Change and what ever.

 So since November Ive been trying to change Java from a running DW to a 20/20.  She isn't getting it yet. Well at home she is getting it but once we get to a trial, she doesn't even thing about stopping yet.
I went to a trial the weekend before last.  Some how she won Time to Beat. Im not sure how since it took 3 times to get into the weaves correctly.  But with even that, she had the fastest time.
We were so close on Master JWW.  I pulled her off a jump. I really thought she was committed and so I pulled away to get down the line and she came with me. Ugh!


I also pulled her and pushed her off jumps in Master Standard.  Ugh. Although it looks like she was thinking of stopping on the dogwalk.


The next day was worse. It was weird that I had ring nerves , which I haven't had in a long , long time.  Because of the ring nerves, I didn't trust my dog and I released her early , and we went off course. It felt horrible. I felt like a failure. I know its just dog agility but geez, how long is it going to take to figure this crap out???  In standard we went off course because I didn't stick with my plan to do an ass pass at jump #3, to make the turn tight. I change it to a post turn and she went wide and took the aframe.  Ugh!! ( it doesn't look like the a-frame was close to that jump but it was)

Oh yea, and I tried to run ISC JWW. This was intense because it was an official ISC tryout for people trying to win a spot for AKC world team tryouts.  If you won both JWW and Standard, you get an automatic spot. We werent trying for that. But they had a Rep there making sure the course was set up right.
One thing she, the Rep,  did  say was  the committee was meeting in February  and they were going to try to come up with a plan for the new class, I think its call Premier. (It will not replace ISC)  But what they are going to look at, is if you get 25 Premier Q's ( and that's just a number she pulled out of her hat. Its not an official number , so don't anyone freak out), that it will be another way to earn going to Agility Nationals.  You would have to pick either the Premier path or the regular 500 points and 5 double Q's and what ever else (I cant remember what it is).  You can do both, it you want and then which ever one you hit your qualifications on first, that's the one you send in.
Anyway here is the course map of the ISC jumpers run. (we made a mess of it.) I tried to FC after 3. I was late and that's all she wrote.  When I set it up at home, I had to blind between 3-4 or I never made it no matter how big of a lead out I took.

This pass weekend I went to Charleston for some run thurs that a club was putting on. Wow, did a lot of people show up. So that was good. Made it feel like a real trial.  Of course Java didn't stop on the dogwalk or the teeter the first time thur. Then once I put her back on, to show her what I wanted. The next time thru , she got it. I don't know how long its going to take for her to get this. Im beginning to wonder why Im doing this. The teeter, she needs to learn to stop. I just don't get what Im doing wrong.
Afterwards we went to the beach. It was a nice sunny day. Which we seem to have few of these days.

Look how big this crab leg was. Man it would take your toe off.

And this is Miley being embarrassed by her mom because the beach patrol guy came and told us we couldn't be on this end of the beach. The dogs can only be 1000 feet pass the entrance.  Well try putting up a bigger sign that people can actually see.   (He was nice about it).

So here is some video from today of me working Java's contacts. I was thinking if I had her do both running and 20/20, that maybe she would start to understand..




