Introducing MASTER Chudleigh

What a way to finish off the agility trialing year.  On his final jumpers run Chudleigh handily picked up the necessary 10th leg to earn his Master Jumpers Preferred title.  He also got his 3rd double Q and took a 2nd place in standard.

There were some of the hardest most diabolically trappy courses I have ever run with the tunnel smooshed as small as they possibly could and still be tunnels and of course the wrong end looking more important to the dog

.  He did not take a wrong tunnel all weekend.

Every NQing run was due to a single dropped bar, time was way under and no off courses.

I love those QQ pins you get now, much nicer than the rosettes they used to give.

I sure wasn't expecting it but Chudleigh earned double Q #2 today!  He did screw up his T2B run which was the first run of the day, but if we had to sacrifice a run that was the one to flush as it was just a games class. 

I am so proud of that big white dog.  He is just 6 1/2, the same age Zorro was when we lost him.  I am acutely aware of that and cherish every day that I have Chudleigh.

Here are links to the video of today's runs.  The standard run, which was the final run of the day, had a really tricky spot for Mr Tunnel Sucker.  Coming off the dog walk there is an enticing tunnel right in front of the dog with both ends begging to be entered.  The course called for a hard right turn to a chute.  What could a long time obedience trainer do to get her dog's full attention but firmly command "Heel".  Yup, Chudleigh's head whirled toward me and we locked eyes, ignoring that hollering tunnel. 

http://youtu.be/MhneMSY5UpI      

This jumpers run was HARD and a lot of teams failed to Q.  They tended to take the wrong jump coming out of the tunnel, providing they even took the correct end of the tunnel to begin with, or the dog would take the wrong next to the last jump.  Too many people failed to cross there and the dog would veer to the right and get the wrong jump. 

http://youtu.be/EA1BeDfcnwA 

This is the standard run.  Whew, I need to rest up as next weekend we do it again.

The BESTEST Agility Day EVER

I know, crappy grammar, but it was the most fitting description of today.  Chudleigh gave me the BEST Christmas present, his very first double qualifying run.

I was waiting until he got a double Q before I ever posted anything else on the blog, and I was beginning to think I might never get to post again.

Today was finally THE DAY!  Chudleigh's agility runs were amazing, he could do no wrong.  He got his very first DOUBLE Q which ended up being a TRIPLE Q because he also qualified in T2B.  First run of the day was T2B where he picked up leg#10 and 9 more points.  Next run was jumpers, and with 10 preferred dogs in his class he picked up a 3rd place for MXJP leg #8.  I was so nervous I was on the verge of throwing up when we went in the ring for our 3rd run of the day.  Same 10 dogs in his class and he not only qualified for MXP leg#5 he did it with a 4th place!  I had tears in my eyes when I left the ring. Have I mentioned how much I love this dog?   Oh, the tiny thing I am holding in the 2nd picture is his triple Q pin.  It is such a lovely keepsake.

Chudleigh had FUN

Chudleigh picked up 2 legs with placements Sunday.  He took 2nd in open jumpers for his 2nd leg.  Despite having the fastest time a slower clean run took the blue over a faster 95.

He took a 1st in novice FAST with a 68.  In fact after reviewing Lorie's on line cataloge I am amazed to report that Chudleigh's 68 was the highest score of the entire class!  Not only that, he leaped over the teeter in is joy to be out there, and I have the video of that run.  http://youtu.be/jh-K1tTJbr4   It wasn't until I saw the video did I realize tht the judge had to scuttle out of our way.

It was a fun course.  The tunnel we took first was 9 points, then the next 2 jumps taken in succession was another 10 points so that is why I started there.  Then I had to hustle across the ring to get to the A frame which was another high point obstacle and it put us in the best spot to do the send.

Next weekend we do Mensona then have a month off as all the trials are up by Sac and I don't do overnights nor do I get up before God does.

Rollo OA

I STILL can't believe it, little Rollo finished his open standard title Sunday with all 1st placements.  He was the only qualifier in his class of 4.  Zorro, bless his heart, never got ANY open legs.  Chudleigh took 15 months between getting his NA and OA, and Rollo did it in 5 months.  Considering how few trials there are in November and December, it would have been faster if the timing had been different.

