Sandy Beach

It was really sunny and warm this weekend. Yay, finally!!  Its been raining since Wednesday and poured all day Friday. I was suppose to go to an outside trial on Saturday but I knew the field would be a mess pass on past experience , so I knew I wouldn't be going on Saturday.  Instead I went to the beach that was on Lake Murray.  I lake level is really high so there wasn't as much beach as there usually is but the dogs didn't care.

Poor Miley is having trouble with her left eye . Saturday she started squinting again and then a lot on Sunday. So Im going to call this morning and get an appointment.

Trial follow up, day one.

I went to a trial last weekend. It seem like forever ago.  Ive had ipad problems, Internet problems and agility problems.  I've spent all week trying to do my Daisy Peel homework.  I went Tuesday to the field.  There were three sequences. I figured staying in the weave poles, while I peeled away, would be the problem. Nope, neither dog could read a rear cross at the tunnel. They both kept turning the wrong way. Ugh!! So I worked on it for 2 days. Then  I went to the field again. This time neither dog could stay in the weaves, get weave pole entries or read the rear cross at the tunnel. Ack!! Then I went today and it finally came together. Today was last day to turn in homework. (Java still had one weave pole entry problem) 
Next ,I saved all my videos from the trial on my computer but it makes it hard to transfer to youtube. So I will just do day one today. I had to have my ipad swiped clean and start over. So no videos on it.

I went up Friday afternoon so I could do the UKI trial that was running after the AKC trial. I wanted to practice with Java in the ring. Start lines and teeters and 2o/2o on the dogwalk.  Didn't work out to well, except she did have nice startline stays.

Miley ran a Master series jumpers. The first three dogs that ran, went off course. Hmm.  The dirt was soft, which is nice to run in but made big holes after lots of dogs ran. I noticed it but didn't really register in my brain. So when I ran with Miley, she took a jump and Im pretty sure she fell in a hole.



So after that, every time I walked the course , for the next few days, I went around filling all the holes with my feet and mashing it down. People probably thought I had a problem. I know its hard to get the dirt right at trials. People have complained about the dirt at our trial but Ive never had my dog take a spill like this at our trial.

Here was the excellent Jumpers course.

 

I should  have read #3 as a lateral send, so I could get ahead of Java. But I didn't so I got behind and she didn't know where to go taking #5 and had to guess. She guessed wrong. After that we were good.  You can see how much she is slipping on course.

 

 

Here was the T2B course.

 

I didn't know how to run this. I went with 3 front crosses in the opening. I walked it with rears but that didn't feel right. So I went with the fronts even though I knew I wouldn't make it. I didn't, and Java had to tell me about it. Ugh. We managed to stay on course even with that big mess.

 

 

The next day she had an awesome Excellent standard run.  She had the best teeter she has ever had at a trial.  Didn't do a 2o/2o on the dogwalk at all. LOL 



Ill try to do Miley stuff tomorrow.  She had some trouble with bars. Ugh.

She did it

I was so excited when Java read this call to heel that I did in the DP handling sequence.



Then I came home and all these "One Mind" agility videos are posted on FB. (there was a seminar in Fl. last week)  Then my small little accomplishment seemed silly.  Ill never catch up to everyone. LOL

Another Snow

Its started snowing on Tuesday morning.  Half way through the school day it really was coming down. Parents were coming to school to get their kids. So they decided to let the kids go at 1pm.  By 3pm it had stopped. But more was coming. For us it was suppose to be an ice storm. Lucky most of it was snow or sleet.  A lot of sleet.

  The wind would blow and all the sleet would slide off the roof like water falls. It made big piles around the house.

Java thought the big piles were there just for her.

 The dogs always have a good time.

Roxy hasn't gone outside in days.  Mickey did go out. The shelties tried to get him to play. He wasn't amused.

Guiness did a lot of this.

And this.

Then over night the ice came.

