VD (Valentines Day) Trial Review - Feb 11th

It seems like there are a few specific trials that I hit pretty regularly and others that I miss more often than not. This past weekend was one of the former!

Facebook actually shared a memory with me that 6 years ago on this weekend Baxter got his ADC and ran clean in 6/8 runs. That was my very first title I've ever put on a dog.

This weekend Baxter picked up 2 more titles, finishing his Expert Snooker Silver (25 Snookers) and his Master Challenge Dog of Canada (5 Challenge Q's) titles. There are a couple more big titles I'm aiming for with Baxter before retiring him. It's pretty bitter-sweet. I just adore running my Fluff and we are a pretty solid team.

The Challenge course this weekend was just awesome. Such nice flow and I'm very happy with how Baxter and I ran this ... even if people did talk to the judge to tweak it to make the approach to 19 "equally" nice from both ways over 18.

We ran the course in "extension," with the only jump that was wrapped being #17 where that is obviously the shorter distance. I really am appreciating the seminar we recently did where the focus was on the dog's path and which way is faster.

Extension - the way we ran it

Collection - A LOT more turns. 

It always makes my heart happy when we get compliments on a run and this one was no exception. It's high praise indeed when the judge tells you nicely run on the way out - makes me think we ran it the way it ran in her head. This one is going to be fodder for a few days of practice for the younger dogs!

Poor Spencer was feeling off this weekend. He had a really nice Snooker run and then in Challenge didn't want to take the Frame, so I pulled him for the rest of the day and didn't ask him to run in Steeplechase. He needs a couple more Standard for a big-ish title that I would really like to get with him and after that I think he might be done with trialing - especially as I get the little herdy girls up and running so to speak.

I'm very happy with how my little red-head did this weekend as well! Until we get the disconnect kinks worked out, right now I am working on back-chaining and not trying to run a full course. Nike was only in Standard and Jumpers and we only did 10 obstacles in each of them but I'm happy with how she did.

CAA November Remembrance Day Trial Review & Rant

At the beginning of the month was CAA's annual Remembrance Day Trial.

I haven't trialed a lot lately, with Lethbridge being the last big trial in September. This was such an awesome weekend, despite being part of the club putting on the trial and needing to be there from the very beginning to the very end. 2 x 12 hour days plus Friday night leads to being pretty wrung out come the end of the day on Sunday.

Baxter is not running full trials anymore and Spencer never has run full trials so it was pretty relaxed in terms of numbers of runs per day. I did enter Nike, but we're on a confidence building plan with her, so her runs don't "count."

Friends to trial and bench with make a world of difference in having a enjoyable weekend as well. This weekend was no exception. We benched with one of our training partners and having someone to video and chat with is awesome.

My boys rocked Friday night (their whole one run each) but it set me up to have a fantastic weekend. That connected feeling where your training pays off and you run as a team. It's the best feeling in the world!

All of the Masters level courses were under a judge I'd never actually trialed under before and being that she's a pretty standard fixture on various world teams, I didn't expect to love trialing under her as much as I did. Maybe it's a hold over from having the non-standard breeds, or from running my "slow" dogs. I really love it when people notice how good of a team the people in the ring are with their dogs - regardless of breed, or how fast/amazing a run was. What makes my heart happy is when a team is out having a great time and the dog is clearly understanding what the handler wants. Those pretty, fluid, connected runs.

Baxter was ON all weekend, running great except for a bobble in a Standard which was my fault, not his. He picked up 2 Jumpers, 1 Standard, 1 Snooker and ran 4/5. It felt like he wanted to do more during the day, but when we ran those last runs each day he felt a little tired/slower so I think that 2 runs a day is a good compromise for him.

With those Jumpers Q's we only need 3 more to earn his Gold Jumpers which is my big goal for him. I initially wanted to get that in 2017, but even if we hit all the Jumpers possible (locally anyway) that wouldn't be happening, so I guess it'll be in 2018 under the new "jump" heights. (And I call them "jumps" because my short, Special/Vet boys only have to jump 4" which really isn't even a jump for them.)

