November update

November started out nicely enough, with a conference in Portland, Oregon (my first trip to the west coast), then a weekend at home with good weather, yard work, and a Shakespeare comedy for evening entertainment. Two AKC trials of three days each were scheduled for the following weekends, and then a one-day seminar. Things were looking good...



...until Griffin ruptured his cruciate ligament chasing after a ball I'd thrown for Emma in the pasture.

He will go to the Veterinary Specialty Center in Indianapolis for surgery on November 30th. He'll stay overnight, and hopefully I can take a friend with me to pick him up the next day.

Since he doesn't crate well, it's going to be difficult to transport him in the car. The only way he will lie on the seat is if he's strapped in with his doggie seat belt. If he's secured in the rear cargo area, he will stand up for the entire ride, even if it's four hours or longer. (I think it's because he wants to see out the window.) Getting him into the back seat safely and quietly will be a challenge, because he normally either jumps up onto the seat or puts his front paws up and waits for me to lift his rear up for him.

These habits were established long before I got him at a year and a half--he's always been flakey in the car. On rides of an hour or more, he twitches and/or licks his lips every few minutes as if to express his displeasure about not being there yet. He also has a bad habit of automatically pulling on a leash; I see lots of time in the no-pull harness as he recuperates.

I'm really glad I retired him from agility when I did. All along I've had this nagging feeling that there was something physical underlying the behavioral changes I was seeing. Griffin loves to run and jump at speed, but somewhere during his short career, he started going off course on almost every run. His A-frame performance also changed, and he no longer sought out what had once been his favorite obstacle.

I lost confidence in my ability handle; we were not working as a team, and trials became a source of frustration. I knew my dog had the skills to get around the courses, but I could rarely keep him on course.

It was at a USDAA trial in St. Louis at the very end of 2007 that I finally figured out that his off courses were always towards the entrance or exit gate. Instead of shutting down, he would simply start moving towards whichever gate was closer, taking obstacles along the way. (This is why many people thought my handling was the problem-it looked like he was still working, although I could tell that he was checked out.) His last trial was in February 2008, two months shy of his fifth birthday. Since that time, he has enjoyed regular hiking and swimming with his packmates, lounging on the bed, counter surfing, and de-stuffing toys.

Griffin, I'm sorry you had to undergo this painful injury, but I'm glad I listened to what you were trying to tell me in the only way you knew how, and retired you when I did.

Agility practice 11/3/09

Just a quick note so I don't forget what we worked on today. We've been hitting quite a variety of skills lately in our training sessions.

1. Warm-up: proprioception work with wobble board (because it was out, and Emma thinks it's fun) and backing up/turning around on a narrow board raised about a foot off the ground.

2. RTH review using jump close to wall: classic, directed jumping, & backy-uppy.

3. Forward sends using single jump from various distances. She is weaker turning to the right on these, and wanted to shape her approach.

4. A little bit of teeter work: end position, then entire obstacle.

4. Blind crosses after the weaves to a single offset jump, both left and right.

5. Forward sends to angled jump from the weaves.

6. Forward sends to angled jump from the DW.

Fall hike

Today was so gorgeous I ditched work early to get the dogs out on a trail before dark. (Yesterday we hiked by the light of my headlamp.) Here are some pictures.

ACE AKC Agility trial, October 30-31, 2009

We trialed at a new location Friday and Saturday of Halloween weekend: Princeton, Indiana, at the Gibson County Fairgrounds. The site offers an indoor arena with two 100 x 100 rings on packed clay. Not packed dirt, but packed clay. It wasn't slippery, but it seemed like a very hard surface. It wasn't a smooth surface, either; there were ridges where gigantic farm machinery tires have driven across it, and a few small holes. It definitely did not have the cushion that rubber matting or grass offers.

Friday, October 30

Our day began with Excellent A FAST. The send bonus required a send to a 180, then convergence and a send to the A-frame. The send bonus line was drawn such that handlers had to move laterally (to the left) after sending their dogs to the A-frame, and many dogs were leaving the A-frame from just below the apex on the downramp in an effort to follow handler motion. Although Emma wasn't likely to do that--she's been proofed extensively for independence--it just gave me a bad feeling, and I didn't want to take the risk.

Therefore, my plan was to get Emma through the weaves (the poles appeared to be 21-22 inches apart, and her last trial was on 24" weaves) and over all the contact obstacles before exiting. I held her on the contacts a little, and as I'd hoped, the buzzer rang before we could attempt the Send bonus. At the very last second I thought it should at least look like I was going over to try it, and I miscued Emma. She sliced a jump on a severe angle coming towards me, and knocked over the metal jump standard (it had metal jump cups, too). Oops. Fortunately it didn't phase her, and she wasn't hurt.

