Baby Dog Training

With all this talk about Zoe, I figured it was about time to highlight Breeze. Tonight was Breeze's first successful attempt at maneuvering 6 weave poles. I know this may sound silly, but it is a proud moment for an agility trainer. Now that Breeze is about a year old, I started weave training with her a couple of weeks ago. In class, we have been working entries, but not the weaving motion. I trained Zoe with weave-o-matics, which are basically poles that are angled, making a weave-like path. Since then, I've heard a lot about 2 by 2 training, which is setting up two poles and letting the dog learn the correct entry. The key to this method is shaping, where you let the dog decide and reward for the correct behavior. This teaches them a) how to enter correctly and b) instills drive for the weaves since it is their choice to perform the behavior.

So with Breeze, I started with two poles and as she quickly got the entry, I added two more. We practiced with four poles for 2 or 3 sessions and then tonight I added 2 more. I initially planned on angling the poles, but she seemed to get it just fine with them straight up. So now we'll just work on speed and accuracy and eventually adding more poles.

Breeze has proven to be a pretty die hard worker. When I have treats, her focus is 110%. Even with a toy it is fairly good. When people say border collies need a job to do, they are exactly right about her. She lives to work and sometimes it is difficult to find her a job to do. Zoe, on the other hand, would happily spend her time lounging on the couch. As much of a pain it can be, it's kind of nice having both kinds of personalities. It has really challenged me as a trainer because I need to handle both dogs very differently. Zoe needs a lot of motivation, and I need to emphasize control with Breeze.

We are going on about three months of agility with Breeze. She's sequencing about 5 or 6 obstacles now and seems to have no fear of the teeter. Her contacts are getting pretty solid and is starting to jump with a little height. I've been determined to take things slow with her because I know she will need some extra time to mature. Currently, she has two modes: overdrive and park. She's not a problem around other dogs, it's just that any little bit of praise excites her and she goes into hyper mode. This is where black eyes become a danger, lol. I also need to learn how to give her a break from working. Some dogs like to play in between and others just need a quiet mental break in the crate. If we learn how to work best as a team now, it will pay off later in the ring.

Now, here is Breeze weaving...look at her go!

Holy Snow!!

They say lightning doesn't strike twice...well how about three times??  Three times it has now snowed significantly right before a trial.  As I mentioned in the last post, it snowed the morning of a trial that was taking place in La Crosse and I was unable to get out of the cities.  I decided that the next time I would travel the night before if things looked ominous.  Sure enough, Michelle and I were traveling to another trial in La Crosse on Saturday, December 4th.  We knew what was coming, so towards the end of the week we decided to play it safe and go the night before.  Well the snow came on in full force.  By the time we left at 4pm Friday, a few inches had already fallen.  The first half of the drive wasn't too bad, but after leaving Rochester, the roads started to get caked with snow and it got very dark.  To add to it, Zoe wasn't feeling the greatest and we ended up with both vomit and diarrhea in the car.  Let's just say it was a tough remaining 60 miles to La Crosse.  We got there safely and were able to get to the trial site the next day.  Both teams ended up doing well and we went 4/5 despite Zoe not feeling the greatest.

If that wasn't enough, snow was in the forecast yet again for a local trial in St. Paul the very next weekend.  I figured it wouldn't be so bad because I only had to travel 20 miles.  Boy was I dead wrong.  When I got up Saturday morning, we had a little snow already, but it had stopped snowing so I went anyway.  As the day went on, the blizzard arrived.  It got so bad that the trial got canceled halfway through the day so that people could get home while it was still light out.  We spent about 1-2 hrs digging cars out of the parking lot and even then, it was questionable as to whether people could get beyond the parking lot.  It was a grim outlook, but everyone was in good spirits - even the judge from CA was shoveling and singing xmas carols.  When it appeared that it would potentially unsafe to drive home, Michelle and I again camped out at the hotel.  For a second, we doubted even getting that far and entertained the thought of staying the night at Leatherdale - as a few ultimately did.  We ended up getting out with my little Toyota Yaris and made it safely to the hotel.  It was definitely a weekend to remember!  Never had I thought I would get stranded 20 miles from home.  But better safe than sorry I guess.  

So I am done with snow for a while - at least snow that gets in the way of agility.  We don't have another trial until NADAC on New Years eve/day and I will enjoy the break.  It will be a nice change from all the CPE we have been doing lately.  Next month, we'll be at the new On the Run Canine Center in Ham Lake again for CPE.  It is a wonderful facility and Zoe seems to like running there.  After that, we may be going down to La Crosse again for CPE in February.  Happy holidays!!!

