for her to stay on course. We had this situation last night - I needed to cross at some point during/after the 180 but there was a pesky table calling her name between the two jumps. I chose a FC on the flat between the two jumps instead of staying behind the plane of the jumps and FC on the landing side because obviously she's not ready for that kind of lateral motion etc at this point. But giving her sufficent forward cues for the jump meant she went on to the table.

I think I may just have to accept a few off courses in order to remain good and consistent with my handling. Should be OK bc our team is really not expecting to Q!

Speaking of the trial... so far 87 dogs and 422 runs. Expecting at LEAST 13 more dogs that are entered in at least team, so at LEAST 65 more runs. That is putting us dangerously close to 500 runs... with one judge... and one day! I am excited to have so many people there but a little worried about how long the day is going to be.

We are setting up 2 rings and alternating between them, as well as timing walkthroughs so that should help. Also hopefully people pitch in to help which will move things along faster. There are some great dogs entered, and I'm excited to see the runs!

Flashpoint Agility

Had a USDAA trial in Marengo this past weekend. Dexter was entered in Starters Gamblers & Standard on Sat and Standard only on Sunday. Panic was entered in Relay, Gamblers, & GP on Sat and Standard, Jumpers & Snooker on Sunday. We also got an opportunity to join a DAM team, so Panic ended up running the team classes as well.

I was very plesed with the weekend in general. Panic was running fast & confidently, and I tried my best to apply what we learned at the APHS camp in June. Panic did pretty well in team, q'ing in all 4 classes for LAA, and her team actually won! So that was a lot of fun. Given & Sniper made a very fun team also.

In addition to the DAM team stuff, Panic got snooker & jumpers Qs, and another Gamblers Q!! I was thrilled to see that now that I'm not so nervous about our gambles, I was able to handle/act like a normal person out there :) Hopefully we are able to reach our next levels in gamblers without too much of a problem!

Panic's getting close to several "Silver" titles - she has 23 jumpers legs, 22 snooker, and needs 1 DAM & 2 GPs to get Tournament Silver :) I am so pleased with this little lady and all she gives me. We are behind on standard, relay (bc I rarely enter!) and Gambles... we have 9 standard, and 6 relay & gambles. So I think I need to start working on those!

Andy said that Panic is just exhausted still today after this weekend. She even looked out the window to see the trash guys and opted not to bark at them, but instead to lay back down! I guess she was passed out pretty much all morning.

My private for tonight got cancelled, so I'll be working on some courses & probably some jump work with Spry-belle. She is hyped up after not getting to do anything all weekend when she *knew* they others were going to a show! Can't wait for her debut in 3 weekends...

Targeting & Jump work - also, Spry is a freak, and Panic is limping

Got to work on both with Dex this weekend. He is enjoying the target so far. I'm not really going to ask him to have this gorgeous stop at the bottom, I just want his nose targeting the ground, he can keep on moving if he wants to. Did several sessions inside just getting the nose touch then moved it to the end of my DW board and got to practice that way. Did pretty well!

Also got to work on some jump stuff with him. He was so enthusiastic, I was thrilled! Especially because it was hot out! I got to work on some nice tight turns which we learned we need to work on after last Thurs class! I never have really gotten to work on them bc I've always been working on motivation and him not shutting down!

Spry, on the other hand, has turned into a big weirdo. Our neighbors have started putting their Sheltie out on a tie out (which is better than what they used to do which was stand at teh door w/a leash and let her potty and let her back in... Fancy would be *so* pissed!). Well the other morning, Spry saw the sheltie's silhouette behind our privacy fence and flipped out! She got scared and won't go by that fence now, and wouldn't for a day and a half even come in our living room bc our side door opens to that side of the fence. I thought she'd get over it quickly but she's not... I couldn't even work jumps last night bc she wouldn't turn her back on that side of the fence. Going to start feeding dinner out there... this is so weird and just not like her!!

Oh and Sun AM Panic got caught in a cord and came up limping. She didn't cry or anything and she tends to be a little dramatic so I wasn't that concerned... then she was fine. But yesterday she limped a little too. I think it's her shoulder. She seems ok 97% of the time and then randomly limps from time to time. I think she's probably fine but keeping her calm this week to be safe... flashpoint USDAA this weekend and I'd hate to have to pull!

Dexter

I have a few things I'm going to work on with him this summer.

1) weave poles - he used to have great poles but they are crumbling under the stress he feels at trials. So, to make him a happy puppy we are going to work using 2x2 and basically start over, using TONS of happy reinforcement, short sessions, etc.

