November brought on our final agility trials of the year. After mostly rough performances over the summer, Tripp finally kept his focus in the ring and gave beautiful runs. No zoomies! My handling had vastly improved, and I managed to keep ring nerves to a minimum this time. Everything gelled and it felt like just maybe we'd grab a qualifying score. And then a blonde moment struck. I honestly have no idea why I misunderstood directions in the gamblers run, but I do know I will never make that mistake again! Studying the map more closely probably would have helped. LOL And certainly I will be sure to get very clear directions from the judge next time... plus remember that the obstacles are numbered in the closing sequence! Duh! So first lesson of the day: know where you are going. ;-) Our standard run was great, unfortunately I pushed out too far at the table and Tripp flew off it. Automatic NQ in USDAA. But the rest was awesome, and well below standard course time, and I am so proud of Tripp for his best performance yet! We beat another dog for 2nd place, and I took my first USDAA agility ribbon. We had some default placements before, but this was our first time winning over competition. After that lovely run, I am happy to have a little something to show for it. I also bought Tripp a new toy as a prize. He sure earned it! I also got the chance to watch some of the masters/champion level runs. It was very educational, I picked up some good tips, esp. in gamblers. And I was relieved to see even top level teams making the same mistakes/faults as Tripp and I. USDAA is tough, requiring perfectly clean runs, and it's typically a fairly low percentage of teams that Q, regardless of level. While I root for everyone to do well, it is comforting to know we're not alone out there with our oopsies. On a more positive note, it was also very cool to see some of the more experienced teams taking a similar strategy to mine in gamblers... I even received compliments on my strategy. Which is kind of funny, because (as usual) after the fact, I thought of a few better ways we could have gone to maximize points. Not that we have any problem racking up more than enough to Q; just some competitive strategy to file away for the future. I am very encouraged to continue in USDAA next season. Hopefully we won't forget everything over the winter! ;-)
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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! :-) This was one busy weekend! Though I must say we were more successful in rally on Sat. than in agility on Sun. (no surprise). But Tripp has been doing great in practice, he just needs trial experience at this point. So we entered with yet another organization, USDAA. This is where I intended to focus our efforts, simply because they will allow him to run when creatively groomed. Apparently we have our work cut out for us! Usually I'm good about learning rules before a trial, but I missed one important point on scoring... to get a qualifying score in USDAA you need a clean run. No "off courses" allowed. Not just in jumpers, but standard agility as well! Who knew? LOL So does this mean I'll enter less? Well, probably not. After all I'm not going to "waste" all the training we've done so far. In fact, I may actually enter more - add jumpers to the list. Hey, why not? Just as much of a shot Qing there as in Std. now! ;-) Anyway, no Qs this weekend. Gamblers was a bust - distractions made us lose time and though we racked up more than enough points, once again the buzzer sounded with just one obstacle left in the gamble. Oooh! But it still makes for a good warm up run, and I do enjoy the strategy of the game. I'm determined to finish the course one of these times! If Tripp could just focus he would make an awesome gamblers dog. Maybe some day... I set up my tripod to film us as best I could. Most of our gamblers run can be seen. Unfortunately, I suffered camera malfunction with our standard run, so missed the opportunity to review my handling mistakes. We didn't do too badly out there, and I thought we had just barely squeaked out a Q, until learning the scoring methods. Oh well. It was also an educational experience on set up and handling. Tripp is a totally different dog in agility - thinks he's a wild Border Collie! Can't handle seeing other dogs in "his" ring, and is always in a hurry to get started (hence the barking). I need to get focus, and keep him out of sight until it's our turn. Trickier than it sounds, as they want you ringside and then in the ring setting up while the last team finishes their run! Uh... yeah, right. We shall try again, but I'm not holding my breath for ribbons in this one! When we do finally Q and title in USDAA, it will be quite an accomplishment! Marshland Obedience Club held their annual UKC Rally Trials at Finish Forward Dogs in Saco, ME on Oct. 1, 2011. Tripp & I entered both trials that day, looking to finish our level 2 title. We did just that in the morning with a score of 97 and 1st place in A dvision. That meant a move-up for us for the afternoon trial. For some reason they put me in B division "with the pros" in level 3. No biggie, and maybe I will stay there for future trials! In any case, level 3 was great. We got another 97 and 2nd place. Shannan (of FFD) was nice enough to take video of us doing our first URO3 trial. :-) Sep. 4 found us at American K9 Country for