A weekend of really great running, and then not so much.
Fin has left me puzzled after this weekend. We had more nice runs this weekend then we've had in a long time. Loads of Q's, but mostly, fun happy sheltie running. She seemed to really like the 12". Except for Gamble, of which we got zero for two, the only reason we didn't Q in everything was a couple knocked bars and 3 spectacular crashes.
We got:
-2 pairs Q's
-2 standard Q's
-3 snooker Q's
We didn't Q:
-steeple - crash
-jumpers - knocked bar - and then followed a refusal because I was out of position
-GP - knocked bar, teeter (I don't wanna), a crash
-standard - crash
-gamble (2 of these) great openings just didn't get the gamble
For the most part, her jumping looks good. Happy happy. Then there are times when it doesn't. I'm analyzing the video to determine exactly where the crashes are (no too worried about a knocked bar right now). Of course she has been checked out and doesn't seem to be in pain nor has eye issues. I believe it is confidence.
I will continue to work her light during the next two weeks, grids and working on trouble shooting her problem areas. Next trial is November 10-11. I will see how she is jumping then.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Balance
Set up a set for balance. Olive really enjoyed this game. Tail wagg'n the whole time.
Headed off for a show this weekend. I have no balance right now. Go from one thing to another. The show is three days. Usually I'd skip Friday this time of year, but for some reason they have grand prix on Friday. Gotta go to that! It is Fins first show at Perf. 12. Hope to enjoy the ride and rock those courses!
Olive will come and enjoy watching and practicing puppy games.
In the meantime, gotta do something nice for Kel's B-day. I'm thinking fish tacos and cupcakes. All while watching the Giants game.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Headed off for a show this weekend. I have no balance right now. Go from one thing to another. The show is three days. Usually I'd skip Friday this time of year, but for some reason they have grand prix on Friday. Gotta go to that! It is Fins first show at Perf. 12. Hope to enjoy the ride and rock those courses!
Olive will come and enjoy watching and practicing puppy games.
In the meantime, gotta do something nice for Kel's B-day. I'm thinking fish tacos and cupcakes. All while watching the Giants game.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Tadd bit busy....
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| I like my new "coat". It scares Fin, tee heee. |
- Standing in line at the airport on Sunday evening to get home, the lady next to me said, "Do you live in Phoenix?" I said, "No San Jose." I'm thinking, why is she asking me about Phoenix? Then she said, "Why are you going to Phoenix? For business?" I said, "I'm not going to Phoenix." The plane is boarding at this point and I'm thinking, "oh good, we are on time." Then she said, "This plane is going to Phoenix." I said, "No, this plane is going to San Jose." We both yelled up to the boarding guy, "Where is this plane going?" He said, "Phoenix." About 50 people got out of line and sat down. They ended up stopping the boarding, and removing another 15 or so off the plane that got on the wrong plane. Thank you lady. Appreciate it. I would have cried if I ended up on Phoenix.
- Got back at 11:30pm Sunday from Seattle. Door to the house in the garage, locked. Nice to know that the house/puppy sitter is good at locking up the house. Unfortunate that I never lock that door and had no key to the house in my purse. Really unfortunate my husband did not have a house key either. So sad for my sister that I had to call her at 11:45pm to get out of bed and give me a key to my house. Fortunate that she lives one mile away. In bed around 1.
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| Don't go on vacation again...ok?! |
- Monday up at 5. All pups up and at em. Pottied, fed, and exercised. Olive needs a little more playtime. Mommy needs a little more sleep... "Would you stop barking at me Olive?" At work at 7. Loads of work. Off to the agility field to teach around 5:30, got to work Olive and Fin. Bed about 10.
- Tue up at 5. All pups up and at em. Pottied, fed, and exercised. Olive needs a little more playtime. At work at 7. Loads of work. (Is this sounding similar). Leave house at 8:10 to go to powerpaws. Fin "rocked" the 12" jumps. Really looking good. Agility is getting fun again. Back to work at noon...back to the agility field at 5, home at 8:30, bed around 10.
- Wed. To change it up, after I pottied the pups I put Olive in bed with Kel who said he wasn't getting up this morning. I took a shower. Olive was such a good girl and cuddled with her daddy the entire time. Good girl. Now back to work it is.....
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| I like me some 12" jumps!!!! Just get rid of the white devil. She scares me. |
Monday, October 22, 2012
A Taste of Seattle
Kel found Kells where we had a couple brews and watched the 49ner/Seattle game. We were very quiet in our cheers for SF. We were surrounded by disgruntled Sea Hawk fans. Hee Hee.
Our room at the Inn a the Market. Very nice accomodations.
Took a tour of the underground areas in old Pioneer Square. Wonderful stories, fabulous walking tour.
Walked the water front many times. Did not take the ferris wheel, although I bet it was cool at night.
Saw some shrunken heads.
Saw some umbrella art.
Took the Monorail (short monorail ride, only 1 mile).
Had many a glass of brew or wine.
