Not sure

We had a nice hike today. It was freezing outside but I went anyway.  My fitbit has been acting crazy for some weird reason. It says I walked thousands of step when Im in my house doing nothing. And then after hiking for 2 hours, it said I didn't do anything.  Ugh.  But that was on the Fitbit Dashboard on my phone.  When I took the fitbit out and looked at it, it said I walked 10,000 steps.  The Dashboard said I was 15,000 steps before I even hiked. SO I think I got it fixed. At least I hope so.

I know I haven't been blogging  much. I keep meaning to and then I just don't seem to. So over the last month I've made some jumps.

I also rubberized my dogwalk. Ugh, what a pain that was. Removing all the paint and then sanding it down. The slats on the dogwalk are imbedded in the plank.  Which makes it hard to get the rubber to stick to the slats. Ugh. I did the ramps one at a time.  The first one, I didn't do a good job on. So there are gaps around the slats, between the rubber and the plank. So the next one I did a better job on. I cut 1/2 pvc poles up and put them on each side of the slats. And then tied them down with bungee cords and put weights on top.

If you look to the ramp behind this one. And look to the right, you can see the gap that formed around the slat.  It didn't happen with this new method. LOL

 

 

Its finally finished and out of the garage. Just in time for it to be freezing cold outside. And now my car is back in the garage.

See that dark, depressing sky. Yea, we've had a lot of those days. Ugh.  Im struggling to stay happy or at least not depressed.  I think Im spending to much time alone.  My husband works all the time. I havnt talked to him in several days.  My son is here but he isnt much of a talker so it feels like you live alone. And I work a job where Im in a office all by myself.  Its down the hall and inside another office. So I don't see anyone or hear anyone.  Don't get me wrong, my job is much better than it was last year but  its still lonely.  The girl that took over my old job has a second nurse with her almost always. I hardly ever had a second nurse when I worked there.. Even when I was seeing 50-70 kids a day. Ugh!!

Then we were going to go to my mom's house for Christmas.  My sister sent me an email saying could we go the weekend before Christmas and that my brother is going to go that weekend.   Well I cant go because I signed up for a Loretta Mueller seminar. So I guess I wont see them for Christmas. If they had told me sooner. Ack!! 

Then, Im already feeling really bad about my handling of  my dogs. I just feel like Im not getting any better. Plus I started working on some foundation stuff and not around agility equipment. Ive been doing it in my house. Some how it effected how my dogs did at the show I just went to.  Java, who only has ever done a down on the table, did a sit and wouldn't go down (on Saturday). And Miley did the same thing. WTH??  And Java was very unsure of herself. You will see in the video, she keeps head checking.   Someone who is an agility teacher in the area, came to the show on Sunday. She was there to get her dogs a message.  Well this guy says to  me, "Is Meagan here to run you dogs?" and was kind of smiling and small laughter. I felt like he was saying, Because you suck, you had to ask Meagan to run you dogs.  Im sure he didn't mean it that way but it was so hard not to take it personally. I know I need thicker skin. Then this person came to the field last night. I was suppose to have a class that Im in charge of. I set up a standard course and then we all help each other with problem areas.  Well no one showed up. I worked my dogs on some things. Then this person shows up and said they are having a class. (they aren't suppose to be holding a class because my class is suppose to have the field. but that's another story).  We start talking and she has a really good dog she wants to start training for agility but there is no way she would take a class from anyone at our club because they all are horrible. Gee thanks.  I think Im good enough to train foundation stuff and the beginning of handling.  So that hurt my feelings. She mush of realized what she said and tried to back pedal.  She said the only person she would take a class from is A. C.  I did tell her that that person is thinking of teaching so maybe she will get to work with her.

 

 

I went to an agility trial about 3 hours from home.  Its an indoor trial but its in a barn and kinda cold.  They have heaters but they are only one side of the barn. Its the opposite side of where you crate your dogs.  Saturday was cold and rainy.  I put Java in FAST and ISC jumpers.  So I could pull her if she broke her stay. She didn't break. Yay!!   ISC jumpers was fun with Java. (I should have set up my video camera but I didn't. Shoot. I will do it next time).

