Super late trial post...

For some reason, I just haven't really felt like taking the time to update this blog, hahaha. (Getting ready and heading to school, perhaps??)  I figured I should really do it since I had one started BEFORE we even got back from AZ in December and I will have a new trial to write about this weekend.  I'll start off with that post:

"We’re finally back from a(n over) weeklong stay in Phoenix. (Writing about the future in the past, hahahaha.)  It was filled with cold weather, tons of agility, and preparing for a Christmas party.  As I’ve probably written on this blog before, my grandparents all live in this area, so agility is an ‘excuse’ to come see them.  Well, it’s actually the other way around, but still.  Unfortunately this may be the last trip to see multiple grandparents, as my maternal grandmother is moving and my maternal grandfather recently passed away.  That just leaves one grandparent to come see on trips over.  My mom has also decided to retire Sirius, and really wants as little to do with agility as possible.  She’s way more interested in her school work (plants!), than in dog training.  And last, I’m going to be going to school several hours away from home and living on campus.  I love coming to AZ because one club offers a really, REALLY, good rate to JHs/full time college students and it’s more NADAC, but I don’t know when the next time I’ll get over is.

Guess I’ll talk about the ‘main’ trial now.  The dogs were great as usual.  Truly actually got more Qs than Blue at this trial, haha (6/13 for Blue and 8/13 for Truly). Friday afternoon was a mess with both dogs.  They ran a round of Weavers and Touch n Go.  Neither dog Qd either run.  Six hour car rides are not the best thing to do before an agility trial.  The dogs were both bonkers in Weavers.  Tru continued her NQ streak in Elite Weavers and Blue didn’t get those last Weavers and TnG Qs for her Vers-NATCH 4.

 I decided to try a bonus on TnG since we’d already NQd Weavers.  Why I do this to myself, I don’t know.  It actually didn’t seem like that bad of a line.  Blue got through the first 5 or so obstacles fine, but instead of switching to a tunnel, she decides to switch with a very, very wide turn to the entrance of the DW!  She did fairly well after that and only had one more mess up.   I tried the line with Tru as well and she just couldn’t send straight off the AF with me that far behind her.  Whycomingdown/offthesideofcontactsisnotgoodforbonuslines. Alsowhyitwouldbenicetopracticecontactsregularly.  I realized at this trial that it has probably been over a year since Tru has regularly practiced contacts.  I’m surprised she still has somewhat of a 2o2o.  She was self releasing all over the place this weekend, but at least she drove down to the bottom on most of them. 

Saturday was bound to go better and it did.  The dogs actually Qd some runs.  Blue was insane in Hoopers and didn’t Q, but got a Tunnelers, Jumpers, and Regular Q.  She made a silly mistake in the second Regular and could have had her NATCH 7 on that run.  She seemed to be moving really and doesn’t look like she is almost 10.  I didn’t notice her taking as many strides between jumps in Jumpers as I have lately.  Truly got another Regular and a Hoopers in addition to the Qs that Blue got.  Her first Jumpers run was GREAT.  She seems to finally be figuring out the 16” jumps.  Could be that it was nice and cold too, but I noticed her doing better at the last trial.  I know she’ll be much happier at 12”, though.  She actually knocked a bar on her second Jumpers run!  Oh, and there was one random silly thing I feel like sharing.  After Tru’s Tunnelers run, she was still running and headed right out of the ring towards our set up.  She came back, but on the way she felt the need to jump over the low hanging tape marking the ring boundary.  The clutz tripped on it and pulled the little tape holders down. 

Sunday threatened rain all day and finally gave in towards the end of the trial.  We ran the second round of Chances and Hoopers in the rain.  Blue and Tru both Qd a round  of Regular, a round of Chances and Hoopers.  Blue also earned her NATCH 7!!!!  I dunno if I want to stick around in Proficient for another trial to pick up those last Qs for her Vers-NATCH 4 or wait for a mini-trial/special skills only trial to pop up that I can enter as Proficient without dealing with the jumps.  Hmmm, I think they do special skills only before Champs…  Speaking of Champs, I think Blue is now fully qualified and Tru just needs 2 Weavers Qs.  I have also heard they are confirmed for South Jordan, UT!  I will be trying my hardest to go even though I have school.  That is such a reasonable drive compared to Gillette (or Springfield, haha).  And speaking of NATCHs, Tru is now 50 Jumpers pts, 40 Chances pts, and 70 Regular pts away from hers!

So, we had a day long break and were off to JCAC’s field to play EGC on Tuesday evening.  They offered 2 rounds of each EGC class over 3 nights.  Oh, my, gosh, did Truly have fun on that stuff.  She was hauling all 3 nights.  Maybe the fact that it was cold and dark helped, but one night she consistently ran faster than Blue, even when they both had clean/smooth runs.  I checked the EGC point list on the NADAC yahoo group, and it appears that Tru earned her Extreme Novice Gaters title.  She can’t move to Open yet, because apparently you need your Superior title to do that.  I’m not complaining.  That stuff is tricky.  All the Novice courses were 20 or more obstacles long.  My dogs did best at Extreme Hoopers, but I think that particular course was the ‘easiest’ out of the three sets we did AND the dogs didn’t need to do any ‘strange’ obstacles.  They all know how to do hoops (and sequences of hoops) already.  I would really, really, like to do some more.  There’s a group of us in my area that would like to start it up, but we wonder if there will be enough interest to keep it going.  I guess there’s always practicing and fun runs for personal enjoyment.   I know that Truly LOVES this stuff and I’d like to do more of what she really enjoys.  Blue likes ‘normal’ agility and everything involved with that.  She just does EGC (and Hoopers) to play more and because I ask her (and give her cookies).

The dogs' results were pretty good.  My dogs placed in every run they got points in.  Truly actually had the fastest time of the class in a couple rounds."

And I was pretty proud of Tru for doing that, haha.  She rarely ever beats Blue at anything, much less other dogs.  I don't know if there's much else to say.  Like I said, we've got a trial this weekend.  I'm going to see if I can do another trial with Tru in February in addition to our annual Ramona trial.  It mostly depends on who's going to that other trial and if someone can bring Tru up to it, since I'm in school now.