Louisville Cluster and 7 more days!

 The Louisville Cluster always comes and goes so fast. I love the show. Its 4 days of agility (and obedience and I guess there was that OTHER thing, conformation going on). The shopping is amazing. I have always been in charge of workers, so it comes with a certain amount of insanity that goes along with being a volunteer coordinator. I really enjoy doing it, except when I call for workers and everyone is out shopping :)  But that's ok, it comes with the cluster.
 Moxie- Well, not our most successful cluster Q wise, but I did learn a ton about how I handle her. I tend to babysit her, and I am not quite sure why yet, but by saturday and sunday I was handling her a lot more with trust, instead of taking the easy way out. She only knocked one bar in 4 days, wasn't a total pill on her contacts, and weaved great. All in all it was a decent last prep for nationals.
 Hustle- Well, the big rings and arena blew his mind a little, but he did hold it together enough for  his OAJ. He is looking really GOOD. He's still young, and a little wild, but there are moments of brilliance in there that are exciting to watch.
 Sally- What can I say? I love her. I LOVE THIS CRAZY RED DOG. I decided to abandon the Q this week and just enjoy her every second on course. Which is pretty much my goal with her always now, but the cluster is special. She had some almosts, some wild rides, and some really funny moments. She's such a rock star, she loves the game so much and she really looked great all weekend. I am glad she ran well, stayed sound and we had a great cluster. Since next year the cluster is during AKC Nationals, I am hoping I will be there, so this may have been Sallys last cluster. It hit me when I was taking her in the ring on her last run, which was jumpers, and I actually choked up a little. I barely got the word stay out. Pretty sure I smiled the whole run, and afterwards I walked her a bit and teared up even more. (Okay, I lost it for a second.) She's just so special, and realizing that her retirement is coming faster than I would like is a hard pill to swallow. But I am going to love her every second in the ring that I can. My Sally Wags..
 On another note, it was an ODD cluster. My students really did well, and were great advertising for me! Lots of Qs and really nice runs and they are making fantastic handling choices and progress. It's really gratifying to watch. But I have learned a valuable lesson. That sometimes you just have to step back and let someone make their own mistakes and not try to guide them after a certain point. Because your best intentions sometimes get turned around and you are the bad guy. And I have learned, sadly, not to put 100% faith in anyone but yourself and your very best friends in this game because things can change in a blink. I'm still a little shocked and bewildered about the whole situation but I refuse to slander anyone that I still care about, regardless of their behavior. What I will say is, my intentions were always good and its true that the path to hell is paved with good intentions.
 Enough about THAT. Reno!!! 7 days baby! 7 days we will be on a plane, heading to RENO! Aww yeah!  I have been packing this week, so that I don't FORGET something, which makes me neurotic. My goal is to have everything packed by saturday, take it and weigh it all and load balance it, then I am set. Got Moxies thundershirt for the plane, and I have been putting it on her a little each day to get her used to it again. Have her bed and crate and everything ready to go. She's a trooper, so I have no worries. I bought an Ipad last friday and I still haven't taken it out of the box! It should be good for the trip, so we can post pictures as we go, and maybe video. We are pumped, and ready to have fun no matter what the results are. And going with April makes it all the more awesome!

Great Agility Weekend!!!

I was supposed to show 3 days at a trial in northern Indiana but decided to skip friday as we were under severe tornado threats. Unfortunately it turned out that the threats were very real. 5 miles from my home, the entire town was destroyed. It was a scary day, and incredibly sad. While I can relate to losing everything I own to a natural disaster, I cannot relate to what happened there. My heart goes out to everyone involved.
 I went to the trial saturday and sunday, and let me say I am GLAD I DID! Moxie was a STAR. She was clean both days and got 2 QQs for the weekend. Thats 3 left for next years nats, and 4 left for her MACH. Man, let me get this stuff over with so I can train and finish her running aframe! We leave for Nationals in 24 days!!!! April and I are so excited. Getting everything ready for the plane trip and the long exciting journey. And seeing a lot of skills polished with Moxie is a good sign. Still iffy on her aframe stops but at least I am patching it up to the best of my ability, and not stressing since I know we will be running them soon anyway. Sally was AWESOME even though the footing was on mats... She got a Q in Jww on sat and Q in std on Sunday. I think she needs 1 more Q for her MX now. Hustle was a straight STUD all weekend. WOW.. I am getting super excited about this dude. He only got 1 Q in open Jww, but his runs looked GOOD. He is handling like a dream and starting to get his weaves a little better. Aframes were awesome! I really connected with him on course this weekend, and I think he got a better understanding of the game as a whole. Still stuff to work on, but watch out for him when its all put together :)   He may be hitting 26 inches sooner than expected! And I had a nice moment with him, out in a field, just looking at him move and watching him look at me. He is turning into a MAN, and such a handsome, well rounded one. What a guy!
 On another note, my student Erin went with me to the trial, and watching her handling skills improve and her dogs technical skills in action made me so proud! It really is more gratifying watching your students succeed than it is succeeding yourself! Her green dog went 4 for 4 and earned her open titles and her 1st ex jww Q, and her wild man who is a total retrain for a Nov std Q with fantastic r uns all weekend. Yay for students!