Spencer was on as well - he really does better with less trialing/training. He held it together for me for the weekend, minus melting in his Snooker run that might have been due to soreness. We had a bobble in his otherwise awesome Standard were he pulled off and refused the Frame right before the Snooker run, which is why I'm thinking he might have been sore. He doesn't usually pull off the Frame, just on jumps when he's feeling worried. He picked up 1 Standard, 1 Steeplechase and 1 Gamble running 3/5, but those 3 he was ON, driving to obstacles and responsive.

As much as Jumpers is Baxter's game - Standard and Gamble are Spencer's. He doesn't LOVE distance, but he understands what I want him to do and has the confidence to go out there and attempt it. It makes me so happy that my soft little margarine puddle of a dog has the confidence to try for me. His weaves and DW make those games so much easier with him than they were with Baxter.

Nike did well with our new goal of having a good time in the ring and not stressing out/disconnecting. First run was only 5 or 6 obstacles on the way to the exit to have a cookie party, and she got distracted by some smells in the back, but we got it back together and finished strong.

Our second run was a Standard, and we actually attempted everything but the table. She knows and likes the table, but the stops where she is not rewarded seem make her think she is wrong and result in her disconnecting - so right now, no stopping! I lost her worse to smells after the teeter again, but again, got her back (it was her idea to teeter again, not mine) and we finished nicely and had another cookie party.

Until I've got 100% of a dog wanting to play my game, she'll be running Specials. Right now we need confidence and happy more than anything and once those are there the skills (that we have in training) will be a *little* more apparent - because right now it looks like I have a completely untrained dog.

I'm also going to fully embrace the journey Nike and I are on here and learn the things that she's teaching me that will make me a better and stronger trainer.  It's about Nike and I. Period.

I love my dogs and I love the journey we are on together.

Titles, Trial Review and Baby Dogs ... OH MY ...

Oh baby dog. But first, the good stuff.

This weekend we drove down to Lethbridge to support a new club hosting their first agility trial. The trial was well run and organized. Lots of awesome little perks that really make an event feel like it is well run. The venue was FABULOUS. Lots of benching under huge trees for shade made the 33°C day on Saturday bearable!

Baxter and Spencer ran in Dog Days of Summer (Nike's first trial.) Both boys did fantastic, especially considering the heat, but towards the end of the second day Baxter was slow. Usually he runs my speed and I could definitely feel that he was lagging a bit - which concerned me, because he only ran 2 things on Saturday and 4 on Sunday.

This trial though, both boys were on fire. 

Spencer loved it here - it helped that it was a small trial and they didn't have insane off leash rules. Basically use common sense and they didn't care if the dog was off leash - so before and after runs we played with his frizzie in the shade. He was entered in 5 runs and I had a dog in all 5 runs, even in the heat. He was a little off on Gamble 1, but my handling was a little off too. Standard and Snooker he rocked it and Q'd in 33°C heat!

Photo Credit: Rita Barrett

Day 2 he had a fantastic Standard and we were ON - except where I completely buggered up his weaves by stopping dead. Gamble 2 I didn't think we'd have a hope but he shocked the heck out of me and nailed it. Earning his Bronze Gamble and Versatility Bronze Award Titles. Such a good baby black dog.

Baxter obviously felt much better this trial (he was sore and had a limp tail issue 2 weeks prior to Dog Days and maybe he was just still a bit sore at that trial.) At 9.5 years he doesn't run full trials anymore, max 3 a day and no Gambles anymore. He had a perfect weekend going 6/6 and even in Jumpers on Saturday in the heat he ran pretty hard at 4.4 yps!

Photo Credit: Penny Norem

His career is winding down, but he still loves playing and on Sunday morning rocked his Standard coming in 2 seconds faster than the papillon in the class with us and at 4.2 yps (which is something, considering there are 12 weaves) Love my Fluff, so full of heart!

Then my baby... so bitter sweet. Saturday morning she NAILED Gamblers -  mini gamble twice, Aframe twice and held the contact. She did have DW worries, but that's due to the DW in class that has a LOT of bounce/flex. Connected and responsive. She was fantastic.

Then Jumpers I had no dog. Wouldn't take the first jump, couldn't sit for a start line and then left the ring to go bark at and freak out at the out of control dog shrieking at the warm up jumps. So we were excused from the run. Not good - the only silver lining is that she did come back to me and had zero intent on connecting with that dog. Just wanted to control the out of control barking.

