Trophy's Start Dog Video and his fastest line to line time in the second heat of 4.885!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
Flyball Dog Champion-GOLD
What an awesomely amazing flyball weekend!
Our club took 4 teams to the tournament in Sandusky this weekend. Pan was running one full time spot and sharing a spot on a second team, while Trophy was running full time on one team and was a backup on a second (he when in one race for 5 heats on his backup team).
I could not be more proud of their performances this weekend, not only did both dogs earn their FDCh-G titles (2,500points), but both dogs put up amazing personal best team times. Pan with a 4.4 seconds over 11 inch jumps, and Trophy with a 4.9. Trophy even started one race, but i forgot to look at what his line-to-line times were, so I'll let you know once I hear back.
The most exciting news was that not only did Trophy run a 4.9 once, but that he was running consistent 5.0-5.2s. WHY? BECAUSE HE WAS FINALLY PUTTING HIS REAR FEET ON THE BOX!!!!
Trophy has shaved 1.5 seconds off his time since he debuted last July, and half a second was just from learning to push off the box! YAY!
I also got him to tug a little bit out in the lanes!
I started the weekend having completely forgotten how to pass. Our first few races saw me with either 10 foot passes, or with early passes. It did not help that the dog I passed with Trophy has an EXTREMELY wide turn off the box (so wide I seriously don't know how she finds the jumps again, but she does) so it took a lot of dialing in to get that pass, but I did it, gosh darn it! By the end of the weekend I was pretty consistently running 1 and 2 foot passes with the occasional wide pass (hey, I'm NOT perfect) with both dogs.
Pan has decided that she LOVES running second. She lines up next to our start dog and quietly stares that dog down. When the start dog takes off she scrambles to get into the lane and I frantically get her positioned just in time to let her go. She gets very angry when she has to run third, but the good thing is that if she runs second I'm no longer worried about her tearing me to pieces with her nails as at least she has learned to wait till the first dog goes before getting excited. I also was able to back her up a few feet to 43 feet back from the line after trying to cross over and slamming into Harley back at the NYE tournament when I had to move her up to 20 feet.
The weekend was HOT. A lot hotter than last Monday's forecast of 75 degrees would have us believe. I'm so thankful that the Kool Coats I ordered from Clean Run came in, they were lifesavers for my dogs, and Demo was nice enough to share his coat with Harley since Demo isn't running yet.
Speaking of Demo, I had him off leash playing ball and returning for a tug even with other dogs walking around all the racing noise from the building. Good boy!
*UPDATE*
Got confirmation of Trophy's time for the race he started, he ran a 4.8 second heat in start!!!!
4 heats in start:
5.094
4.885
5.160
4.941
WOW!! and I had a 4.9 and several 5.0 and 5.1s while passing, so my passes were tight! yippie!!
My goal was to get him to run under 5 seconds and I've done it!
Our club took 4 teams to the tournament in Sandusky this weekend. Pan was running one full time spot and sharing a spot on a second team, while Trophy was running full time on one team and was a backup on a second (he when in one race for 5 heats on his backup team).
I could not be more proud of their performances this weekend, not only did both dogs earn their FDCh-G titles (2,500points), but both dogs put up amazing personal best team times. Pan with a 4.4 seconds over 11 inch jumps, and Trophy with a 4.9. Trophy even started one race, but i forgot to look at what his line-to-line times were, so I'll let you know once I hear back.
The most exciting news was that not only did Trophy run a 4.9 once, but that he was running consistent 5.0-5.2s. WHY? BECAUSE HE WAS FINALLY PUTTING HIS REAR FEET ON THE BOX!!!!
Trophy has shaved 1.5 seconds off his time since he debuted last July, and half a second was just from learning to push off the box! YAY!
I also got him to tug a little bit out in the lanes!
I started the weekend having completely forgotten how to pass. Our first few races saw me with either 10 foot passes, or with early passes. It did not help that the dog I passed with Trophy has an EXTREMELY wide turn off the box (so wide I seriously don't know how she finds the jumps again, but she does) so it took a lot of dialing in to get that pass, but I did it, gosh darn it! By the end of the weekend I was pretty consistently running 1 and 2 foot passes with the occasional wide pass (hey, I'm NOT perfect) with both dogs.
