A Dilemma

It isn't much fun to go to an agility trial and be pull your dog from the majority of her runs because she's being naughty about her contact performance. That is what we did last weekend. If it weren't for a lot of other factors, the whole weekend would have been a total bust and probably finished me for agility for some time. It's just not fun. Sucks all the joy out of it. Maybe I should just stop showing Flirt for a while and focus totally on Bodhi. I am sure he would love that. :-D

But the general consensus is that if I don't correct Flirt's contact performance in the trial setting we will lose whatever we gained over last winter and she will just get worse and worse. Truth is struggling with this makes me want to cry. Am I such a bad trainer? I worked so hard with her when she was young to have the kind of performance I wanted and she had it, until the afterburners kicked in and she got the game and her level of arousal when astronomic. And it isn't that she doesn't care, but she's an Aussie and she's all about the job. So I could hit her over the head with a two by four to correct her contact performance and she would shake it off and go on and blow the next one, regardless.

I thought we had it licked. The spring and summer were just wonderful to show her. She knocked off 3 standard legs and all her qualifications for the Cynosport Games. She even got one of the super Qs she needed. But this fall it's all gone.

We've been struggling to maintain team work too. I know I've not been 100% so she's sensed that and tried to make up for it, but she can't. So I'm going into this weekend's trial with a huge knot in my stomach. And it's only Thursday.

Mad Co Agility - Charlottesville VA

It's a longer haul than I usually like to make for an agility trial, but I thought fall in the Shenandoah Valley was a compelling draw so we went to the MadCo USDAA trial in VA last weekend. Flirt and I are definitely in a slump. Her recidivist behavior regarding contact performance is putting a crimp into our teamwork. She was walked off the bulk of our runs for the weekend. And her only good performance was in pairs, but our partner e'd.

On the other hand, the site did not disappoint. It was beautiful and we had power and water too. We pulled up ringside for the weekend and could watch the masters ring from the comfort of our camp chairs under the RV awning. The weather on Saturday was a bit iffy, but Sunday was beautiful and the mountains were glorious.

Bodhi had a little trouble concentrating for the most part and took a long detour in his Saturday gamble run. He made it around the jumpers course, but over time. Sunday was a bit better in gamblers. He accomplished the hat trick of 1st place, Q and his Starter Gamblers title. Jumpers was a train wreck. I've moved Bodhi to P1 Gamblers for his next trial. I am not moving him up until I have to. It will give us the opportunity to run on courses with good flow and I can start to see if he can do some weaves in competition.

I am grateful that Duke was content to do all the driving and I even took a nap on the way home and we were asleep at home by 11pm.

Our last titling trial is this weekend in MD. Then the KD tournament trial. And then we are off until February.

Fair Hill, NOT!

We didn't make it to Fair Hill this past weekend. I think this is the 1st time I've ever bailed on a whole trial but two consecutive predicted nor'easters kept me home. 1st it was just going to be Friday, but when I woke Saturday morning it was pouring again so we stayed home. Fortunately, my teammates got a good 3rd to replace me and they got their DAM Q for 2010. I will get mine, when the time comes.

And while all those in attendance seemed to enjoy themselves (from all reports) despite the inches of mud and towing the cars and RVs out. I am happy to have stayed home. But at the same time, I am wondering why I so easily abandon my agility plans. I definitely have very little desire to trial. Well, it's not exactly that. I am pleased as punch to go out and run my dogs and I think I enjoyed Artful Dodgers so much, because between runs, when I wasn't working, I was able to go back to the RV and hang with Duke and the rest of the dogs.

In the past, I hated hanging in the car. One aspect of agility that I like is just being out of doors all day. With the RV, it's like hanging on the front porch and then going to do your run. And then hanging on the porch some more. I don't really like watching run after run (I could never be a judge), I just zone out. I'd rather be playing with my own dogs. Or going for a walk.

So going to FH in the rain and mud had no appeal for me and I was really happy to be home.

What a surprise

Artful Dodgers USDAA trial was a lot of fun. We showed under a judge we've never met before Ann Platt from California. Her courses were hard, but interesting and challenging and I liked them a lot. Flirt managed to ace the really messy parts and do something else to fault, so we didn't manage to qualify at all. However, Bodhi, who was entered in not just jumpers but 2 rounds of gamblers too, managed to qualify in both gamble runs with placements. I think he just enjoys doing the obstacles like contacts and tunnels more than just jumping and he had so much more enthusiasm for his runs, it was a lot of fun.

He was seriously distracted in his jumpers run, and we were 17 seconds over course time. But he did everything I asked of him and I am glad he's not entered in another trial for a bit. I think he will benefit from wanting it a bit more.

It was the 2nd RV trip and all went well. Duke managed to dial in quite a few local TV stations so we could watch Law and Order on Friday night. We grilled on our new Weber Baby Q and I slept really well. We hooked up the exhaust pipe that send the generator exhaust up instead of out and that worked out nicely. It was lovely weather, so Duke was able to hang out under the awning with the dogs when I was running a course or working a class and just relax.

We probably should have dumped on the way down to the trial, because by Sunday morning we had filled the grey water and Duke had to forgo a shower which annoyed him to no end. Oh tough. This is the man who insisted on shaving every day when we were back country in Glacier National Park. But we did dump on the way home and while it isn't the world's most pleasant experience, it is doable.

No RV this weekend as we are at Keystone which is commutable. But then Fair Hill. I hope it doesn't rain and we don't encounter the problems folks have had there in the past with mud. I would hate to have to be towed out.

Artful Dodgers coming up

This weekend we'll be heading down to MD for the Artful Dodgers USDAA trial. We'll be staying on site and Duke is coming along with me this weekend, so it will be a little cozier than last weekend. But I will have help with the boys and all that so maybe a little less on my mind to keep me from running well with Flirt. And Bodhi too. He's entered in a few classes also.

I've cleaned up the RV and done all the laundry and just have to pack it back in. I am not feeling 100% but am trying to get enough rest to feel better by Saturday morning. I worked in my lesson this week on running with intent. Going it with a good attitude and intent. And if I can't to not run. Ask someone else to if necessary.