2) contacts - he totally BLEW his contacts at BRAG! I am thrilled he's not afraid of them anymore, but geeze little tiny dog - don't jump off so high!! So I'm going to teach him 2o2o. I tried a little bit of 2rto with him and he was so not into that and I think honestly with him being so small he was not getting the concept somehow. I couldn't get him to stand with his front feet off and back feet on the edge. So I'm going to use a dish. Which I can start training indoors in the AC - for those days when he is like "heck no mom, it's hot out there!"

Also, I just got from Clean Run a cool coat for him, and Power Boost for all the dogs to recover faster at trials.

Spry the Wonderful

I know it's obnoxious how much I talk about how awesome she is. But she is just so FUN.

Last night before class, worked her some on AF and teeter. She overran her AF a few times so I got to give no reward and re-try with great success. Her teeter was better - actually used the "Scary" one - it groans & creaks somewhat. She still looked a little hesitant though. Also taught her the broad jump & tire quickly.

Worked on some DW with Panic too, who looked lovely.

During class, I ran Panic in the technical jumping station, and Spry in the longer, obstacle variety station. I was THRILLED with how well she did!! Held her start line, hit the weaves as obstacle #2, I was able to get ahead of her in the weaves to present a RTH position after the next jump so I could direct her in the correct end of the tunnel. Great contacts, and no worrying about the teeter when in the middle of the course! I was even able to do a FC while she held "feet", which I am not sure I have practiced at all, and certainly not much. And she did the broad jump in the sequence no prob. Didn't want to do the tire, but it was in a thin strip of sunlight so I didn't bother.

Spry is on a team for August 1 :) She is running with Fada & Trudy (aka cutest BC ever). It will be great bc no pressure to Q or anything and as long as I remember to handle her like a baby dog I think we'll be ok. She will have a blast - that much I know for sure!!

Class tonight

Before class tonight I will work Spry on the following things:

AF
Teeter - build confidence w/TONS of praise
Table

During class I want to work Panic & Dexter each in a station... I think one section has weaves, that will be the dude's station, he needs some work!! Luckily it's much cooler today so hopefully he works well.

Spry jump work last night

I am so jazzed to work on jumping drills after AP camp, and the stuff my mom took notes on at basic skills. HOWEVER, the last few afternoons have just been miserably hot - I wouldnt' be giving it my all so Spry wouldn't either, and that's just not going to benefit anyone.

Last night I went out a little bit after 9 and realized it was GORGEOUS. And she was being nutso. So I decided to work. Definitely a good thing - got to practice her collection when she was really amped up and wanting nothing but extension!! I feel like it really made her think. It was a good session - but I was mostly working off the top of my head - I want to get over to my mom's and read her notes again!!

Awesome Paws camp 2010

Spent the weekend at Awesome Paws camp, with Linda & Carrie instructing. It was *GREAT*! We took the advanced skills section, and boy did we learn a lot!

The biggest take away for me from the whole weekend was how to appropriately use acceleration & deceleration to get Panic to drive into turns better and make tighter ones. I had especially not been decelerating correctly in my handling. She did really well over the two days, and while we have a lot to work on (me, really), there were some moments of brilliance! I'm so excited seeing those flashes - it gives me great motivation to improve my handling. Mostly, I just need to be more of an active handler - she floats out so lovely to let me get in some crosses etc but if I drive into turns more instead of letting her do them herself, I get much better speed out of her. I've gotten complacent with what we've been doing.

I've also decided to pull Spry from the July Flashpoint trial. There is still soooo much more foundation jump stuff we need to work on, and although I am quite sure she could get around those courses, I'm afraid I'd ruin our hard work. And I'm not good at entering and not caring about Qs and doing well, so I'd probably put too much pressure on my lovely baby dog. Mom had Neat at the basic skills Thurs/Fri and took lots of good notes of some great exercises for us to do. I may still do something at the BRAG all tourney trial - we'll hvae to see where we're at by then. I am so excited to work on a lot of this stuff with her!

Panic, ADCH!

This weekend at BRAG's show, Panic and I got our last gamble leg that we needed to earn our ADCH!!!! I was so thrilled to be able to do this at one of our home trials with many of our friends there :) Making it even more special was the fact that Wendy & Lannie earned their MAD on the same gamble, and later in the day Patti & Comet finally finished their MAD also!!! Our weekend didn't stop there - we had some other nice runs as well and Panic's team (thanks Bug & Piper!) Q'd which finished Panic's Tournament Master Bronze title. Little Dex also got a starters gamble and jumpers leg, and... well the rest weren't so great :) Despite the weather conditions, I had a very fun weekend! Thanks to BRAG for putting these shows on, and to responding as well as possible in this kind of weather! Moving the ring for Sunday was great.