I hate to talk about club stuff but Im at the end of my rope.  They ordered new matting for the back of the building. Right now we only had thick matting in the front two rooms. But those rooms are small and you really cant do agility in them. You can set up maybe 2 or three jumps and a tunnel. My biggest problem with it, is the matting is slippery.  My dogs always slip on it and not just a little bit.  The club is spending a lot of money on new matting and they are putting in the same matting that they put in the front two rooms.  Why or why didn't they ask the club members what they thought of the matting we have already.  So now there will be a big room with matting in it  but still useless to the agility people like me, who's dogs run fast. If you dog isn't running, they wont slip but that isn't the case for my dogs. I just don't understand why they just made the decision. Apparently the board got together an made the decision.   Im over working so  hard for a club that doesn't even include its members on decisions that have a big impact on the clubs money and dogs.
  Then this lady that asked to be on the agility committee last time around and we put her on.  At the trial, on the last day, her dog kept going to the edge of the ring, during her run, and staring down a dog at the practice jump. He did it several times. Im not sure if she pulled her dog or the judge whistle her out. But she was upset. Which I get. She went and put her dog in the car and left. I figured she was just going to take her dog home and then come back. I mean, she is on the committee.   Well come to find out, she didn't come back and she was in charge of getting the judges their meals. She never told anyone she was leaving and could they take over her job and that she wasn't coming back. So no one knew the judges lunches were covered until a judge asked a handler if they would mind getting her lunch. Ugh!!.  The lady never came back , never told the trial chair she was leaving. Not even after the trial did she say she was sorry she left. And didn't help with clean up at the end of Sunday either.  This was very upsetting to me. Then I get an email today, saying thank you to her for providing and severing lunch all weekend for our club's obedience trial.  WTH???  See, Im just so over everything.
And last but not least, Mickey's skin infection still isn't cleared up after 6 straight weeks of Abx.  I had his Thyroid checked too.  Its still low after being on Thyroid medication for 6 weeks. It went from .5 to .6 .   So the double his Thyroid medication. We will do a skin culture  next week after he has been of abx for a week.

BRAC trial

We went to a trial up in North Carolina.  I drove up that morning, its just easier that way.  Let me just say, it was freezing outside.  20 degrees and windy.  My fingers were numb while bringing my stuff inside and I had gloves on.  I know it was an indoor trial but you still have to walk your dogs outside. Yes , Im a wimp.  LOL 
 Anyway, Saturday started off great. First up was Java in T2B.

This was our best run of the weekend.  She waited at the start. Stayed on the teeter until it hit the ground.   She went wide after the teeter but I didn't want to cross and give her a reason to leave early.  We missed 1st place by .5 seconds.  Of course I didn't get it on video.  I didn't realize my friend had left the building so I didn't set up my tripod to film myself. ugh. That figures huh.

Next up was Miley in Standard.

Miley's runs was beautiful but she dropped at bar at the double at #10. So chance of a double Q was  out. And the person filming couldn't figure out my ipad, so this run didn't get filmed either.

Next was Java in standard.  Holy crap. She was crazy.  she wouldn't stay at the start , so I released her before I was ready and then couldn't cue that jump after the aframe, so off course we went. And then everything just went down hill from there. I should have pulled her after the teeter fly off but I didn't. MISTAKE!!  I don't like to pull my dogs but it seems to be the only thing they understand.


Then jumpers.

 

Miley wouldn't stay at the start line, so I changed my plan, and RC  2-3.  I have not idea why she took the #4 jump in the direction that she did, but then we were off course.

Java wouldn't stay at the start line. I just barely got pass the first jump, if that, and she broke. We left the ring.  Here are Saturdays run. Yea, I got all the crappy runs on tape.

So after this horrible day, I felt like I should  just quit agility. Why am I spending all this time , effort and MONEY, on doing this. Im not learning anything. Im not getting better at it.  I cant seem to figure out what is going to send my dog off course.  DP said its because Im looking in the wrong place. So because of that, I don't see it happening. I felt like I tried so hard to do it correctly this weekend, and we just imploded.

I stayed in a hotel with my friend and her daughter, who is an adult.  They had brought some puppies, 6 months to a year, with them for some people  to look at. The people took three puppies to their in-laws house to figure out which one they wanted.  After dinner that night, she gets a call, they lost one of the puppies outside. OMG, all the color drained out of my friends face.  Its dark and freezing outside.  I stayed at the hotel with all the dogs. Her and her daughter drove 25 minutes to their house. The ground was covered with snow. Which was a good thing, because they could follow tracks to see where the dog went.  The whole neighborhood came out to help look.  Some how  they found the puppy. It took about  1 to 1/2 hours. He was ok despite it being so cold and being a dog with hair and not fur.  Thank goodness.