'Tis the Season for Snow

Well, for the first time, my plans to travel to a trial were thwarted.  The first snow storm of the season arrived just in time for the NADAC trial in LaCrosse and unfortunately, we were snowed in :(  As a consolation, the dogs had a jolly time playing in the snow and embraced the wet stuff much better than the humans.  Thus is life, though, and I am looking forward to the next NADAC trial at the end of December.

Luckily, we have a full trial schedule this month, so I didn't have to wait long to do agility again.  We spent one day last weekend at the Agile Canines CPE trial and had a great time.  No weave troubles this time and Zoe continued to perform as a seasoned dog.  We earned three Qs - Full House, Jackpot, and Colors.  Our Standard run was a tough course, but Zoe maneuvered it very well.  Unfortunately, I made a handling error at the end and Zoe took an off course tunnel :(  Other than that, the run was great and I was really glad to see that level 45C courses are not too challenging for us.  Despite my error, my handling has really improved over the past few months, and I think it has helped Zoe become much more confident.  Our next trial will be a 2-day event at the new On the Run Canine Center in Ham Lake.  It is a new trial site, so I am not sure how Zoe will react.  But she is used to running indoors at class, so hopefully that will be an advantage. 

Breeze's training is also moving along quite well.  We are working on sequencing and contacts and she continues to show no fear.  Now that snow has arrived, our training at home will be limited, but I am finding new things to keep her busy.  I bought a backpack for her to wear on walks, which will hopefully wear her out a little more.  So far, she has tolerated it well.  I've also been doing a lot of shaping with her to wear her little brain out.  She's getting the hang of it, and is learning some new behaviors.  I hope to get better at it myself as it requires breaking behaviors down so that they can be successful.

Seasoned Dog

This weekend I got the seasoned dog at the Southpaws CPE trial.  I was a bit nervous because it had been a while since trialing on dirt and it can be very distracting.  Throughout our ups and downs in the past year, one thing that has remained consistent, but getting better, is Zoe getting distracted during a run.  She's a young dog still with relatively little agility experience, so getting distracted is a natural issue.  However, just in the last month, I have really seen her focus improve and we began running courses smoother and faster.  Part of it is that my handling is getting better, but also, Zoe is enjoying the runs more and more.  It's a shift from doing the obstacles because I say so to doing the obstacles because they are intrinsically fun.  Now I think Zoe has always had fun with agility, but now she is more comfortable, knows what to expect, and is more excited to play the game.  But I know motivation naturally ebbs and flows, so I was nervous as to whether I would continue to get what was becoming a seasoned dog or a distracted dog this weekend.  Thankfully, I got the former.

This trial was really filled with several accomplishments.  We finished our last two level three runs - colors and snooker - which gave us our last two level three titles!  I was very happy to get both of those done this weekend.  Also, we had our first shot at the 4/5/C standard runs now that we are in level 4.  We got one out of two, which was fabulous!  The main nemesis this weekend was weaves, which is still a bit of a mystery for me.  Zoe is typically a strong weaver - she enjoys them, finds the entrance well, and rarely pops out.  But for some reason, they were really demotivating to her.  So while she navigated the first standard course perfectly, the weaves were the only reason for an NQ.  This was also the case for Saturday's wildcard run.  So we went home that night and I gave her lots of goodies for doing the weaves correctly.  I think this helped because her weave performance was better on Sunday.  The colors course had weaves and we had to restart them once, but we still completed the course under time.  Then, the standard course had two sets of six weaves.  She was a bit slow, but did them both on the first try - yay!  Apparently fulfilling her weave limit for the weekend, I didn't make her do any on the jackpot course at the end!

So all in all, it was a great weekend.  Distractions were very minimal and when she got her weaves, all of our runs were clean without faults.  We ended the trial with a perfect day on Sunday, which was really exciting.  We finished level three and started filling up our level four tracking sheet.  To add to it, we were in the company of some other newer competitors who had a lot of success with their dogs as well.  Always nice to see others from your training class do well!!  Very proud of the folks who are starting out and sticking with it because I was there not too long ago, and I know it pays off.

Next up for us in November is a NADAC trial and two CPE trials.  That should keep us pretty busy!  Meanwhile, Breeze is doing great in her agility class.  She is driving to obstacles at a distance and is starting to sequence 4 or 5 obstacles in a row.  She will definitely be fast, so I need to take my time with her to practice control.  Only a couple more months until we start learning weaves and jumps!