Took a photo with a pig at Market (funny story, as Kel is taking this picture, an old guy was standing behind him tossing me kisses...hysterical).
Got hungry and ate cockroaches....ok not really...just pretended. I didn't even pretend.
Looked at the space needle.
Looked from the space needle.
Hung out with butterflys.
Sat in furniture too big for us.
Saw some amazing glass!
Glass was inside and out!
Took more photos of the space needle (artsy ones).
Enjoyed the fall colors.
Got cold on the ducks but had a great time.
Really, enjoyed ourselves.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
We are off for a fun long weekend. Just the husband unit. All the doggy units are staying home with auntie Jeanine.
Am I a little nervous leaving Olive for a weekend? Why yes.
Will I let it ruin an otherwise fun get away. Why no.
We are going to do a ton of walking, see some museums, spaceneedle, and King Tut exhibit.
There are a number of sites on our list, but mostly we will see what the weekend brings us.
Four days of no tennis ball tossing.
Four days of no poop pick up.
Four days of no Olive snuggles.
Four days of no Finnie flirtatious invites to play.
Four days of no Tazzie rug on my lap while I watch TV.
Four days of no Maddie grunts to have to pet her in the middle of the night
Four days of no Rocky head on my foot while I work.
I'll have a great time cause I'll be with my best bud. But honestly there is much to miss at home.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Magic
Olive came to stay with us for training the 2nd week of July. I remember that I started her on a number of behaviors right away. I wanted to give this girl all I had.
Some things just came easily to her. Sit, back up, it's your choice, crate games, nose touch....easy. Then there was the down. I couldn't get her to down. Shaping, not happening. Lure, just wasn't into it. I was worried because I wanted this down to be one of her foundation behaviors. One of those things that become second nature to her.
As I tried different things without success, I decided to try raw meat. Using the raw chicken, I lured her to the down. She got down but lay on her side. I thought, "well she is down, it's what she wants to do, let's just use it." Thus we started the "Bang your dead" behavior. We played this for weeks. So much fun, but not really a down. I figured, I don't need a "Q". I'll get laughs in agility when I tell Olive down on the table and she plays dead for the judge. Ha!
Two days ago. I pointed my finger to the ground and she did an actual down!!!! Fortunately I had not given the verbal cue for "Bang" and was able to reward it. Now, "poof" we have a down. Amazing.
Training isn't like waving a magic wand. It is more like spending months conjuring up a spell.
I just love dog training. Do a little everyday and it will pay off in the end.
We have baby grids!!! woo hoo!!!! Note: All of the rewards for staying were edited out. I went back multiple times and gave her a cookie for sitting at the start line. She has a nice little jumping style. Maybe we can get a little straighter, but very good for a first time. Down is at the end of the video.
Some things just came easily to her. Sit, back up, it's your choice, crate games, nose touch....easy. Then there was the down. I couldn't get her to down. Shaping, not happening. Lure, just wasn't into it. I was worried because I wanted this down to be one of her foundation behaviors. One of those things that become second nature to her.
As I tried different things without success, I decided to try raw meat. Using the raw chicken, I lured her to the down. She got down but lay on her side. I thought, "well she is down, it's what she wants to do, let's just use it." Thus we started the "Bang your dead" behavior. We played this for weeks. So much fun, but not really a down. I figured, I don't need a "Q". I'll get laughs in agility when I tell Olive down on the table and she plays dead for the judge. Ha!
Two days ago. I pointed my finger to the ground and she did an actual down!!!! Fortunately I had not given the verbal cue for "Bang" and was able to reward it. Now, "poof" we have a down. Amazing.
Training isn't like waving a magic wand. It is more like spending months conjuring up a spell.
I just love dog training. Do a little everyday and it will pay off in the end.
We have baby grids!!! woo hoo!!!! Note: All of the rewards for staying were edited out. I went back multiple times and gave her a cookie for sitting at the start line. She has a nice little jumping style. Maybe we can get a little straighter, but very good for a first time. Down is at the end of the video.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Stepping outside the box
Saturday came and with it a new experience.
We drove 1 hour 40 minutes and arrived at the Madera fairgrounds. Driving into the fairgrounds I opened the window to see how cold it was and was bombarded with barking. Consistent loud JRT barking. A few hundred of them. Barking. We arrived during the races!
We pulled up, easily finding a parking place in the shade, got out and started walking around. Olive was all about her ball (a good thing) and so we played with her while Kel and I were entertained by the lure coursing. They did lure on the flat and lure with bumps. This sport is a straight shot (not like the wide circles I've seen before. Those Jacks give it their all. Sometimes it was so rough I was thinking, "My little Olive will NOT be doing that anytime soon!"
Photo credit: Peter Sakai
Olives grandpa won it all! He was the champion for the day. Congrats to Alison.