So the next day, I decided not to put so much pressure on myself on doing everything correctly.

I felt like I had a good plan after watching the 20 inch dogs.  But I RC before 15 and I just didn't have enough push to get her out to 16.  I debated and walked it both ways , I guess I chose the wrong way. (See I cant see whats going to happen).  Java did stay at the start , so I guess pulling her helped.

Next up was Miley.  I decided not to ask for a stay.  It was an ugly run but some how we qed.



Next was standard.

Java stayed at start but I didn't lead out because it was a tunnel.  She still left the teeter early but I just decided to let it go.  Im not sure why but she turned into me after 15.  I guess I needed a "go on" or  more forward motion. Ugh.  But not a horrible run, at least she wasn't crazy.

Miley's run: Ok, I have not idea why I did this. She came over the a-frame and I thought she went into a 2o/2o. I said "Ok" and she jumped the contact. Ack.  I think there is something wrong with my brain. I would have swore on a stack of bibles that she did it correctly. I looked at the video and was shocked. Why did I think she did it right? And I released her. So no double Q again because of me. We are never going to get a double Q.  But it was still a very nice run.




So a much better day than Saturday.  It least it felt better.

Wordless Wednesday

Convergence and we dont have it.

 

So do you see a theme?  LOL  Yep,  it killed me all weekend. Over and over again. Ugh!!!  So I guess I have some work to do.

Went to an AKC trail this weekend.   First up was FAST.  I didnt Q with either dog.   Java was heading for the correct tunnel entrance and I said tunnel, she pulled off and took the other entrance. All I could do was laugh. So the rest of the weekend I didnt say tunnel just in case she thinks it means something other that what I thought it meant.

Miley, crashed the triple. Ugh.  Then got the first two obstacles into the send but didnt get the #5 jump.

Next up was Master standard. We havent trial in about 6 weeks or so, so I wasnt sure what was going to happen at the table. But she got right on. She had a beautiful run. We were 6 seconds behind the 1st place dog. Im not sure how I could have made her turn tighter because she looks pretty tight almost every where except the jump before the aframe.

We took 4th place! We got our first ever Master/excB Q and 23 MACH points. Ive never gotten MACH points before. How exciting.



Next was Open JWW.

I already told you what the problem was. Plus she didnt read the call to heel over the jump after the tunnel to the weaves. Im not sure why, because I do know I practice that.


Next up was Miley's Master JWW run.

 

Miley missed the #13 jump. I was going to layer that unnumbered jump between #12 and 13 but when I told people this everyone seemed like that was a crazy thing to do. But I know Miley and I was going to have to pull hard to get her over. Well I didnt layer it and she missed the jump. Ugh. I know my dog and should have stuck to my plan.

 Also my cross must have been late after 9 because she turned the wrong way after 10.

 

Last up Novice Standard.

 

This was a very nice run except for missing that jump.

 

 

She turned the wrong way after the jump after the weaves. I gave her a stong "go on" and think she was so extended and just went on.

Sunday:

First was T2B. I had both dogs entered.

 

Java had a nice run but kept popping the 10th pole. The ending was very nice.

 

 

I pulled Miley at the beginning because I thought she had dropped 3 bars in a row. It turned out to be two in a row. But I was worried she was  hurt.   She is ok and didnt drop anymore bars Sunday.

Next was open jww. I really thought we were going to do this. 

I felt like I was pushing on that line as hard as I could but she was locked on to the tunnel before even taking jump #5.



I had to pull Miley from Master standard.  First she came out of the weave poles. I let it slide thinking maybe she slipped or something. Then she was coming down the dogwalk, like she was going to stop and  took a flying leap off the dogwalk, over the contact and into the wrong end of the tunnel. So I picked her up and we left.  Silly dog.

Next up was Masters JWW.

I was going to blind crossed but chickened out. So my freaking front cross was late and to far over and made her miss the jump. Man I was so upset at myself.  I cant even do a front cross right.  I just wanted to go home after this but Java still have nocice standard and I wanted to try to Q. 