NADAC Elite

Earlier this month, Zoe and I had a shot at the elite level of NADAC.  Now that we've done our three qualifying open-level runs, we can move up to elite - in just the regular class.  We only ran in three classes at Zumbro Falls, so it was a short day.  First was chances, which was really tough.  So tough that no one at the trial qualified.  I was still proud of Zoe's distance work and only struggled in one spot.  Unfortunately, any struggle is an NQ.  Anyways, our last two runs were elite regular runs.  The first one was absolutely beautiful.  Except for the fact that Zoe was running a bit slow, she did everything clean and didn't have to restart the weaves.  Despite this, we were still over time by 5 seconds.  Oh well, it was a beautiful run and I am thrilled that she ran with 100% focus.  The second run was great too, but she got spooked by a sound while weaving and we had to restart.  Other than that, it was great, but not clean.  Overall, I am very hopeful that we will be successful in the elite class.  We need to up the speed a bit, but she has shown speed before.  Our next NADAC trial isn't until November, so we've got a while to work on it!

Summer Wrap Up

Well, the state fair couldn't have gone much better.  The dogs loved doing their demos and I got to eat some delicious and fattening fair food.  I was very pleased with how mature Breeze was throughout the day.  She did wonderful visiting with the crowd and was very focused during her demo.  The weather was warm, but we all got through it and had a great day.

Zoe and I had another outdoor agility trial last weekend and were due for good weather.  And boy, did we get good weather.  Though the conditions were perfect, Zoe and I had some trouble staying in sync, but pulled it together by Sunday.  I am not sure if my handling was just really poor or she just didn't want to play, but the grass was a major distraction.  Even in a tunnelers course she got pulled away by smells.  But on Sunday she was a different dog.  We had some really stellar runs and finished our Open Regular title.  We also got open level touch n go and tunnelers legs.  The runs we didn't Q in on Sunday were close and were overall really good.  I am so proud of the progress we have made in just under a year in NADAC.  Next, we will be finishing up our Open runs and starting Elite regular! 

Next up is St. Cloud for a CPE trial.  But before that, Breeze and I will be doing a disc demo at the Ren Fest on Saturday, Sept. 11th.  Come and check us out if you happen to be attending the Ren Fest that day!

CPE in St. Cloud

This summer has been good for trialing, but a bit of a struggle at the same time.  Sometimes, Zoe's insecurities have crept up on her, other times, my handling has been way off.  But for some reason, we pulled all of it together for the St. Cloud CPE trial on September 18th and 19th.  We were definitely on our A-game as we went a whopping 9 for 10!!!  As icing on the cake, we were in good company and the weather was absolutely perfect.

We started off the weekend with a quick and accurate Colors run.  This was followed by two perfect standard runs.  We came into the weekend with only 2 of 6 standard Qs in level 3, so I was very proud of her for getting two more.  Next was an awful "jumpers from hell" snooker course, which took a bite out of many competitors.  It was basically a jumpers course full of threadles and serpentines if you wanted the path to flow.  Jackpot was last and I was a bit nervous because Zoe basically refused the Snooker run.  But to my surprise, she did fantastic, even finishing a tough traditional gamble with a distance teeter!  She headed for the teeter at first, but then stalled because she felt uncomfortable.  I coached her on and she eventually did it along with the last jump.  Since this was such a tough Jackpot, many were there watching to see who could get it.  The crowed cheered and Zoe went nuts, totally eating up all of the praise and attention.  Though the trial had lasted until 7pm, doing that run was totally worth it.  I was so proud that she stuck with me and did a tough obstacle on her own.  I knew she could do it and was so glad that she proved me right.  Afterwords, she got a nice walk with our friends Michelle and Taiko and rested up before the next day.

Sunday turned out to be our perfect day.  Despite my clumsiness, she excelled in all 5 runs including two more standard runs.  If a perfect day weren't good already, completing our level 3 standard runs was icing on the cake.  Plus, we got our first level 4 Jumpers Q!  It was so nice to see us perform as well as we do in class.  In addition, most of the Q's we got were clean.  Once Zoe gets motivated, she rarely knocks bars or strays off course.  I guess all of that NADAC competition has served us well!  

All in all I couldn't have asked for a better weekend.  Good company, good weather, good runs.  It was nice to see what Zoe can really do...and I am really starting to learn what works for her in terms of motivation and training.  Right now we are working on our switch command, where she needs to take an obstacle away from me.  This will make my handling easier once she gets to know the direction.

Meanwhile, Breeze started puppy agility class and we are learning lots of foundation work.  Every time I work with her I am impressed at how eager she is to learn and work and how fast she learns.  This girl will be a fantastic performance dog, but she also demands a lot of attention and exercise.  I asked for another project and boy, did I get one!  It will be great to see her progress and the nice thing is that I don't feel one bit rushed as I focus on Zoe's career.

Next up for us is a short trip to Zumbro Falls this Saturday and then a few weekends off until the Halloween CPE trial.

State Fair this weekend!!

