Post Trialling 2013 - Christmas Time

Our trialling year is now officially over for 2013 with our last trial on the weekend. They have tacked on an extra ANKC agility trial on 28th December but Cassie is having an agility holiday and Colin is taking me to Cavalia that night.

Santa's Little Helper

 We had an interesting last two trials with some papillon challenges thrown my way by a certain little pappy pants. She is not one for letting me rest and think that all this agility training is easy! I entered her in an ADAA trial a fortnight ago as I thought she was pretty much ready to try her first ADAA agility class and give the full size see-saw a go. Her first run for the evening was Intermediate Jumping. She was a bit fidgety on the start line so I went back to settle her but next thing I know she takes off over the first jump. I took her back and restarted for a super faultless run however the restart meant a DQ. The next run was the Jumping without Weaves class and it was almost dark with the lights now on. She was running OK but definitely slower than her first run. After missing a jump I took her back and a couple of jumps on she took off badly and hit a jump quite hard bringing her up very short. She seemed OK and we did continue but her jumping was all over the place (one jump she jumped high enough to clear a 400 height jump) and she ran past the last jump. I gave her a cuddle afterwards as always and waited for our next run which was Intermediate Agility. I had decided to do it as NFC as I wanted to help her with the see-saw for the first time. We actually didn't get that far. She did not want to run at all and when I released her at the start line she took off back to Colin. I brought her back and she did about five obstacles before taking off again out of the ring. I was really unsure about what was going on for her so I put her away for a break and got her back out for her next run Open Jumping. Again I took her up to the start line and when released she took off hiding under the scoring table. I tried once more but she didn't want to know about it. So that was it for us for the night. I can only assume that knocking the bar really upset her. She wasn't showing any of the standard stress behaviours, so no licking lips or scratching and she was happily tugging and doing tricks while we waited although in agility she was sniffing the ground at one point. Cassie has always been her own little lady and if she doesn't want to do something she won't. Before we left I did pop her over a spare jump and rewarded her a few times. However I can safely say that I won't be going back to those grounds if it's a night trial as I'm pretty sure that she struggled with the lighting and I'm not putting her through that again.



I decided the following week that I was only going to have one training session with her and not overdo it. I needed to make sure she was still feeling happy about her agility and fortunately where I train is where the weekends trial was going to be. As I suspected she was perfectly fine at training and was being her normal wacky self. I didn't do anything fancy, just lots of rewarding and fun, fun, fun. The day of last weekends trial was crazy hot, something like 39 degrees during the day. I wasn't overly worried about Cassie after the jumping incident but I was wondering what would happen when I put her on the start line.  Plus even though it was evening it was still very warm and not really optimum trialling conditions.

As it happened the first run was great and we got a Q to give us her third pass in Excellent Jumping from the last four trials. She is certainly handling like a dream. Next up was Excellent Agility. She looked to all the world that she was focused on the start line but just before I released her she looked back behind us (Aunty Kriszty had just arrived to watch) and then when I released she ran straight back to the crowd. Mmmmmmm..... I got her back and we took off as soon as she was in position but her brain wasn't quite in the game and she ran past the third jump. Such a shame as she nailed the rest of the course like a pro and was absolutely flying on the second half. Our last event was Open Jumping and I knew that the distance challenge would be too hard. As it happened it was rather a mess and included a pappy zoomie but she was with me and did some super fast weavers that I was very happy with. At the end of the day I really just wanted to make sure she was having fun with no pressure. 

Papillons are such strange little creatures. Cassie is just a mass of contradictions. She is a total mummy's girl but can be fiercely independent and will never do anything that she doesn't want to. Once I figured out what made her tick (generally food) I have found that the majority of training issues I've encountered can be over come with piece of roast chicken.   But sometimes she gets a bee in her bonnet about something and I can forget it. My plan has always been to give her a break from agility over the summer with her first trial back on 31st Jan next year. But I need to sort out her start line confidence so I will do a little bit of work building drive off the start line to one of her favourite things in the world, the Manners Minder. Nothing speaks to her better than a remote food dispensing machine!  The other thing I will try when we return to trialling is not waiting on the start line.  I want to be able to put her on the start line and just go.  I wonder if I'm leaving her for too long.  It is interesting that when I watch some of the top paps in the world compete the handlers never wait with them.  The pretty much drop and go.  We can't do that as such because we must have our hands off the dog before the judge will ask if we are ready.  So I will have to think about how I'm going to manage that.  Ahhhhhh, love my pappy challenges! 

Going the distance

Only two trials to go till the end of my trialling year.  We've had our first two evening trials which have been pretty successful for Cassie with one Q in Excellent Agility, one in Excellent Jumping and the biggest surprise of all, one in Open Jumping.  Who would have thought she would be able to do distance work already!  



