Hmm, based on my blog posts, it would appear that I'm running a week behind on life these days. Sounds about right. :)
Peyton and I had our annual USDAA team event last weekend with our Golden friends. After last year's less than stellar performance, I had zero intentions of playing again this year, but Lisa convinced me that it would be a shame to let such cool team t-shirts go to waste. (They are fun shirts!)
Even though our weekend wasn't all that impressive on paper, we had some really great runs and finished the weekend with a team Q.
On a slightly entertaining note, we did manage to get called on 7 up-contacts in 7 runs. That's impressive, I think. :) Silly USDAA.
It's funny, but I think I was most proud of our snooker run, which was at the end of a *very* long day on Saturday. I was tired, Peyton was tired, and the sun was blinding, yet we managed to make it almost all the through the course even after he knocked a bar in the opening. Considering Peyton usually takes any obstacle in his path (and often those that are not), I was really happy that he stuck with me. Unfortunately we were whistled off in the closing when he missed the teeter up-contact, but otherwise it was a fun run. Snooker, fun? Huh. Did I just say that? :) On another positive note, in seven runs, we only had one (little) off-course jump - that's got to be a record! Love my spotty boy.
I've had such a fun week with Peyton. We spent three days at camp with Karen and Ann and he was a *superstar*. I wasn't sure how he would handle three full working days, but he faired much better than I did! We worked through some really challenging sequences (lots of serps, threadles, and sends) and I couldn't have asked for a better performance. He's not really built for tight international style course work, but he really powered through and gave me some great turns *and* really nice speed. Good spotty! He really does try sooooo hard and I came away with a new appreciation for what *we* are capable of. Good times!
I made a late decision to enter him in a local USDAA trial on Saturday with the promise to myself that it was for practice only and I would not get upset over being called on any of the up-contacts. Stupid rule, but it is what it is. In any case we had some nice runs! He should have qualified in advanced gamblers, but the scribe missed 4 points in the opening, and we had a nice standard run, but he missed the up-contact on the dog walk. Oh well. I was a little flakey in Grand Prix, but he did have some really good moments there too.
On a good note, all of his a-frame contacts were pretty solid and he was 2/3 on the dogwalk. Zero teeter stops though. Oops. I'm on the fence as what to do with his a-frame - it's really hard for him to hold that contact at speed and I'm not wild about the impact. I think a quick release is much easier for him, but I'm not sure how long that will hold up before he's running. Running might be okay. Hmmm. Something (else) to think about.
We spent the weekend at a local USDAA trial and it was a loooong one...one of those (very rare) trial weekends where I kinda wished that we had stayed home.
Friday started off pretty well. We had a decent jumpers run followed by (several hours later) Performance Grand Prix and Speed Jumping. We had some goofy moments in both classes, but some nice ones too, especially in Grand Prix which had some really tricky spots.
Saturday was primarily a team day. We started off with a decent team gamblers run followed by a nice P1 standard run...except we got called for the up contact on the a-frame. That was a first! After another really long break we finished with a really painful team standard run and an equally painful team snooker run. Poor "Three Blondes and the Odd Spot"...my teammate did awesome all weekend, but we were pretty much done after my two stinky runs.
We had our last team run - jumpers - on Sunday morning, and it just wasn't fun. I don't know if I was just super tired from trying to do waaay too much over the past few weeks or what, but it's not fun or fair for Peyton to have a tired, cranky handler. So we decided to head home early and take a much needed nap. :)
One thing that I do think *I* need to work on is mental management. I really struggle with runs at the end of the day or after a long break between classes. It's not that I feel any anxiety or stress, it's just that I don't do well with all the down time. Maybe I need to take up knitting? Any other ideas?
We've entered a few local trials over the next few months, but I'm thinking that we'll take it easy for a while. I love trialing, but since we haven't had much time for actual training, I think we need some work. I feel like we've both made some good progress individually, but we're not really running in sync at the moment. It's all good...I think we'll get there.