Gamblers was next up on Sunday and I went FEO with a toy. Still no dog. No first jump, flanking obstacles and running past them. After she played tug for a AFrame contact I had slightly more dog and she got the final gamble with ease, but still VERY disconnected and I'll admit, disappointing. So we've got a lot to work on before I enter her in more trials - and I'm seriously considering pulling from the one we are entered this weekend.

Impulse control work, here we come!

2016 Summer Fun

With no summer vacation to Farragut this year for August 20-28 I bounced around between Calgary and the Pass for a week of "holidays." Finally hit up Island Lake Lodge on some decent days for photos and hiking. So nice up there!

Evening on 21-Aug:

Lunch time on 28-Aug:

In honor of the original photo from 2 years ago where we briefly saw Island Lake Lodge (and were  promptly hooked on the views) the original 3 came hiking and we did "family" photos again - Nike unfortunately doesn't do family photos yet!

The in no apparent order:

2016 AAC Regional Championships

AAC Regionals were hosted by Calgary Agility Association (CAA - the agility club I belong to) this year in Calgary at the Rugby Union. This might have been Baxter's last Regionals. So this was a nice bit of symmetry, since the first Regional event I had ever seen (I volunteered, as Baxter and I had just started taking classes) was hosted here in 2011.

Back to the "standard" 2 days of competition with Steeplechase on Friday to warm up if you do things like that. The venue was nice. Fantastic grass, but windy as all heck since it's on top of a hill. There was also no off-leash, which I don't appreciate, since I use that to help rev Spencer up and then reward him after as well.

They also drew the courses and the orders we would run on Friday night. Our group ended up running Standard first each morning followed by Jumpers and then Gamblers. I didn't really appreciate having Standard first both days.

After the fiasco last year with the photographer, I still signed up this year to get the photo packages even after it was announced that it would be the same photographer. I think I'm a little disappointed in the photos, definitely better than last year, but again, I have been sent "professional" photos in which my dogs are out of focus. Oh well. Maybe I will learn.

Exhausting waiting for the closing ceremonies

During the lead up into Regionals I had things other than agility on my mind. We practiced maybe once a month for the 3 months before Regionals. It might have showed a little. Baxter at least apparently forgot how to weave, but it was mostly my fault for not practicing.

Baxter's Results

Despite not practicing, Baxter ran great all weekend for me. On Saturday we had a weave bobble that cost us a clean run there, but we had a lovely Jumpers and would have got the final Gamble if he had hit the DW contact (so close!) He did get 35 points in that Gamble even if we didn't get the main!

On Sunday it was pretty much a repeat of Sat. Another weave bobble in Standard (popping the second pole again), lovely Jumpers and decent Gamblers where I really messed up his closing where he might have gotten the "hard part."

Baxter ended up placing first in all events except for Standard 1, where he placed second. He ended up the 6" Veteran Regional Champion with 463.15 points! Good boy Fluff!!

I wish I would have gotten a picture of his name engraved on the trophy. I don't care that much about winning (although it is nice) but what I do care about is that we are "immortalized" on that trophy as a team.

Baxter's Regional/National Stats:

2013 Regionals 6" Specials 1st Place: 448.50 points 3/6 clean runs, no gambles
2013 Nationals 6" Specials 2nd Place: 439.44 points 2/6 clean runs, no gambles
2014 Regionals 6" Specials 3rd Place: 405.79 points 3/6 clean runs, no gambles
2015 Regionals 6" Veterans 1st Place: 510.80 points 4/6 clean runs, GOT A GAMBLE!!!
2016 Regionals 6" Veterans 1st Place: 463.15 points 2/6 clean runs, no gambles

Spencer's Results

SO proud of my baby black dog this year! Spencer was a furry little rock star and the weather was about perfect for him - or at least it wasn't raining and cold!

In our warm up round, he ended up scaring himself good on the teeter, which was my bad, so I had to remember extra support there for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday he was doing great in Standard (DW second obstacle!) until it was teeter into the weaves and they were fairly close together. He popped the second pole when the teeter tipped back into position after he got off of it and he was a little worried for the rest of his run. The finish on Standard 1 was nice though. Jumpers was lovely and then in Gamble he was a rock star. When he is on, he is a good little gamble dog! Not only did he get a mini twice, he also got the main in Gamblers 1 and got a whopping 78 points!