I have to admit that the footing, the FAST course, and our miscommunication did not put me in a positive mood for Standard. I had to work to remember that this is a fun way to spend time with your dog, and to remember that we were here to work on skills and build teamwork.

I felt better by the time we got to walk Standard. We had a couple of miscues on this course but they were good learning experiences for me in course analysis and running with purpose. JWW went to plan, with my only mistake being I forgot to decelerate coming into a 180 and cued the first element with extension. No harm done--it just wasn't what I'd planned. We got 3rd place for our effort.

Saturday, October 31

Emma blew me away with her skills on today's Excellent FAST course. I never thought in a million years that she would get the send bonus (6-3-4). She did all that and more, accumulating enough points for second place! She ran like a rocket and it was really fun. Here's a partial course map:



In Standard, Emma knocked the panel jump, and the sound it made on the clay surface startled her--this from a dog who has never batted an eye at teeter banging or gun shots! She scooted away from it, and was past the next jump by the time she was able to focus on the course again. We continued as if nothing happened, negociating the A-frame/tunnel discrimination twice without issue. Thought it lacked the extreme speed of FAST run, it was a solid effort after we got past the panel jump.

During the time between Standard and JWW, Emma and I had a disagreement about what she should smell like. She thought it would be great to rub her face and neck in a gray, slimey mass we found outside next to the building while out for a potty break. I, on the other hand, did not care for the strong scent of rotten food. Therefore, we found ourselves in the shower (thank goodness we were at a 4-H facility!) for a spot bath. Emma, who normally loves being bathed, thought I had lost my mind and tried to crawl under the shower curtain. In the end, I was able to get the offensive area bathed, and she ended up smelling like tea tree oil. She expressed her opinion by trying vigorously to transfer the scent to her crate mat.

After all that, I wondered how our teamwork would be in JWW. Fortunately, the course was straightforward and seemed short with 18 obstacles. Our run went to plan and earned us a third place.

What did we learn this weekend?

1. We continue to improve as a team. We have solid skills and I can trust my dog to do amazing things!

2. I need to continue working on course analysis. There were a couple times this weekend where I got close to an obstacle and used a lateral send when I should have stayed back and used a forward send. I also ended up out of position once because I misjudged the speed at which Emma would exit a tunnel. This could have been avoided with a better handling choice for the line leading to the tunnel.

3. Our forward sends are good, but they could be better. After only 2 sessions of tunnel entrance discrimination work, our sends to tunnels are much stronger. Continue working on forward sends to build confidence and distance. Get downstream and present the correct arm/side for the recall.

4. When using a lateral send, I don't need to be right on top of the obstacle to which I'm sending. I can see now that this execution is a) based on my insecurity, b) causing wide turns, and c) doesn't help me get downstream as quickly as a send should. Practice to get comfortable with more distance.

5. I'm not sure I will return to this trial site in the future. The host club did a good job and the host hotel was awesome. The trial committee reserved a room block in a very new Quality Inn at a great price ($54/night, no pet fee). The room was very comfortable, with good linens, fluffy pillows and decent towels, and it included a continental breakfast. It was a short distance to the fairgrounds, but an easy drive. However, I'm not thrilled about the packed clay as a running surface. This club puts on a July trial in a soccer arena in Evansvillle; I may try that instead.

This is the kind of day we're having here.

Yes, there is a trial report coming...I promise...if I can ever find time to finish it!

Dayton Dog Training Club AKC Trial, 10/24/2009

I have to make this short or I won't post anything at all. It's Tuesday and I haven't written anything about these runs yet, although I do remember them clearly.

Today we finished our Open FAST title. I was more careful to count points this time! The send bonus was jump-pull to the right-A-frame-jump. We got done with my plan with lots of time to spare, although the course didn't lend itself to picking up many extra points from where we ended up. My route had good flow, however.

Today's standard course was very forward and open until the end. I failed to cue appropriately on the approach to the chute, and Emma came blasting out and had to really work to make the turn to the weaves. She did get her entry, though; her weaves were fabulous all weekend.

I chose to handle the table to the tunnel with a lead-out push, because I didn't like where the other options left me for handling later down the line. I did not want to RC betwen 14 and 15; many of those who did had a hard time balancing forward and turning cues to get a good turn to 16. I moved toward 16 on the approach to 15, used deceleration/FS at 16, and moved back toward 17 and performed a landing-side FC, finishing with 18 and 19 on my right. I don't think I moved through 15-17 quickly enough, because Emma looked at the A-frame for a few seconds as she landed off 16, before committing to 17.

