This weekend, the PomPoms offered musical freestyle demonstrations to entertain the crowd at one of my favorite training places.  It was a nice turnout, and as I have missed this event in past years, I was glad to finally have been able to attend.  Add in a chance to dance with our Poodles and it was a great day.  We of course offered our group routine to A Poodle in Paris, as well as Tripp's & my solo act to Van Halen's Jump.  Robin & Lexie also performed their new routine to I Could've Danced All Night, and our recent addition to the Poms, Nancy & Ben did their Mexican Hat Dance.  What fun!

We returned to Saco the next day to compete in the annual Fun Pull.  The morning began with a novice pull for those just starting or who wanted to do some training.  It's a great opportunity for newcomers to the sport or dogs who aren't quite ready for competition.  Treats, toys, etc. may be used freely, and handlers are offered professional help and advice as needed.  Equipment is even available for those who don't have a harness, so nothing more is required by the handler than to show up with their dog.  What an awesome chance to try something new and exciting with your active pet!  Remember, any size dog can do weight pull - this weekend's small dog class looked like a Jack Russell convention! LOL  Well, if any breed needs a sport to channel excess energy...  ;-)  I was pleased to see other breeds beyond the usual bully & mastiff types as well, including a Golden, a Basenji, an Aussie, and a couple cute mutts. 
The competitive pull which followed is based on UKC rules.  We are hoping that a newly formed club will soon be able to offer sanctioned UKC weight pull trials in the area.  These fun pulls in Maine have been proving a local interest in the sport and are establishing a base of competitors, so things are looking promising.  It has been a long time since I've seen any trials offered in New England, and the few that I've seen in the past were often far away and rarely had a "great" venue.  I would be so excited to see a UKC weight pull trial offered at a wonderful facility like Finish Forward Dogs.  Here's hoping!  Maybe one of these days we will actually get to finish Tripp's UWP title!  And who knows, maybe more...
I never considered going beyond level one title into championship competition.  It requires so much more from the dog, as far as amount of weight pulled.  I figured Tripp's winter performance this year was a fluke; surely he wouldn't pull over a thousand pounds again - I probably wouldn't even let him try.  So much for that - Tripp gave a repeat performance, pulling the same 1040 lbs. with very little trouble!  No consequences followed.  In fact, I swear his gait improves after doing weight pull. 
Once again I paid no attention to the amount of weight he was pulling; rather, I watched his behavior and physical response.  He actually did better this time, physically - while he was also fine after our previous match, and still working eagerly, he was obviously tired and muscles maxed out.  However even after our last pull at this weekend's match, his muscles were nice and loose and remained so.  Of course I cooled him down well and massaged him throughout the day.  I'm sure he could've pulled more, but I wanted to end on a positive note.  He was just a tad slower on the final pull, and worked hard to finish, so I was not going to push it.  There was no reason to continue anyway, as he was the "last dog standing" so to speak - he took 1st place with that final pull, hauling 20 times his body weight.  Incredible!  That would've been worth 10 championship points if I understand the rulebook correctly.  If he continues this trend I might consider aiming for UWPCH... although that is still a lofty goal, with so few trialing opportunities. 
Regardless of any titling possibilities, we will continue doing weight pull as long as we can.  Even if it's only in the backyard and once or twice a year at this fantastic FUN match.  :-)

Over the weekend, Tripp & I headed to Manchester, CT (just outside Hartford) for a musical freestyle demo at a pet fair.  The predawn rising didn't thrill me, but thankfully the 3.5 hr. drive was less complicated than expected... Somewhat more difficult on the way home as storms blew in and we hit some hard rain and minor flooding, and later got caught behind a nasty accident, but all in all it wasn't a terrible trip.  The Poodle slept through the whole thing (lucky dog).  I did crash pretty hard myself when we got home - on the couch, that is.  ;-)
The event was nice - several vendors, including a fellow creative groomer who I got to chat with for quite a while, and of course several other local businesses and lots of rescue groups.  Tripp as usual enjoyed meeting everyone and soaked up all the admiration directed his way (both at the event and even more later at a rest stop)!  The dog park (MDOG) looked very interesting, complete with swimming pool (we didn't go in the park, just glanced from afar) and I was proud of Tripp - he did really well with most of the dogs that greeted him - even the males!  I don't think his obsessiveness over dogs will ever decrease, but I'll take less machoism any time.
There was a handful of other training demonstrations at the festival, as well as fun pet contests throughout the day.  We performed our group routine with the PomPoms, and then our solo act.  I made some recent tweaks to it - mostly to reduce the excess jumping - so lots of new stuff in there.  Also a good charge of winging it, as I forgot some of my intended changes, LOL. Plus there were inevitable moments of distraction.  But that's one nice thing about freestyle - only you know what the routine is, so if you mess up most people don't know the difference (well, except when the dog just stands there staring at other dogs outside the ring, haha).  Overall I was pretty happy with how it turned out.  Still needs work, but it's getting there. :-)

