Agility Seminar

I went to a Loretta Mueller seminar this weekend.  They only had one day of Masters, so I only signed Java up. Ive been so excited about this seminar but just had a hard time getting moving this weekend.  Im don't know why. My husband was like, "Whats wrong with you, you've been waiting for this".  I don't know.  But I manage to get there and have a great experience.   I wish she did on-line classes because I would sign up in a second.  She always helps me figure out big problems Im having.  Here is a video of some things we did, the good and the bad.



I think sometimes to many attempt of me trying to get it right,  made Java try different things , thinking I must want something different.  Like the tunnel thing. She just didn't want to go in and then jumped on top and went around. It took a while for her to get what I wanted. And that was after doing it correctly multiple times. Silly.
 What I found out this weekend is Java has trained me well. You know how Ive been having trouble with Java not turning or not turning tight in my DP handling class?   DP felt like Java was not engaging her rear enough when running and  turning. That I needed to work more on call to heel stuff. Some of it was Java just running and not listening.   Well Loretta hit it on the head.  I keep compensating for Java going wide and adjust what Im doing to help her.   And its more work for the dog to turn, so she would go wide and I would back up or kinda scoop her in with my arm when  cueing the turn.  So the more I gave, the more Java took.  See, she trained me well.   I need to hold my ground. If I told you to turn here, you  turn here.

The course was longer than this but I just wanted to show you the beginning.  I knew when I  walked it , that getting the number 4 jump was going to be tough for us to get. It looks simple, doesn't it?  I didn't want to say anything because that would be negative, but really I knew we wouldn't get it. I was right.  It took me multiple times of running to get it. Ugh. And I was the only one this happened to. Some people did miss it the first run but then next time , they got it. Not me, it took many attempts to get it. Ugh. I don't know if the course map above it exactly correct but its in the video.    We finally did get it but good lord it took a lot. LOL So lots of things for me to work on with Java.  I was so happy I went to this seminar.  Im not sure Ill ever get better at running agility.  But the only thing is keep trying or quit.  And I think about quitting a lot but I would really like to be some what successful, so I keep hoping ......and trying.

I cant remember what day I took this but it was getting dark. I had to crank the ISO on my camera up to over 6000, other wise it was blurry.  The owl was on the side of the creek bed, I think he had sometime but we spooked him and he flew up onto this tree. So I tried to stay low and wait him out to see if he would go back to it.   Im in the woods, on this little hill. All of a sudden a bike comes. The dogs go crazy and pull on the leash. I fall back wards down the hill with mud getting inside my waist band of my pants. Ugh!!  I bet that biker thought I was going to the bathroom in the woods. LOL If he only knew.  The owl flew away.

 Then there was this blue herring. Can you see him in the middle of the picture through the tress? The tree is a log across the river.

While I was trying to be quite, walk into the woods and get a better shot, a lady jogger with a jogging stroller came by.  Java let out a little "woof" and that's all it took. The blue herring flew away. At least I didn't fall down and get mud down my pants. LOL

 

Then last but not least, the river otter.

 

He was so cute. He kept going under water when hearing my camera clicking away.  But would come back up again. I was shooting into the sun with it reflecting off the water. There was no way to really get in a different position but I kept trying. I was trying to be quite and get into the woods  to move the sun off  to the side. Well, I guess you can figure out what happened.  A bike came by and  the dogs went crazy.  The otter when under and didn't come back up. Ugh!!