the Merrimack Valley KC show. At the time of entry I was unsure if I would still be in Rally Advanced, or need a moveup to Excellent which I'm not sure I'm ready for (we all know how that turned out, LOL), but the club was offering Non-Regular classes, which I had never seen done before. After researching the rules, I could not resist the chance to enter Rally T Challenge, along with the regular trial. Seems no one had ever seen it done, and it garnered a charge of interest at the show. Unfortunately, only one other person entered that weekend, and it was on a different day. So Tripp and I were all alone out there. Not much of a challenge for 1st place, but it was still a great experience, and lots of fun. I truly hope more clubs will offer this class in the future! No, you can't earn titles, it's just for fun and the sake of competition. Maybe a chance at some cool prizes, but that's it. Entry fees are lower though, and it really is worth it for so much fun mixing it up out there, plus it's great practice for more advanced Rally exercises. :-) About the Rally T Challenge: This is a "non-regular" class. Regulations are based on AKC's Rally Advanced level. Any exercise from Novice or Advanced, as well as a few exercises exclusive to this class may be used. The course is longer and a time limit is set. The judge determines course time by averaging 3 personal walk-thrus. The time limit, however, is not posted until the end of the competition. Scoring is normal for each station (max. 10 pts. per), with the addition of 1 point added for each second below course time, or 1 point deducted per second over time. There are no NQs in this class; all dogs are awarded points. A perfect score is 200, though it is possible to score higher than this, or receive a negative score. A big part of the challenge is the walk-thru. Handlers are allowed to walk slowly through the course only once, and absolutely no practicing the given exercises is allowed (this includes after you leave the ring, which you must do immediately). Also, if you are unsure of a sign, you're on your own - can't ask the judge for clarification. Handlers are expected to be familiar with all rules. The T Challenge is definitely aptly named. It is a new and exciting way to showcase your training, challenge your skills and mental acuity, and just have a lot of fun doing something different! I highly recommend entering! Regular Rally trials saw good entries that weekend. Advanced alone had 20 on Sunday (8 in A, 12 in B). Interestingly, we in A division (the novices) scored better than nearly everyone in B (those more experienced); even the judge commented on that! It was a tough course too; challenging exercises, intricate layout. And the judge held us to high standards when scoring. She was fair, professional, really nice. Tripp made me very proud that day! While his performace was not entirely flawless, he did wonderfully overall, even on some usually hard exercises like the Figure 8 (past bowls of smelly treats)! Such a good boy. Funny thing is he was extra tired come afternoon... apparently it's more exhausting to behave himself than it is to be a twerp. ;-) We hit one snag in the trial - after finishing, the judge explained that there was a timer malfunction. She offered two choices: I could do it again and be timed, or take whatever score I got. Time only matters in Rally as a tie breaker, so I could still place IF my score was good enough. She could only tell me that I Qed. I thought it over (that is, I agonized over the decision) and finally resisted the temptation to be greedy - I was pretty sure we did okay, and realistically we weren't likely to do much better a 2nd time - but possibly could've done worse or NQed. I'm so glad I made that choice. Reviewing the video, Tripp did better than I thought. Turns out there was also no need for a tie breaker; scores were all off by at least 1 point. We ended up placing 4th with a 97 (wow, good class!) and earned a second leg towards RA. All in all, a wonderful day! On the weekend of Aug 27-28, we entered in the Lakes Region Kennel Club Rally trials in Canterbury, NH. This was our first time in AKC Advanced. We had 3 trials, 3 chances to qualify; just enough to earn Tripp's RA title... plus the club was offering a Medallion for new titles that weekend! Ooh, I wanted that bling. No problem, right? This is what happens when I get greedy and overconfident... Saturday morning. Trial 1. Course featured a jump as the 2nd exercise. Uh oh. I approached a bit faster than I should and Tripp immediately went into agility mode. That meant flying over the jump and running out to find the next obstacle. With none to be seen he proceeded to have puppy zoomies all around the ring, completely ignoring me, AND THEN hopped over the rear fence, taking off across the field!! *Gasp!