Unfortunately I did not get video of the Poms (though someone else did - I will add it here if/when she gets it on youtube), but Robin (our other Parti Poodle dancer) filmed Tripp & I in the ring.  So glad, as when we were out there I thought we did much worse than we look upon playback.  Of course, I usually feel that way - Miss Perfectionist. LOL

Pardon the sound - it was very windy! 

p.s.  A nice incentive that I learned about after the fact was that the event was sponsoring our demos by offering a donation to WCFO, the freestyle organization which Tripp is titled in.  That made the trip even more worthwhile. :-)

On Aug. 4 we were invited to perform a musical freestyle demonstration at the Pioneer Valley Kennel Club dog show in Greenfield, MA.  Since they were offering rally trials, I figured we'd be there anyway, so I might as well enter and hopefully finish Tripp's advanced title.  For some reason, it didn't occur to me that rally might be scheduled at 8:30 in the morning!  Ugh.  And it's over a 2.5 hour drive from home.  I hadn't planned for an overnight stay but I was NOT prepared to get up in the pre-dawn hours to drive south.  Thankfully, our PomPoms leader, Honey, very hospitably put us up for the night in VT and we had an easy drive to the show from there after a more reasonable night's sleep. :-)

The heat was already bearing down when we arrived at the show at 8 am.  I packed a spray bottle of water to mist Tripp's coat to help cool him down (a trick I learned at agility trials), and seemed to use it almost continually throughout the day on Saturday.  I even misted myself a few times!  The judges were well aware of how hard the weather would be on the performing dogs, so I do wonder if they went easy on the scoring just a bit.  As Tripp and I navigated the course I ticked off in my mind all the single point faults he might've deserved.  Lots of positioning imperfections, although I must remember that while precision obedience is what I want, it is not required in rally.  Still, AKC judges are usually a bit stricter - I joke that they must've stolen this one from UKC. LOL  Perhaps the nitpicking was all in my head - he does indeed look better on video than I remember it - but I was not imagining the need to keep on him constantly to stay in position, esp. at the jump.  It took all his willpower not to go into agility mode, and that does show in the video.  I seriously thought I was going to lose him there, but he came back to heel when called and I'm very proud - we worked hard on that.  Even a couple times later in the course it felt like he wanted to take off.  But of course as always his charisma outshines the minor faults, so he looks good regardless. ;-) 
I still don't know how, but we managed to score a 98!!  I really expected lower 90s, at least.  Not that I cared about score for once - I just wanted a Q and to finish that RA title that has eluded us for so long.  But I certainly am not complaining.  I was very happily surprised to get a 98, along with first place, which came with a $15 cash prize!  I've said it before and I'll say it again - now that's the way to earn a title!

It wasn't until noon that our freestyle demos began.  Oh boy, was it hot by then!  Apparently somebody at the show had already collasped and I saw them being hauled away to an ambulance!  Needless to say, we spent lots of time in the shade, taking it easy, with lots of water for everyone.  I even bought one of those cooling neck ties that you soak in water for Tripp to wear (I figured any little bit helps).  No, I don't think I'm capable of taking him to a show without buying him something.  Believe me, I spent far more than that $15 prize on the neckerchief and a bunch of treats.  Oh well, he's worth it.... and it was all stuff we were in need of.  Well, ok, so maybe he didn't need another antler to chew on, but everything else was a practical purchase, really. ;-)
I can't say everything went smoothly with the freestyle performances, but we got through them without melting and the crowd was pleased, so that's the important thing.  For some reason the sound system didn't play the music well - the base notes came through but the lyrics were barely audible.  Unfortunately this caused us to miss most of our cues in the Poms' group performance.  We even thought it was the wrong music at first as it sounded so different without the words coming through - I swore it sounded like "oompa" music. LOL  We tried adjusting the volume, but it was the same even with my solo performance which followed the Poms - however I know the song well enough that I could hit most of the cues.  (I actually rarely practice with the music at home.) 
The dogs of course all moved at a slower pace... but for that matter I think we humans did too!  But we are all very proud of our canine companions for performing for us at all in that heat.  What good dogs.  Tripp was extra tired after an already busy day, but agility nut that he is, he was still happy to jump over my head in our solo perfomance.  Although you'll notice his groundwork is much less enthusiastic.  At least we finished the whole thing this time. ;-)  He crashed out after that, but was up and at 'em the next morning and ready for Sunday's events...