When I got Panic on July 29, 2006, they got her out of her little wall kennel, I filled out all of the paperwork, and out the door we went. She immediately *flew* to the end of her 6 foot leash, did some sort of flip in the air on the impact of hitting the end of it, and then repeated that several times in different directions. I thought maybe Andy was right, we were nuts for getting this dog! She was just going to be too much. I wasn't even sure at that point if I'd try agility with her - having been on "hiatus" for several years while in college. If I had been planning on doing agility, I certainly wouldn't have picked a 17" dog!!

I think it was maybe one week before I decided to try out Linda's new (to me at least) jumping method as described to me by my mom, in her backyard. Five minutes and she was jumping 22" beautifully. A few weeks later I thought we'd give the weave poles a try. She loved them from the beginning and learned them incredibly quickly. She amazed me with how smart and athletic she was, and how much she wanted to learn and to please me. How could I *not* have done agility with this dog?

We've had our ups and downs - in the beginning I couldn't wear long sleeves, and DEFINITELY not hoody sweatshirts because at the start line she'd jump up and grab my sleeves, and the strings for the hood were her *favorite* to pull on. We'd fix one problem and quickly find another one. But no matter what she has always been so much FUN to run. She always has a huge smile on her face at the end of every single run.

She's calmed down a lot at home, and is now the "mature" dog. She will give Dexter and Spry the side-eye when they are acting silly, and then look at us and sigh to show us just how much more grown up than them she is. Of course, then she'll get jealous of their fun and start rolling around on her back so her little brother will bug her instead... just so she can complain about it. She's also matured in the agility ring and loves to get out there and just run. Our problems now are 99% me, but she never gives up hope that one day I'll learn how to handle her better :)

Sorry to get long and sappy, but she really is just such an awesome little dog who makes us happy every single day. She is my first dog as an adult, and the first dog Andy and myself got together (ok - she was supposed to be *his* dog since we were just dating at the time!). We've build a lot of memories with her, and I'm just happy to be able to play agility with her - something that she loves so much. The titles don't mean a thing to her - but I know she realized she had done something special on Saturday when everyone was cheering.

Thank you all for all your support along the years, ever since I started with Peanut. It means a lot to me to have grown up with such great friends.

Weaving with distractions, next few weekends...

Last night took Spry to my mom's to weave her with Neat also in the backyard. Neat obliged with her, ummm, lovely barking/noises she likes to do. Spry was barely distracted! Did miss her entry several times at one point going a certain direction but I think it had more to do w/the shadow hitting that pole vs Neat. I hope these poles hold up!

A few things to work on:
- table refresher
- a-frame in diff scenarios
- finish up teeter work
- jump sequencing

Looking forward to the BRAG USDAA this weekend! Hoping it doesn't storm though... Dex has a tiny tiny chance to finish his AD - he'd have to Q both days in standard and get that elusive jumpers leg as well as pairs relay. Hey weirder things have happened!! Panic also has yet another chance to finish her ADCH with a gamble, as well as her TM-Bronze if we Q in DAM, and her Standard CH if we Q both days in standard (fat chance!).

Next weekend we are attending Awesome Paws camp - thanks Mom & Dad & Rick & Char for the bday present!! Can't wait to have fun and learn a ton there!! Panic can't wait to swim during lunch!!

Spry WEAVES!

Yesterday got 6 more stick in the grounds, so I now have 12 poles. Set them up as two sets of 6 w/4 ft in between them. She did well but was getting hung up with the 4' as it was getting her striding off.

Second session w/12 poles just set them all at 22". She is AWESOME! Not perfect but she got it, and is decently speedy. I'm so thrilled with her progress at the weaves. Now we have to work more on AF to proof various situations, finish the teeter, and start working on jump sequencing, and she'll be perfect right??

Spry-belle update

We haven't gotten to work too much in the last few weeks. It was rainy last week and then we went to CPE nationals to vend, so I took about a wk and half off. On Tuesday, I got to do 2x2s again. She is now doing all 6 at 22"! Good girlie! Still nailing her entrances.

At the building last night, worked on a few things.

1) On the way down, decided to do 2rto on the AFrame intsead of running. She's got such a long stride and I'm worried about consistence on the Frame in competition. She also *really* gets that 2rto really means the feet are barely on, and so it shouldn't be too hard on her back. She has done full height a-frames before to get her used to going over them. So, I took her to the bottom and said "feet", and she assumed the position very nicely. Did that a few times and then just did the whole thing, she stopped beautifully! Did a few more reps with great success :) Looks like all my work on the DW has paid off!

2) Jump work. I've slacked a LOT on this because I got excited about WPs. Went back to standing next to the upright. Really worked to get her head DOWN as she lands. Did *excellent*!