August has been a crazy month so far.  It's been hot, hot, hot and I have had softball playoffs extend way beyond expected!  So the result?  Far less training than I'd like.  I still get small daily sessions of obedience/trick training in each day, but the agility training has been tough with this heat!!  Both dogs are far less active and when I want to play with them, they both look at me if saying "where's the pool??"  

Thank goodness for weekly agility class, which has been going pretty well.  Zoe continues to run well in class, but trialing has been a bit of a challenge.  We competed for a day in LaCrosse, WI and then 2 days at the SoccerBlast.  Both trials earned us Q's and titles, but it definitely didn't go as well as it could have.  My handling was off and Zoe was running slower than usual.  I think I've figured out part of the problem.  In competitions, weave poles can vary between 20'' and 24'' apart.  Since the beginning of our training, we've been using 20'' poles.  However, lately, most of the clubs have been using 24'' in trials.  Only recently did I discover the big discrepancy.  The difference between 20'' and 22'' wasn't huge, but 20'' to 24'' can look like a whole new obstacle.  This change requires Zoe to think and change her footing.  So...off to Menards I went to buy more PVC and we are now using competition-distance poles.  She took to the new distance without hesitation, but I am hoping that building the muscle memory will make her more confident in the competition ring.  There are way more variables that contribute to poor performance, but this I think, will make a big difference.

And for Breeze...well...she's still in boot camp training.  I feel I am making headway with this saucy, sassy little girl.  We went to Lake Nokomis yesterday and she went through and entire hot dog while I rewarded her for not going after bikers and joggers.  It was great exposure for her and I got a TON of successful responses.  This 3-mile walk along with a prior 1 mile rollerblade run really wore her out and she was a good girl for the rest of the day!  We also attended a disc dog seminar earlier this month and learned some fun moves.  Since we can't focus on jumping and catching quite yet, she's been learning lots of freestyle moves like spin and back up through my legs.  

So an obvious sign that summer is coming to a close is the MN State Fair.  It's been a yearly tradition since going in high school with the marching band and I look forward to it each summer.  Fortunately for me, two of my favorite activities get to collide this year and I will be bringing both of the dogs to the state fair for demos on Saturday.  Zoe will be doing agility and Breeze will be demoing her frisbee skills with the Twin Cities Disc Dog Club.  So cool that they happened to be on the same day - should be a ton of fun!!  So come out and see us by the Pet Center all day Saturday and watch us perform!

Training Update and Preparing for Fall Trialing

Summer sure is going by fast, but I feel like I've made the most of it.  We've had a bit of a lull in terms of trials, but we've got two scheduled in August and two full weekends in September.  Zoe has exceeded my expectations in most of our training sessions lately - her enthusiasm and motivation is really improving.  My handling is also improving, so I am sure that helps her motivation as well.  Clarity = more fun.

Meanwhile, Breeze has been keeping my on my toes.  She loves using her words and wants to chase anything that moves.  I am almost positive that she'd be a dog who may have been returned with the wrong owner.  Luckily, she has some very good qualities that help keep these things under control.  First, she LOVES to work.  She is a very good listener and catches on really fast.  She is also very food and toy driven, so when she is around something moving (e.g. car, biker, jogger, etc), I can distract her very easily.  The key here is consistency.  It is hard work to get her to focus 20 times during a walk, but I am confident that consistency will pay off later.  We also need to work on not chasing the cats!  Though she may be exhausting, I love that she is challenging me to be a better trainer.  Zoe is my easy dog - she just goes with the flow and is not too demanding.  Breeze, on the other hand, is a total sass and thrives on having a job to do.  By the way, her disc training is coming along very nicely.  I try not to make her jump too much, but boy, she is having sooo much fun with her frisbee.  Check out the video I made last week:

My Novice Champion

We had a great weekend trialing in NADAC this weekend.  Zoe finished the last of her novice legs and is now an open-level dog!!  When we didn't Q this weekend, most of the runs looked really good.  We had some trouble with the dog walk/tunnel discrimination and getting distracted.  But better handling can solve those problems easily.  The great thing about Zoe is that she is a really attentive and honest dog.  She listens well and rarely takes an off course.  The main issue is keeping her motivated and she is definitely coming along.  We got one out of the two chances courses this weekend.  In the one we didn't get, I lost Zoe part way when she got distracted.  But once I got her back, she did the rest of the distance challenge perfectly.  She actually has pretty good distance - when she is motivated.  Last night I worked with her a bit in the back yard and she did great jumping and weaving at a distance, but I had a good toy to motivate her with.  I really think she's got potential to do well in future chances courses - I just have to keep making things fun for her.

NADAC Trial this weekend!