Then we walked over to the "go to ground." There are two types. Just plain go to ground and the "Super Earth." The course is tunnels made of wood that the dogs navigate to get to the prey (in this case a rat in a cage). The super earth adds obstacles the JRTs have to navigate inside the tunnels (like bungee cords or branches, or sand). It was pretty cool to watch.
Once the awards for lure coursing were given out, the conformation started. Olive's breeder was going to show her, but I got talked into it. I tried, I really did. I did not do Olive justice. My stupid A personality reared it's ugly head and I became a blithering idiot. I mean, how hard it is to romp around a ring and have your dog stand. As it turns out, really hard.
When the judge wasn't looking, Olive and I performed beautifully. I got many compliments after I left the ring, however, anytime the judge was looking me and Olive...not so much.
I made a rookie mistake. Had her out too long. By the time we got into the ring, she was like all about the sniffing. Not about the beauty of her body.
In my mind Olive is a winner. In the judges mind, Olive is a 4th place finisher.
The last thing we went to see was the activity that I was really interested in. The one that I think Olive will excel. The barn hunt. Basically they set up areas in a building like a barn, put a rat in a cage hidden in the barn, and time how long it takes for the JRT to find the prey. The handler must say when they think the dog has found the rat to stop the clock. If the handler is correct, they get a time and points. If the handler is incorrect, game over. I liked this activity because you could really watch the dogs do the work, as opposed to the going to ground where you could only see them go into the hole and then the other end.
After watching for a while, we left and headed home (we had other commitments in the evening). A very fun day by any standards. I have to thank Alison for graciously helping us understand all the in's and outs, her friend who striped Olive of her wire coat and made her all smooth and pretty, and my buds Peter and Liz for hanging out with us and making us feel welcome. The JRT people were so very nice and Olive received many compliments, hugs, and kisses.
Note: I have conflicted feelings about the rats. In one sense the rats did not seem to be in distress. Seemed like they knew that the dogs couldn't get them. Certainly none of the rats I saw were panicked in any way. They just hung in their cage while the dog was barred opposite barking. On the other hand, it has to be stressful. But what is the option? So for now, I'll continue my agility training and not worry about all the hunting. Olive will hunt for tennis balls.
We drove 1 hour 40 minutes and arrived at the Madera fairgrounds. Driving into the fairgrounds I opened the window to see how cold it was and was bombarded with barking. Consistent loud JRT barking. A few hundred of them. Barking. We arrived during the races!
We pulled up, easily finding a parking place in the shade, got out and started walking around. Olive was all about her ball (a good thing) and so we played with her while Kel and I were entertained by the lure coursing. They did lure on the flat and lure with bumps. This sport is a straight shot (not like the wide circles I've seen before. Those Jacks give it their all. Sometimes it was so rough I was thinking, "My little Olive will NOT be doing that anytime soon!"
Olives grandpa won it all! He was the champion for the day. Congrats to Alison.
Then we walked over to the "go to ground." There are two types. Just plain go to ground and the "Super Earth." The course is tunnels made of wood that the dogs navigate to get to the prey (in this case a rat in a cage). The super earth adds obstacles the JRTs have to navigate inside the tunnels (like bungee cords or branches, or sand). It was pretty cool to watch.
Once the awards for lure coursing were given out, the conformation started. Olive's breeder was going to show her, but I got talked into it. I tried, I really did. I did not do Olive justice. My stupid A personality reared it's ugly head and I became a blithering idiot. I mean, how hard it is to romp around a ring and have your dog stand. As it turns out, really hard.
When the judge wasn't looking, Olive and I performed beautifully. I got many compliments after I left the ring, however, anytime the judge was looking me and Olive...not so much.
I made a rookie mistake. Had her out too long. By the time we got into the ring, she was like all about the sniffing. Not about the beauty of her body.
In my mind Olive is a winner. In the judges mind, Olive is a 4th place finisher.
The last thing we went to see was the activity that I was really interested in. The one that I think Olive will excel. The barn hunt. Basically they set up areas in a building like a barn, put a rat in a cage hidden in the barn, and time how long it takes for the JRT to find the prey. The handler must say when they think the dog has found the rat to stop the clock. If the handler is correct, they get a time and points. If the handler is incorrect, game over. I liked this activity because you could really watch the dogs do the work, as opposed to the going to ground where you could only see them go into the hole and then the other end.
After watching for a while, we left and headed home (we had other commitments in the evening). A very fun day by any standards. I have to thank Alison for graciously helping us understand all the in's and outs, her friend who striped Olive of her wire coat and made her all smooth and pretty, and my buds Peter and Liz for hanging out with us and making us feel welcome. The JRT people were so very nice and Olive received many compliments, hugs, and kisses.
Note: I have conflicted feelings about the rats. In one sense the rats did not seem to be in distress. Seemed like they knew that the dogs couldn't get them. Certainly none of the rats I saw were panicked in any way. They just hung in their cage while the dog was barred opposite barking. On the other hand, it has to be stressful. But what is the option? So for now, I'll continue my agility training and not worry about all the hunting. Olive will hunt for tennis balls.
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