Of course I got the video  http://youtu.be/ztohUteOPC0  The judge is Terry LeClair who is provisional,  He judged all the novice and open classes as well as FAST and T2B.  He had some innovative courses (polite talk for HARD) but I enjoyed the challenge.  I think the hardest part of the course was the progression from jump 2 to 3, most dogs incurred a refusal there.  Rollo was a very good boy and held his leadout so we were successful.

Rollo also had a great T2B run.  I was so pleased with his weave entry, and of course I got the video of that too.    http://youtu.be/64CeiQvtQuA   I started doing rear crosses as he tends to zip to the wrong side of me when I do a front cross and then we incur a refusal because he is in the wrong spot to safely jump.

Just for a bit of excitement Rollo was rolling on his back in a patch of clover up there Saturday.  It was a lovely sunny afternoon and Rollo was taking care of some itchy spots.  When Rollo scrambled to his feet with a self satisfied grunt we were stunned to see a big fat fuzzy bumblebee come staggering out of the Roll-oed clover!  Poor guy fell over a couple of times, then managed to get airborne and drunkenly flew away!  I wonder what he was goign to tell his bumblebee buddies?  I guess Rollo lived up to his mispronounced call name.

 

 

On February 10th, Inc, Ube and I were entered in an Odor test at the Marin Human Society. We were testing for birch and anise. First was the scent of birch. Ube was scheduled to go in first, so after an 2 hour wait, it was our turn. In 9.5 seconds we were done and passed the birch test. About 20 minutes later it was Inc's turn. We were in and out in 7.5 seconds, passing. We then waited about 1 hour for our anise test, again Ube first and then Inc, both passing and both under 10 seconds. I was grinning from ear to ear. Now we just have to find a trial to enter. Jennifer was also there with Kerry and Lea, they two also passed. It was a fun day for all!!!! Nosework is a fun sport!

Keep it up Christy, you're representing all of us. Don't know when I'll be in the ring still need to work on weave poles. Both dogs and i are doing scent work. Have a odor test next week. Wish us luck. Also doing herding with Ube, two nights a week traveling out of town, Is a lot. Wish there was ome place locally for training. Also been busy doing prep work for my mother-in-laws 80th birthday party. Jennifer is also doing scent work with Kerry and Lea. Kerry is in a odor trial at the end of the month. Christy you are doing a great job, glad Chugs is doing so well.

Border Terrier Pix

Tonight the link popped up to let me load jpeg files and it was not working when I posted my story about the Border Terrier trial.  Here is a picture of Chudleigh sporting his glorious title rosette and first place rosette for completing his open standard preferred title.

Is he looking great and feeling wonderful.  I have him on melatonin and you would be amazed to see how thick and luxuriously plush his fur is.  He even has the cutest sprinkling of fawn dapples on his coat.  He has become quite the head turner, and of course he has totally regained his svelte boyish figure, no more beached whale look for Mr Chudleigh. He has rippling muscles and not an ounce of extra fat on him anywhere.

I feel so blessed to have my beautiful dog back.

Viszla Agility 2/2/13

We entered just Saturday this time and had a really great day competing.  Both dogs entered novice FAST, both did open jumpers, and Chuds made his excellent standard debut and Rollo did open standard.

Going tall to small Chudleigh was my first dog to compete in novice preferred FAST.  He listened and worked well for me, qualifying  with a score of 62 out of the required 50 and 5 seconds under course time for a 3^rd place.  Competition was tough and I am very pleased with my boy.

Rollo tried too but was too much of a Momma’s boy to dare go into the tunnel portion of the send with me staying so far away.  I wanted him to be happy and successful so I crossed over the line and helped him be right.  He finished the rest of the course the way I planned but of course he couldn’t qualify.  He thought he did a good job and got his treats and lots of praise.

Next class was open jumpers, kind of a convoluted course with lots of potential for off courses.  Unfortunately one of those traps caused Chuds to take a sucker jump, but he aced his weaves and flew right along.  He also knocked a bar toward the end of the course.  He was happy and I was too, he was feeling good and really trying.

