Finding the Groove

This fall has been super busy.  The crew and I have been working hard on trial-related issues, which included some FEO runs in ASCA, training in NADAC, and some foundation training on the side.  Zoe has been much more confident with the teeter.  Ever since I splurged on my own personal teeter, we have done short practices a few times per week to build up her confidence.  No longer does she flinch when the teeter hits the ground for the return.  Instead, she perks up knowing that she can do it again!  In trials, she seems to be about 80% there.  I have gotten more solid performances than meek ones, so I know that things are getting better.  I suspect that her confidence issues with the teeter will never completely disappear, but for now, I am happy with where we are at.

My goal for Breeze has been contact retraining.  I have gotten too loose with my criteria at trials and now it's time to get serious.  CPE doesn't allow for training in the ring, so I thought it would be way too demotivating to continually end the run for a poor contact performance.  Instead, we have trialed in venues that do allow training so that I can go back and get the performance I want.  This has been very helpful and I will need to continue to avoid settling for less at trials.  Unfortunately, competition will have to wait for Breeze for a bit since she is out with a calf muscle strain.  It is nothing serious, but I need to give her some time off from high activity to heal.  In the mean time, we have been polishing our obedience and I plan to do a rally obedience class with her so that I can keep her mind active and give us a chance to work through distractions in a class environment.  

All in all, I am happy with where we are at in our journey.  Zoe is getting back to her consistent, happy self and the timing of Breeze's injury worked out well in the sense that training is more important right now than trialing.  Winter is arriving, which means clearing the yard of agility equipment and keeping a vigilant eye on the weather before traveling to trials.  I know we need the snow this winter, but I am hoping that travel will be less treacherous than it has in the past!

It's been a while...

It has been a busy summer, but I have been taking some time off from writing.  Time to think about our goals and what writing in a blog really means.  I mean, I am definitely not your super agility competitor, but I also want to share my journey.  I don't obsess over running contacts and back sides of jumps.  I enjoy being competitive in agility, but I also strive for balance.  As much as I love going to trials, I also love getting home and letting my dogs just be dogs.

Earlier this summer we trialed in USDAA agility for the first time.  The weather was cooperative and the other exhibitors couldn't have been nicer.  Many of the classes were similar to other venues, so I felt pretty comfortable.  Zoe had great runs in gamblers and standard.  She did an awesome teeter and did her down on the table...tail wagging the whole time.  Breeze dealt with the higher jump height beautifully and didn't bail on her contacts.  Both dogs were a bit distracted being that it was their first outdoor trial and a bit warm for them, but I was happy with the focus that I got.

We also played in NADAC earlier this month.  I used this as an opportunity to work on Breeze's contacts so that she didn't always get away with running through them.  She had a couple of nice runs, but she wasn't as focused as she normally is, so it was kind of an off weekend for her.  Zoe had several beautiful runs, one of which was her very first Q in Elite Chances.  She is still not 100% confident working that far away, but she is getting much much better.  On the second day, she was really close to qualifying in chances again, but the distance she did show was a personal best for her.  After that weekend, I made the executive decision to move her to the skilled division.  There were so many runs where she was still over time by a second or two.  Being in the skilled division would allow her more time so that it would be more likely that she could be under time by a second or two instead.  I think this change will make NADAC more fun for us and make a NATCH a little more attainable some day.

CPE was also on the schedule for us this summer.  Last weekend we played in Rochester at a wonderful soccer facility.  Breeze showed an amazing amount of maturity and was focused for almost every run.  She ran through her contacts, but she did not blow any completely.  She was well-behaved between runs and in the hotel - practically a perfect angel for a full trial weekend!  Zoe had some teeter issues again, but otherwise had beautiful runs.  She thoroughly enjoyed being in a hotel room again.

Outside of agility, the pups are enjoying the summer.  Breeze and I have done a couple of disc demos and will do a couple more at the Ren Fest later this summer.  She continues to do well at these - it is interesting how she often does better with large crowds rather than with fewer people.  She goes nuts for joggers/walkers/bikers when we are out on walks, but if we are at a crowded event, she practically ignores them.  I wonder if she just sees crowds differently in her eyes. She doesn't seem to stress at these events as much as she does at agility trials - I am sure I am partly to blame for this!

