The dogs and I had an awesome time at our first NADAC trial that was just us. My mom has decided to stop running Sirius at most of the trials and she also wants to do other things. I had to drive by myself for about 50 miles and through some switchbacks on a mountain at 5:30 in the morning and go home in the dark on Friday. I'm not the most confident driver, but I got to the trial and back fine. Well, on Friday night I was pulling out of the trial location and it was a one way driveway and a neighbor was pulling in off the road as I was going up the driveway. I ended up backing down and into his big, heavy, white, wood fence. I guess he didn't care because I sat there for a while and he didn't come over. I didn't see any damage to the fence the next morning and my care just has a white mark on the back bumper.
There were three runs on Friday afternoon, two Hoopers (strategic and numbered) and a round of Weavers. It was nice and cool and cloudy and getting dark. Perfect doggie weather. My dogs were just flying. I was really impressed with Truly's speed. She hauled butt in Hoopers. She ended up with the fastest time in Open and Elite strategic Hoopers. (They're the same course.) I think that's the first time she's been the fastest in the class, haha. She Qd both Hoopers and finished her O-HP-O. Blue Qd both Hoopers as well, and I think she needs one more for her Superior Elite title. Most of the clubs around here haven't been holding Hoopers, so I figured I should do it when I can. Oh, and both dogs probably finished the Hoopers requirement for Champs (as long as it's the same as the last couple years).
We had a different judge that day who could judge bonus lines, and there was one in Weavers that night. It looked like a very nice line course and I really wanted to try it, but Blue 1) is older, so I didn't think doing a Weavers line in the dark was the nicest thing to do to her, 2) she needs just a few more Qs for her Vers-NATCH 4. So, I tried it with Truly, haha. Screw the fact that we haven't Qd at all in Elite Weavers (been running in it since May). She was so awesome! We didn't Q, since I didn't give her the cue to come in soon enough and she took an off course tunnel at the back of the ring. It was so me, I start to mess up when my dogs are doing great and don't get my commands out fast enough. She even got all her weaves and did an extra set! She was over half way though the course before I screwed up. Oh my gosh. Maybe one day Tru and I will be able to do this. (It just needs to be dark and cold, haha.) Blue Qd with a nice, smooth run.
Well, Blue did pretty well the rest of the weekend. She Qd 9 more runs and was her happy, spunky, self. She was so crazy on Saturday. She had some unusually wild contacts. I'm surprised she hit the contact on her Regular round one AF and the judge didn't call it unsafe or something. So, she got one Regular leg, a Chances, a Touch n Go, and a Weavers. Oh, my goodness. Weavers. That had to be our most interesting experience of the day. It's pretty much explained in the video below.
I forgot to mention that a dog before us actually came out limping. Why no one went to check it after that, I don't understand.
She was much less hyper on Sunday. I went down to get stuff ready to go, and Blue was still in bed with my parents, while the others were downstairs. Then I fed them, and she went back upstairs with my parents. She also crashed as soon as she got in the car Saturday evening. She was still moving though. She Qd both Regulars, TnG, a Jumpers, and Tunnelers. She only needs 1 more TnG and one more Weavers for her Vers-NATCH and 2 more Regulars for her NATCH-7. Then it's Skilled time! (And probably moving to Open/Novice Weavers.) Blue's still the best dog, though. I'm really enjoying these last few trials before I go to school. It's gonna be hard not seeing her every day.
Truly didn't do nearly as good as Blue. She was just so crazy from the weather and we aren't quite as in sync, since we don't normally practice at that speed/craziness. Well, haven't practiced much at all in the last month. I don't think we've practiced at the field since before the last trial! She Qd one run on Saturday, and 4 on Sunday. The only special skills class she Qd in was Tunnelers. Oh, my, gosh, Tunnelers. It was the last class of the weekend and it finally started to rain on us. It was a fairly short course, but I didn't know how she'd do in the rain. Well, she ran it smooth and in 7.4 yps, with a 111 DRI. Geez. Blue did 7.7, with an 111 DRI (that's the max number, haha). Good girls! Even though she wasn't Qing that much, she was giving me some great distance.
Truly and Blue were both pretty naughty with their start line stays this weekend. I know with Truly it's because she was just so happy about the weather. I noticed on Sunday she was being better about them, and was even really dopey when the sun came out for a bit before Jumpers. I didn't even lead out that much pretty much ran with her. Then she was back to being eager the next Jumpers. I felt like I should have just been sticking her back or whatever and I wouldn't have had the issue, but I wanted the Qs/fun, and I'm just going to work on more self-control and staying with both of them at home/practice. I swear this is really only an issue in 'Truly weather.' Otherwise she just melts on the start line. Blue, well, she's almost 10 and I'm not going to bother with her on the start line at trials, haha.
I'm definitely going to try and get out to practice more before our next trial, which is our usual December Phoenix trial. I recently found out that club was doing EGC at night during the week we are staying and flipped out. I'm am totally entering (as long as it's not full). Truly and Blue will be doing it, although I think that Truly will appreciate this way more than Blue. I think EGC is Truly's true calling, haha. It sucks that there probably aren't enough people interested around me to make it worthwhile to put on an EGC trial. I have several NADAC friends that are interested in it, but I don't know.
Oh, and happy Thanksgiving everyone!
No comments:
Post a Comment