So I saw the weave pole entry from the a-frame and thought crap I dont think we can do that. I was scared to do another front cross, after 2, after screwing up Miley's run. So I walked it with a rear between 3 and 4. That would leave me doing a post turn into the weaves.  Probably not a good plan.  So I watched the first person run. It was a world team person with her new BC. She front crossed into the weaves and it was beautiful. I decided screw it, Im front crossing after 2 so I can be head and front cross after the a-frame. Worked great!!.  Im not sure why she stopped right before the table.  The next problem was getting that tunnel entrance. I know you think , its straight ahead. But for Java, that doesnt mean anything.  So I pushed as hard as I could to force that  tunnel entrance. She got it and the contact!!  Whoohooo!! ( funny, I felt like I was running so fast and then you watch the video and think Not. LOL)   I think Java had the fastest  time of all the dogs that ran. Whoohoo!! I really want her to be competitive  and when I watch the video, she doesnt look that fast. But that can be deciving. Sometimes you think a dog is really fast and you look at their time and they werent.
So anyway Java Qed and we are out of Novcie. So happy!!.

AKC Trial

Well, I dont have any pictures to post. I didnt take one picture. To busy I guess.  I drove up the morning of the trial. I didnt realize I was working the first class of the day. 

Ok, I just could not have just one picture for the blog. So I went out and took this.

Miley took 4th in ISC standard. She dropped one bar in every run this weekend. Java got her novice jumpers title. She qed in standard on Saturday and both jumpers runs.

Anyway, I walk into the trial and they are calling my name to work. Oops.  So I put Java and Miley in their crates and went and worked.  But I didnt get to finish because I had to go walk my course, novice jumpers. 

I thought the weave pole entry was kinda hard for novice dogs but then the theme of the weekend was nested courses, so all levels had the same opening.  But I was pretty sure we could do it. What I wasnt sure about was the 6 jumps straight out ending. I knew I would fall behind and she was spin because she didnt know where to go. I need to work on my "go on" more. We only had one spin, so that was good. I really thought I would get two. My late rear cross almost caused her to go into the tunnel but she turn on a dime and saved me.

 

Next up was Miley excellent jumpers run.

 

Miley missed the weave poles. Then stressed. It was weird even for Miley. Afterwards , when I was walking her outside to cool down, I was thinking maybe I shouldnt run her anymore. Maybe it just to much for her. To much stress. Then she vomited a large amount. Lots of white foam and some food.  So maybe her stomach was hurting. She didnt vomit again all weekend.

 

 

My turn must have been late at the end and she went wide.

Next Java's standard run. I knew that jump after the dogwalk was going to be a problem. I figured she would take it.

Its weird how far away a jump looks on this map and but look that far on the course.  So she got the DW contact but took that off course jump. I didnt even know we had Qed. Someone told me.  Who knew you could have one off course and still Q, not me. LOL

 

 

Next  up was Miley's T2B.  For this run, my hope was she did her aframe contacts. Whoohoo, she did. We dropped bar. Ugh.

 

Last up was ISC Standard. I entered this for the experience and there is no table.

 

Lots of collection in the beginning to get your dog into the tunnel. Lots of dogs dropped the first bar, including us. And several went up the dogwalk even with the handler right there.

Miley did well, did her contacts. She Qed and took 4th place. (you can drop a bar in ISC and still q).

 

 

I think I was the only one who front crossed after the tunnel the second time. I figured if I didnt she would take the #1 jump. Most people just called there dog.  Nice run.

I stayed at a hotel with my friend. Im not sure why she agrees to room with me. My dogs always seem to wake us up in the middle of the night. Either barking or  having to go to the bathroom. This night was no exception. A car made a horrible no muffler noise and all the dogs started barking. (other dog people  at the hotel said their dogs all woke them up barking at the noise too). After I woke up I realised I was getting a headache.  I took some medicine. It didnt help. Then I thought maybe I was congested because the pain was over my right eye and temple area. So I took sudafed. That didnt help. I finally took my migraine medication. That took care of it. Except now I had been up several hours and had woken up my roommate too. I felt bad. But at least we got a few more hours of sleep. 