Our USDAA trial this weekend was in Winter Park, and for those of you not familiar, it's on the north side of Orlando, which for us meant a nice *cough* trip down I-4 on Friday afternoon. For any of you who have spent any time driving on I-4 in the Orlando area, you can appreciate my sarcasm. The drive was actually relatively painless until we made it to the downtown area...then with about 10 miles to go, I-4 became a parking lot. And of course, I had one too many Diet Cokes while driving. And of course, I was already running little late. Those last 10 miles were slow and painful! We finally made it to the trial site just in time to walk Jumpers. Considering I was frazzled and Peyton was um, refreshed after 2 1/2 hours of sleeping in the car, we didn't do too bad and only had one knocked bar. He was definitely a little overstimulated though, and unfortunately that seemed to be the trend for the weekend.
We then had several hours to wait and I spent some time walking around trying to get Peyton to relax a little bit, which wasn't easy. This was a big trial and there was a lot going on! Our next run was Performance Grand Prix and I think this was probably my favorite run of the weekend. By that time, a lot of people had left so there wasn't a whole lot to worry about. Peyton missed a jump after the chute, but otherwise he did great! Getting a nice turn out of the chute is still a challenge for us in trials and I just had way too much speed going in - I don't think he even saw the jump.
Poor Peyton was slipping quite a bit during this run and finished with a nice green spot on his rear. He seemed to struggle quite a bit with the surface this weekend which was surprising since the grass was similar to what we train on. Next up was gamblers and after a wild start, we had a pretty nice run for a 1st place Q and his title. Here's a video of jumpers/gamblers (we didn't get many runs on tape this weekend)...
It was a late night and I think we made it back to the hotel around 10 pm. Unfortunately we had some obnoxious neighbors and managed to sleep maybe 3 1/2 hours that night. Needless to say, Saturday was a little rough.
We started with gamblers first thing in the morning and had a decent qualifying run, but the rest of the day wasn't the best. Because we were at a sports park, there were softball games behind where we were crated and on the other side of the field there were lacrosse games. There were lots of spectators and kids everywhere...I think it was just a little too much going on and while Peyton was handling it all really well, he was clearly a little stressed during our runs. He didn't do anything terrible, but he just wasn't focused.
Sunday was much better crowd-wise and Peyton finally started to relax. We started with snooker (what an evil way to start the day!) and despite our crazy run, I think we both had a lot of fun. Unfortunately I didn't get it on tape! Our standard run was also better, but Peyton got called on the up side of the dogwalk (which was the second obstacle) and I spent the rest of the run thinking about how dumb I think up contacts are and didn't really do much handling. Yes, I need to work on *my* focus too. :) Because it looked like it was going to rain, we called it a weekend and skipped jumpers to head home early.
Overall, it was a fun weekend and Peyton definitely got a lot of experience hanging out in a really stimulating environment. We were around a lot of kids, which in the past would have been enough to cause a total meltdown, but Peyton handled it really well. We were also approached several times by large groups of people who wanted to meet him. Can't tell you how many times I heard "look, a Dalmatian!" this weekend. Even though I don't think Peyton was quite ready this type of environment, I think that with a little more time and experience, he'll be more comfortable. Good spotty boy!
For those of you not familiar with the agility game snooker, here's a quick little overview. First, there's an opening and a closing sequence. In the opening you need to do a red jump followed by numbered obstacle, then you need to do a (different) red then a number, and finally another (different) red, and then another numbered obstacle. There are lots of silly little rules you need to remember like you can't take two reds back to back and you can't take two obstacles back to back unless they are grouped in the same numbered sequence, and some obstacles you can only take in one direction and once you take a red you can't take it again, and you have to accumulate a certain amount of points to qualify, and and and...get the drift? Oh, and if you mess up, you hear the whistle of snooker doom and you're done.
Anyway, this was my plan for the opening of this morning's course...looks pretty smooth, right? Well, this is pretty close to what we ended up with... Whoa. This is why me and snooker are not friends.
We actually had made it through the opening until Peyton took the #3 jump backwards (for zero points) and instead of starting the closing I sent Peyton to the #2 tunnel twice. Oops. We heard the whistle of doom.
At least we made it a little further than yesterday when we were whistled off after taking one red and then two tunnels in a row. :)
While I'm not really a snooker fan (yet), I'll admit that I really enjoy watching good snooker teams run. They can usually manage to come up with and execute a good strategy without looking like they are a) drunk and/or b) crazy. This morning I'm pretty sure I ended up looking like both.
Overall, we had a good time at the trial this weekend...videos and recap coming soon.