3) Weave poles. She's never done them anywhere else other than the backyard, or with bases. She did SO well!! The bases threw her a bit and a few times she did weave a phantom pole before the 1st one, but she seemed to figure it out. Entries not as good (I think to be expected bc of the base sticking out). I only have access to 20" metal based poles at home so I might seek out some 22" or 24" to borrow.




Annnnd... I entered her first trial! Flashpoint USDAA in July. I entered her in Standard one day and Gamblers the next. I think a whole course of jumps could be a total mess :) But she's awesome on contacts and I think will be on WPs too. The trial closes June 23 so I can always change what she's entered in up until then. Can't wait to see how she does!

Max, day 4

He has settled in nicely. Really a very calm, relaxed little guy. Kind of nice. ; > We train with 1 or 2 meals/day. He seems to be getting his name, we've added "Come" now, so he's getting a "Max, come!" for the kibbles.  I am using a command only because I am 99% sure of getting the behavior, when he is sitting right in front of me and knows his food bowl is behind me.

I have also introduced the clicker to him yesterday. He is learning a sit. We also do this during meals. So, if I don't call him to me, he is learning to sit, by default. I have no used a command with it yet. He is getting that click means treat though.

He hasn't had an accident while lose in the house yet. I've been pretty good about keeping an eye on him, when he is not crated or tethered to me. (right now I am sitting at the desk and he came over and hopped in my lap for a nap, WHAT a cuddler!) This means, of course, that I will start to get over confident and lazy, and he will, sooner or later have a housebreaking lapse. : ) NOT that I am calling him housebroken, by any means. At this stage, I am good at getting him out at the right times. He's not yet figured out to indicate he needs out, I expect that will come soon.

Max! (AKA, the PPod puppy formerly known as "Drummer")

He's baaack! Yesterday I met Carol and picked up Drummer. He's a wonderful little pup, who will be going to the Chicago area in a few weeks to be a loved pet to the mother of a friend. In the meantime, he's here to hang out withe the gang and me for awhile. We're hoping to have the housebreaking thing n hand before he leaves and teaching him his new name. Maybe a few fun things along the way as well!

I didn't get home till evening with him yesterday, had to potty, feed and then be gone for several hours. So not much happening, but I did snap some pics. He was pretty good in his crate last night. I spent the night on the sofa, to be next to his crate. I don't like totally isolating new babies at night. He fussed for awhile, then settled down.

This morning we had our first "Your name is 'Max' now " lesson. I fed him his breakfast kibble by kibble, while using his new name, pretty much the Deb Jones "In your face recall" game. "Max", pop a kibble to him, "Max", pop a kibble to him, all while sitting right in front of him) I'm fairly certain he didn't quite get it yet, but it will come. : ) We will add asking for polite behaviors "sit" and "down"  to get his food in the coming days.

He is already going UP my open backed basement stairs on his own! Not quite brave enough to come down more than a step or two, and I'm okay with that for now actually!

Right now I need to get to work though, so he's eaten, been outside to potty, played, and is now tethered to me at my desk with an ample supply of toys. He was NOT very happy about it at first, but after a little rodeo bucking, realized it was no use.

He is currently taking the leg off of a stuffed squirrel, that was already pretty beaten up. It is actually a toy that I got when Havoc was a pup, over 9 years ago. It has been suitable only for babies for a very long time, since it WAS already raggedy.

Well, need to take advantage of puppy quiet play time to work, then back outside with him, play, then pop him in his kennel for a nap.

2x2s day 6 and 7

Tuesday, I was able to move the 2 sets 22" apart from one another so she was doing all four poles inline, spaced correctly. She had no problem with me moving them in actually quite a bit at one point (I get impatient)

Yesterday, practiced that a bit more and she was doing great, so went ahead and added the 2 poles 4' in front of the four. It did take her a few reps to understand to do all 6, but she got it! Actually got several pretty fast reps too. I expect to see her doing them pretty awesomely when I get to practice after work today - it always sinks in overnight for her :)

Warm & Fuzzies

I can't stop thinking about how much fun I had this past weekend at CCDAC's trial. Partially, I am sure this is due to success with Panic & Dexter. Seeing them have so much fun and be so happy makes me just *so* thrilled inside. But mostly, a lot of people I like were there, and very supportive of one another, and the comraderie was just such a great feeling. The weather was miserable for most of Saturday, and bars were falling all over the place due to wind, and they were short on workers and loooong on course changes. But during team gamblers, hearing everyone cheer for teams to "go go go go!" as they attempted the time gamble and genuinely being happy when someone made it, or the groan of defeat when someone just barely missed it, was very refreshing. I think it maybe has something to do with it being outdoors vs indoors? I find at indoor trials I am much more likely to sit in a chair by my crate with a book or take a nap between runs or something - outdoors it's nice to sit by the rings and watch your friends and competitors enjoy their runs.