It's been a long month, but our wait is finally over.  This will be our first full weekend of NADAC fun.  We'll be plenty close to home in Burnsville, so that will be really nice.  Practices have been going great and Zoe has been really motivated lately.  She is done with her antibiotics from Lyme's, so hopefully she is feeling much better.  We've got a few novice runs to finish up, so hopefully we'll earn some more titles this weekend.  If not, it should be fun anyway :)

Breeze is still doing pretty well, although we are working a lot of impulse control.  She is a bit excitable and her herding drive is really starting to emerge. I've introduced her to clicker training and the clicker has been our friend on walks.  She's an incredibly focused and biddable dog - I can get her to do almost anything.  So hopefully we'll nip these behavior issues in the bud.  We've also been working on sending to a mat and sending over jumps, which has been very successful.  I've also raised the teeter a bit and she isn't scared in the slightest!  This girl has no fear!  Maybe I'll get some videos up soon of her playing disc and agility training.

Summer Fun part 2

June is certainly flying by fast.  The dogs and I have been busy doing long walks in the woods 1-2 times per week.  It's great exercise and wonderful scenery, but it really exposes the dogs to ticks.  Zoe already tested positive for two tick-born illnesses.  Luckily, we caught it really early and a round of meds should clear her up in no time.  We've also been busy dog-sitting, which has been great for socializing Breeze.  

Speaking of Breeze, she has been really fun to work with.  She's a quick learner, very eager to please, and has fantastic food and toy drive.  She also seems to have quite the knack for frisbees too.  I never thought about competing in disc, but I just might have to with her potential.  She loves to tug, loves to bring the disc back, and is already doing some low catches.  I can't wait to see what she can do once she can start jumping!  She and Zoe are still getting along great.  She's got so much more confidence than Zoe, but overall seems like a happy pup.  Not too neurotic or herdy, so that is very good.  They make a pretty good pair - the attached pic is them going to Chad's softball game.

Even though we don't have another trial until July, Zoe and I continue to train weekly.  Her motivation is really coming along well and is doing so well in class.  She also seems to be over her contact fear, which is so encouraging.  Hopefully the weather will start being cooperative and we can have more practices outside.  

Weather Woes of Agility and some stuff to be thankful for

So today was our third outdoor trial.  Let's recap the past two...first trial - rainy and cold for at least half the day.  Second trial - cold in the morning, severe thunderstorm resembling a monsoon during the midday and then heat in the afternoon.  The third trial was not perfect either.  The day both started and ended hot and humid.  Luckily, I have friends with a tent and shade, which helped a lot!  Let's face it, battling the elements is just another part of outdoor trialing.  I won't do it often, but it's fun to be outdoors every now and then.

So now that I have experienced both extremes, what would I prefer?  Definitely cold and rainy.  You can always bring extra clothes and it is manageable for at least half the team (the dogs).  This was definitely one of our tougher trials in terms of motivation.  Zoe ran much slower and we didn't even make time for the tunneler's class, which is usually pretty easy.  We did get one golden Q though in Touch N Go, which we were behind in anyways in terms of legs.  Honestly, the other runs weren't that bad.  Most were clean and Zoe did very well with the contacts.  She also had fabulous weaves - not having to restart them even once.  Ironic since this was our crutch at the last two trials :)  It was just being slower from the heat and being a little distracted.  I can chalk this up to at least two dynamic variables - heat and maturity.  The heat will not always be an issue and maturity just takes time.  Agility takes a lot of patience: for most dogs, it can take months to form a good team foundation and do consistently well in trials.  One of the most rewarding things about agility is that over time, you see that patience pay off.  None of the challenges are impossible, but they do take some time and work.  We have overcome a lot over the past year and I love running a course and breathing that sigh of relief when I know we've got a perfect run.  

Ok, so reflecting on a tougher day has made me a little sappy, but just bear with me.  Agility has totally gotten me hooked.  I love the teamwork with my dog, I love traveling, and I love the people I've met along the way.  But it's so important to remember how much of a privilege this is.  Especially with Zoe's recent injury, hearing stories about other agility dogs ending early careers because of injury and those not even making much of a career in the first place has made me feel really lucky.  I am also really lucky because I have the time, money, and energy for this sport -  things that don't come easy for everyone.  Before I get totally sucked into this agility world, I never want to forget that not only is agility a privilege, but the things outside of agility are a privilege too.  The time spent with your dog training, cuddling, playing, going to the park, going for walks, going to the vet, being greeted at the door are all things to be thankful for.  There.  Okay.  Done being sappy.  

Anyways, it was great getting out of the heat today and coming home to a happy and excited puppy.  I think Zoe was happy to see Breeze too because they resumed their usual wrestling session.  As I look forward to the next trial at the soccer blast in 6 weeks, I am going to focus on training and a lot on having fun.  We've been doing lots of long walks in the woods with our friends, which has been a nice escape and has kept all of us fit!  The dog park is having its annual fundraiser in July, so I'll be busy getting ready for that too!

