Thanksgiving weekend trial

After a long drive to St. Louis in the rain and freezing cold we spend Thanksgiving day with my mom's family-ALL of them!  It was nice to see everyone as I don't get to very often.  Then it was time for 3 days of agility and some time with my dad's family-much smaller!

Friday started out great for Lyric-she did all her weave poles and Q'd in both classes-both first places!  That gave her two legs each in Open standard and Excellent A JWW.  Legend had a good day but with a bar down in standard and missed the first weave pole in jumpers-guess we couldn't fix it completely in just 2 weeks!

Saturday Lyric went around one jump in jumpers and didn't finish the weave poles.  She did the weave poles in standard but had 2 refusals on other obstacles so no Q's.  It was Legend's day to so something weird-she ran partway up the A-frame, turned around and came back down.  No clue why.  After a few more struggles on that course I ended up getting disoriented and just heading for the exit.  But she had a nice jumpers Q to give us something to show for the day! 

Today was Legend's day as she had two lovely runs (I even did some accidental layering in standard) and got a Double Q!  Lyric has some nice things going on but didn't finish her weaves either run and spend a bit of time begging for cookies from the ring crew!

Off to Tulsa next weekend! 

Oh, and I have some video I will try and post later this week.  Too tired now. 

Dog torture

If you can believe it these are better of the group photos I tried to take the other day.  Don't they look sort of miserable?  Goofy dogs.  I didn't even bother to clean them up with photoshop.  I'll try for a better group shot on another day.  I just posted them because I have nothing else to post about today. 



 This is a pretty decent action shot of Zodiac though-my little herding boy!  Keeping the girls in line!

Speaking of the girls they have both been working weave poles this week and doing pretty well.  Legend is making a greater effort to get the entrance even is she has to work at it, no more just slipping in where it's convenient.  We shall see how it goes this weekend. 

Poor Zodiac is not getting much tracking time-what else is now.  It's either too cold or I'm too short on time to be out laying tracks.  I know, I'm a wimp.  But he doesn't seem to mind too much.

In other news we have a little dilemma.  We were leaving all the dogs uncrated in the bedroom during the day but we got tired of Zodiac rooting around on the bed, getting hair all over.  Plus sometimes he pawed so hard he was making holes in the sheets!  Se we got a couple of dog beds and put them in the spare room, where the bunny lives.  There is also a futon in there, window to look out, rabbit to watch, plenty of creature comforts.  I guess this is not acceptable to Zodiac because he knocks down the baby gate every day.  I tried just leaving them loose in the house all day and shutting our bedroom door but came home to find the couch covered in hair.  I think we will have get one of those baby gates that bolt to the door.  I know I could just crate him but I hate having a big ugly wire crate in the house ( he won't stay in the soft sided one anymore).  Plus he's almost 10-it's nice if he can just be out and enjoy himself...within reason!

Merry Christmas Grandma!

Hope you enjoy this year too!

(For new readers I print my blog into a book every year for my Grandma to read)

The big picture

Back to the trial...

Legend continued to run well but didn't get any Qs on Sunday.  In standard she stopped to sniff a number cone ???  Like those haven't been there all weekend.  In jumpers she (big surprise) missed the first weave pole on a very challenging course that she otherwise handled very well.  Lyric continues to improve but has not quite got it all together yet-but is having a lot of fun!

So if I look at the short term situation it would be easy to be disappointed with all the near misses I'm having with Legend.  But if I look at the big picture, I really get a different perspective, and that's what I need to concentrate on.  This is a different dog than I had a year ago, or two years ago, or even six months ago.  She's faster, more confident, more consistent, more responsive, running smoother lines and making tighter turns.  If all we have left to fix is weave poles then we should be in great shape!  If we get the poles fixed and she continues to run this well then 2011 could be a really great year for her!  I would actually like to see her  get off the start line a little faster too but maybe that will come with time just like the rest of the improvements have.  Anyway, we have two more AKC trials this year and one more NADAC then we are done until sometime in February.  I think I'll be ready for a break, but it's always hard to stop when things are getting good.

Trial Update

We are off trialing again this weekend and here how it's gone so far...

Yesterday Legend missed the first weave pole (again) in standard and took an off course.  But her JWW run was picture perfect-she really couldn't have done it any better or make it look any easier!  It was a tough course but she didn't make it feel that way-I was super happy with it.  Lyric failed to weave again and had a few other difficulties on the standard course, but had some good parts to her runs.

Today Legend had a really nice standard run to set her up for a QQ.  But she missed the first weave pole (yes, again) in an otherwise clean jumper run.  So bummed, but on the plus side, she is running sooo well and so consistent.  I guess we will just drill weave pole entrances for the next few weeks and try to fix this.  Lyric did all the weaves in jumpers but crashed a jump later on in the course.  She also did all the weaves in standard and went on to get her first open standard Q!

Fall Photos

I tried to get them to all pose together but they acted like they were being tortured so we did it one at a time.

Proof

Here is a video of Lyric weaving this morning.  Can you believe this dog would hardly weave at the trial?  Little brat!

Meanwhile...

I know, I know, no posts again this week but I've been busy.  I promise.

We just got back from a weekend at the Show-me Canines trial in Columbia.  We actually started off by doing some shopping Friday and then headed on in to Columbia Friday afternoon.  We had an ok weekend as far as Qs, but a great weekend as far as good food and good company!  Saturday Legend had a bar down and a wrong tunnel entrance in JWW but Q'd in standard.  Lyric would not weave but otherwise did great in JWW.  She still has some struggles in standard but we are working through them.  But she always seems to have fun. 

Today Legend missed BOTH her weave entrances on otherwise clean run.  Darn it!!!   So we will be working weaves for both girls this week.  Lyric however, did manage to weave (although not nearly as well as she does at home) in JWW for her very first AXJ leg! 

Our travel companions Linda and Chesney also did well as did our roommates Deanna and Chief.  Other exciting trial news-friend Barb and her pom Max earned their MACH2!  Lyric was taking notes!

Plus Lilly got adopted!  A very nice young couple from Kansas had applied for her and was approved so they drove down yesterday to meet her.  Of course they fell in love and took her home.  I think she will be very happy with them. 

Jerry and I started the P90X workout DVDs this week too, which has been cutting into my blogging time but hopefully will have been worth it in 90 days!