We had another good day at the USDAA trial yesterday - Peyton qualified with 1st place in our jumpers and standard runs. I think he just needs 1 more standard Q for his PD1 title! Here's a quick little video of his 2 runs...not sure what happened, but the video got cut off after the table (there were 2 more jumps). Notice that he really fought to stay on those contacts - good boy!
I couldn't have been more pleased with how well he ran this weekend. I really enjoy USDAA - too bad there aren't a few more trials close by!
On a different note, Indy prettty much sums up how we feel about the Colts' loss in the Superbowl last night...
But wow, what an exciting game! As much as I wanted the Colts to win, I have to admit that I was also rooting just a wee bit for Drew Brees, who was the QB at Purdue during my college days. It was a great game, and a much deserved win for the Saints.
We had a great time at the USDAA trial in Tampa today - Peyton was such a good boy! Aside from being slightly naughty with some of his contacts (he really thinks he should have a running a-frame), he was very focused. We finished the day with 2 qualifying 1st place runs in Standard and Gamblers and got some good experience running Grand Prix and Speed Jumping (our first time).
Here's our Gambler's run (a slight delay near the end because I couldn't tell if the horn was for us or the other ring):
Next was Standard - despite a few late cues on my part, he did great:
A little later we had Grand Prix. This was one of the more difficult courses we've seen in a trial so I was really pleased with how well he did. I did get a little discombobulated after he decided not to stop on the a-frame (tsk, tsk!), and didn't make it to where I had planned a front cross, but otherwise it was a pretty nice run for us.
I was however a little annoyed to see that Peyton got called on his upside dogwalk contact. I know that USDAA has smaller contact zones, but for big striding dogs this rule is a bit ridiculous. Seriously, do you see anything unsafe about this dogwalk approach? Not blaming the judge because I know he's just doing his job, but I think it would be great to see USDAA reevaluate their upside contact criteria.
We finished the day with Speed Jumping and what a fun, fast course! The opening was two slightly offset jumps to the weaves and even with me way behind, Peyton did a great job collecting and nailed the entry. It was lovely...so lovely that I got caught up watching him, was late on my send and then got behind on the next line causing a off-course. Boo. Since we (I) already blew the chance for a clean run, I attempted a tricky (for me) rear cross on the weaves at the end and Peyton stayed in. Good boy! No video for this run...
Peyton seemed much more confident going into the ring today...he was still a little crazy, but not quite as stressed as he can be. Overall, he seemed really happy. As for me, I really liked the courses today - partly because they were pretty friendly for not having a startline stay (we probably won't be so lucky tomorrow), but I also thought they were fun too.
Another long, but fun day at the USDAA trial yesterday and I'm sure feeling it this morning! I would like to think that I'm in relatively good shape, but after 11 runs with Peyton this weekend, I feel like I've been run over by a truck. I don't know how those people running 2 or more dogs do it!
Anyway, we had another good day and overall, I think Peyton did exceptionally well for his first USDAA trial. I keep saying that at this point we need milage, and we sure got it this weekend!
Yesterday we started with Gamblers and then had less than minutes to recover before we ran in Team Jumpers. Our Gamblers run got off to a funny start - even though I kept trying to set him to take the jump-dogwalk opening, he was pretty determined to start with the jump on the left. I guess it's a good thing that there's really no *wrong* course in Gamblers! We Q'd on this run, with first place.
We then hurried over to the Team Jumpers course - I wasn't feeling very optimistic about our chances with this opening, but it turned out to be my favorite run of the weekend. Even though I was a little obnoxious with my verbals...but it was a team run and I really wanted to be clean! Notice the "loose dog" at the very end - I'm thankful Peyton didn't notice him when we were running! Another Q and 1st place for this run.
We had a long break before our next run, which was Standard. I think by this point, Peyton's brain was a little fried. :) Despite some issues around the weaves, we would have qualified if he hadn't popped off the table (again). On a good note, his down on the table seems to be improving.
Next was snooker and while I'm *still* not a fan, I did come up with a plan fairly quickly and even though this run didn't quite go as planned, we still managed a Q and 1st place. Not sure what he stopped to smell at one point, but I heard he wasn't the only one so it must have been good.