Then it was Rollo’s turn to run that course.  Rollo unfortunately popped out of the weaves and I had to resend him which he did successfully.  He was steaming along quite well and I thought he just might qualify until he went right past a jump that I hadn’t told him to jump as I figured it was right in front of him.  Note to self, don’t assume things with a baby dog.  Of course he did fine after I redirected him and he took the jump but that was his 2^nd whoopsie and the time penalties ate us alive.  Oh well, he had one final class in which to shine.

Chudleigh’s excellent preferred run was going great UNTIL he decided the teeter felt funny and he bailed just as it started to tip.  Aargh!!!  He did the teeter fine in his FAST class, but it was a different teeter and might have feel weird.  He aced his weaves, stuck his table landing  like he had super glue on his paws and nailed the rest of his contacts.  I screwed up as navigator and missed a jump, but that was after he had bailed on the teeter and nq’ed his run.  Oh well, he got lots of praise, hugs and treats so he was a happy boy.

After a couple hours of waiting the open standard class started.  There was a triple jump that was heading into really bright sunlight and was really close to the pipe fencing in the ring.  Easily 50% of the dogs were crashing the jump, they just did not realize how huge it was.  Not only did Rollo sail over it with room to spare, he nailed his weaves and completed the course with a perfect score and 3 seconds under course time for open standard leg #2!  What a stunning finish to a very long frustrating day.

Yup, another fun day playing with my dogs.

When am I going to see the rest of you out there competing?  I am feeling a bit lonely.

Christy

Border Terrier Trial

I can't upload pictures of the beautiful rosettes for some reason, but what a weekend we had trialing.  Yesterday Rollo Qed in T2B from  a class of 12 for a single point.  His time was 48.05 but the winner scored an astounding 24.2.  Chudleigh popped out of the weaves and restarting them took up too much time so we didn’t Q.

Chudleigh was the star the rest of the day though with a Q in both open standard preferred and open jumpers preferred.  His jumpers leg was a clean run 42.04 in  a 47 second course for a 1^st place.  The standard leg  was a 95 due to a table refusal, he mounted from the side as he was going too fast to get on from the front.  He was 10 seconds under course time with a 74.31 out of 84.  He got a 4^th place for his 2^nd leg.

Today 

Day 2 was a single Q for each dog.  Rollo got another single point from T2B.

Chudleigh had the final run of the day and he did it in grand style with a clean run and a whopping  18 seconds under course time.  It was a 74 second course and he smoked it in 56.78.  That finished his open standard preferred title.

Christy

Sunday agility fun

We picked up 2 more legs today at the trial and it wasn’t nearly as cold, so it was a very good day.

First class was T2B and darn if Chudleigh didn’t pop out of the weaves around the 9^th pole.   I was moving away from him instead of straight ahead so he needs more practice on that.  If I had put him back in the poles he would have been way over time so there was no way to save the Q.

Rollo ran the same course and had no problems in the weaves.  He actually qualified and picked up 8 points with a very nice run.

Next class was open standard.  Chudleigh incurred one refusal when I ran past him while he was in a tunnel and when he came out he was confused and ended up in the wrong position to take the next jump.  I got him heading in the right direction and we managed to complete the course with no further mishaps.  He was 5 seconds under course time and his 95 still got him a first place.

I had great hopes for Rollo in that class but the agility gods refused to smile on us.  Rollo the huge worrier about tunnel monsters actually dashed into the wrong end of a tunnel that we were just running by on the way to a jump.  Despite it being a fault I was beyond happy because that meant tunnel monsters were no longer a worry to him.  Unfortunately he incurred another refusal when he got on the  wrong side of me heading for a jump and to make things even worse he dashed right through the weaves between pole 1 &2 coming out the back side!  Talk about a Whack A Mole moment, yesterday his weaves were spot on and to die for.  He did nail them on the second try, but in of course in open you only get one screw up and weaves do count.

I had high hopes for the final class, open jumpers but alas the agility gods were giving us the Bronx cheer instead of smiles.  Chudleigh evidently left his brain back in the crate in the van, he was beyond AWFUL!  Charlie was standing ringside holding Rollo for me as Rollo was just 6 dogs after Chuds.  Unfortunately Chudleigh figured correctly that Charlie had the holy grail of super yummy treats that you only get after you come out of the agility ring.  Chuds was stopping every few jumps to gaze longingly at Charlie, then would take a long loop away from me and head for the wrong jump.  I managed to redirect him every time and all that foolishness only incurred one refusal, but the time penalties ate us alive.