Today, I am very grateful that I decided to get back into agility after my college hiatus.

I started competing in agility when I was 9 with my Border Terrier, Peanut. I don't think I really realized how "dorky" being in dogs was until I was in 6th or 7th grade, but after that, even though I loved doing it, I was kind of ashamed. I always wished I was in a more cool activity or sport. So as much as I loved it, I never totally embraced it insofar that I wouldn't talk about it much at school, and just didn't feel comfortable with it when I wasn't with "dog people". I did become a judge summer of '00 when I was 15, just about to turn 16. I loved doing that too. I always felt accepted at the dog shows - even when I was younger and kids were not always a favorite of my fellow competitors. It was a better feeling than I sometimes had at school where I sometimes felt out of place.

When I went off to college, I just didn't have a lot of time anymore for agility or judging. I was at school 2 hrs from home and my dogs, so no practicing. I did a few shows a year but pretty much went on hiatus from dogs during that time. I got to experience a lot and am thrilled I took advantage of the opportunities college presented me with instead of staying at home and continuing to focus on the dogs. I know it was the right decision. When I was graduating, I was planning on continuing my non-doggie life and career. When Andy wanted to get a dog, we looked on petfinder and saw "Zum Zum". This goofy little yellow dog, sitting looking up at the camera, with big old ears standing up and a big smile on her face. She was immediately very interesting to me. I convinced Andy to go look at her with me, and we did. Remember, this was going to be Andy's dog, and we were still just dating for 4 or so months at the time. Well, she was a NUT. But after we visited I couldn't stop thinking about her and begged Andy to get her. Long story short, she became "Panic" and really, how could one *not* do agility with her? Started her jumping and weaving within days of adopting her and the rest is history. She was brilliant - seriously brilliant. She has by far been the easiest dog I've had to train for those things, and she was just so eager to do ANYTHING after being shut in one of those small dog kennels on the wall at the shelter. Panic seems to have come into my life for a reason. Without her I'm not sure I would have gotten back into it. And I'm so glad I did.

It is so nice to now be friends, as an adult, with people I have known and competed with for the last 16 years. I know they are always there for me if I need them, and it's just great to hang out with them on the weekend. The relationship that agility has given me with my dogs has been fantastic. It keeps me at least somewhat active compared to sitting at my desk all day and has given me life-long friends :)

Four years ago when I graduated, I would never have guessed how involved I'd be yet again in agility or that agility would indeed become part of my career and livelihood! Thanks to all my agility friends for making this such an enjoyable hobby :)

Spry 2x2s day 5

Practiced briefly last night. I moved the 2nd set in two times, I would guess about 30" apart now. She is doing great! Hitting entrances about 95% of the time from any angle and speeding up. I think if I can work her tonight (it's super rainy right now) I might be able to get them spaced at 22" or very close at least, so that would be 4 poles spaced correctly, and ready to add 2 more in front :)

I am very pleased with the choices I've made for her training - 2rto was definitely the right choice vs running for the DW and the 2x2 has been a lot of fun to train :)

Very successful weekend!

We were at an outdoor show this weekend - the first of the year, and Dexter's first ever. Saturday was rough - cold, rainy, and winds up to 40 mph. We had STD first, Dex was not too pleased with the scoring tent's walls flapping very loudly by the start line, or the tent man with the huge hammer/mallet fixing the tent posts, so I opted to do only three jumps and leave the ring. He did them and I was thrilled. Later we ran jumpers, and he did much better! Overall very fast but got weirded out by a few jumps so was overtime.

Sunday was much better weather! We started out with standard again. HE WAS AWESOME!!!! Ran so fast and happy :) did have to visit one bar setter and look around on the table before laying down, but nailed everything including his biggest stress points - weaves and the teeter. His first starters standard leg. So proud of my boy! In jumpers today the course was a little tough and he visited the judge along with a few other bobbles, plus he was tired at the end of a long weekend, but he did well. Just a few secs overtime again. I am a little bummed/disappointed we have not been able to get a jumpers leg - I know we haven't yet had a "perfect" run - but it's starters for goodness sake. Seems like a dog should be able to hesitate at a jump or 2 and still Q? Oh well - his improvement is really, really monumental.

I kept thinking outdoors would be better than indoors. And, as I learned on Saturday, there are a whole new set of stressors to worry about - but my BIGGEST lesson is just not to worry about them at all :) I can't control our environment at a trial, and it's silly to worry about it. He is SO sensitive to my emotions so if I just chill the f out, he pretty much does too. I honestly could watch the video of his standard Q over and over again :) So nice to see him be fast and happy out there!