Our final run was Team Pairs - we were sitting in 2nd place going in and Lisa and Riley had a very nice opening. Unfortunately, we had an off-course right at the start at our half. Bummer. Figures our only real off-course of the weekend would happen on the final run! Peyton also got a little hung up in the weaves...he didn't seem very comfortable weaving yesterday. One reason why I would really love to see all venues make the switch to 24" weave poles - 4" can make a big difference to large dogs! Even with my off-course, we still managed to qualify with 3rd place in the Performance Pairs Tourney.
We finished the weekend with 7 Q's - it was a great experience for us and we couldn't have asked for better team partners! The only bad part of the weekend was the heat - it was so hot and 11 runs were a bit too much. Not sure when we'll do USDAA again, but hopefully it will be cooler. Very proud of my spotty boy!
Our first run with pairs - I was kind of expecting a comical run, but Peyton had no issues running after Riley. Actually, they both did great and we qualified with 1st place.
Next was team gamblers - I had a plan that was good in theory, but I didn't take into account how far behind I would be on the first line. Poor Peyton didn't know where to go and I got a little flustered, but otherwise it was a decent run and he did get the gamble. I'm really bad when it comes to thinking on my feet...that's why I tend to like courses with numbers so there's a plan I have to try and follow. :) I included some of our startline routine in the video...boing! boing! boing! Is that a Dalmatian or a rabbit out there?
Then we had standard - we had some nice moments, but I caused an off-course in the middle. Peyton seemed a little *extra* high during this run - he blew past the weaves and hopped off the table...although his down was pretty darn good.
Next was team standard - this was kind of a tough course for us. I lost him at the opening - I'm not sure what happened, but he seemed a little distracted. We had a few call-offs during this run (which I hate doing) and finished with one refusal - not too bad, considering. For some reason Peyton also decided that he was going to have running contacts...maybe he thought he could do a better job handling this course without me. :)
I think Jumpers was next - A fun, fast course. We had a refusal (I was behind and giving too many forward cues), but still qualified with first place.
Finally was team snooker - I have to start by saying that I am not a snooker fan. Prior to today, my record on a snooker run (with Indy) was probably about 2 seconds before we took an off-course and got whistled off. Today we actually managed to qualify with a first place...but I still hate snooker! I think my problem is that I can be terribly indecisive by nature. When I walked the course I had a couple of options in mind, but just couldn't make a decision. I really didn't make up my mind until right before we ran (note: we were the last dog to run) - and all of that thinking managed to give me a giant headache! The opening of this run was not at all pretty...I knew that I was going to be behind and again, Peyton had no idea where to go. Luckily, we were able to work it out, but I felt bad that I had to resort to screaming "come". We could really use a startline stay about now...it would make life so much easier!
So that's our day 1 report - Lisa and I are currently in 2nd place in the versatility pairs tourney. I think we have a jumpers run in the morning that will determine if we can play in the final pairs run and/or qualify. Still not exactly sure how that works, but I guess we'll find out. :)
Peyton & I are playing at a local USDAA trial this weekend and we're pairing up with our friends Lisa and Riley for the Performance Pairs Tourney. Our team name is "Three Blondes & The Odd Spot" - since Peyton is the only non-blonde, we thought it was a good fit. Poor Peyton...hope he doesn't take the name too personally. :)
It should be a really fun trial and since we're also entered in a pairs relay with Lisa and Riley, it could be quite entertaining. I'm not sure how Peyton will handle having his very best Golden bud in the ring! Fortunately Riley is a really well behaved dog and is very capable of ignoring the annoying spotty dog when he needs to. :)
We decided this trial was a perfect excuse to have t-shirts made. Lisa happens to be a designer and I love-love what she came up with. So cute!
I loved Peyton's design so much I decided to design a "team spotty dog" shirt for me...
I know it's a little early, but any good "please don't chase your golden friend during our run" thoughts you can spare this weekend will be most appreciated. :)
A super big congratulations to Karen Holik and her Sheltie Sizzle for winning the USDAA Grand Prix at the Cynosport World Games held in Arizona this past weekend!
Click here to see a replay of her awesome run in the 16 inch division finals. Note, you will be asked to register, but it's free and totally worth it to see all the great runs.
By winning the steeplechase, team tournament, and now the Grand Prix, Karen & Sizzle are now one of only four teams to ever receive the "triple crown" status in USDAA competition. How cool is that!?
Here's a picture of Sizzle from our last SOTC trial in September...
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