Updating Website..

Who knew this could be so difficult. I am moving web providers and trying to get a domain name release has taken a month. Its frustrating and not necessary! Oh well, it will be worth it in the end when I can update it more frequently and add cool new things to it!
 We have a new tiller for the barn, which helps keep the dirt fresh and awesome for the dogs to run on. Heater should be working soon, so we will have HEAT! Yahoo..  I am putting new classes together and new things for the students to do, and I have a few other new things coming down the pike. Should be a fun and exciting year if all goes to plan!
 Moxie trained REALLY crappy today in the weaves. Its okay, because I threw an entry at her I knew she would have trouble with. I am going with Jenn Cranks suggestion, that I train it until march 1st, and if I dont have that skill by March 1st, I'll shape it at nationals. She has trouble bending back into pole #2 on a fast shallow angle with on side weaving, and I knew that. Other than the weaves being a bust at that angle,  she totally rocked 24 inch jumps, both with wraps, serpentine recall to heels, and hard angles. I like training her at 24 because I think it's giving her a bit more muscle. I am also trying to trust her sends more. She has fabulous sends, yet I baby them. I am working on trust. Unfortunately I was wait listed and didnt get in for BOTH my february trials... So, I have 3 trials before Nationals. Which also puts a damper on my MACH before Nationals goal. I set that because I had 14 tries to get 6 QQs. Now I have 9 tries for 6 QQs. Meh, it's just a MACH. She'll get it. I'm more interested in finishing her 2013 National Qs. Isn't that sad? I really want to qualify for Nationals more than get a MACH. People get SO cranked about a MACH. I  mean, it's cool and I'll be super excited to have it over with. But people truly believe it's the end all/be all of titles. Anyone with a moderately consistent dog and enough money can earn a mach. Now, that ADCH... I want an ADCH! After our MACH, and Nats Qs, I am after that ADCH. That is a versatile dog, and you have to beat people to earn it! Snooker, Gamblers, Pairs, Jumpers, Standard, plus all your Tourney Qs and those DAMN SUPER Qs!! Damn the Super Qs!  
  Hustle was a good boy, he weaves pretty well in the barn. I try to throw stuff at him and keep mixing it up so he will weave 12 more consistently. When he finally DOES  get it, his weaves will be nice. It's that boy brain. He also had his first taste of me coming OVER the bar after him for not collecting on a recall to heel. I thought he was going to bury his head in the dirt. Makes me crazy, he is SUCH a good jumper, and he won't collect on a recall to heel out of a tunnel. So, I sent him in the tunnel, set up in a recall to heel and a stride before liftoff I block the jump, reach over the bar, and FEED him for rocking back. Boy did he collect after that. He still isnt turning as nicely as I would like going from extension to relative collection, but he is getting there. And 24 inch jumping is where he will stay a while, until I move him to 26. Probably once he is in excellent B I will move him to 26 inches. His running Aframe is nice so far. I'm excited about that!