Pan has decided that she LOVES running second. She lines up next to our start dog and quietly stares that dog down. When the start dog takes off she scrambles to get into the lane and I frantically get her positioned just in time to let her go. She gets very angry when she has to run third, but the good thing is that if she runs second I'm no longer worried about her tearing me to pieces with her nails as at least she has learned to wait till the first dog goes before getting excited. I also was able to back her up a few feet to 43 feet back from the line after trying to cross over and slamming into Harley back at the NYE tournament when I had to move her up to 20 feet.
The weekend was HOT. A lot hotter than last Monday's forecast of 75 degrees would have us believe. I'm so thankful that the Kool Coats I ordered from Clean Run came in, they were lifesavers for my dogs, and Demo was nice enough to share his coat with Harley since Demo isn't running yet.
Speaking of Demo, I had him off leash playing ball and returning for a tug even with other dogs walking around all the racing noise from the building. Good boy!
*UPDATE*
Got confirmation of Trophy's time for the race he started, he ran a 4.8 second heat in start!!!!
4 heats in start:
5.094
4.885
5.160
4.941
WOW!! and I had a 4.9 and several 5.0 and 5.1s while passing, so my passes were tight! yippie!!
My goal was to get him to run under 5 seconds and I've done it!
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
What i've been doing the past two weeks:
So Trophy's birthday was on a Thursday. On the Friday after, he and I went on a road trip to Columbus to visit a friend of mine and her doggies
Luna
and Buckwheat (who doesn't stand still. evar.)
And we rented a regulation dock diving pool and had a BALL!
Trophy had so much fun, and once he got in the water the first time, he was completely fine with diving and had some nice 16 foot jumps. Then we went out to dinner and talked about dog training for hours. We finally drug ourselves away from the table at 11pm and I finally made it home with one exhausted, completely worn out dog at 1am.
I discovered that I need more dog friends who are closer than North Carolina.
Trophy skipped flyball practice on Saturday because he was worn out, but I had a great practice with Demo and Pan. Although I'm SO BEHIND on Demo's boxturn because someone has stolen our team's other jump board and hasn't brought it back, so I have no board to practice on! *UGH* But his recalls over jumps are great, lots of drive.
Monday morning we signed up for our local dock jumping team, and this past Saturday after flyball practice we attended our first practice. It wasn't much, the dock they use is at a local vet clinic and petcare center, and the dock is REALLY HIGH off the water.
Trophy was a really good boy though. Had to get him in the water the first time, but after that he jumped in willingly.
And this is how he sleeps every night. Yay for tired puppies.
Tonight's agility class was FUN. Trophy was back to handling like a pro. Although he gave me one hell of a scare the first time up the A-frame... he leaped over the top and had to put on the emergency breaks to stop from flying off... and then he was back to stopping at the top again. that was our only major issue though. He weaves we VERY VERY GOOD. Need to work on finding the correct entry, but he only popped out once. yay!! When he's on point he is so very very much fun to work with. :)
Luna
and Buckwheat (who doesn't stand still. evar.)
I tried on and ordered my bridesmaid dress for her wedding, then Trophy and I said good by and met up with a dog friend of mine from North Carolina and her dogs Aeri (who I managed to NOT get a photo of), and Kestral.
Trophy had so much fun, and once he got in the water the first time, he was completely fine with diving and had some nice 16 foot jumps. Then we went out to dinner and talked about dog training for hours. We finally drug ourselves away from the table at 11pm and I finally made it home with one exhausted, completely worn out dog at 1am.
 |
| Plz turn off da light. |
I discovered that I need more dog friends who are closer than North Carolina.
Trophy skipped flyball practice on Saturday because he was worn out, but I had a great practice with Demo and Pan. Although I'm SO BEHIND on Demo's boxturn because someone has stolen our team's other jump board and hasn't brought it back, so I have no board to practice on! *UGH* But his recalls over jumps are great, lots of drive.
Monday morning we signed up for our local dock jumping team, and this past Saturday after flyball practice we attended our first practice. It wasn't much, the dock they use is at a local vet clinic and petcare center, and the dock is REALLY HIGH off the water.
Trophy was a really good boy though. Had to get him in the water the first time, but after that he jumped in willingly.
It got hot enough on Sunday to pull out Pan's puppy pool. Trophy and Demo had a ton of fun playing in the hose while I was filling it.