Agility and other stuff

It seems like summer is now upon us and there are no excuses for not getting outside.  We've shown a bit less in agility, but the past few months have still been quite busy!

Earlier this month, Breeze competed in a toss and catch frisbee competition held by the Twin Cities Disc Dog Club and placed 2nd out of 15 dogs.  I'll have to admit that I was pretty surprised by that one.  In T&C, the teams get two one minute rounds to get as many throws and catches as possible.  Catches are awarded points based on distance and accuracy.  There were a LOT of good rounds and our first was mediocre at best.  But I managed to throw some really good discs in the second round, giving us extra accuracy points and bonuses for Breeze catching them while in the air.  All in all, we had a ton of fun and it was an excellent opportunity to get Breeze out and acclimated to other people and dogs.  

On the agility front, things have been going great.  Zoe is getting much more comfortable with the teeter again and had no issues at our most recent trial.  At class, she has been rock solid, so now the issues are getting comfortable again in a trial setting.  I am continuing to revisit teeter training in hopes that she will keep her confidence up for good this time.  I am also trying to work hard at increasing her speed.  We did a seminar late last year on speed, drive, and motivation and I really learned a lot about how to increase her course times.  The difficult part is that there are factors you know and can control such as your handling, choice of warm up routine, etc, and things that you just can't control - the dog having an off day, distractions, etc.  Overall, I feel like I've been able to influence her speed and motivation a lot - it's just getting through those days where the full potential is not there.

As for Breeze, she's gotten to play a little less than Zoe, but has done really well.  She had perfect clean runs in April and went 2/4 in May with the NQs being a knocked bar and contact issues.  She is getting much more consistent and is working through distractions relatively well.  The main area we are working on in training are contacts - it is just a work in progress.  I am also trying to keep her speed up as well.  Breeze has much more natural drive than Zoe, but she doesn't really know how to use it efficiently.  She's got a ways to mature, but I'm definitely starting to see improvements.

Next month we get to try USDAA and both dogs get to play!  I am excited to try a new style of agility and it will also be our first outdoor trial of the year.  Fingers are crossed for good weather!

A New Year and New Challenges

The year 2012 actually started off pretty great.  We took a few weeks off from trialing, relaxed for the holidays, and played in the snow.  We got back to business the other week for a CPE trial at On the Run.  Both dogs did great, but the best thing about the show was Zoe's attitude towards the teeter.

Back in the fall, something made her question her teeter confidence.  We still don't really know what it was, but to a soft dog like Zoe, it really could have been anything.  So we spent lots of time reworking her teeter foundation.  I decided to test her progress at the trial and it turned out pretty well.  There was a little hesitancy, but certainly not dreaded fear.  With a little coaxing, she performed beautifully!  She continues to make progress at class and by the next trial, I know she'll be a rock star.

Breeze did pretty well too, earning another standard leg among other things.  She is really sequencing well, finding her weaves, but she still has trouble with the 2 on 2 off contact.  She doesn't blow them every time, but she is too close for comfort.  Other than that, I don't have many complaints.  She loves to be out there, loves to work, and is actually a pretty good team player.  We had a couple of off courses, but that is to be expected at her level.  I've decided to turn it down a notch on the trialing so that we can take some time to focus on the spots that need improvement.

Aside from agility, last week I encountered a whole new challenge with Breeze - taking care of hurt Breeze.  Enter evil storm grate.  On our routine walk, Breeze was attacked by a storm grate which resulted in this:

However, despite this tragedy, I was SUPER thankful that the cut didn't go deep enough to affect muscles, tendons, and all that important stuff.  All that would be required would be to keep her quiet for 7-10 days with staples out in two weeks.  Yeah. Right.

Of course being Breeze, she had to wear the cone of shame because she could not leave her staples alone.  

This here is cone #2.  The first one was rejected after she spent the night licking her wound and turning one of the staples around.  So now she gets a cone plus bandage plus vet wrap plus two socks on her foot when she is left unsupervised.  

I knew Breeze lacks pain receptors, but apparently she lacks taste receptors too as bitter sprays and cayenne pepper make her say "bring it on!"  So for now, bandages and socks will have to do.  

Really though, she's been a champ and I can't wait to be able to throw a frisbee for her again.  Just a few more days of insanity....