* I jumped the fence right after him and finally got him to lie down at a distance so I could catch up to him. Spectators were impressed with that, but I was much less so at my need for repeated commands. I also worried that we were disruptive to the team in the adjacent Obedience ring. I am still in shock at Tripp's antics, as he has never flipped me off like that in Rally, nor left a ring by jumping the fence. He definitely had Agility on the brain! One entry scratched. But at least people had a good laugh, Tripp was immensely proud of his brattiness, and we got compliments on how graceful we both looked jumping over the fence. LOL Still, I sure hoped he'd gotten that out of his system! ;-) Saturday afternoon. Trial 2. Tripped redeemed himself in the ring, earning a 95 and 2nd place. I was careful to approach the jump (which was, thankfully, further in this course) in a very controlled manner this time, however I messed up on the Spiral exercise and did an extra circle around the last cone. Had a feeling it might be wrong as I was doing it. So I lost us 3 points right there. Tripp took the other 2 for poor position and bumping, his usual faults. But overall a pretty good performance, certainly better than the last one! A nice rosette for placement and our first Q with a score that's nothing to sneeze at... I'll take it! Saturday evening Hurricane Irene was closing in on New England. I remained on the fence about the next day's trial. With no more chance at titling that weekend, I had less pull to attend, but still hated to eat another entry fee and lose a chance at a second Q, esp. if the harsh weather held out till later in the day. I kept things packed up and awaited the morning forecast... Sunday morning. Trial 3 proceeded indoors as far as I know, but after watching the weather (and deliberating for at least half an hour) there was no way I'd beat the storm if I went. And Irene hit us even sooner than predicted, so I'm glad I stayed home. But there went another entry fee. AKC ain't cheap, you know. Ugh. I suppose after our track record of solid Qs in all past Rally trials, it was bound to happen, but still, that first leg was our costliest Q yet. Then again, I'm sure we'll beat that investment by far in Agility as we do more of those trials! LOL Come to think of it, we probably already have! After playing catch up on training this summer, I decided to take a chance and enter some Agility trials. Were we ready? Maybe, almost. We wouldn't know for sure until we tried. I entered the most affordable ones I could find that fit in my schedule and planned to treat them as run thrus. Maybe we wouldn't Q, but maybe we would; either way it'd be good practice. First up was an AKC trial in Amherst, NH on July 3. Agility Club of NH has lower entry fees than other AKC clubs, so I limited my options to their events. I entered Standard and Jumpers. We NQed both runs, but actually did somewhat better on course than I expected. I was bummed that Tripp fell off the dog walk (he was okay), esp. since he slowed down so well on command for a safer entry... an experienced competitor saw the incident from another angle and said he was distracted/surprised by the steward, who should not have set up so close to the dog walk in the novice ring. Too bad, I think we might've actually had a chance at qualifying if he'd run the whole course. But it was still a great learning experience, and the club was super helpful to this newbie, nice atmosphere, friendly competitors, encouraging for a green team. On the plus side of not earning any legs, I have no pressing need to continue in AKC agility... although I am likely to try again once we have more experience competing. That is, when Tripp is not covered in dye for creative grooming. On July 31 the Aus. Shepherd Club of New England held an ASCA Agility trial in Canterbury. ASCA performance is open to all breeds and mixes, offering an alternative competitive outlet. Trials are downright cheap (but what isn't relative to AKC?) and perfect practice for other venues, and ASCA registered dogs can earn titles while they're at it. What's not to like? Membership/registration (a one-time fee) was affordable too, so I figured why not sign Tripp up for a chance to put some more letters after his name. Yeah, he needs more of those, you know. LOL Just like he needs more silk for the 2/3 full ribbon wall. ;-) Anyway, it was a super hot day for outdoor agility. I went nuts and entered us in FOUR classes (those irresistable prices, I didn't even think of all the work it'd be for a single day). All things considered Tripp did great. Many of the Aussies were melting out there; Tripp was feeling the heat too but kept his momentum up pretty well throughout the day. The facility offered a kiddie pool and hose for the dogs to cool off in, so I'm sure that helped. We started off with 2 runs in Standard Agility. While nowhere near perfect (the twerp is developing a pattern of taking off after a couple obstacles, but once control is reestablished he does pretty good, and as long as he doesn't go "off course" we don't lose points, just time - but I'm trying to nip that zoomie behavior in the bud before it becomes a habit) we actually Qed in both runs and earned 2nd place (though I think that was by default - only 1 other dog in our height division as I recall). First trial, Tripp managed to give a "clean" run - at least, no course faults - I got a time fault for taking way too long setting up at the start line. Man, if only I had my act together we could've got a perfect score! Oh well. Good learning experience. That's what we were there for! Second trial we beat Standard Course Time, but Tripp went off course, getting one fault. Still great for beginners. I wish I had video of those Standard runs. I bet my handling caused him to go off course (it usually is the handler's fault). Video has been great for critiquing my handling skills, it's an awesome educational tool for competitors. I did catch our afternoon