Summer Fun

This weekend we are doing one day of a NADAC trial in Zumbro Falls and then we take a month off from trialing.  Mainly because there are few local trials in June and summer is starting to get in the way.  I have started some agility training with Breeze - she was introduced to the tunnel as well as a slightly raised board to simulate the dog walk.  She is catching on great and seems to have way more confidence than Zoe.  I also made a small teeter out of the board and she didn't seem to mind the movement at all.  Confidence can be great, but it can also be a challenge.  I'll have to supplement all of this with some solid obedience training as well.

Zoe is getting along with her new younger sister and seems to be enjoying the playtime.  I hope it helps her confidence and gives her more energy for shows.  We've also been taking a lot of walks in the woods, which wears them out a little bit.  I am looking forward to a lot of park visits and long walks this next month!

MMBC NADAC Trial 5.22.10

Exactly one year ago, I went to watch this trial in Savage, MN.  The weather was cold and the wind was gusting so hard, that the wind chill had to have been at least 25 degrees.  People were even wearing winter hats and gloves!  Well this year, I got the privilege of running in this trial and I can say that the weather was not much nicer!

I check the forecast almost daily and there was no rain in sight for Saturday.  It was just supposed to be warm and sunny.  Much to our demise, however, a storm rolled through late morning and stopped the trial momentarily.  It started with some ominous clouds and then the lightning and thunder came along.  And then the rain came...in huge drops.  Still the trial went on.  It wasn't until it got really bad that the trial was put on hold.  We actually had to run in that weather.  But it was all worth it because we ended up with our first Q in Touch N Go!  The rain and clouds eventually cleared up, but then came the sunny, humid weather we had all been waiting for.  So far, I've been to two outdoor trials and it hasn't been pretty.  After these past two rainy trials, I think I am up for almost anything!  The greatest part is that Zoe doesn't seem to mind a bit - she does better with the crappy weather!

Anyways, all in all we had a fantastic day.  We went 4 for 6 in Q's including two novice titles and our first Q in the open level!  It was definitely a successful day!  Zoe ran pretty well, but we are having a little trouble with weaves that are early in the course.  It's something nice and concrete to work on at least.  Otherwise, I was super pleased with her performance and look forward to competing at the open level in the near future!

Cannon Falls #2 and a New Puppy!

This past weekend we had another go at CPE at Simon Arena.  It was 50/50 weekend in terms of Q's, but the ones that weren't, I learned a lot as always.  The highlights for the show were getting our first jackpot and first two standard runs in level 3.  We also Q'ed in a really tough jumpers course, which was the very first run of the trial.  Zoe looks more and more like her old self and didn't have any issues with the contacts.  Surprisingly, weaves were her biggest issue this weekend - mainly when they were early on in the course.  I guess we'll have to focus on those again in practice.  All in all, she ran well and looked like she was having fun - one image that really sticks out was in our second snooker course, where Zoe really started to kick up some speed and had that look on her face that said "oh boy, I can't WAIT to do that tire".  Now a snooker course is really technical and tight, so to have a motivated dog who is running with enthusiasm is definitely a personal Q.  Alas, we did not Q in this run because she then took the tire again for an off course, but that look of total motivation was priceless!  

We're a little less than halfway through level 3 now.  We'll be taking a break from CPE until August, but then after that we'll have plenty of opportunities this fall to advance.  I am very excited that the CPE National competition will be in MN next June and am hoping that by then, we will be in the prime of our career.  There is lots to work on and I think we can accomplish a lot in the next year.  This will be an awesome event to participate in and watch - 6 rings of agility out in Lake Elmo with dogs competing from around the country.  It is bound to be a wonderful time!!

In other news, about a week ago, we welcomed a new dog in the family.  She's a 5-month-old blue merle border collie (mix?) whom we named Breeze.  We adopted her from the BC Rescue of MN, who got her from a shelter in KY.  She's got a tail, but a little thicker, so she may be part aussie as well.  Hard to tell until she grows into her body.  Nonetheless, she is a little spunk!  She's eager to please, has great toy drive, and is oh so sweet!!  She also has a lot of confidence, which will make agility training much different than her.  In some respects, it will make training easier, but I know it will come with it's challenges.  Right now, we are working hard on her foundation training and things are going very well.  I brought her to Simon arena for one day and she did wonderful waiting in her crate and also meeting new people and dogs.  She is definitely going to be an agility star someday.  Most importantly, she and Zoe get along great!  Zoe generally does really well with puppies and Breeze is no exception.  They love to wrestle and chase and Zoe doesn't seem to be too jealous.  I've been weary of having two females, but with their personalities, I think it will work just fine.  Stay tuned for more updates on her progress!