With the summer heat, July also brought our first freestyle demo of the year.  Once again we were to perform at the Brimfield Farmers Market/Family Fun Day in MA.  There were demonstrations, live music, vendors, and of course fresh produce.  It's a small event, but oh so nice.  We were so happy to be invited back, and what a great turnout - 10 freestyle teams performing this year!

Tripp & I debuted our new routine to "Jump" by Van Halen.  Well, most of it.  Admittedly, it is very new, and we had practically no rehersal of the entire thing to music - just been piecing together the moves.  So considering everything, I guess we didn't do too badly.  Unfortunately, near the end, he flew over my head (right) then flew out of the ring (wrong).  At least I learned not to aim him at the exit for that move! LOL  But it was all over after that.  Distractions abounded, and my patience dwindled.  He continued to ignore me after I finally got him back in the ring, so I had to remove him.  At least it was almost over, but I was bummed that we didn't get to finish properly.  I am just thankful that the rest of the routine was impressive enough that people seem to remember that, and not the frustrated handler giving up and walking out.  Hey, I'm only human.
Hopefully, we will do better next time.  We have less than a month to practice (and a very busy schedule) so I'm not expecting perfection... but it'd be nice to at least finish it. ;-)  Next demo also coincides with an AKC rally trial, so crossing fingers that Tripp has better focus!!

The PomPoms also performed as the grand finale.  Again, with little practice together, and a brand new member, I must say we pulled it off pretty decently!

There were several photographers snapping pictures of everyone, obviously a talented bunch both in and out of the ring - they captured many beautiful shots of each team.  Here are a few favorites of "Team TnT".  (Click the pic for larger view and info.)

It's official.  I'm hooked.  I said this years ago when I first learned about "dancing with dogs" and attended a seminar... long before I even had a working dog!  Then I got Tripp and trained with freestyle in mind.  We did demos.  It was all fun.  Now we are competing.  Part of me wondered if that would put some pressure on and make mistakes more disappointing...  Nope!  I have found that, while I do have fun in every sport, musical freestyle is the only one where we can completely bomb and still leave the ring smiling, carefree, having a great time.  (Hopefully that attitude remains as we move up the ranks!)  I have also found that the competitors are some of the nicest bunch of people out of all the sports we've done.  I've always found a decent crowd at trials, but in WCFO it was like being around friends.  And I'm no social butterfly!  The energy is wonderful, nothing like a competition, just total support of each other no matter what.  We are there for fun and bonding with our canine partners.  I maintain that freestyle is one of the most advanced dog sports, as far as training goes, and it develops a pretty amazing relationship between dog and handler.  It's so much more than just obedience and tricks set to music.  It really is a team effort, a partnership.

Oct 8 & 9 brought the WCFO regional trials to Amherst.  I entered our TNT routine both days.  Never did I expect we would do so well.  Practice paid off, and Tripp performed better than ever.  We got amazing feedback from everyone; of course Mr. Flashy Poodle impressed everybody!  The judges gave some great reviews on our detailed score sheets with tips for future training.  Day one we earned 1st place and a special award by the WCFO founder for Outstanding Routine.  Day two gave us 2nd place and another special award for High Scoring Beginners Routine. :-)  We also earned our Freestyle Dog title.  Requirements increase as you move up in levels, so future trials should be interesting!  I already have a couple new routines in mind...