trials on camera. We gave Jumpers and Gamblers a shot. Both were NQs but lots of fun, and overall well played. Tripp went off course in Jumpers, which automatically non-qualifies us, but we made good time and earned a respectable 4th place among a decent size class of speedy herding dogs! I didn't understand the time placements including NQs at the time, which seemed undeserving (it's just separate scoring systems, makes sense actually), now I regret not taking a ribbon for our wins, esp. considering we actually beat some competition in those. But like I said, it's not as if he needs more ribbons, seriously. LOL Next time, however, I'm taking everything they offer, just like any other show. Hey, at least it's something tangible in return for our efforts. ;-) Gamblers was really interesting. I had very little experience with this game so my expectations were not overwhelmingly high, but of course I had hope. It was more challenging than I'd thought - in a good way. Very strategic. Not nearly as easy as one might think. Lots of fun! Unfortuately I was unprepared at the start line and ran in without setting up, which sent Tripp out of control. Regaining focus ate up lots of time, and while we earned plenty of points and nailed the gamble (plus earned another 2nd place), the buzzer went off just as Tripp sailed over the final jump. Missed it by that much! We still had a great time, and I consider it another very good learning experience. (I know I keep saying that. But it's true!) As much as I enjoy Jumpers, I'm not sure if I will compete in that class again until Tripp is delivering more clean runs. In this sport, it's wise to put your money where your best odds are. Though knowing me in dog sports I'll probably chance it. I definitely want to try more Gamblers; it's a very cool challenge, possibly addictive. I will absolutely be back for more ASCA agility (an infrequent local offering it seems) - after all, we have legs, now we need to finish that title... and maybe go for more! ;-) Meanwhile, I'll be focusing our agility efforts mainly on USDAA, which allows dyed dogs, so we're all set to keep trialing when creatively groomed. Hopefully we start those trials later this fall. If we seem ready, I might throw in one more attempt at AKC before winter closes in. What can I say, I'm a glutton. LOL Yesterday we entered two trials at the American Eskimo Dog Club of New England's UKC Show & Rally Obedience in Westfield, MA. Forecasts threatened rain, but as usual the weekend turned out lovely, if a bit warm. I'll take the heat over working in a downpour, although I did end up a bit sunburned. ;-) Tripp was slightly distracted and I would've preferred a tighter heel position, but overall he was great, esp. considering we were both a little rusty after so many months out of the sport. The judge, Peg Munves, gave me a wonderful compliment on my handling. She's also completely infatuated with Tripp (well, who can blame her?) LOL I say she went too easy on us in scoring, but then, Rally isn't as much about absolute perfection like traditional obedience - it is also about the dog-handler relationship, and working well as a team. This was our first time in the advanced class; RO level 2. Once again we were the only ones in A division (for untitled dogs or "new" handlers) - seems most handlers in UKC are in B. So of course we took First Place by default. Trial 1, we finished with a perfect score of 100. I was in disbelief. Our performance certainly was not perfect. But the judge said it was because of my handling, working Tripp through the course so well. Wow. I still think it's because he's just so darn flashy out there, he simply makes me look good. LOL Oh but that perfect 100 wasn't the end of it. At the end of the trial, they take the best scoring team with the fastest time out of all levels and divisions and award them a special High in Trial ribbon and prize. Can you believe it, we won! Our first HIT! :-) And our first leg towards URO2. The proud moments don't end there. Trial two, we finished with a score of 99, and another HIT! That was just incredible; I didn't expect it with an imperfect score. And there were at least a dozen entries in both trials, so we were up against some good competition. Another leg towards our advanced title, just one more to go. I expect to finish this fall at the Marshland trials. What? That's not all? Oh no, we did even more! :-) In level 3, there is an "honor dog" - one team performs a down stay in the corner of the ring while another team does the rally course. Each competitor in that level must act as honor dog once. If there is an odd number, then a stand in honor dog must be brought in. After our final trial, the judged asked how Tripp's down stay was. (It's strong.) As there was only one entry in RO3 in trial 2, they needed an honor dog as well as someone to run the course while the competitor performed the honor exercise. In other words we get to have a free run through. Well, she didn't have to ask me twice! She even offered to score and time us as if we were competing. Heck yeah! I was somewhat less impressed with Tripp's distracted performance and commented that "I'm glad this doesn't count" but incredulously we still would've managed to score 98 with a fast time. To quote the timer, we "flew through that course." It was great practice and I swear rally gets more fun the higher you go. Can't wait for the