I do think we've been pretty lucky so far and I don't think we've had an overly difficult Excellent course as yet.  I remember last year when we were still in Novice seeing some of the Excellent courses and really worrying about how we were going to manage when we got there.  Some of them looked harder than the Masters courses I was running with Sonic.  In saying that some tricky courses are probably what we need.  They are the ones that flush out the weak spots!  Saturday nights trial was a good example of that.  In agility there was a tyre right next to the entry of the weave poles.  It took Cassie three attempts to find what would normally have been an easy entry for her, I'm assuming because the tyre changed the picture for her.  So guess what we'll be working on for the next few weeks....

The see-saw is still a work in progress.  I'm trying hard to get her to listen to the verbal and not assume which is the dog walk and which is the see-saw.  I'm not sure I've been that successful yet.  It definitely needs a lot more work.  I can still remember Sonic taking a while to get the hang of the difference.  I've entered her in her first agility classes at ADAA this weekend which is why I've been focusing on the full height one so much.  Although I'm still hoping it won't be too much longer before the ANKC one returns to it's former full size glory.  Lets hope she listens when she goes charging up the plank!



Poor Sonic is resting from agility for the rest of the year.  I haven't been happy with is lower back.  So I decided that it would be better to just rest him and then slowly build him up for the Nationals next year.  I'm still optimistic that I can get him there sound and ready to go.  It would be such a shame to not take him and I want to have at least one more with him but I guess we shall see.  I have a full exercise plan in place to have him as physically ready as I can.  I miss trialling him so much.

The WAO try-outs for 2014 have been and gone.  I did feel a pang of regret that I didn't try out this year but at the same time I know it's the right decision and having my own dogs right for the Nationals is more important.  It will be hard when the time comes and the team heads off knowing what I'm missing.  I guess we can't always do everything.  As of February 2014 the quarantine restrictions mean that dogs only have to stay in quarantine for 10 days when coming into Australia.  Does that mean that we can consider taking our own dogs next time?  Wouldn't that be amazing.  Competing with my own dogs at a world agility event is something I thought I would only ever dream of.  2015 maybe....

Back to the real world, my focus for the rest of this year and early next year is to work really hard on my handling.  We are fortunate here in WA to have some amazing international seminar presenters come and work with us.  I have booked a couple of slots with Dave Munnings when he is here in April/May next year.  I feel like I'm getting a lot more comfortable with changing things to a more European style  but I have a long way to go.  Certainly the move from most is the European handling which is funny when you think about it.  We've always been so influenced from the UK and USA styles but even they have shifted to European handling.  If you can't beat them join them perhaps?  We are also very lucky having our own agility local Megan Bell Jones having recently come back from a Lisa Frick and Tereza Kravlova seminar.  Very much looking forward to continue working with Megan and learning more about being the best handler I can be for my dogs.

An excellent pappy

It has felt like ages since the Royal so I was really looking forward to the weekends agility trial hosted by the Agility Club of WA.  Unfortunately I managed to pick up the flu bug AGAIN during the week so it wasn't quite the pleasant day doing agility I had planned plus it was an unseasonably warm day of 29 degrees as Perth does it's annoying launch from Winter to Summer with the barest hint of spring in between.   

Cassie has never competed in that sort of heat before so I wasn't really sure how she would handle it.  I purchased a very cute extra small sized cool coat for her last year so that got a good work out and certainly seemed to keep her temperature down during the day.  I thought she looked a lot more comfortable than some of the other small dogs who were huffing and puffing away.  Her speed once on course seemed as per normal.  She absolutely flew around the Excellent Jumping course using her super pappy warp speed (aside from a brief visit to say hi to the judge, as you do...) finishing with a clear round and her first pass.  Her second run was Excellent Agility and again she flew around the course but unfortunately crossed behind me when I was trying to push her out to a jump and we ended up with an off course.  For her first time in this class was very happy and she handled the see-saw without any hesitation.  I just need to work on getting her to run more to the end.  I'm sure that will come with practice.



I also entered her in Open Jumping for the first time.  We've been working on some distance handling at home and she is going really well so I thought it was a good opportunity to give her additional experience on courses that are generally more challenging.  At the end of the day if the distance challenge is too hard I can just cross over the line.  She didn't do too badly but I thought the heat was starting to take it's toll and although she ran fast I struggled to keep her focus and she went visiting part way through her run but finished off really well.  Lastly we had our first Novice Strategic Pairs run with our new partners Ashleigh and Spirit.  I had to wake Cassie up for this one as she was pretty whacked by that stage.  I had trouble getting her focused before we went in the ring and I wasn't overly surprised when she air scented her Aunty Kriszty watching and I lost her briefly while she thought about going over for a visit.  Thankfully I got her back and we still got through it with a Q and 6th place against all heights.  I'm pretty sure they were first placed 200 out of three pairs.  Spirit was his normal Mr Perfect self and didn't put a foot wrong.

