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!!

Mish Mash Monday

 

I saw the owl sitting over the water.  I walked all the way around to get a closer shot. He was still there when I got there. All I got were blurry pictures. And when I tried to get closer he flew away. LOL.

 

Loralei was right!!

Ive been trying to figure out why Java isnt hitting contacts at a trial. I thought it was because she was to excited. (It could still be). I tried really hard to create excitement. Having my son hold her while Im at the end calling her, running with her, throwing food and toys when  she is coming down the down ramp. She hit every time. I posted some video on Facebook and Loralei said she thinks its because Im behind at a trial so she isnt striding as large as when  Im in front of her. (I hope that makes sense). She is taking 5 strides, so six hits on the board. If she gets those 6 hits before hitting the contacts, she leaps off no matter where she is.  I felt I had trained her with me behind but I took her to the field to practice and if Im behind or she passes me on the dogwalk, her strides shorten and she doesnt hit the contact or hits the top part which would be a miss for USDAA. Ack!!
The field is pretty wet but no longer flooded. I took her out there and tried to vary my position. If her hits started to go high, I would take a big lead out and get a good  hit to reward. Then start varying again. ( I only did straight on and off the board since it was wet grass).


I think she did better today than yesterday.

I went to the park again today. Like I figured ,more flooding, but they didnt close the walking paths.

We walked through this one and another one. When we got back to the water on the path from yesterday, it was now huge and I didnt want to walk through it. If it was deep yesterday, it must be really deep today.

This is usually where I take the dogs down to the river. Its has to be 10 feet down to  where I usually put the dogs in. Now its almost up to the sidewalk.

The flooding is even out into the fields.

The temperature difference between the cold river and the warm air makes lots of mist or fog. I did see another owl and a whole new area. I guess they are moving around too.

And since I havent posted any dog pictures this week, here you go. (poor Java having to walk through the flooded sidewalk)

Owls

We did have some sunshine yesterday in between the rain.  Today, dark and dreary outside. Ugh! I took Miley and Java to the park.  The park is starting to flood. They will probably close the walking paths tomorrow.  I walked half way down the path and ran into this:

It didnt look to deep so I walked through.   I carried Miley and made Java walk. She wasnt to happy about that.  It was deeper than I thought, it came up to just below my knees. As soon as I started walking through an owl flew by.  Then right when I got to the end, there was another owl sitting right next to me, just ten feet away. I think he was as shocked as I was. He just stared at me. I could see he was kinda panicked. Trying to figure out what to do, fly away or stand still.  I just stood still looking at him.  I know if I went for my camera, he would fly away. Darn, nothing to do but wait. He did fly up into some trees but I could still see him.

Most of my shots were blurry. This one was the best shot I got out of seeing three owls.

It was dark at the park which makes taking pictures difficult.

 Im not sure how much farther we walk before turning around and going back.  The owls were all still hanging out in the same areas. I think they are watching the sidewalks for rodents and snakes running across from the rising water. For the first time I saw a rat run across the sidewalk and  Ive been going to the park for at least 6 years now. 

When I walked back through the flood sidewalk , I carried both dogs.   The water was now higher. The first time it was below my knees, now it was above my knees. The whole time walking through it I kept thinking, "Please dont let me see a snake". So the walking paths will be closed by tomorrow, Im sure.  More rain coming today.

Sorry, kinda blurry.

More Owls

I saw three owls today. I missed the first one. This was the second one.

This owl, the third one, was very active. Usually they just sit there and look at me. Be he moved around. Went to three different tress and still stayed close.  Most of my shots were blurry but a few turned out. He continued even with the dogs barking at the bike that went by.

This one cracked me up. He was grooming. Maybe he thought if he looked scary I would go away.

Learning

 Im pretty sure this owl thinks Im annoying. LOL  I cropped this picture trying to see if that was fuzz on his head, any maybe he is a young owl.

The mosquitoes at the park are huge this year.  As soon as you stop they fly all around your face, buzzing and making me crazy.

They water level has been to high to bring the dogs thur the river except for yesterday but there were a bunch of boy scouts all playing in the river so we couldnt go down there. Miley was freaky for the first few days back at the park. She walked behind me and just didnt want to walk. But today she was back to normal.

Ive been working thur Daisy Peels Blind cross class.  Its  a self study class, so you can work at your own pace. A good thing about the class is it isnt just teaching me about blind crosses, Im learning other things Im doing wrong with my handling.   Like if Im in my dogs way when she is coming into  to me over the jump, she drops the bar. I know that seem logical to anyone reading this but it took me a while to figure out why she kept dropping the bar. Then once I figured it out and then watched  Daisy do the sequence, I new see it!!  LOL,   Then the next weeks sequences, Im still working on, I couldnt figure out why my dogs were missing the last jump. They both got it the first time, but missed it the next time. Hmmm....



So what I think Im doing wrong , is driving to far into the  #4 jump.  I must have just got lucky the first time with each dog.  When I watch Daisy's video, she is way passed that jump by the time her dog takes it and is already showing him/her the next jump.   Its been raining, so hopefully, I can try it again soon and see what happens.

I was going to change Java to a 2o/2o from a running contact. But she started getting confused.  She would just stop and stand there on the down ramp. So I decided to just go back and work my running contacts again.  She is hitting deep enough for AKC but not USDAA.  I set my dogwalk back up along the fence.   I could never put it there before because of the beagal next door. Our dogs fence fought.   But they put him to sleep. So now I can have the dogwalk there. (He was really in bad shape. His back legs kept giving out when he walked and he had these tumors hanging on his body in several different places. Some were bleeding.)  So now instead of the dogwalk being right in the middle of the yard, where the most space  is, I can have jumps and tunnels.  The dogwalk doesnt have as much room off the end but enough to work on it.

My husband got a new job. So now he works farther away and doesnt come home every night. I think we are going to have to move because I dont want to live this way. The thought of getting this house ready to be put on the market is over whelming.  Its kinda lonely especially since Im off work for summer and Im not teaching any dog classes.(its to hot)  My son is here and hasnt been able to  find a job.  I have my fingers crossed that the AT&T job might come through.
Stephanie is doing well. She was hired by Coastal Carolina University to work part-time doing graphic design work. She did all the items for the freshman orientation (pamphlets, t-shirts, invitations, magnets ect..)  She is also working as an orientation leader for freshman. She seems happy.  

Young owl

I took the dogs to the park yesterday. I guess everyone thought it was a good day to go to the park.  Dont these people have jobs?  LOL   I saw a baby, or young, owl. He was very cute.

He was pretty far away. I was trying to hold the dogs and take pictures. So a lot of the pictures are one handed with a long lens. So they are kinda blurry.

He kept trying to walk up the tree. He seemed unsteady walking up the tree. At first I was worried he couldnt fly.

Then he moved up the tree more and was hiding behind this branch.

I was moving and trying to get a better shot. He moved up the tree again and I thought that shot I can get. But all these people started coming. Bikes and dogs. So I had to pay attention to my dogs. I wanted to make sure they didnt bark and scare the owl away. No one barked but when I turned back to take the picture, the owl was gone. I guess he could fly.

I walked down the rest of the path and came back to look again for the owl. Still gone but now this guy was there.