From Agility course maps

Jumpers offered another opportunity for a lead-out push into the correct tunnel entrance. I chose to run with 4-5-6 on my left, but I saw and liked the option of getting ahead and doing a FC between 4-5. My tendency right now is to show a lot of motion towards the next obstacle as Emma exits tunnels, but as she gains experience, I trust her to look for me more.

Emma did a beautiful lateral send to 9, which allowed me to get ahead and do landing-side FC at 10 and run towards 12 (11 was set so the left side of the jump was in the dog's path). I made sure she found jump 17 and made the long distance to 18, and then took off running down the line.

From Agility course maps

I started calculating YPS after this trial, which adds a whole new dimension to trialing! At this trial, on dirt, her standard runs were 3.85 and 3.81 YPS. Her JWW runs were 5.3 and 4.98 YPS. I don't feel as comfortable moving extremely fast in standard, partly because I don't want to sacrifice teeter and DW contact criteria. I think more speed will come in the future. Right now it's more important to try to move correctly, to continue exploring handling options, and to continue to build our partnership.

Emma now has 3 MX legs and 4 MXJ legs, 70 MACH points, and 3 double Qs.

We had a great time at this trial and look forward to returning in January. We loved the courses and the judges (Jim & Judy Smotrel from Virginia) were very good. We hope to show under them again in the future.

Dayton Dog Training Club AKC Trial, 10/23/2009

It poured today, and with the cool weather, I was thankful I wasn't supposed to be trialing outside. This trial site is a dirt horse arena, with most of the crating on dirt as well. It can be quite messy when it rains. I was lucky to find enough space for two crates and a chair on concrete, ringside, just after I had set up on the dirt this morning. I was able to get it all moved before anyone else claimed that spot. Even better, one of the restrooms is right next to us and my car was parked just outside, making trips back and forth very quick.

Emma and I are starting to become a team. I realized that today after formulating a plan for our standard run, and executing that plan just about perfectly (or so it felt--of course, there's always some room for improvement). She is becoming a blast to run as her skills and confidence improve. Today's runs showed me that I can rely on her for sends, to stay in the weaves, to push, pull, collect, turn, extend...you name it, she did it. I'm getting better at finding the best line to run on course, which shows her where to go, and lets me run with purpose. Last year, I remember in seminars that she would lose focus if I got too far ahead; she wasn't sure what to do. (Should I take that jump? Why is mom way up there?) Linda's articles and Jenn's instruction have put the pieces in place, and now when I see weaknesses, I can identify exercises that will address them.

The tunnel entrance discrimination work we did last week and earlier this week came in handy today in both standard and JWW. In standard, other highlights were a lovely push off the A-frame and leaving her in the weaves as I moved laterally to the left to get ahead to cue the correct tunnel entrance after a front cross between 7 and 8. I was really proud of my execution of this section, as a lot of teams NQ'd here.

From Agility course maps

I think Emma's line from 14-16 (DW-jump-teeter) could have been tighter, but it wasn't terrible, and it wasn't so wide that there a risk of an off-course here; Emma knew where we were going. In retrospect, I could have had less movement toward 15 and even more towards 16 for a better turn.

In JWW I chose to cue the turns at 3 and 13 with forward sends and do landing-side FCs at 4 and 14. I had no time to think on this course--just execute and move on!

From Agility course maps

I should have done a blind cross after the weaves, but I haven't trained these yet, so I simply accelerated and got far enough ahead to show Emma where to go. I don't remember jump 9 being in the way as much as is shown on the course map. A blind cross (or even a front) there would have been a better use of motion.

I almost forgot about FAST. I specifically planned a course that would get Emma on the A-frame, through the weaves, and on the teeter at this new trial site before standard. My original plan would have earned lots of points, but we would have run out of time. I quickly changed plans just before we ran, but neglected to notice that the new one left us a point short!

The last thing I want to record here is that Emma gets the game. She's reached a new level of understanding of the entire behavior chain at a trial: the warm-up, waiting to go in the ring, waiting at the startline, running the course with speed, getting leashed, and running out of the ring with me for her special treat (usually a stick of cheese). Once I figured out what she needed, I tried very hard to give it to her consistently, and it's paying off. And when my confidence increases, so does hers. I feel like I am truly helping her reach her potential, and that's enormously rewarding.

It is SO MUCH FUN to run her now that she gets it!