Monday, November 30, 2009

Revisiting Crate Games by Susan Garrett

Today since it was raining, I got our the Crate Games CD, and brought in Stewie's travel crate. We have not done this formally since last winter, but Stewie remembered it. He has a memory like a little elephant! We had a great practice with some of the games, and the cat was a handy distraction.
Tomorrow I will bring over my son's dog Cleveland to really up the distraction factor.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Sunday at NAE Glastonbury, CT

Sunday's classes started with Tunnelers. It was a really nice, flowing course, but we managed to mess it up! After a tunnel, Stewie turned the wrong way, which somehow caused me to trip, and it went downhill from there, since I forgot where to go after that. Oh well, Stewie had fun anyway.

Regular 1 and 2 were next, both were great, flowing courses. Stewie got the weaves first shot again, and weaved very fast and confidently! I am so pleased with his weaves this weekend. This was an almost perfect run, but I pulled him too hard at jump #11 since I was afraid he would take the A-frame, but we recovered and the rest of the run was perfect, but no Q


Regular 2 was an awesome run, he got the weave pole entry again, and he was going fast when he entered them. He got his tunnel/dog walk discrimination with no problems. A Q and a 1st place. Yards per second were 4.79.
Chances was next, and it looked challenging. We got a good start, but Stewie did not turn out to the # 7 jump, and we didn't make it to the # 8 tunnel.

Our last run of the day was Jumpers and it was a fast course! Look at the beginning, it is lucky I can send Stewie on ahead of me, or I would never have made it. Stewie had a great run and made it look easy and ended the weekend with a Q and a 1st place, with a yard per second of 5.07.


NAE Glastonbury CT

We got to the horse barn in South Glastonbury, CT Friday afternoon. We ran in Touch and Go and Tunnelers. I am glad we put in to run on Friday, since Stewie left me to sniff the first run, and we were eliminated from Touch and Go. Darn rodents! We managed to get around the ring in Tunnelers, he did stop and sniff once right after a tunnel but I called him and he got going again. Stewie earned a Q and a 2nd place. Yard per second were 4.85


Saturday our first run was Touch and Go again. Here is the course, it was very fun and fast, and we got a Q and a 1st place. Course time was 47.62, and Stewie's time was 31.04. His yards per second was 5.92. I think this was a personal best for Touch and Go.
Next were Regular 1 and 2.

Regular 1 was a great run, Stewie was really fast and he got his weave pole entry first shot and weaved really fast, just like he goes at home! At last! He also got his tunnel/dog walk discrimination with no problems. We got a Q and a 1st place. Yards per second were 4.51.
This course was just as nice turned around. This time we started with the jump and the dog walk. It was another fast, awesome run and more perfect weave poles! We got another first and a Q. Yards per second were 4.71, which means he did the course turned around even faster.




Here is the Chances course, it looked really doable. It started with 2 jumps and then an out to the A-frame. I was not worried about the discrimination since Stewie favors the contact obstacles, or so I thought. He took the tunnel instead of the frame, and of course the rest of the course we did flawlessly. Another Chances without a Q.

Next was Jumpers and it was a great course. Stewie and I did it without a hitch and got a Q and a 2nd place.
All in all we went 4 for 5, and got everything but Chances. And there was no more sniffing, good dog!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Connecticut here we come!

This weekend will be our first trial in Ct. It is being held at a horse barn in S. Glastonbury, Ct. Mary and Lexi are headed down on Friday. We signed up for 2 runs Friday, Touch and Go and Tunnelers, and 5 runs on Sat and Sunday. It should be fun, and we will have some new dogs to run against.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Ace-Mt Holyoke Nov 14


Ace's trial in Mt Holyoke started with Elite Chances. Stewie was wired and did not hold his start line. I really need to get serious about this. We were not connected in this run but I did get him into the #7 tunnel and out over the #8 jump, but then he came in and took the jump. Only two Elite dogs Q'ed in this run.

The next run was Elite Touch and Go. It was a fun course, with 2 A-frames, and two contact discriminations. The run was fast and fun, and Stewie got the out to the # 5 tunnel, the only other spot I was worried about was the last tunnel, it was a turn off the A-frame, and I was afraid that if I was too far behind I would not be able to turn him in time. I was able to turn him no problem and it was a Q and a 1st place run.

Elite Regular was next, it was a really nice course, but somehow Stewie ran by jump #5, and then back jumped it, we kept going and the rest of the run was beautiful. I was able to send him out to tunnel # 17 and get running along the dog walk to keep up with him. He had a fabulous entry to the weaves, and weaved beautifully. He also got the discrimination to # 13 perfectly. All in all a great run except for the bobble in the beginning.

Here was the tunnelers course, not as pretty as Regular, I had to call him hard a couple of places, and one wide turn, but we got a Q and a 2nd.

Align Left
I helped course build and this course looked really crowded, but it walked a lot better than it looked and it ran like a dream! It was a smooth, focused, fast and fun run, and Stewie got a Q and a 1st place win. What a great boy, and he was still raring to go at the end of the day! I wished we could have tried Chances again, once I got the edge off of him.
All in all 4 great runs, 3 Q's, two 1sts, and a 2nd place.
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Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Finally we can do Hoop Serpentines

Hoop serpentines were our nemesis for awhile, but we have finally mastered them! Yesterday and today Stewie was doing great serpentines! Hurray! I am so glad my son made me some hoops, they have been great for backyard practice.
Stewie also did some great weaves and sends out to tunnels. All in all a great practice.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Practice and Mousing!

Stewie and I got in some practice in the yard today, but it was hard to keep his attention long, since he has found mice in the yard.
I did get him to go some nice weave poles, and we are still practicing sending to hoops and dogwalk/tunnel discrimination. Then I let him go out in the tall grass and sniff around.