next trial, and looking forward to moving up in levels. Yesterday Tripp had a fun new adventure. Well, perhaps adventure is too strong a word, as he took everything in stride like it was any other day. That is, of course, the intention of the American Temperament Test Society's evaluation process; to simulate everyday life experiences to gauge the dog's innate temperament. It is a judgement not of behavior or training, but of a dog's instinctive reactions to various stimuli. While many things play a part in how a dog will respond on a given day, from previous socialization and training, to recent activities, stress, or even weather, a temperament test is a wonderful way to judge basic stability. It's also an easy and fun activity to do with your pet; one that can give you more insight into their natural behavior. Which makes it useful for just about everyone.
For more information on ATTS and their tests, visit www.atts.org. Tripp's evaluation: passed, all scores average or above average. That's my boy! :-) Unfortunately my video did not come out well. But here is a description of our test... 1. Neutral Stranger: Person approaches, shakes hands with handler, ignoring dog. Tripp wiggles with delight. 2. Friendly stranger: Person approaches dog with enthusiastic greeting, ignoring handler. Tripp is thrilled that someone wants to say hi to him this time. 3. Hidden Noise: Station worker shakes a metal bucket filled with rocks and sets it in dog's path. Tripp alerts then proceeds to stick his head in the bucket. 4. Gunshots: Handler stops at station and starter pistol is fired (3 shots) from a blind 15 feet behind dog's back. Tripp finds something interesting to sniff and shows practically no reaction to the gunshots. 5. Umbrella: Sitting person opens umbrella as dog approaches. Tripp pauses to look for a split second before investigating. 6. Plastic footing: Handler and dog traverse a long strip of plastic laid on ground. 7. Wire footing: Dog walks over an unfolded ex-pen flat on ground. Tripp is unruffled at either change in footing. 8. Non-threatening stranger: A weirdly dressed/behaved person crosses dog's path some distance ahead. Tripp alerts at my side and remains focused on the apparent drunk. 9. Threatening stranger: The weird person turns and approaches dog & handler, yelling louder and waving a stick in the air. Tripp stands his ground, watching this silly display with curiosity. 10. Aggression: The weird person approaches closer in a more threatening way, hitting ground with the stick and yelling at dog. Tripp seems to wonder if she is playing, then decides otherwise. He steps back with suspicion and lets out a few good barks. End of test. TT title earned! :-) Taken at Finish Forward Dogs in Saco, ME at 22.5 months old. It’s been another busy year with Tripp growing up and further broadening his horizons. At just 18 months, that boy has sure developed quite a resume of his own, plus given me a nice collection of show ribbons. I joke that he’ll have to retire by the time he’s 3, as I’ll run out of wall space! Of course you know that’s not true, at least about retiring… the wall space thing OTOH… ;-)
9 months We got an early start to the season with an all day Musical Freestyle workshop on March 7th. The terrible teens had just begun to set in and I worried that the twerp’s brain would fall out in this class where there was a prerequisite for basic obedience and control. But as I have learned is his way, Tripp was a show off and did surprisingly well. We even met another Standard Parti Poodle, an uncommon but pleasant coincidence. My boy remained flashy looking in motion, regardless of what music played – ah, versatility; the very reason I own Poodles. LOL As always, it was a fun educational experience, made all the better by the fact that I finally have a dog to take seminars with. No more auditing – time to work! :-) I think we both look forward to more doggie dancing in the future. As spring progressed, we returned to agility training classes, continuing throughout the year. Tripp and I should be ready to begin competition by the mid-2011 season (after post-winter break refresher training). We also started up in an advanced obedience/rally training course, which prepared us well for upcoming trials. The class was repeated in the fall for extra practice, and I look forward to getting back into it again next year. We also continued with occasional swimming lessons, which he enjoys. However I’ve found that he prefers the swim itself over jumping in, so we will not likely be getting into dock diving after all. Oh well, plenty of other sports to keep us amused. It’s all about having fun! 11 months May Day, we have a show dog! May 1st took us to Westfield, MA for Tripp’s first UKC conformation show. He did a good job for his first time out at just under 11 months old, and earned 50 points in 2 shows towards his title. Handling classes back home definitely helped, and I really enjoyed showing, a bit more than expected! Some day I envision having a more “serious” show dog. For now though, I’ll stick with my guinea pig. On the 23rd, we headed over to Saco, ME for a weight pull workshop. Not a sport I had any serious consideration of doing, but since UKC offers WP trials at some shows along with a versatility award for those who compete and place in performance and conformation at the same event, plus the fact that WP opportunities (both trials and education) are few and far between around here, I took the chance for a good introduction to the sport. Hey, why not? It was a lot more fun than I expected and I can see how it’d be easy to get hooked on. Tripp did a great job as well, seemingly a natural! Although I later found it was more beginner’s luck, as he has required further training (like any normal dog!). LOL Still, we learned a lot that day and I anticipate competing on occasion throughout his career. 