 45 DAYS!!!

47 Days... Just Sayin'...

Have I mentioned lately that I am totally STOKED about going to Reno? Not sure I have, so I'll repeat. STOKED... I did speed intervals the other day on my treadmill. It was not fun, but I feel like I need it. I want to jog distances, but I also want to mix it up enough to keep moving forward. I may start doing an aerobics exercise video too. I want to be stronger.
 Moxie is training well. Jumping at 24 inches during training and doing well with it. I have been focusing a lot of attention on the double jump. Not sure why, but I have very little confidence with it. Not that she drops it much (just once I can remember with the double as jump #1), but I just don't feel like I work the double and triple much. And the triple LOOKS different. The double, at speed, looks the same as a single bar jump except the crossed bars underneath. So, I have decided to put some effort into proofing it.
 I really want to feel prepared when I go all the way to Reno. USDAA Nationals was a lot of fun, but it was 20 minutes from my house. Kind of like a really big trial. This is more of an adventure I guess. Flying out, renting a car, staying in a nice hotel. Did I mention that I already have a packing list? :)

 On another note, Hustle is getting a lot of drill work lately on the recall to heels. I am patching holes. And reinforcing his 2o2o on the dogwalk more. He understands to pause, but he doesn't always totally understand to stay there as I move away.
 I bought this WAY COOL notebook at Office Max. It was expensive. But it is like a 3 ring binder that is flexible and has pockets for folders. I started a training journal. It'[s really helped me focus my training sessions. I hope I can keep it up!

So excited..

I am so excited about AKC Nationals that I could actually burst. Seriously.SO.Excited... I have booked our flights, hotel and a car rental. I am going with the best travel partner a girl could ask for, my friend April. I have already started a packing list. In Microsft Word. It's THAT serious. What if I forget something? I tend to over pack anyway, but I'll be so far away! I have to admit I bought 3, yes 3, messenger bags from LLBean because I wasn't sure what size I would need. And they were on sale, so I mean, it was like I was getting 3 for the price of 1.  :)   I have made a training list of skills I would like to work on with Moxie before the show. I have even started conditioning her with a balance ball, and hiking. She gets to jump 24 inches in practice now to muscle her up a little, and she jumps better at 24 anyway. She is so athletic that 20 inches isn't really an effort for her. So I have decided to make her *think* a little about jumping effort.

She thinks her jumping effort is just fine, thankyouverymuch...

And then there is ME. I have decided to start jogging again. With my stupid plantar fasciitis almost gone, I am able. I really want to learn to run better. I have always been insecure about running, even when I was in high school playing softball. It's like I don't know how to really *run*. I have considered taking running lessons to learn better form. So much to consider.
 If this post seems rambling, imagine my brain right now. It's all too much to think about. I think I am just so excited to really travel with Moxie, on a plane, to a new place, is what is thrilling. We will do what we will do when the time comes, but regardless, I am sure it will be an amazing time.
 On another note, Hustle has forgotten the foundation recall to heel. Seriously... It's gone from his brain. Much like contacts were a few months ago. When do boys grow up?

Where did the summer go?