Panic ran in the DAM tournament on Saturday with teamies Malibu/Aida Peterson and Maple/Blanche Cooper. Panic kicked butt all day :) We started out w/team snooker, and she won the 22" class! She also got a 3rd in standard and a 4th in jumpers. Ran an awesome gamblers opening but missed (like many) on the time gamble so no bonus points and no placement.

She ran so FAST! I am not worried about her jumping/speed anymore. I am convinced it's a confidence thing on matting and other certain surfaces - but she in general is fast on sprinturf, dirt, and outdoors. Slower on matting and some astroturf. She has common sense and if she doesn't feel OK extending or pushing herself too much on those surfaces, that's alright. I don't want her to get hurt. She ran SO much more ahead of me this weekend than I was used to! It was great to see her just get out there and have a blast.

Sunday we did not get our sought after gamble for our ADCH - or our GP leg - unfortunately. GREAT opening again in gamblers. I'm so good at planning these openings, wish I could stop losing my mind when the buzzer goes off!! In GP - I made the mistake of not doing a DW in gamblers, and so our first DW of the day was GP and she missed it by a mile. Also went off course later on, I'm pretty sure due to running faster/wider than I was used to. Ended up w/Q #6, 2nd place in M Relay w/Malibu, Q #22, 2nd place in Jumpers, and Q#21/SQ #10, 1st place in Snooker. Along with our #2 DAM tourney Q, which gets our Tournament Master title as well as another coveted qualification for nationals! All we need now is that one last GP.

Can't wait for the rest of this summer's trials :)

Dexter at class last night

We ran a full course - very starters level. BEST DOGGIE EVER!!! We made sure my mom was being "judge" so that he would have to deal with the distraction of her. It was no problem!!

He ran fast, happy, and excellent in general!! He got the DW on a tunnel/DW discrim - which is usually a HUGE pitfall for us - he always chooses the tunnel bc of contact confidence issues. So big success here :) Did the teeter fast and happy, and had killer poles!! He was fast and hopping, and even slipped and knocked his head on a pole and kept going. I'm so proud :)

We're off this weekend to Rochester Hills, MI for CCDAC's trial. Dexter's 1st outdoor trial, hope it goes well! Panic has a chance to finish up her nationals Qs with DAM & GP, along with her ADCH on a gamble on Sunday... crossing my fingers!

Spry training - DW, WP, Teeter

Ok I did get a chance to work on 2x2s yesterday before heading to the building. I measured and they are now 40" apart. She is doing pretty well, I'm pleased with the progress. Should be able to move closer again next session... Monday.

Worked on DW at the building, was able to move the height up several links - I think we're pretty close to competition height. Still running fast, still stopping well. Also there was a tunnel entrance aimed right at one end, and seeing that enticing tunnel did NOT cause her to mess up. GOOOD lady :) Also did some tunnel -> DW which she handled nicely. She did have her first spectacular fall off of the DW. Considering her recklessness I'm surprised it hadn't happened yet. She fell off the middle of the top board onto her side - she seemed OK and we got a few reps in again to make sure she wasn't spooked. She was reasonably cautious the first time back on, but was then back up to speed :)

Teeter - have done tippy board before but yesterday was the 1st time on a full teeter that moves. We started with it going from 24"->24" table so it didn't tilt, then did 24"->16", 24"->12", and got down all the way to 24"->ground. She did awesome, wasn't nervous, and I saw no reason to spend extra time on the various heights. She was going quickly with no fear. As soon as the board was on the ground she began offering 2rto. I love this dog!

Spry's 2x2s day #3, considering entering her at a trial...

Working 2 sets of 2, got them moved a little closer together. Probably 44" or so now instead of 48". Figured out why she was skipping the first set and moving onto the second, I'm being quiet until the does the 2nd set and then tell her good girl, so she thinks the 2nd set is what she's getting rewarded for, so why do the 1st at all? If I tell her good girl the whole time it doesn't stop her, or I can just say "go go go" and it encourages her to keep working. So now she knows to do both. Also got her speed up a little more.

I don't know if I should be encouraging her to speed up at this step? Or just waiting until she's got the concept down more... but it seems to me she needs the speed with the two sets spaced further apart so she can learn to keep up that speed and control her body as they get closer together. If I wait until the two sets are right next to eachother and then ask her to explode with speed I'm afraid she'll just bust right outta the poles. Probably won't get to work poles tonight, and I won't get to tomorrow, Sat, or Sun. Hopefully we don't lose ground between now and Monday.

