Sunday, July 24, 2011

Consumed

This weekend was our club's NADAC trial and so, being on the trial committee, I spent a lot of extra time helping with set-up, tear down, working, etc.  In addition to doing 19 runs with my dogs.

But overall we had a pretty good trial.  Yesterday Legend picked up an elite regular, a novice touch and go (yep still in novice, but getting there) and most exciting-her very first elite chances Q.  Now I know she can actually do it.  After today's attempt though I was more humbled and know we need still more practice.  Lyric got an elite regular, novice touch and go and finished her open jumpers title! 

This morning I convinced Jerry to run Legend in tunnelers-we already have our title and don't need any tunnelers points for nationals so it would give me one less run to do!  They did a great job-he never handles or trains the dogs, he even had to learn about front crosses during walk throughs!  They were clean but a hair over time-not too shabby for elite!  Legend picked up another regular leg and then her first elite weavers leg.  Lyric finished her Elite Regular title today and was a few seconds over time in her other regular run.  I decided to take a chance and move her up to elite jumpers today.  Jumpers was the last even in a long hot weekend and I knew it would be hard for her to make time but I pushed as hard as I could and she ended up only 1/2 second over time on a 22 obstacle course.  She'll get it eventually-tried so hard for me today.

And, Legend refused the dogwalk twice out of something like 6 attempts.  It seems to be when she doesn't have much momentum going-as in the beginning of the course.  I think I may give her shorter (but obviously not unsafe) approaches at home to show that she really can do it even when she's not at full speed.  Of course if I could get her started faster that would help too but I've never been all that successful in getting her to do that.  We take what we can get and fix what we can fix I guess. Why do dogs always give us something to work on?  They think they don't get enough treats and need to find things for us to practice with them?

Now it's time to relax and get ready for 3 days of AKC next weekend! I hope to catch up on everyone's blog this week-I haven't read any since we went on vacation!

1 comment:

Kathy Mocharnuk said...

wow, that sounds like a hectic weekend and another trial next weekend, LOL, guess you are keeping busy! Perhaps that is why agility will never be boring, there is ALWAYS something to work on, just when you think it is all coming together, something else pops up! Good for Jerry and Legend, those tunnelers courses can be intimidating to a lot of people because of all those tunnels, impressive he was willing to give it a go. LOVE tunnelers!