July, August and September have been a blur. So much so that I can't remember July. WTH? I'm pretty sure we did some agility shows, and I'm pretty sure we did ok! We did a USDAA show where I had one more chance to get a Grand Prix Q on Sally before Regionals in Chicago so we could even ENTER Grand Prix at Regionals. Well, on a wing and a prayer, she gets it. Ugliest Q ever and I did a whole lot of ugly savin' in that run, but we got'er'done. Who knew little Sally could pull it off in crunch time. But I do mean UGLY. I vaguely remember her landing well off the beaten path a few times and my doing some hideous rear crosses on the flat to save, and nasty shoulder pulls, and basically just anything that is not consistent with anything we try to stay consistent with. Oh well, it's Sally... Sometimes that girl makes me work my tail off. But she is always a rush! Moxie was already qualified for everything, so she was just running for USDAA MAD titling requirements. And for whatever reason, we cannot pull a Masters Standard leg off for love or money. She actually has 4 or 5 jumpers legs, 4 Snookers (with ZERO super Qs I might add), 2 gamblers legs and 5 pairs legs. And ZERO standard legs. This is the girl who QQs in AKC all the time. It's always some crazy thing too, never something that I expected. Hustle has 2 snookers legs and 2 jumpers legs, and is coming along nicely. Slowly, but nicely.
 August!!!!   I put the exclamation points there because that's how August felt. !!!   1st weekend of August was Chicago regionals. It was a blast. We went up early a day before and visited a dog beach. Let me just say, I could totally live in Chicago or the surrounding area. Lake Michigan is gorgeous. All the beauty of the ocean, none of the salt. Moxie was pretty sure she was in heaven. She saw the water and started whining long before we hit the sand. The dog beach was amazing because it was fenced in. You could just let your dog off leash and run. And run they did. My goodness, they all pretty much went feral immediately. My dogs who check in with me constantly on walks never looked back. It was so much fun to watch and I really want to take them back someday for an extended vacation. They were meant to be beach bums! The Chicago site was wonderful, except for the mosquitoes. So many that I am pretty sure most of us were anemic at the end of the day. We would RUN to our vehicles, then RUN back inside. It was terrible. The surface was nice and the dogs (and us) loved it. Moxie had a fantastic Regional. She got a Grand Prix leg, several assorted other legs, and get this, a MASTERS STANDARD LEG. Woot. April ran her in Steeplechase and they got a Q and had a fantastic run. Thanks April! Sally girl was AWESOME. She needed one more Grand Prix for Nationals, and wonder of wonder, she gets it at regionals. It was a wild run, but what run with her isn't? She didn't get many other Qs of the weekend, but she got what we needed and I was thrilled. Hustle had a few nice jumpers runs and a few terrible standard runs. He was having some serious dogwalk issues, and decided he had never seen weaves before. Everything else looked good, but back to the drawing board on the contact training. (He has since gotten over the fears!)
 2 weeks after regionals we got to be the weave pole dogs in a state fair show. For 11 days... In the scorching heat... In a nasty tent next to a porta potty.... In the parking lot of the Kentucky State Fair... But it was amazing!!!! The deal was, Lou Mack McCammon (the coolest frisbee dog guy ever, who puts on a fantastic show!) comes out, does his thing with his frisbee dogs, and we end the show by racing down a line of 24 weave poles, around a barrel, and back down the 24 poles. I have to say, it was a lot of work on the dogs. 3 shows a day, in heats of best out of 3 races. I used Sally and Moxie. April used Haze and Frenzy, and Adrian brought Panic for a few days. My girls did all 11 days. And they were fabulous. It was inspiring, honestly, to watch them work their tails off in 100+ degree heat, 3 times a day, in sparkly shirts. Sally got to run first, and we set her up to lose (and usually Frenzy kicked her ass anyway!) so that she wouldn't have to run twice. At 9 yrs old, I wasn't comfortable putting that much pressure on her. Moxie ran twice and was set up to win race 2, and the last race was just a go for it race. I held Sally and Moxie back, and got them jacked up (and believe me they were JACKED up, it was all I could do to hold Sally, and by race 3 Moxie was foaming at the mouth). It was awesome. They fed off the crowd, and so did we. We got to do meet and greets afterwards with the public. Too much fun. I can see the allure of show business now!
 On a sappy note, the last show was a bit emotional for me. Knowing that Sally will maybe never get to do this again hit me the last race. I think I maybe teared up watching her bark and try to dive into the weaves and generally just get to be her nutty self. Moxie was tired, but still gave it everything. They worked, and worked, and worked all week and never quit or gave me less than 110%. On the ride home, after it was all over, I got really sappy :)  Looking at them, sleeping in the truck, wagging their tails at me, it just hit me how DAMN AWESOME my dogs are. I'm so proud of them, and I love them so much it hurts sometimes. I wonder if they ever look at me and think "my mom is damn awesome". I guess I have a new goal :)

random thoughts on Hustle

I have taken some heat about not having Hustle ready for the agility ring by age 2. After talking to a friend who has his half brother, I  thought I would put a few of those random thoughts down in the blog.

I have taken my time with him, and probably dawdled a bit with him in training. He is so immature still, and I have the 2 girls doing so well, why rush him? It took me forever to bond with him when I first brought him home. When I trained him at first, it hurt, because I just thought this should be Luke. We kind of struggled through that. I had to make myself sit down and get a clicker and shape him and build a bond. I went to the bathroom and cried the first time I trialed him, and he was such a good boy. I dont know what I cried more about, the Luke factor, or the fact that I had shortchanged Hustle so terribly in training. After that, I decided he will be very well trained, and I was going to enjoy every moment of it.
And now I do... He's a blast, my big dumb boy ;)  Hustle is my dessert now. Sally and Moxie are for SURE the main course right now, but Hustle is my secret indulgence. He just makes me laugh, and smile, and roll my eyes at his silliness. No pressure... His will be a late journey, but I am determined it will be a damn good one.