1 year June 13 brought us back to Saco for AKC’s Canine Good Citizen test. I can’t say Tripp performed as awesomely as I hoped, but as usual I was looking for a tight competitive obedience heel and perfect response. A lot to ask from a distractible puppy! He worked loosely but was well responsive and passed each exercise no problem. We returned home with his CGC title and the goal of better proofing his performance for the “real” trials. Hocus Pocus, Tripp needs to focus! On the 27th I jumped at the chance to sign up for a nearby training workshop with Dee Ganley. It was great to finally work with this excellent trainer, and to practice focus under novel distraction. Tripp had fun as always. 13 months July 10 found us in York, ME for morning agility run thrus. Tripp proved how important it is to practice on different courses in locations other than class. Let’s just say you won’t be seeing video of our warm up runs on youtube any time soon! LOL He completely lost his mind out there and had to be put back on leash for a few runs. It was a wonderful learning opportunity for us though, and lots of fun regardless of teenage behavior. Unfortunately my camera died before our final runs, just when he was finally getting good! We finished up on a Jumpers course, which we’d never experienced before, and ended off leash with a beautiful performance. Happy to end on such a positive note. Everything wrapped up just in time to beat the rain. As we left, the skies opened up and a downpour was upon us. Thankfully it was not lasting, and it eventually tapered off to light intermittent showers, allowing us to head over to Calef’s field in Barrington for a craft fair. It was great dog socialization, and we got in some early Christmas shopping. We spent July 17 & 18 in Manchester, CT for Tripp’s second weekend of UKC conformation. Somehow I managed to miss the first ring time, which I was none too pleased about. But at least we had 2 other chances to show, so live and learn! Tripp racked up more “default points” as I call them, being awarded class placements with no other Multicolored Standard Poodles to compete against. (UKC awards points on somewhat of a merit system, judging against the breed standard rather than solely on who else is in the ring. Points may be withheld from dogs not up to par. 100 points are required for championship, but the dog must also have 3 wins against competition, so a dog is not automatically a CH at 100 points.) Day two made up for our missed show prior, as Tripp placed 3rd in Group, giving him his first competition credit. We received a nice critique from one of the judges on both his quality and my handling skills. That just made my day. August 1 we were in Saco again for UKC Rally run thrus. Practice paid off and Tripp did a fantastic job, even earning a lovely compliment on heelwork from the judge. We’re ready for the real thing! I also got lucky and won the silent auction for a private “workout” with the awesome Barb Burri. All in all an exciting day. 14 months Mid-August we journeyed further into Maine for a private weight pull lesson at a pet fair. It was good to get some more professional guidance, as we were currently unable to practice on our own. I also got some assistance in measuring Tripp for his own harness, which I later ordered (and it’s beautiful!) – now we’re committed to the sport! :-) During the pet fair, Tripp also helped demonstrate basic Rally-O for interested beginners, and got more all-important socialization. August 14 brought more UKC conformation with the summer heat. Marion, MA hosted Silver City K9 Club’s all-breed show, and we dressed to impress; me in my new show attire and Tripp in his sexy new Continental trim. Continued handling classes paid off and we both showed improvement in the ring… after one initial hiccup. The pup was a bit over excited to see the first judge, which was cute but not exactly conducive to examination. ;-) Once around and he got his bearings, standing better for the judge next try. We got our class points, but lost to a CH in Breed, who showed wonderfully and deserved the win. The afternoon show put us under a well known Poodle judge, and Tripp did me proud. He looked better than ever out there, and it’s still our best performance to date. Even more exciting, we defeated the CH that beat us last time, earning our second competition credit with a Best of Breed. We continued to the Group ring, which was very large and full of excellent dogs, including Grand Champions. After reexamining everyone and sending around the ring, the judge picked his “short list” of those up for placement. My heart literally skipped a beat when he called us out first! What a moment! He sent the group around again with us in the lead. Unfortunately Tripp is accustomed to following rather than being followed, so he was slightly distracted by everyone behind him and didn’t gait quite as well. I think that played a big