 

 

Miley's run was horrible. She dropped 3 bars and crashed  jump #8. So I stopped the run. Its kind of a dark arena. If you look at the video, its really grainy. Which makes me think there isn't enough light for Miley.  (On Java's video, her ISC standard run was filmed using a tri-pod. It looks much better. Not grainy). 

Java's run was much better. The only thing that happened was I stayed to the right of 1-3. I thought she wasn't reading coming into me over Jump 3. So I really decelerated to a stop and then I was late going to 4. I think she either went around the jump and then back jumped. I cant remember. But after that , she was perfect. Well, she was perfect , I wasn't. I was able to send to the tunnel and really get ahead of her coming out of the tunnel. I should have  FC or Blinded. But I didn't. And I was so far ahead, that my RC was late and she turned to the left and had  turn around and go right.

 

So after Miley did terrible in ISC jumpers, I was worried she was hurt.  But she ran Master Jumpers perfected and Qed.  It made me think, either there wasn't enough light in the morning or I didn't warm her up enough. Her and Java's runs were really close together. Plus it was really cold.  And I know I didn't give her enough of a warm up.

 

 Miley Qed in JWW. Then we ran standard. It was weave poles, chute and jump. Up to that, she had been perfect. And she is almost done with the poles and I thoght, "Hey we might double".  Bam!!  she pulled out of the poles. LOL, that's what I get for loosing concentration.

 

Java's jumpers run was weird. She just head checked so much. I wasnt sure how to handle the line of jumps to the tunnel. So I was late after sending her to the tunnel and how she knew to go to the weaves with me running at her, Ill never know. She should have turned left with what my motion was telling her. It was a weird run and she missed a jump.

 

 

 

 

ISC standard

I ran Miley first.  She went off course into the wrong tunnel entrance. Most of the dogs did. There were only 2 q'S out of everyone who ran.   So with Java, I had to plan to shape her turn over #5. They blast out of the chute and are heading away from the jump. So when they turn to come back to you, it sets a perfect line to the wrong tunnel entrance. (I don't know why I cant see this stuff before I run). So with Java I was going to shape the turn so that she it going to the correct tunnel entrance. And I shaped it to much and she took the a-frame. LOL


The next day ,when I came in early, it seemed kinda dark to me in the barn. I noticed the lights over the bleachers aren't on. I wonder if they weren't on yesterday morning when Miley had so much trouble keeping the bars up. What was the difference  that caused the problems. She ran ISC jumpers and dropped lots of bars and crashed. Then in the same ring, ran Master jumpers and she didn't have any trouble. I went and talked to the person in charge. I asked a bunch of questions. Are the lights on timers (no), were the lights over the bleachers off yesterday morning when we first started running (he didn't know. but he manually turns the lights on). Maybe they were off and someone turned them on during the day????  He did go turn the rest of the lights on before we started running. Did it make a difference?  I don't know. She dropped one bar in Master JWW and one in T2b.  So  Im not sure.  Someone elses dog to a bad crash in ISC jumpers too. Could it had been the light. You see how grainy the video is.

Im putting in this run with Miley because I liked how when I took the leash off and she is just looking up a me waiting. (No trying to break a start line , like she usually does).





Being on facebook can also sometimes be depressing. Just some of the post and stuff. Then did you see where AKC put out their possible agility changes?  Its going to cost the club money if it goes through. We will have to buy two new 20 inch tunnels, since dark tunnels will be out.  (I don't get this change at all. They say because dogs have trouble with dark tunnels. Well what about the chute?  Its really dark and they cant see at all????)  Then changing the broad jump to 8 inch boards. Well of course we have 6 inch boards.  Then this one is just recommended. Jumps with out the wings attached. Whats up with that. If they make that one, not just a recommended change, that will cost us a fortune. After reading all this, it gets me all upset. I know it silly but it does. The club doesn't make a lot of money off trials. We use to but now with lots of clubs having shows and upping the amount of shows clubs can have, we just don't make much.

P.S My husbands ears must have been burning because he just called.