Saturday we started with Fullhouse. Both girls got an even 28 points with different plans! I changed Perri's mid-run and was kicking myself for it. (In the video after the tunnel that is wrapped around the table, I wish that I had just gone back up the dogwalk and into the tunnel underneath again instead of going allllll the way across the ring for the triple/tunnel/aframe but oh well. Perri got a little frustrated with me and vented by pouncing at the judge a bit! Perri now gets to move into Fullhouse Level 4 and earned her "Level 3 Fun" title.
Wildcard was next, I have no videos of either dog's run. Perri and Molly both did this. Molly did really super and we qualified and that means that we finally got that last stray Level 5 Wildcard Q. Officially! done all game class qualifications for the C-ATCH!
Perri's run was a little weird. I chose to do the weave poles as two of her wildcards (with Molly I only chose the weave poles one time , which meant doing a more difficult jump sequence in the closing.)
With Perri I was happy to do two sets of poles because she is more confident with her weaves at trials. The second time through though she popped and looked really...upset. I reset her and she did them, but then on the straight set of jumps at the end she ran one out. I pulled her back around and we finished and qualified but...weird.
Then during the last run, Snooker, we had a beautiful opening that ended with the weave poles. She wouldn't do them. Would. Not. I reset her three times and the third time she just looked at me and then into space. I was so confused and miserable, I have never seen her behave this way at a trial over weave poles! She doesn't seem to be in any pain, she has full range of motion with no complaint on her neck, she let me manipulate her legs with no issue. The only thing I can guess is that Perri got some static shock from the metal weave poles. This has been happening a lot this winter whenever we train at our own club (they have the blue mat flooring as well.)
Sunday started with a Jumpers run with just Molly. My timing was off on the serpentine and I pulled her a bit wide towards the end rather than doing a front cross (so scary!) but it was a Q.
Standard was next with again just Molly and it was...brutal. I totally lost my mental cool and was fretting about almost everything in the course. A jump wrap off of the Aframe (how will I keep Molly in extension over the down ramp if I have to wrap her into that tunnel! And by the way, there was an off course tunnel waiting to eat her alive not too far away from the Aframe!), a 180 with another dangerously close tunnel trap also waiting to eat her alive! And weave poles leading to that same original off course tunnel (what if she pops out and gets an off course tunnel!) And then there was a tunnel at the end of the dog walk....and we had to do the end that was not in the dog's line. Of course. Wicked. We made it the entire way through but that last tunnel got my tunnel sucker in the end. I was very spastic and panicky and not a chill relaxed handler and I am so lucky that Molly loves me anyway. She broke her start line and I didn't get in position for the Aframe, she came thundering off of the frame towards the off course tunnel and I yelled for her back. I was out of position for the pinwheel after the tunnel wrap. I was out of position again for the 180 but we survived it. And then I failed to do the front cross at the end off the dog walk that would save us from the wicked wrong end of the tunnel (to be fair Molly noticed that tunnel at about mid way along the dog walk and she launched into it while I was still trying to get her attention to even start the front cross.
If only I just had a video, I would not have had to type all of that.
And if you don't want to read all of the above here is putting it simply: Hot Mess NQ.
We rounded the weekend off with Perri only in Jackpot. Non traditional. There were three zones. You were to collect points and when the buzzer sounded, do a 5-3-1 points obstacles in any order. When the jump height was set to 24" Perri and I were standing in front of our starting jump when the ring crew person setting those jump bars bumped the standard. Both bars clattered to the floor. Perri was horrified. I moved her to a different jump to start, I could see on her face that she knew that that jump? Eats poodles. We had a really rocking opening with Perri having a spazzing barking pouncing moment complete with jumping on me and pushing me (or, all the push a 40 pound poodle can manage, which isn't much when I'm used to the Flying Brick Molly.) I was able to refocus her and get some nice running out of her though, which is good! We were racking up points, so many points, so many obstacles, it went on forever and ever....too long. Because the timer malfunctioned! I was told I could run again right then or later. I chose later, much to the agony of other competitors I'm sure. But Perri is not a dog who can just run back to back. And she already refocused on me after a pounce-spazz, I wasn't about to test it without giving her a short mental break and a reward.
Our second round in we were much more focused, we collected lots of points all over again and successfully got our gamble points as well...so onto Jackpot Level 4 for Perri!
Worker raffle winnings: a Starbucks gift card and a package of Evolve Chicken and Cranberry jerky strips. The drive home was horrendous in the snow. I take almost all backroads to this trial site not because I choose to, but because there is really no other way there. Little front wheel drive car is not the best on backroads that get plowed last and especially not on hills. Our drive took easily over twice as long and there were some spinning, fish tailing uphill moments where I truly thought I was stuck and done and would have to call my angry colonoscopy-prepping husband to come rescue me with his large truck. Yikes! We made it though but I really should think about not trialing during January and February next year.... (Not likely!)
No comments:
Post a Comment