part in the judge’s decision to switch us with the #2 dog, although it was a beautiful specimen. Around again and Tripp moved better with someone to chase. I was still in a daze when the judge called the placements – we won 2nd! It remains our most impressive win, for all the competition we were against. If only that had counted towards CH credit, it would have been an awesome day to earn our title. But as we already got our CC in Breed competition, that was it for the day – we’d need one more at another show. (Oh darn, more showing? You know that just breaks my heart. hehehe) Another neat bit of trivia was that the judge was one who put up Tripp’s sire at the national competition for BOB. No wonder he picked us, those parti boys are memorable. So says the judge, “I know what I like!” :-) That is still my favorite show day, not only because of the big win, but because my boy just looked so good. 15 months September was a busy month. We started off with our private lesson with Barb, giving APDT style rally a try. What fun! It’s definitely more challenging than AKC or UKC and I can’t wait to get started competing. Tripp does great overall, looks flashy as always, and has fun doing it, which I’m glad of because obedience is my favorite sport. Rally is reaching the top now over traditional obedience, as it’s much more interesting and varied, not just the same old routine every time. Plus the allowed communication between handler and dog is more enjoyable. I still would like to eventually try for some regular obedience titles as well though. Another thing I was happy to confirm is that APDT is welcoming to all competitors, and should allow us in trials with dyed hair. This was a big concern of mine, as I do creative grooming, and feared having to give up all dog sports while Tripp was in color. AKC is strictly against it, but surprisingly UKC has no problem (it’s nothing that interferes with ability to perform, so really!), but as usual UKC events are uncommon in the area. So I’m glad to have APDT rally available to us (“local” trials are held fairly regularly), and USDAA is also open to creative grooming so we will have an agility venue as well once prepared for that sport. We headed back to Manchester, CT on 9/11 to join “The Pom Poms” all-Poodle musical freestyle team. Laurel Rabschutz & Nancy Triou taught a private workshop series at Tails U Win just for the group, founded by Honey Loring (of Camp Gone to the Dogs). It was a lot of fun and great practice. As always, the instructors offered great educational value (they also taught the workshop we attended in March). And how neat to part of a freestyle group made up of all Poodles! The plan is to perform at different functions as we progress. On 9/12 we skipped over to Enfield, CT for another UKC event. This time we entered our first weight pull trial along with conformation. Either Tripp knew something was up that day or our lack of refresher handling classes really showed, as the twerp was an absolute fool in the ring. Maybe it was just the new haircut - I clipped him down for summer - so perhaps he just felt better in the heat, or figured why act serious if he doesn’t look it? haha No matter apparently, as the first judge put us up for BOB over another CH, finishing Tripp’s title first thing. After taking our win photo, it was on to Group, but alas no placements this time. We moved on to the WP trial, where his antics continued. What a nut. But considering how little experience we had, he did okay, and managed to accumulate just enough points for his first “leg” towards the UWP title. He also was awarded 4th place in his class, so not bad for our first time out! That also got us Total Dog award for showing versatility by placing in performance and conformation. So even though the puppy crazies prevented a truly “good” showing, Tripp’s quality shined through and it was a pretty special day. I hoped doing weight pull would tire him out enough to behave better in show #2, but his intensity lasted all day nearly until we packed up to leave, when he finally crashed. The second show went quicker as he went directly into the CH ring, where he was defeated by the other dog. Well, only fair we take turns winning. ;-) Next weekend we did some rally run thrus, getting a little more practice under our belt before the upcoming competitions. At the end of the month we took a road trip to Agawam, MA for our first UKC rally trial. We finished with a score of 97 and 1st place. The weekend after took us to Saco for two more UKC rally trials. As usual, most points deducted were from handler error, in other words, it’s all my fault. LOL But we still got a very decent 96 in trial 1 and in trial 2, Tripp (and I) gave a great performance, earning a perfect 100 and his URO1 title! I so wish I got it on camera. His heelwork was just beautiful. :-) To celebrate our success, we detoured on our way home to catch the tail end of Dover Apple Harvest Day. I almost always miss these great local events (mostly due to work) and usually don’t find out about them until the last minute, so knowing the date in advance and having just enough time after trials to swing by, I certainly took advantage. Besides another great dog socialization opportunity, this is a particularly cool event. Even though we missed most of it, there was still some neat stuff going on, and plenty of unique vendors to shop at. Tripp of course still