And this is how he sleeps every night. Yay for tired puppies.
Tonight's agility class was FUN. Trophy was back to handling like a pro. Although he gave me one hell of a scare the first time up the A-frame... he leaped over the top and had to put on the emergency breaks to stop from flying off... and then he was back to stopping at the top again. that was our only major issue though. He weaves we VERY VERY GOOD. Need to work on finding the correct entry, but he only popped out once. yay!! When he's on point he is so very very much fun to work with. :)
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Happy Birthday to the Best Dog Evar!
Talk about bumpy starts... blood, sweat, and lots of frustraited tears to get us this far. The road is long but the journey has been SO worth the effort in this dog. Runner up to my Heart and Soul, Very Happy Birthday TROPHY!
To celebrate we are going on a road trip to Columbus to meet up with a friend from NC and her two dogs at an aqua dogs facility for some practice and pointers in dock jumping! We're also going to spend some time with his Aunt Noelle and her two dogs. Yay!
To celebrate we are going on a road trip to Columbus to meet up with a friend from NC and her two dogs at an aqua dogs facility for some practice and pointers in dock jumping! We're also going to spend some time with his Aunt Noelle and her two dogs. Yay!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Herding!
I just realized I never posted the videos from the BBCR Herding Clinic!! So, the way the clinic works is in the morning they have a little presentation about the history of herding. Then they bring all the dogs into the barn and they catch a sheep so the dogs can all go up one and a time and get a sniff. Then they have 3 sheep in the arena, one dog at a time goes in and we turn them loose to see what they do. One of the instructors is out there working the sheep and to run interference on the dogs if needed, lol. Once all the dogs have a turn we break for a potluck lunch, and after than the dogs all get an afternoon session.
First up is Trophy. Trophy had a PHENOMINAL first session. He was focused, a bit too chasey, but he was taking direction from Jerry well. The afternoon was a completely different story. He had about 45 seconds of work, and then it was like this gigantic pile of sheep poo appeared out of nowhere, totally caught his attention and all of a sudden he was like "OMG!! There are turds EVERYWHERE" and he spent the next 3 minutes (until i dragged him out of the arena) eating crap and trying to roll in it. *sigh*. I'm going to take him back again next year to see how he does.
Next we have Demo. When Demo went up to first smell the sheep, the sheep stomped a foot at him and he freaked out. I don't think he was expecting a live animal or something. So the first session was mostly him running away from the sheep. lol. Second session he finally started to get the hang of it, but was more barkey/chasey/you-don't-scare-me-anymore than actual herding. I may take him back next year to see how he does again.
Now, for a bonus, Ash and Cady's videos. First is Ash. He was, true to his nature, very nervous, but he showed some interest.
Cady, on the other hand, was very (what they call) sticky-eyed; where she would get control of the sheep's heads by staring at them, and then since she had them, not want to disrupt the balance by moving. She did better in the afternoon.
First up is Trophy. Trophy had a PHENOMINAL first session. He was focused, a bit too chasey, but he was taking direction from Jerry well. The afternoon was a completely different story. He had about 45 seconds of work, and then it was like this gigantic pile of sheep poo appeared out of nowhere, totally caught his attention and all of a sudden he was like "OMG!! There are turds EVERYWHERE" and he spent the next 3 minutes (until i dragged him out of the arena) eating crap and trying to roll in it. *sigh*. I'm going to take him back again next year to see how he does.
Next we have Demo. When Demo went up to first smell the sheep, the sheep stomped a foot at him and he freaked out. I don't think he was expecting a live animal or something. So the first session was mostly him running away from the sheep. lol. Second session he finally started to get the hang of it, but was more barkey/chasey/you-don't-scare-me-anymore than actual herding. I may take him back next year to see how he does again.
Now, for a bonus, Ash and Cady's videos. First is Ash. He was, true to his nature, very nervous, but he showed some interest.
Cady, on the other hand, was very (what they call) sticky-eyed; where she would get control of the sheep's heads by staring at them, and then since she had them, not want to disrupt the balance by moving. She did better in the afternoon.
Day Late... But Happy Birth and Gotcha Day to Baxter!
It's been a long road, there have been some major bumps along the way, we have our bad days, but there is progress, and he's a good dog (for the most part).
Happy Birth and Gotcha Day Crazy Dude!
