ASSA Nationals Agility

We made it to the agility trial. It was a rough night sleeping at the hotel. Miley barked at every little noise all night long. I kept the TV on hoping the noise would over ride the outside noise but no such luck. I tried running the air conditioner but it was an automatic one with a temp. gauge on it and would shut off. She also kept barking at herself in the full lenght mirror that was in front of the bed. But that I could solve. I took the mirror down and turned it around. So needless to say we were tired the next day. We got the the trial around 8:40. The were running novice JWW first so I figured I had plenty of time. While walking in I hear my name being called. I was being called to work the ring. I had no idea that I was working. I guess they could have sent me an email. But our email has been bouncing emails for the last several weeks. So maybe I didn't get it. I did get the emails about the running orders and other things. Weird. So I gave my husband the dog and went off to work. I was feeling very nervous that morning and really needed that time to get my act together. O'well , what can you do. We were suppose to be the first dog on the line for Open JWW, but they must have added 2 -8 inch dogs. So at least a had a few extra minutes.

Here is the course. I don't know if you can read it. It starts on the right hand side. I really was unsure what to do on the course. It goes into a pinwheel and then to the weaves. I should front cross b/t #4 and #5. But I kept thinking if I did that , I would block her view to the weaves and she wouldn't see where she was going. So I decided to rear cross even though I was in front of her. The next problem was the tunnel. I walked it , that I would call her name as she came over the jump and do just a little shoulder pull to keep her with me, then send her into the correct tunnel entrance. But as you can see on the video, my arm flapping go the better of me and she followed my direction , which was off course in the wrong tunnel entrance. If I hadn't seen in on my video, I would have sworn I didn't do that. I think I'm going to get one of those slings that they use after having rotator cuff surgery. It has this Velcro strap that holds your arm to your body so you cant move it. LOL I had also planned to front cross b/t #13 and #14 but that didn't happen either and I rear crossed it. But that seemed to work. So anyway, I feel she did well, but my handling needs a lot more practice. If you watch the video repeatedly while trying to down load it on a computer that keeps shutting down, you can really see how her lines are really moving all over the place. Which means , I'm not giving her the information fast enough , so she is having to constantly correct. ( Do you think she leaves the course and thinks, " Hey lady, I'm not taking responsibility for any of that. That was all you". I can just see her prancing right along in that little prissy trot of hers thinking just that. Just kidding , She loooooves me. ) Only one out of 10 dogs qualified but we had the fastest time. ( hey I have to have some thing that makes me feel good) I think course time was 43 seconds and we did it in 26 seconds. No other dog was in the 20's with there time. Imagine if we really ran well with good lines.



I did do my standard run even though I said I wasn't going to. My friend and my husband kept saying, it will be all right. We came all this way to see you run. So I caved and walked the course. I walked it with the reality that she was going to jump the dogwalk contact. So while walking, I practice bringing her back and sitting her at the bottom of the dogwalk and then releasing her. I know people watching were probably thinking, what is she doing? Well, guess what. She stopped in a 2o/2o at the bottom of the dogwalk. I was the happiest person in the world. She was going so fast thur the course. I know it doesn't look like it but she was. I think course time was 75 seconds and she was under 50 ( I think) . She ran the course great. She missed the a-frame contact but did do the 2 hits , so I will have to fix that. I rear crossed the chute because I was worried if I reared the double she would drop the bar. So you can see on the video , she doesn't know where to go coming out of the chute. When we finished the run, I was the happiest person in the world. I was kissing her and everything. I know people standing around were thinking," Does she know she got called on the a-frame?" I was so happy, I just couldn't believe she stopped on the dogwalk contact. She got steak as a reward for that run. WHOOHOO!!!

We had a great time. It was so nice to sit with a group of people that I knew and could talk to. And it was nice that my husband came too. It was the first time we have ever left our kids. One of us has always been home. It was great seeing my room mate Maribeth. Even though we hadn't see each other in many years , we felt like best friends all over again. And it was so great that she won the herding trial. At the agility trial everyone kept passing by saying, that's the dog that won the herding trial. WHooHoo.