Sonic was only entered in Masters Jumping and Masters Strategic Pairs.  His MJ run was OK but he turned the wrong way over a jump, got all out of position which I struggled to fix and we ended up with a refusal.  He doesn't look lame when he runs and is still running better than earlier in the year but is still not driving off the ground as much as I would like.  So his hips are clearly still impacting the way he runs even with everything that I'm doing.  He has a ball when he's out there though so I'm going to stick with it and see if I can increase his muscle and fitness further to see if that will help.

By the end of the day I was truly knackered and my voice was barely a croak, with a bit of sunburn thrown in.  Our next trial is two weeks away and the really good news is that we now move to night trials until April next year.  I suspect that Cassie will love doing night trials!

Perth Royal Show 2013

I have a weird phenomenon going with the Royal.  One year will be amazing and the next I can't buy a quallie card.  This has been going on since I started doing Royal's with Murphy and Soda back in 1999.  I remember one year taking home 30kgs of dog food (in the days when we actually got good stuff as prizes for the Royal!) only to leave with nothing the next.  The tradition has carried on yet again in 2013 with a pretty average Royal after Sonic double Qing and placing in both his events in 2012.  Sonic ran overall reasonably well for a dog who gets very little training.  He had two fantastic runs in Masters Jumping but wasn't fast enough to challenge for the top spots.  Agility didn't go quite so well but the courses were pretty hard and our skills a bit rusty.

Then we have poor little Cassie who I can safely say is not a fan of the Royal Show.  She was pretty freaked out from the minute she got there.  She has never been comfortable under cover in unfamiliar places so the kennelling area under the marquee was stressful for her to begin with.  She settled a bit when she got to play with some of her friends and before her runs was offering me tricks and playing with her toy as she would at any trial.  But once she got to the start line and copped an eyeful of the crowd she didn't want a bar of it!  She did get better over the two days she was there and was running reasonably confidently on one side of the course where the competitors were but as soon as she had to run on the side where the crowd was gathered it was all too much for her.  I did everything I could to keep it happy and fun with no pressure.  More than anything I wanted to give her that experience and even though it was overwhelming to her I hope that she is stronger for the exposure and being out of her comfort zone.  I also have to say a huge thank you to both Kriszty and Simone for being outside the ring and ready with rewards as soon as Cassie finished to help make the experience as positive as possible. 



After how upset she was I had thought that I would never take Cassie to the Royal again but on reflection I probably will.  I've seen so many other dogs who haven't coped at the Royal as young dogs but have overcome the stress later on.  So we'll see.  The problem is there is no other place quite like the Royal so almost impossible to proof for that sort of distraction.  Cassie has a lot coming up over the next 12 months and I'm sure she will mature and grow as an agility dog over that time.

Aside from dramas with my own dogs I enjoyed the Royal and the opportunity to watch others competing.  In particular the Masters Jumping courses were fantastic and allowed competitors to throw caution to the wind and just go for it.  There were some phenomenal runs that were seriously breathtaking to watch.  One of the reasons I love competing in Perth is the depth of talent here and how much it drives you to be better handler and dog trainer.

We have a few weeks off now which is weird after the crazy agility month of September.  I'm looking forward to a bit of a break as I have heaps to catch up on at home and an agility area to finish off.  Our next trial is ACWA where Cassie will have her first Excellent Agility class. She did the see-saw properly for the first time at training last week and I have set up the tunnel under the dog walk at home. So we'll keep working on getting those two things ready for the ring. Then we get to do Strategic Pairs for the first time with our new partner the handsome Spirit a little tri-colour papillon who has been doing agility for a few years now and one of Cassie's many boyfriends. I'm sure they will make a great little team and all going well will partner up for the ANKC Nationals in Brisbane next year.

Spring?

Has it been a month already??  A third of spring almost gone!  Although if you live in Perth like me, you would be asking "what spring?"  All things agility have been going well.  Cassie finished off her Agility Dog title ending up with three passes in a row.  The runs weren't perfect but she is gaining in confidence every time she is out there, not to mention that she is getting faster and faster.  She has been in about four excellent jumping classes now.  Each one is oh so close to a quallie. Her last run was a total scorcher until her idiot handler pulled her off the last two jumps!  I was so annoyed with myself.  What I love with her jumping runs is that she is just putting her head down and driving to the next jump with every ounce of drive in her little body.  For such a little dog she has got such an amazing amount of determination and heart.