First NADAC Title

Given Zoe's recent performances, I wasn't sure what to expect this past weekend at the ACTS NADAC trial in Lake Elmo.  It was our first outdoor trial, rain had been forecasted for the day, and I was prepared to use this weekend for training contacts.  I never expected to have a near-perfect weekend!

The trial started out very rainy - well, downright sloppy with the downpour.  A few teams scratched their runs, but plenty still competed.  By the time we were up for the first run - Touch N Go, it was still raining, although a bit lighter by that time.  I was super nervous - needless to say my handling wasn't up to par.  To my surprise, Zoe had no issues with the dog walk or A Frame and actually ran rather well.  Her only mistakes were taking two hoops in the wrong direction, which could at least partially be blamed on my bad handling.  Nonetheless, I was THRILLED with her confidence and motivation, and I knew that she had the potential for a good day.  She had been doing just fine with the obstacles in class, so this showed that her recent lack of confidence was only temporary.

The rest of the day was awesome.  Zoe had a small distraction in her next run, but I got her back quickly enough to make course time.  The last 4 runs were also clean and Zoe ran with good speed with no distractions.  We earned Q's in weavers, chances, jumpers, and two rounds of regular.  Getting the two Q's in regular also earned Zoe her first NADAC title, which allows her to move to Open Regular for the next trial.  In the Open level, our main challenges will be facing a set of 12 weaves and having less forgiving course times.  She will have no problem making the times if she doesn't get distracted.  

All in all, I couldn't have asked for more.  The rain persisted until the late morning, but all that rain left us wet and cold.  Sitting in your car with the heater on is not a fun way to experience an agility trial.  But fortunately, all of that bad weather was clouded with success and good company.  I actually had a pretty good time and am looking forward to two more NADAC trials next month.  

A few runs from this trial are on the videos page!

Building Confidence Part 2

Well, the CPE trial last weekend was almost a complete 180 from the last one in Isanti.  Zoe ran with much more enthusiasm and is starting to build her confidence again.  She mastered the A frame and even the teeter, but still had some issues with the dog walk.  However, almost every class without a dog walk she Q'ed in.  Distractions are becoming less of an issue and she is really starting to shine.  Almost all of our Q's this weekend were first places - so she ran pretty fast!  We also Q'ed in level 2 Snooker finally to get our last level 2 title!!  Yay!  

We still have some training to do in order to get back into shape, but I feel confident that this will come with more practice.  I am very proud of our progress and since she seemed to have fun and ran with confidence, I'd consider that a big personal Q.  I am looking forward to our next trial, which will be NADAC in Lake Elmo, MN!!

Also, this weekend couldn't have been more fun without the support of our friends - both new and old to CPE!

Building Confidence

Well, despite our comeback in NADAC, CPE didn't go quite as well as planned last weekend.  On a big positive note, we got our third level 2 title by finishing a qualifying jumpers course.  All we need now is one snooker course to finish level 2!  It was apparent that Zoe was still having confidence issues with the contact obstacles - any runs with contacts were a challenge.  However, we are working on them in practice and so far so good!  Hopefully all she needs is a little practice on them to gain confidence and we will be set for the next trial next weekend.  Check back soon for more updates!

NADAC Trial 3.20.10

We had another successful NADAC trial this weekend.  We only went 3 for 6, but I was absolutely pleased with Zoe's progress and improvement despite the NQ runs.  The main problem this weekend was contacts.  I didn't think she'd have a problem - especially with the A Frame, but she seemed to be having trouble generalizing to new obstacles again.  It may have been related to her injury, maybe to being tentative with the teeter again, but whatever the reason, she didn't want to do them.  With a little practice, though, this should be an easy problem to fix.  So with that said, we didn't qualify in the standard runs or chances, which was hard anyways with the distance challenge.  However, I was very pleased with the runs because Zoe stayed focused and didn't shut down when she shied away from the contacts, as she does in class when she's nervous.  She got off track a couple of times, but never left the ring and came to me when I called her.  I really appreciated her enthusiasm, despite being nervous about the contact obstacles - that was a big relief!

I really think finishing the first three runs on a positive note set us up well for the last three, which all received Qs.  Next was weavers.  I was really excited for this class because Zoe has great weaves.  In the novice level, the run consists of hoops, tunnels, and three sets of 6 weave poles.  Surprisingly, she missed the first set, but she came back to do them wasting little time and finished the run beautifully for a Q and 4th place.  After that was tunnelers - perhaps the most fun class ever.  She picked up great speed and followed my lead, earning her another Q and 2nd place.  The last class was jumpers - just jumps.  She again had a clean run and I was impressed that she still had energy left despite this being the last run of the day.  We ended with a third Q and a third place in that class.  