The ONLY photo in which Spencer actually looks happy

Sunday we started off really good and he was driving in Standard 2. Got and nailed the weaves that Baxter missed. However, on a flat jump he didn't see it and wasn't on approach to it. I thought we were called on that as a refusal (we weren't) so I was a little upset with myself and not handling as much as I know I should have been. It was teeter, jump, tunnel. So Spencer is off because of the teeter again and slow over the jump. I thought the straight tunnel was obvious, but this is Spencer we're talking about here, and I didn't support it so he didn't take it. We did get a refusal for that one!

Again, Jumpers was nice and in Gamblers he got a tunnel/DW mini where I had to stay roughly in the middle of the DW while he went to the end. He rocked that one twice! Unfortunately he didn't get the main, but he was still a rockstar in my eyes!

Third year was apparently the charm, and Spencer traded in his 2nd places to place first in 6" Specials, winning a Regional Championship for the first time with 470.33 points! SO proud of my baby black dog. He has come so far from the little puddle of puppy shut down on the floor that I brought home, and like Baxter, our partnership is immortalized as well on the trophy.

Spencer's Regional/National Stats:

2013 Regionals 10" Regulars 4th Place: 398.66 points 2/6 clean runs, no gambles
2013 Nationals 10" Regulars 12th Place: 419.25 points 3/6 clean runs, no gambles
2014 Regionals 6" Specials 2nd Place: 434.79 points 3/6 clean runs, no gambles
2015 Regionals 6" Specials 2nd Place: 422.27 points, 4/6 clean runs, technically no gambles, SO CLOSE
2016 Regionals 6" Specials 1st Place: 470.33 points, 3/6 clean runs, GOT A GAMBLE!!

My heart might not have been there going into Regionals, but after set up, I got my mental game together and we gave it the best we had with basically no preparation leading into it. So proud of how my little dogs did this weekend!

Bestest boys!

Off Leash Fun

To celebrate the beautiful day on Friday (and to tire out certain unnamed puppy's) we headed out to Wet Noses for some field time.

Fitting in

Since Nike doesn't have her full set of puppy shots yet, this is as close as I want to come to running around fields where I know there have been other dogs. Also, the fact you rent for a hour and you get the fully fenced field to yourself is awesome. Means I can work on recalls with good levels of distraction, but not be too worried about puppy misbehavior.

The dogs were crazy. Spencer was zooming around for nearly 45 minutes before he toned it down a little! It makes Nike SO MAD that she can't catch him (which might be good, since she should start to run more efficiently and less bouncy!)

Hopefully signs of future friendship?!

She's only "caught" him since he stopped and changed direction to come back

Penny is the only dog who will play with Nike in the house. So the girls stick together a bit. Penny runs naked now though, as Nike will grab her collar and drag her around the house!

Not to leave the rest of the dogs out ...

SO MUCH happy!

Aww Fluff <3

Baby fluff!

Piglet!

Spencer and his Salsey

When I brought the Chis home, I got them a really awesome snuggle toy. What's better than a big, soft, fuzzy toy to snuggle with when you are a tiny, naked puppy?!

The toy is called a Salsa, and it's made by West Paw. The name evolved into "Salsey" instead of Salsa.

Baxter never did get a salsa. He got a fuzzy, blue chicken toy but he was never as obsessed with it as the littles were.

Penny used to drag hers everywhere, and it is bigger than she is even now (Not that hard, when you're a Chi!) However, since she has this issue with sucking on toys, I had to amputate Salsa's leg and then I revoked toy privileges with him.

Spencer LOVES toys. He loved his little blue Salsey into pieces over the past 5 years. 3 pieces means more to love right?!

While I was out shopping for new dog toys I also bought him a new Salsey for his birthday this year! Still the little one, so not as big as Penny's.

He was pretty excited for it for these pictures ...

However, since I also bought a fun pink Boogey, he doesn't get new Salsey just yet ...

What, these aren't for me?!?

I really like these toys because of how well they stand up to my admittedly not very destructive dogs. It took 5 years for Spencer to rip him into 3 pieces! The nice thing with the toy is that despite being soft and fuzzy, it is not stuffed, so nothing for the toy destroyers to pull out. It also has a few squeakers in it (more bang for your buck.) The downside is that this toy is not exactly inexpensive @ $25 for the little Salsa - depending where you buy it!