 

 

I haven't been able to do any of my DP class assignment. Not sure it will get done either. Snow still on the ground and now rain coming tomorrow. Ack.
Im teaching two classes for the club. A beginner obedience class. Its really just a basic class with sits, downs, hand touches and loose leash walking. There is wide range of dogs in the class which makes it hard. One beagle that is over the top, always straining at the end of his leash. Its a smart dog but I think the owner is frustrated. He wants to force the dog into a down but pushing it down. Well you know how that works. Then there is a very nice husky that never wants to leave its mat. It has no enthusiasm for anything. Not food or toys.  So I told them to watch there dog this week and see what he is happy about. There has to be something that gets him excited.  So will see if they do it and what their list shows.
Then next class is a contacts and sequencing class for people who have finished the foundation agility class.  Sorry to say I haven't been enjoying this class. Two of the dogs , when ever they are let off leash, run around and they run as fast as they can at other dogs in the class. The dogs don't have good recalls. Ive talked to them about how to work on this. We'll see if it works.  The other person has a very nice border collie that is nice but doesn't like being charged by these other two dogs and gets upset.  Im scared there will be a fight. I don't think the other two people were ready to come to this class.  A requirement should be a good recall on your dog.  I don't have a problem with peoples dogs running around but they cant charge other dogs.  So the class has been stressful for me.   I think this is the last class I teach.  And Ive had to cancel almost all the classes due to weather. So this class is going on forever!!  Ive talked to the club about have consistency but its just not happening.   People teaching the classes don't have the skills they need to teach.  The one person , Ive never seen run agility for all the years Ive been with the club.  The other person has been to two agility class and started running her dog at trials.  One class she taught, she told them that your arms are what turn the dog on course. Ack!!  And that rear crosses are hard on your dog because he cant see you. What??   So I don't think she understands about handling. I know that Im not great but  I so understand what turns my dog even if I cant execute it very well.   So anyway its been very frustrating.

Guiness says its time for this crap to go away.  It will be in the 70's next week. Yay!!

Post trial write up

Last weekend I went to a trial up in the up-state of South Carolina.   It was suppose to rain all weekend but it didn't rain at all. It was freezing in the morning but then warmed up during the day.  It was indoor but pretty cold inside. I know Im wimpy, I had hand warmers in my gloves and in my shoes. LOL  I drove up Friday night because my walk thur started at 7:40am.  I left the house and kept thinking I forgot something. When I got there, I realized I forgot to pack any pants. LOL, so I only had the pants I wore up there.

First up was standard. It didn't look hard.

So many dogs couldn't do the weaves.  The weaves were angled and the fence line came in on them. Multiple dogs popped the weaves, including Miley. weird, I really didn't think it would be a problem. Also dogs curling in after the chute and not being able to do that the number 7 jump.  In the 12 inch group, only 4 dogs cued. I don't remember how many 12 inch dogs there were. I know there were a total of 224 master/excellent dogs. There were 49 , 16 inch dogs.

Java did all the weaves, but broke her startline. I did BAD training and let her run. Ugh!!  I don't know why I did that.  She flew off the teeter, so  I did pull her after that.

Next up was jumpers.

Miley had a nice run but dropped the bar at #2.   Java didn't read my rear cross at 3 to 4.  Lots of dogs  curled in after the 2nd tunnel and went off course. Including Java. I was able to redirect Miley over the #16 Jump.

T2B

Miley had a nice run. She took 2nd place.  Her slow a-frames kill us time wise.  Java, broke her start line and we left.

The next day, started with Standard.

Miley Qed but took 4th (I think).  Java didn't even let me get pass the first jump, the tire, before she broke. So we left. Ugh!!

Next up jumpers.

 

Miley dropped a bar. She took off way to early. Otherwise nice run.  One dropped bar from a double Q. Ugh.  Well better than an off course.

 

Java was running beautifully, then I flung my arm up in between 17 and 18 and she went off course. I dont know why I did that. Man, so close. LOL   Even with the extra yardage, with the extra jump, she was over 5 yards per second.