So the early bird for Flashpoint is June 1st. That means I have to decide soon whether or not to enter Spry!! I think she'll def be ready for jumpers, her DW is coming along so well I think she'll be able to do that, haven't really even started training her AF so who knows, and her teeter I'm going to start with the whole plank tonight, so we'll see. I'm thinking I'll probably enter in jumpers and maybe gamblers or snooker. Good news is I can pull her entry up til June 23 so that's a lot longer to figure out what she can do :)

Spry's weave poles

I've decided to switch over to 2x2s. I'll be using the method as described by Mary Ellen Barry in her April '09 Clean Run article. I had been kind of doing the Joe Canova thing, but Spry was having a hard time because she could go slowly OK but the second she tried to speed up, she can't control her body and she can't stay in the channel. She doesn't really have a "medium" speed - just slow, and long strided and fast! So, my thought was giving the 4' distance between the 2 sets of 2 poles and decreasing that distance will help her learn how to control and bend her body better for weaving. Might help some with body bending for jumping too, we'll see!

So far it's going well - she can get the entrance from anywhere on the clock with 2 poles. I added the 2nd set and the first session she did very well - got her offering going straight through the 1st and 2nd sets, but then the next session she acted like it was weird, and would skip the first set and go on to the second. Got her successful though and I'm hoping some latent learning occurred overnight :) Find out this afternoon!

I haven't been doing much jumping - need to get back on that. I got excited by weave poles :) FOCUS!

Notes on DW from last night, other training

Spry is doing excellent on her 2rto dogwalk!! Last night she really sped up and learned to drive to the end. She is stopping with her paws ahead of her, not off to the side of the board, so I'm really happy! Now, I just have to learn to run faster! Doesn't matter much how fast she does the DW if it takes me 3 more seconds to catch up :) I need to practice being behind and doing a run-by. If I start and stay ahead, she stops, but haven't practiced passing her while she's stopped. Also need to start working FC at the bottom. It is 4 links higher than the lowest height... probably 3.5 ft or so? going to keep easing it up a few links at a time. Really don't want to mess this lovely behavior up! I did notice at least on the 1st one in the vid, she missed the up. I can't tell on the 2nd, haven't had a chance yet to slow it down and watch it on a bigger screen. But I'm not going to fuss too much - she drives ahead so well the LAST thing I want is her checking in with me right at the beginning and becoming uncertain.

Also worked on - tippy teeter - worked on one of BRAG's wooden ones, which creaks as it resets and it does scare her a little. Also worked on a metal noisy one, with a piece of padding under the downside so it still bangs but not as much yet. This one has chains which rattle when it hits. Took her by surprise at first but she in the end like it! So I'm going to keep working on that and then I'll use the 2 table method I think to teach her the teeter.

Also worked on jumping. Mom pointed out I'm looking for too much in terms of her collection - she is NOT panic and has a much bigger body. She is turning it, and doing well. I'm jumping her at 24" now, 22" seemed a little too easy and I was getting too much extension.

I ran Dexter as well, working on not being distracted! Had mom sit in a chair on the wall, he ran fine. Had her walk around, he did fine. Had her stand where we'd run by and he did get distracted once but then was OK. We'll get there!

Spry's DW last night

USDAA Q's for DEXTER!!!

BRAG S/A trial this weekend. I entered dude in everything, so 5 runs Sat and 4 Sunday. Good news is that he didn't tire out with that many runs! Some were great, some were ok, one was AWFUL (well he didn't really give it any time to be anything but!). We realized Fada and Dex were one after another a few times in the run order. Well Dex is *obsessed* with her, and I knew wouldn't run if he knew she was right there. Sat Std - she ran, one dog ran in between, then us. I kept him somewhat hidden while she ran, but he's no dummy, plus it obviously smelled like her. I took him to the gate while the dog before us ran - a little, golden, fuzzy dog with a lady running - if you squinted you could have thought the two of them were my mom and Fada. Dex kept straining like "is it them?? It smells like them here, doesn't quite look like them, but it must be!". So he started out the course ok - tunnel. And then, prompt exit from the ring :)

But no problems with that on any other runs! He Q'd in the last two runs Sunday - Gamblers and Snooker. Gamblers was pretty good, snooker was pretty messy but somehow we made it in time. He had some great jumpers runs but got stuck at one place in each to be overtime. Saturday snooker was fun and fast, but got stuck on the teeter. Sunday standard was awesome - he was pretty speedy on his contacts and had lots of fun :) We're finally hitting our stride, or at least getting there!

Panic ran in P1 all weekend - good news, from reviewing the vids I think she's extending 50% of the time I think she should be. HUGE improvement!