So overall, very successful weekend.  The problems we were having before her injury improved greatly.  Her focus and motivation was better than I expected.  Hopefully the contact issue won't be hard to fix - I just have to get her comfortable again.  Videos from the day will be posted soon.  Next up is CPE next weekend.  We'll just be doing one day since the contacts are an issue.  Hopefully she'll have the same motivation and focus!

We're Back!

Well, it's been a long two months, but we're finally back to practicing agility.  Zoe got her second round of prolotherapy last Thursday and the vet was pleased with her progress.  It looks like her knee is looking stable enough to ramp up her activity level.  We did an agility session on Friday and it looks like she didn't miss a beat, so I am not terribly worried about prepping for our upcoming trials.  We've also been doing some long walks and going to the park again - the nice weather has really been wonderful.  In the mean time, we've been doing a lot of obedience work, so hopefully that will help us out a bit in the agility ring!

Road to Recovery

It's been almost 5 weeks now since Zoe hurt herself and is doing great!  It's been hard to restrict her activity, but I think it is paying off.  We're due for another prolo treatment in the next few weeks, and then we'll be back to agility.  We've got both NADAC and CPE trials scheduled for next month, so I hope we'll be ready for those!

Small Setback - New Lessons in Canine Sports

Well, we had our first small setback.  Zoe was suddenly lame in her back leg last week for a couple of days.  Being the conscientious dog owner that I am, I promptly brought her to the vet to have her leg examined.  It was determined that she had a small cruciate tear in her knee, but nothing is 100% certain with a manual exam.  A second opinion and x-rays pretty much ruled out a complete tear, so that is a big relief.

To be on the safe side and prevent further injury, we treated both knees with prolotherapy, which is an injection that stimulates regrowth and healing.  If this works, we may be able to avoid a future injury and surgery, which could potentially affect her agility career, not to mention general well-being.  I decided this was the best option since she is an active dog and the injury appears to be minor at this point.  Post-treatment, Zoe looks great and is showing no signs of limping or lameness.  We'll continue to take it easy so that she can fully heal.

This was truely a humbling experience and taught me a lot about health maintenence with an active/performance dog.  Hopefully we caught the issue early and we'll be lucky enough to escape reinjury or surgery.  I already consider myself lucky enough to have good resources and have a relatively minor injury.

If anyone is more interested in prolotherapy, here is a good link with information: 
med-vetacupuncture.org/english/articles/prolovet.html

NADAC Debut

Zoe and I tried NADAC for the first time this past weekend and it was an unexpected success.  NADAC is a lot different than CPE...you need clean runs to earn Q's and the pace is much faster.  There are also fewer games.  So this venue really tests your distance skills and ability to control your dog.  

We started the morning with a run called Touch N Go, which is contact obstacles, hoops, and jumps.  Zoe had a lot of built up energy, so she shot ahead of me, blew her contacts (jumped off too high from the A frame), and got off course.  Oh yeah, and she ran out of the ring without me.  The next run, a regular standard run, she refused the dog walk and tried to run out of the ring again.  Eventually I collected her and we finished the last half of the course perfectly.  Even though the morning started off disasterous, we finished the 2nd run and ended on a good note.

Despite my fears, the third run, another standard course, went perfectly.  By this time, Zoe's energy cooled a bit and was much more focused.  We had no faults, so we earned a Q!  Chances was next, which as a short course with a distance challenge.  In this run, the dogs had to do a tunnel, hoop, and then the A frame with a tunnel as a distraction all with a few feet of distance.  Zoe loves the A frame, so this worked to our advantage and did everything perfectly, earning her 2nd Q.  

Next was Jumpers, which was an all jumps course.  Zoe ran around the first jump, so we lost some time.  But as soon as I got her back to the start, she did the course beautifully.  Despite the clean run, we lost too much time at the start and missed the Q by 1.78 seconds!  Even though we didn't Q, I was proud of her focus the rest of the run and hopefully next time it will be a Q.

The last course was Tunnelers, which is all tunnels.  This is a very fun course, but it was the 6th one of the day, so I was worried that Zoe would be worn out, which has been a problem in previous trials.  However, I got her revved up and she had fun with the tunnelers course and we earned a Q and a first place.  She ran really fast - 5.2 meters per second!  

All and all, NADAC was a great venue to try and we will continue to compete here.  It presented new challenges and showed what we need to work on.  Zoe really showed her potential and that titles will not be far from our reach.  She gained a lot of speed and confidence this weekend, which will also be a challenge as we try to maintain focus and control.  Most importantly, we had a ton of fun and found that, like CPE, the people were very nice, helpful, and supportive!