Friday, May 4, 2012
Lots of Celebration Days Coming Up... First Pan!
April 23 was our official "signed the paperwork, Officially Adopted Pan" Day. Here's the video I made to celebrate a Year Of Pan!
Not much to talk about from Practice lately.
Trophy has been running ok. Not spectacular, but not failing miserably either. In flyball I'm trying to run him without the ball in the box to see if I can't get him to just remember his turn and stop over thinking about catching the ball (he keeps his turn at speed sans ball). He's weird. Have I mentioned that?
Demo did run backs over 4 jumps to his tug with another dog in the other lane (gates between the lanes, not around his lane of jumps. He did very well. I think the other dog running pissed him off, as I've never had him hit the tug so hard or then start to growl so viciously... but other than watching the dog for a few seconds when I was calling him before looking back to me to be released, he didn't make any attempt to go anywhere but at the tug. yay! And man does that boy have drive in all the right places. He just explodes from a standstill.
Pan is still her awesome goofy self. Her 3 footed turn is solid, and she's been settling a lot more in agility too.
We have a new German Guy in agility. He's an 8 year old gorgeous, gigantic, GSD. The Engilsh (Setter) ladies in our class have fallen head over heals for him. He sits on the other side of the room (he's not good with little dogs, and we have a corgi in the class) so he can have personal space and stay calm. He has been out of agility practice for a year while they did Schutzhund, so he's having a lot of control issues and lack of focus on his handler because he's just out there to have fun. He is so balls to the wall, it's like watching a train wreck in slow motion. He's terrifyingly beautiful to watch. I'm waiting for the A-frame to collapse under him! But anyway, he sits on the other side of the room where the dog walk is currently. Pan goes over the dog walk, hits her 2o2o, and then looks back over her shoulder. "Did he see me do this perfectly?" I just picture her saying.
Trophy, on the other hand, doesn't like him. I think it's just cause he hasn't gotten to smell this gigantic dog who can be quite intimidating, so I'm going to see if we can have an introduction at the next class. butt sniff and be on our way.
But, who knows. Trophy may just like being the only boy in the class now, and he's feeling intimidated because Pan is all twitterpated over the German dude. Poor Trophy, his Canadian and Australian heritage is just not enough for the ladies.
Not much to talk about from Practice lately.
Trophy has been running ok. Not spectacular, but not failing miserably either. In flyball I'm trying to run him without the ball in the box to see if I can't get him to just remember his turn and stop over thinking about catching the ball (he keeps his turn at speed sans ball). He's weird. Have I mentioned that?
Demo did run backs over 4 jumps to his tug with another dog in the other lane (gates between the lanes, not around his lane of jumps. He did very well. I think the other dog running pissed him off, as I've never had him hit the tug so hard or then start to growl so viciously... but other than watching the dog for a few seconds when I was calling him before looking back to me to be released, he didn't make any attempt to go anywhere but at the tug. yay! And man does that boy have drive in all the right places. He just explodes from a standstill.
Pan is still her awesome goofy self. Her 3 footed turn is solid, and she's been settling a lot more in agility too.
We have a new German Guy in agility. He's an 8 year old gorgeous, gigantic, GSD. The Engilsh (Setter) ladies in our class have fallen head over heals for him. He sits on the other side of the room (he's not good with little dogs, and we have a corgi in the class) so he can have personal space and stay calm. He has been out of agility practice for a year while they did Schutzhund, so he's having a lot of control issues and lack of focus on his handler because he's just out there to have fun. He is so balls to the wall, it's like watching a train wreck in slow motion. He's terrifyingly beautiful to watch. I'm waiting for the A-frame to collapse under him! But anyway, he sits on the other side of the room where the dog walk is currently. Pan goes over the dog walk, hits her 2o2o, and then looks back over her shoulder. "Did he see me do this perfectly?" I just picture her saying.
Trophy, on the other hand, doesn't like him. I think it's just cause he hasn't gotten to smell this gigantic dog who can be quite intimidating, so I'm going to see if we can have an introduction at the next class. butt sniff and be on our way.
But, who knows. Trophy may just like being the only boy in the class now, and he's feeling intimidated because Pan is all twitterpated over the German dude. Poor Trophy, his Canadian and Australian heritage is just not enough for the ladies.
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