Cassie competed in her first ADAA trial last weekend.  I entered her in the jumping classes only as I'm not quite ready to put her on the contact equipment which is a little different to what she is used to.  I'd rather wait until she is a lot more confident and at the end of the day there is no rush.  She had no problem jumping 250 instead of 200.  Really the only thing she struggled with was the bigger distances between the jumps, particularly on the first two classes when she was feeling a little fresh and silly.  I had no control of her at all.  As the day went on she got better and better as she settled into the task, finishing with a clear run on the hardest jumping course of the day the Open A Jumping.  I won't do anymore ADAA this year but will certainly get into it a bit more next year because I'd really like to go and do the Grand Prix in Tamworth around this time next year.



This weekend is the Perth Royal Show.  Both Cassie and Sonic are competing in eight events each over two days.  I'll have to be really careful with Sonic to make sure that his body is OK.  If I see any signs of discomfort then I'm quite happy to withdraw him from classes but hopefully he will be OK.  It is always a massive weekend but loads of fun.  I can't wait to see the crowds reaction to little miss dynamo and I'll be quietly hoping that she can cope with all the distractions that the Royal brings  and show everyone just what she can do.  

Having some serious fun!

I don't know if it's possible for me to be enjoying agility any more than I am right now.   Sonic is sound and running well for the first time in, well I have to say years.  He's had moments of soundness of course during that time but to see him powering around the course on the weekend made me realise just how much I've missed him and how long it's been.  I've even noticed a change in him at home.  He's become a lot more social and comes to visit Colin and I during the evening which he hasn't really done for a long time.  He just seems overall happier in himself.  Which of course makes me happy :-)  We still have some handling tweaks to iron out but that will come when we get the feel for each other again.

Then of course we have Cassie my beautiful super charged papillon.  In the last two weeks she has achieved her first two Novice Agility passes.  It feels like things have really clicked with her and her confidence grows with each run.  She is just getting faster and faster.  The look of determination on her face as she charges around the course is priceless.  She has had two runs in the Excellent Jumping class both of which were pretty good and only minor mistakes.  I suspect that some clear runs won't be too far away.  I really can't wait until we have some other 200 height dogs to compete against!  I've entered Cassie in the ADAA trial before the Royal Show.  We are only doing jumping as I'm not ready to put her on different equipment when she is only just getting confident on the ANKC stuff.  I've entered her in Mini for the Combined classes as there is no way I'm running her on 150mm height jumps.  So with a bit of luck we may have some other little dogs to compete against for a change!  Then of course the Royal Show is just around the corner and I can't wait for Cassie to compete in her first one.  I'm sure the crowd will love her.

Here are the video's from the Dogs West Fundraiser trial last weekend.  Thanks to Nikki and Tracey for stepping in and helping with the videoing :-)

Cassie the Jumping Dog

It was a momentous occasion on the weekend when Cassie achieved the last leg of her Jumping Dog title.  Once you've been in the sport for a while and taken multiple dogs through to all their titles there is the tendency to become a little blasé but I have to say the first title is always really exciting.  She had fabulous jumping runs on both days and on Sunday did the second course in 17secs.  This weekend I've moved her up to Excellent Jumping.  So much fun.

Cassie with Jacinta her very proud breeder.

Agility is going OK but we seem to keep having something go wrong each time.  On Saturday she missed a difficult weaver entry which is understandable at her stage of competing.  She then headed straight for the dog walk which she gets masses of reinforcement for.  Then in her first agility run on Sunday she totally avoided the weavers and didn't want to go near them and it was a nice straight entry this time.  The half of the course before the weavers and after the weavers was awesome.  Then in our second run I was expecting her to avoid the weavers again.  When things like that go wrong I figure you just suck it up until you can work on it in training.  Strangely enough she did the weavers perfectly and instead I lost her on a 270 (very unusual to have a 270 in Novice) and by the time I'd straightened her up she got called for a refusal.  No matter of course.  I think the extra time in Novice Agility will be good for her.  Some of those Excellent Agility courses are really hard and I it will be good for her to grow in confidence first.  Needless to say we will be doing reinforcement central for weavers this week! 

Fizzy Bear at 16 months of age.

This weekends trial will also see Sonic's return to the trial ring.  I'm really happy with his progress during the ongoing rehab and I think he is looking extremely fit and healthy right now.  I ran him on a Masters Jumping course at training last week and feedback from those watching is that he looked totally sound and was moving nicely.  He was extremely over excited to be back out doing agility that's for sure.  This week my plan is to run him over some agility equipment at training to see how he goes.  I did some figure eights over 24" jumps tonight and he looked powerful and comfortable.  Fingers crossed we have turned the corner.  No doubt it will be a little messy running him.  I've spent the last two months running novice courses which are generally circles.  Running a masters course is a completely different prospect and I am way out of practice!!  Can't wait to get back in the ring with him.  I've seriously missed doing agility with my lovely boy.