NQMOO is Back!

Okay okay.  Now I have to talk about Molly's weekend of CPE don't I?

Saturday
We started with Fullhouse (Level 4).  This is usually a great class for us but it never does to let the guard down!  My plan is drawn on the map, to loop around the outer loop, pinwheel the inner loop and then take the jump combo to the table.  The thing is, Molly skipped about two of the single bar jumps.  In Fullhouse you must get three bar jumps, and we only got two - and of course the necessity of getting three jumps just escaped my brain.  We got 27/25 needed points and a big fat NQ.  That whoops took our CL4-F title off the option list for the weekend.

Next was Standard (Level 3).  It was very windy and nasty outside.  Rain began pounding on the roof.  Molly was acting like a total jerk in the ringside area.  She was over the top reactive and I was very frustrated with her.  Molly is not dog aggressive or really even dog intolerant, but she is reactive and extremely rude and in the four years that I have had her I have worked very hard on it.  It was discouraging and upsetting to see this confusing regression.  In the ring she took the tire jump, halted up and stressed on the Aframe.  Ran out the third jump and came back to me.  Did her weaves nicely.  Did a jump and just thundered out of the ring to go sniff a border collie that was walking past.  (Once she got out there she didn't even care about the other dog, just turned to look at me.)
I was very angry.  I am not cool with her leaving the ring.  It's not safe, it's not responsible.  I ran out and grabbed her scruff and told her to lay down (dogs "run naked" in CPE so she had no collar on and no leash, nothing to hold onto.)  Somebody brought her collar to me.  I put her right in her crate.   A loud thunder and lightning storm rolled in soon after the entire situation.  Molly is storm shy and I have to wonder if her strange behavior and lack of self control was a result of stressing over a storm coming in?  It would seem so.  The rest of the day she was entirely back to normal.  Normal LAT type work ringside.  Normal reaction to other dogs.  It was good to have my dog back.
So!  After that was Snooker (Level 4).  Snooker is tricky and I sure did need a Q to make me feel a little better!  Well you can see my plan on the map.  Red-5Combo-Red-5Combo-Red-7Combo.  We nailed that!  Problem is as she came out of the second 7-Tunnel I did not get far enough away from the other 7 tunnel so of course she took that again.  My bad!  We NQd but my girl was working with me again and I was feeling much better!

Next up: Colors (Level 3).  We've been trying to get out of Level 3 in Colors since July so I really wanted a Q!  But with the way the day was going....eek!  As I said yesterday, with Colors there are two overlapping mini courses and you have to choose which one to do.  In our level there are no off courses allowed - which is usually our only type of fault.  No elbow room!  I chose the Square course....  Molly chose the circle course!  We were going up the Aframe!  I had walked the circle course about one time because I don't like to confuse myself - and it is a short course after all.  We pulled it together and got our first Q of the day!  Whew!

Last thing of the day, Jumpers (Level 4).  We love Jumpers!  This was our best run of the weekend for sure.  Clean, no faults.  Not perfect but I am proud of it.  There were some tunnel traps and Molly paid attention to me and we did not get snared by them.  I especially love the little bunny hop that she does outo f the straight pink tunnel!  This means we are out of Jumpers Level 4 and into Level 5.  Whoah!

Sunday
Okay, fresh new day!  Same old dog...

We started with Jumpers (Level 5).   It was a little exciting to be in Level 5 and to have the possibility of our first L5 Q out there.  We didn't get it of course!  We got two off course faults and you are allowed to have zero off course faults in Level 5.  The first was that straightaway of three jumps into the tunnel trap.  That got us.  Need to work on that.  The second was an off course jump.  Then she slows to a crawl on the pinwheel, completely demotivated.  Poor Moo!

Colors (Level 3) next.  This could have been our last time in Colors Level 3.  But it was not to be...  I did a lead out and tried to cue her to turn.  Yeah, that didn't work so well.  For sure I messed it up because she ran right behind me and took an off course tunnel.  Then later she took an off course Aframe.  Ah well.

And once again, just midday when I needed a confidence booster along came Snooker.  I have my plan outlined but it didn't last long.  I put her in the tunnel and ran behind it and sent her over the jump with my right hand (oops!) expecting her to jump out big like she usually does. (never assume!)  She jumped...and ran back to the other side of the jump to stare at a dog in the practice area.  Noooooo!  Meanwhile I ran around the jump and called her to me and...well you can't backjump a red.  NQ!!

Standard (Level 3) Our only Q of the day!! (sorry did I spoil the ending?)  Molly was raring to go here and moving pretty quick, I am surprised we got all of our contacts!  She does a little spin in front of me and pops her weaves (I didn't put her into them correctly) but non of that is faultable in CPE so we got a clean run!  We only need one more Level 3 Standard Q to move up... Not that Level 4 will go well for us, but who doesn't love to move up?

Last thing was a non-traditional Jackpot (Level 3).  I hate non traditional Jackpots because they are guaranteed different rules every single time.  This one was fairly simple.  Collect points.  Gather a 1 point-3 point-5 point obstacle in any order and nothing else.  I decided to let Molly sprint the contacts full speed to see what would happen.  She blew the Frame and the Dogwalk both!  She had a blast!  She earned the necessary 20 points in the opening.  While the buzzer was sounding she took a bar jump.  The judge called "2!" and I didn't hear her above my calling for Molly and the buzzer sound.  I should have realized when I heard her yell "4" and not "2" after the tunnel that something was wrong.  But I didn't.  After the teeter she called "6" and that meant that I should have gotten Molly to the table and NOT sent her to that last bar jump.  But I did.  I threw another qualifying run because I wasn't listening.  I was devastated.  That would have (again.) been her CL3-S title.  Lost.  Ohhhhhh well.  To be honest I had such a blast running Molly on the outside ring and up and over the tunnel and Frame combo.  It was so much fun to just run and enjoy her savage joy at being able to open up and not think. I love my girl! 

Please ignore the person who took my video saying "Oh, she screwed up."  Talk about a joykill.

So there it is.  This was the worst weekend we had in more than a few ways in a long time.

We had 7 NQs and 3 Qs.  Molly left the ring because she saw another dog out there and storm or not, I am not happy about that.
But, we also had a lot of good moments.  The judge was absolutely wonderful and started each day reminding us to enjoy ourselves, because you never know when it will be your last time in the ring with your friend.  And it is true.  I know a few dogs belonging to friends recently who have passed away.  It can happen so fast.  I love my Molly.  She forgives me over and over again.  She trusts me and looks to me even though I mess up constantly and confuse her.  We are still having the time of our lives, and she is still my girl and I am enjoying this time because I know that we can only experience it one time.  We fell hard this weekend but still there's next time...next time...next time.  May we have many many "next times"!