Final run of the day was up to little Rollo, and his run was stupendous.  His cheering section was lavish with their praise for his wonderful run.  He tried so hard but in his enthusiasm he ended up on the wrong side of me and had to be redirected to be able to clear the jump he needed to take.  He finished the course beautifully but the 5 point refusal and the 6 seconds over course time killed us.  In open those 2 points per seconds add up really fast.  I was tired and hadn’t quite caught my breath after running Chudleigh and honestly we had just done  the 2 runs in the standard ring barely  a few minutes earlier.   I think I need to stash some oxygen for just such occurrences, dratted congestive heart failure trying to spoil a good time.  

Next weekend we will compete again both days in the same place.

I got digital copies of 2 of Rollo's runs this weekend, the T2B and the 1st open standard leg.  Here are the links

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=W3vrmqi5Y6Q&NR=1

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3zsctHxs2w&NR=1&feature=endscreen

 

Christy

Snow Girls!

The dogs adjusted to the snow with no problem - and - we have too!

Happy New Year to all of you,

Sydney

 Our first snow - week before Christmas.

 My niece's dog, Tallulah and Coffee - Sentinels!

The La Plata Mountains from the east.

Those ROSE dogs!

No pictures from today, it was pouring rain when we were done and of course my dogs had to wait until the final 2 classes of the day to qualify.   This weekend we are doing the Weim club agility competition up in Santa Rosa and about froze our patooties off.

Both dogs did novice FAST, both did open jumpers, and Rollo did open standard and Chuds did novice standard.

Going small to tall Rollo was first to do FAST.  For some reason he bailed on the teeter just at the pivot point, and refused to do the send.  He is somewhat of a Velcro dog and couldn’t POSSIBLY leave my side to do a simple jump and tunnel.  Oh well, everything else was good and we figured it was just a warmup for later.

Chudleigh did amazing in FAST and if the judge hadn’t made a colossal mistake in designing the course he would have handily qualified with a 67 AND 3 seconds under course time.  Okay, what I am railing about was the tunnel in the send portion.  The open FAST dogs went into the left side of the tunnel while the handler ran along the right side of the stuff.  The judge decided to have the novice dogs take the right side of the tunnel but there was no switching of the angle of the jump so when the speeding dog took the jump the left side of the tunnel was what they saw first.  Of course it called Chudleigh’s name despite me trying to get him to come to the correct end.    Only 5 novice dogs managed to qualify and it was totally unfair to have the open course easier than the novice, and that was the ONLY difference between open and novice, grumble, grumble!

Oh well, Chuds tried and that was all that mattered.  He is feeling and looking good, and preferred seems to agree with him.

Open jumpers was interesting, it was a good course, but a bit challenging.  I was ready, and so was Rollo.  In fact he was so ready he went rocketing along and where I had planned to execute my front crosses he had already gone right on by,  generating more refusals  than I care to remember.  BUT, and there is always a but, his weaves were to die for!  All 12 of them, perfect and FAST!  I did something different and it worked, I ran fast and told Rollo WEAVE, and by golly he stayed in the poles and raced along behind me!  That in itself made my day, Mr Pokey sniffing in the weaves is no more.

Chudleigh  did great in this class, and also raced along in the weaves when I took off.  Unfortunately about 3 jumps from the end when I kicked in the afterburners heading for the finish line he managed to drop a bar.  That is the most sickening sound to hear on a lovely run, and the whole audience let out a collective “Oh” when that happened.

Last runs of the day were pure paydirt, though.  Rollo got his first open standard leg with a 100 and 9 seconds under course time.  He flew through his weaves just like earlier, and I couldn’t be prouder of that little bulldog.

Chudleigh  was 6 seconds under course time and some of that was due to having to check UNDER the teeter to see what those yellow weight bags really were.  That gave us a 5 point refusal but hopefully that satisfied his curiosity and it won’t happen again.   His weaves were really fast, I could hear the poles rattling as he strove to keep up with me.  That was his final novice leg so tomorrow both dogs will be in open/open.  We are also doing T2B.

I was hoping to see Jennifer or Donna out there competing in this new year.  I did see Shiffra Steele out there running some Weims.  Right now Chudleigh is the only boxer competing.