First up was ISC jumpers

 

I walked to the line. I knew Miley was a little over the top from how she acted at the practice jump. I walked in, took ther leash off, I hadnt left the start line or dropped my leash. Miley did a lap around the first jump. I called her to me and made her sit. I never saw the judges arm go out calling a fault.  I lead out and started my run.

 

 

So after my run, Miley is all  happy and stuff. The judge comes up and said she NQed me for training in the ring. Making my dog sit at the start after she circled the first jump was training in the ring. Then she said she allowed me to continue but she should have whistled me out of the ring. I dont know why but this really upset me. I feel like Miley and I cant catch a break. I realize that I should have better control of my dog. But I never left the start line. I know the rule if you lead out and your dog breaks, then you cant set your dog up again. I knew if she took the first jump, your run has started. But I never left the start line and Miley didnt take the first jump. Of course everyone is coming up to me asking what happened.  Then someone came up to me and said that yesterday a green handler started her run before the "go". She thought she heard it. They stopped her on the 3 obstacle and they let her restart. So when she restarted, she lead out and the judge whistled her out of the ring. She couldnt lead out because she had already lead out the first time when she thought she heard "go". OMG!!!!!

Im sure you are tried of reading 

This is how close the dogwalk was to the end of the wall. That is not right for novice dogs. I can see excellent dogs but novice? Again the courses were nested all weekend. So Java missed the dogwalk contact turning. This picture is of the excellent course. Look how close the table is to the dogwalk and they came off the DW and had to go to the tunnel. I didnt run Miley. I figured the table that close to the DW was a disaster waiting to happen and I didnt need that. ( the judge in the picture didnt design the course, it was the lady who said I was training in the ring)

I probably didnt have the right frame of mind going into the ring. I had just finished the ISC jumpers run with Miley. I tried really hard to let it go but I think it was still bothering me.  I released Java to soon. I should have  got a little more of a head start to I could really push on the end of the dw. Anyway she missed the contact and didnt do her weave poles correctly.

 

 

 

Next was excellent jumpers.

I wanted to front cross between 8 and 9 but I didnt make it. So i had to RC 10. Lots off dogs, even with the RC thought they were going to the weaves. So the front cross was the right thing but I just didnt get there. When we ran, I felt like Miley was slow. I ran down that line of 2-4 and thought, "where is she?  did she go around a jump?"  She finally caught up to me. (this was another reason I decided not to run her in standard. I thought maybe she was sore or tired. she doesnt rest in her crate the way Java does).

 

 

Then I worked two classes.  Finally it was time for Novice jumpers and excellent standard at the same time. Ugh. But I decided to not run Miley after seeing the course so it wasnt a problem.

Here is the course map for the excellent standard run.

 

After the 24-26 inch dogs ran the judge changed the course. Like I said the judge who actually judge the course didnt design it.  She couldnt get around the weave poles after judging the dogwalk contact to see the a-frame contact. So they called the akc and changed the course. The penciled in obstacles are what it was changed to.

I just concentrated on running Javas jumpers course.

 

 

Java broke her stay. I didnt know what to do, as you can see in the video.  Hey, I dog who doesnt freak out when I stop, thats a nice change. I kept running since I had practice yet pulling her for not staying in practice.

 

 

Not a pretty run but she sure saved me a few times.  We qed and got our novice jumpers title. Not sure we are ready for open but here we come. LOL
I drove home and about 30 minutes before getting home my headache came back. By the time I got home it was a migraine.  It took several hours to go away. Then it came back again this morning. What the heck???  Im falling apart. My headache is gone now. I feel like I wasted the whole day. 
(sorry if there are spelling errors. Im tired)