The Standard NQ I love!

Molly and I are playing CPE Agility with our home club this weekend and we are now one Standard Level 4 Q away from being done with Level 4.  Agony.  I was determined to work towards making trial Standard a better experience for Molly.  Determined.  No micromanaging contacts, no micromanaging weaves.

We NQd Standard today.  We did not finish Level 4.  (we get another chance tomorrow!)  Ask me if I care, I don't.  Because I would rather have NQ'd the way we did today, than Q the way that we did two weeks ago.   Molly did not come to a crawl at all on this course, I see little to no stress behavior when I watch this video (I think I hear one sneeze in the weave poles.)  She looks happy.

0.11s - Molly handles this turn like a boss.  She didn't even think about that off course dog walk.

0.14s - Total handling failure on my part to get her into those weaves.  I didn't want her on the right side, much less crouched down and flailing and likely making no sense to my dog.  I am so proud of her for not stressing down, for coming with me and just doing them when I put her back into them!  (Yes I was clapping, I can't help it!)

0.23 Here I attempt a front cross to get her into the correct end of the tunnel.  It didn't work!  This was an off course and the moment where our NQ occured.  I am disappointed in myself for making her do the tunnel over - I need to let her feel successful and happy.  Off courses are my fault!

0.36s This is a trap too, especially for dogs like Molly who come blasting out of the tunnel wide and fast.  The dog sees the Aframe right out of the tunnel but Molly came to me when I called her and went right onto her next line!

0.40sMolly does a nice distance send to the jump before we turned toward the Aframe.  I am so proud of how she works away from me!

0.41s I love this Aframe.  Sure she blows it.  But look at me not micromanaging it and she strides up and over the top without stress behaviors at the apex.  She also does not shut down once she is at the bottom of it!   (Here she takes another off course tunnel and I am pleased that I did not make her repeat it.  I was trying front crosses , but I think in the future I will just continue with pulling her where I want her to go.)

0.48 I love that she comes off that Frame and is still running with enthusiasm!  Seriously, by this point in a Standard run lately we are either so stressed down or stressed UP that we are about non functional.  

0.53 Kudos to me on this dog walk.  I act like a normal human!  No micromanaging at all other than a verbal "Touch" request at the end zone.   And wow, she ran right to the bottom!

0.56 She nearly ran this jump out because it is not in her line, I was pleasantly surprised that she called over to me and took the jump!

So.  That was 25 faults (15 for the Aframe Contact and 10 for Off Courses.)   But Molly had a great time regardless , we finished the course and we did it as a happy team.  What more could I ask for??  We get to play more tomorrow, can't wait!