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!