believes everyone ventures out in public just to see him… as well they should! LOL 16 months Mid-October brought on our first AKC rally trials. And here we got all excited about moving on to advanced in UKC, now we were back to square one in AKC novice! LOL On 10/14 we drove to Amherst for a fun practice show n’ go at American K9 Country. It started with a warm-up “aerobic heeling” session, which was totally cool! Then on to the matches. One flat rate for the day allowed unlimited entries, so I jumped on the opportunity to try everything. Along with all the rally I could get, we gave traditional obedience a shot, even Open! Tripp especially liked CDX level, and why not – it has jumps! LOL I admit it’s my favorite level as well. Considering we had zero experience with the exercises in Open, he did okay. The retrieve was amusing! The broad jump, which he’d never seen before, was performed very well. Just that agility ability showing through, I’m sure. Overall pretty encouraging for us to eventually give it a shot. Definitely need to clean up our performance a lot, and fade out all those cues we’re allowed in rally, but no hurry. Maturity and regular practice will naturally make Tripp improve, so perhaps some day we can try it out. We certainly aim for that level of perfection anyway, minus the stiffness and silence, so as long as we still have fun, there’s no reason to not do obedience. On that note, Tripp’s uncle Chase is a big time obedience star, having obvious fun in the ring, and trained entirely with positive/clicker training (which many competitors still stubbornly believe can’t be done) all the way to Utility Excellent level, and apparently shooting for Obedience Champion. He’s also earned the highest level AKC rally title and advanced UKC obedience titles, along with several others, all the while being a happy bouncy fun-having Poodle. What a wonderful role model! We remained in Amherst the 15th through 16th for trials. Day one was tough, with a tricky course layout which caused many a competitor to miss one sign, automatically losing points. Well, at least I wasn’t the only one. Worse was when I did an exercise wrong, docking us 10 points, which I felt pretty stupid about because my trainer just went over that with me! Chalk it up to ring nerves. I made many more errors over the weekend, bringing our scores much lower than I prefer. Tripp meanwhile did a good job overall. Can’t be perfect all the time I suppose. ;-) We still qualified in each round, with an 85 on day one, and a much improved 94 on day two. Later that month we attended a “training games” seminar in York, before heading back to Amherst on the 24th for our third AKC rally trial. Once again I screwed up on an exercise I shouldn’t have – just before ring time I was explaining to my mom how the call front/3 steps back was performed, making the point to be sure you get in the appropriate number of steps… then what do I do in trial, but miss that 3rd step back! *Sigh* Another 10 points lost. Maybe I should stick with UKC; that’s obviously where our luck is. LOL (Okay, so it’s probably more because of a bigger show causing bigger nerves, plus being relatively out of practice, as obed/rally class had ended by then, so I wasn’t reminded of handling skills on a weekly basis. ;-) Regardless, I was not the only one to make that error, and we actually ended up having the best time and high score. Although it was only an 87, Tripp earned his Rally Novice title with a First Place. I’ll take it! 17 months (almost) Halloween weekend brought the final practice meet for The Pom Poms. This was our last chance to get organized and solid on routine before performing at the grooming show, which we had been invited to demo at. (See my groomer blog for more on that story.) I wasn’t entirely sure of our ability since we’d only made it to 2 meets, so remained on standby if they needed me to fill a space. Indeed that happened and we were up to bat. Thankfully all the other training we’ve done crossed over into freestyle easily and with Tripp looking flashy no matter how well he performs, well, there was little to be concerned about. All in good fun! Nov 6 was the night for our debut. Due to a change in lineup we had to improvise a new routine, but I think it turned out even better than the original. The performance was far from perfect, but we all had a blast, and the crowd loved it. That’s really all that matters. :-) We were called back for an encore, which flowed a bit more smoothly. The crowd went wild both times when Tripp took a bow at the end and he got tons of compliments. What a show off. I could feel him puff up as we first entered the room, and he strutted around like a Champion. Of course – everyone was there just for him, right? A fun night for all, and I hope that the Pom Poms continue and we get to do more demos at other events. I hear there’s already at least one request from another organization for 2011. Hmm! As winter set in we tried to hit more rally run thrus, but mostly just prepared for the holiday season. The days grow shorter and the weather forbids travel, so I generally back off on events and enjoy a well deserved break. It was a very full year after all, and Tripp definitely earned all those Christmas presents he got spoiled with! :-) 2011 looks even busier. Oh yeah, I’ve definitely gone to the dogs! LOL |
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