As proud as I was of Tripp for doing so well in the ring, I was made equally proud out of the ring... being a young intact male, he's developed some sociability issues with dogs.  I am not at all happy with his usual behavior towards other males, but I know it's the hormones talking.  And he's always been a bit of a bully.  Yes, Tripp!  Most people wouldn't believe that.  It's true.  Nobody's perfect!  So on Sat. we headed out to AK9C's "dog park" for some playtime after the trial.  Near the end of our visit a family entered with 2 kids and 2 male dogs.  I got Tripp close to me just in case.  Their young Pittie mix bounded over to say hi.  Tripp gave a little growl, but the pup made it very clear he just wanted to play.  The boys took off running and I was so happy to see Tripp make a guy buddy!  They chased each other around, getting insanely messy in the mud, having a grand old time.  Tripp politely ignored the smaller old dog, and didn't worry about the kids.  The resulting cleanup was worth it to see him socialize so well.  (Although I found a number of ticks after, so we probably won't be visiting the park again.)  Then on Sun. he played briefly with an older male Golden, even accepting play mouthing from him, and not growling once.  I'm still overjoyed that my baby made new friends.  I really am just as proud of that as all the awards we won that weekend! :-) 

Monadnock Humane Society is a beautiful facility in Swanzey, NH.  Not only do they provide excellent rescue and adoption services, they are one of the best training resources in the area.  MHS offers classes of all sorts, wonderful seminars, and a venue for performance trials.  They also hold special events, such as their autumn walkathon & fundraiser, which Tripp & I attended in late Sept. 
We were invited to perform a musical freestyle demonstration.  The PomPoms got together for our group routine, and "Team TnT" offered our singles routine.  It was super fun, and a great opportunity to practice for upcoming competitions.  My first lesson was not to overdo the warmup!  I should've taken video of that - Tripp was lovely.  But by the time we were called to give our demo, Tripp was a bit bored.  "What, more dancing?" LOL  So he was less rock & roll today.  At least I learned something for the future!
We also did an APDT Rally demo.  Like I always say, I'll take free run-thrus anytime!  Agility was on our to-do list as well, but unfortunately between everything else I missed that demo.  Too bad, I was looking forward to that the most.  But the trainer was kind enough to let us play on the course after the show, so we still got in some practice. :-)
It was quite an event outside the rings... lots of vendors, contests, and other goings on.  Fun for everyone.  A great turnout for the shelter.  I'm so glad we could be a part of it.

T'was like a midsummer's dream;
Poodles spinning pirouettes,
performing heelwork to music,
(people dancing with their pets).
We joined in the PomPoms,
our all-Poodle team,
for musical freestyle
and great fun, it would seem.
With dogs fluffed and primped,
and on necks a pink sash,
pink barets on our heads,
and scarves that didn't clash,
we all looked divine
and knew that somehow
our performance would be
one that'd make the crowd "wow!"
With can-cans and spins
and a kiss on the nose,
we danced 'round the ring
on the tips of our toes.
I admit now and then
the beat may have been lost
and some pups got distracted
but at what little cost?
We may not have been perfect,
but by the time we were done
everybody was smiling,
because what matters is fun!

July came in the blink of an eye, it seemed, and we found ourselves at the PomPom's final rehersal before a performance at an event in Brimfield, MA.  A friend of Honey's captured this footage of our practice.
She also asked for some video of Tripp showing off his tricks.  I've never made a list of everything he can do, so it's sometimes hard to spontateously come up with an impressive montage of behaviors! LOL

The demo in MA went well.  It was a very nice, farmer's market/family day type outing.  A small crowd gathered around for our two performances.  Other freestylers put on shows as well.  We all had so much fun, and looked forward to our next gig.

Just a few weeks later on Aug. 6, the PomPoms attended Cumberlandfest, a large fair in RI.  It was an awesome venue with a larger audience.  With nary a rehersal, the team breezed through our routine.  Perhaps we fumbled a bit, but it was still a blast and the spectators were happy, so that's all that counts. ;-)
Tripp and I also debuted our singles routine to TNT by AC/DC.  It was an exciting opportunity to perform at this event, and great practice for future demos.  We will be entering in the fall WCFO freestyle trials as well, so just as with any other sport, I will take all the "run thrus" I can get!  It wasn't perfection (as expected our first time out), but again, lots of fun, and the audience was impressed.  With a couple tweaks and some more practice, Team TnT is really going to rock!

Tara 'n' Tripp join "The PomPoms" all-Poodle dance team for a performance at the New England Pet Grooming Professionals 30th anniversary show.
For more details see my groomer blog.