Spry's jump training, teeter intro

Last night worked on jumping w/Spry at the building. I realized why she's diving. I moved too quickly somewhere in the process... she is fine with straight back on the takeoff side, but only when I'm pretty close. if I move back a little more, she opens her stride up and extends over the jump. so, I need to work more gradually me moving further from the jump and me at different angles.

Also introduced the teeter last night - I am just sitting on the ground by the down side and holing the board slightly off of the ground, clicking for her jumping on/getting on the board. i wasn't going to ask for 1rto right now, just confidence on the board, but she gives me 1rto everytime anyway :) The first time I went to do this, I was sitting and getting the board ready, had it probably 12" off of the ground and she just jumps right up! Not afraid of the motion or bang. She *is* however afraid of the noise this particular teeter makes as it's resetting itself. It's a wooden teeter and kind of creaks/groans. She doesn't like it!

Latent learning

WOW!

Vid #5 is the last session I did with Spry on Tuesday. Yesterday, I decided to work her for a few minutes. My in-laws whippet, Juneau, was visiting and was in the yard. I figured he'd just chill somewhere and not get in the way, yet be somewhat of a distraction (we need to work through distractions!!!) so I left him out. Well, he followed me around the whole time, and half of the time was standing in the way right in front of the WPs. I was going to move him, when Spry says "HEY you're in my WAY!" and in a very agile fashion goes around him and flips into the poles from a fairly drastic angle, and DOES them! now granted, there are only 3 poles and they are channelled, so it's not like she did 12 poles or anything, but she did the macaroni and didn't just fly out of pole 2! I was so pleased. She continued to impress me with her skills - I was probably 10-15' to the side of the poles and 5' or so back from where they started, and I kept trying to go over there to line her up, but she'd see me take one step, and FLY over to them, nail the entry, and do all three. WOW. We haven't even WORKED on entries whatsoever, and after our last Tues session I thought she had a rudimentary sense of "always enter with pole on left shoulder" but it was kinda sketchy. She *totally* gets now how to enter with me on either side. What a fantastic doggie.

Of course, I didn't film it :)

Spry weave pole training

Vids #1, 3, 4, 5

Spry - is she diving? And trial vids from weekend... Panic got a Bye!!

Spry Jump Training:


Ok after watching this video, I think she's diving. I'm not 100% sure of what diving is, so bear with me here. But she looks pretty much OK to me when she turns to the left, but it's worse when she turns to the right. I can also see I was standing in the wrong place for the RTH stuff, I needed to be directly opposite her on the jump, not offset. If she is diving, then I will work more on me to the side of the jump from a distance so she really has to work to curve 180 degrees and it shoudl be hard for her to dive.

Any thoughts please?

here are two vids from this weekend. I brought Dexter in before A Snooker to observe, because I noticed they were using the buzz on the etimer, not the beep, and sometimes the buzz freaks him out. Well, we were sitting there pleasantly during the walkthrough and he was being a silly guy like normal, and all the sudden they turned music on LOUDLY. He flipped out. Good news is he was pretty much back to normal before the run. He was still a little stressy as evidenced by running around jumps - 3a was a tough angle but I think no excuse on 6a in the opening. And he got stuck in the 5 tunnel in the close for some reason - I think someone had peed there. Great! Overall I am happy w/this run, he did have some moments of really moving.

The whole reason for our trek from Harrisburg, where we were on Saturday for the Podengo Specialty, to Indianapolis for Sunday, was to try to get a GP Q because I had none! We keep NQing for one silly thing or another. Well, it was worth it! I was worried bc she blew her DW in relay (which I entered as a warm up), but she nailed it in GP and ran quite lovely for a 1st place and my first ever bye!! I couldn't have been more thrilled with her. except for the lack of startline stay, of course! I guess if I ever tried to enforce her stay at a trial it might help, huh? Anyway, the vids:

Dexter Snooker:


Panic GP:

Spry's training last Thurs

I didn't have a camera last Thursday because we had already packed everything up for the Friday CATC trial, but what an AWESOME session we had!! This was nice because the week before was pretty frustrating - she was so distracted.

We got the table up to 16" for the DW 2rto. She is doing beautifully. This week I am going to do the tunnel to the DW board at 16". If she can do that well, I'll move up to 24" and then after that we should be ready for big DW not set to full height. She loves doing 2rto, I am so happy I made the switch.

I also was working on jumping, and we are up to page 13 in DJS - step 5/diagram 11. We will work diagram 12 tonight hopefully and hopefully will also work on steps 6 and 7 this week. I was amazed at how much she can curve her body when I'm on the takeoff side. She really gets it.

We're still working on adding distractions, but she is getting better. We did some work while mom was running Fada. She did go visit Fads a time or two, but towards the end stayed with me.