Fargo course thoughts

Probably because I was out of town by myself last weekend I put a lot more thought into the courses than I usually would.  I thought Lavonda Herring put up some very nice courses that had challenges and I don't remember thinking that anything was unsafe which I always appreciate. If I were to find anything to complain about, it might be that it seemed we did a lot of figure 8s which are fine but slightly ho hum...here are some highlights.

**Friday Standard had a tricky start for a dog without a stay.  When I looked at the course map before walking I assumed I'd do a boomerang start and put a f/c on the landing side of #3. The option walked really icky so against my better judgement I decided to go for the f/c between #2 and #3.  All the small dogs made it look easy (not a good gauge for future info!) and I wasn't sure if Brag would be okay with me rear crossing the dogwalk if I just did a serp start (rear crossing contacts is definitely something we need to be working on!).  Well, at the start I set up an extreme boomerang and motored up to get into f/c position...well guess what?  Braggie is exploding out of the chute and about to take jump #2 and I'm nowhere near my spot...ABORT!  In the end I did end up serping the beginning and slipping behind the dogwalk - which was FINE and I need to have a little more faith in his abilities.  Next area of concern is line from #10 to #12 teeter.  Unbelievably to me, many of the small dogs were heading to the weaves and some even engaged the first few poles!  Seriously??  You can't keep your tiny little dog out of those weaves??  I think that was Brag's prettiest part of the course as we somehow lucked out and he sliced #11 beautifully heading directly onto the teeter.  Awesome!  The end of the course was a little bizarre.  The line from #17 to #19 weaves was pretty goofy with handlers finding themselves wanting to hurdle the table.  The other weirdo thing was you found yourself pushing, pulling, pushing pulling all the way to the weaves and I was concerned Brag would be eyeing the teeter instead of the weaves.  Again, need to chill because he found his weaves all by himself with me standing and watching like a moron...time to move!  So, pretty fun course and Bragger got a 2nd place.

**Jumpers Friday was pretty basic and some dogs suckered into the wrong end of the tunnel in the corner (ummm....like Dare).  It was a fun course to handle really aggressively and push for front crosses.  Braggie got his 4th Double Q towards MACH 2 and a 1st place.

**Jumpers Saturday reinforced some things I've already concluded about my handling with Brag.  Hesitation is death.  I've got to drive, drive, drive!  I failed to heed my own advice from #10 to #12.  It didn't really matter if I did a f/c after #10 or if I handled it as a serp and rear crossed #12.  What mattered is that I didn't just "float" down the line as my friend Cheryl would say.  Of course, anytime I don't drive the course, Brag doesn't know where he is going and had to make a decision.  From my lack of direction he thought #14 was maybe the next obstacle after #10 and I had to call him loudly and then he knocked #11 as a result.  Arg! 



**Saturday Standard was a hot mess of a course!  Definitely the worst butchered run of the weekend I'd say.  Looking at the map, doesn't it look fairly innocuous?  Wow - we got through it but I was definitely breathing hard and sweating.  It started easily.  Of course some dogs took the tunnel after the ramp (ahem...Dare again) but Brag had no issue and we layered the tunnel and dogwalk which made it pretty smooth I thought.  This is when things get dicey.  We have to go right to the table after the dogwalk and I think going to tables after contacts is tough for my dogs - never sure how much gas to give them and usually end up with too much acceleration making them work way too hard to stay on the table.  Then we have to deal with our reoccuring issue of not wanting to take a position on the table which seems to have only gotten worse with the new rule (still love the rule though!) and so instead of leading out to my best strategic spot, I'm at the table having an argument with Brag almost the entire 5 seconds.  My original plan was to send Brag out to the tire while I put a f/c in at takeoff of #11 and then rear cross chute to the weaves.  Well...our little table disagreement make that impossible so I had to do a sort of delayed reaction serp and then turn him into the chute which of course made for the wrong lead exiting the chute and it was just ugly.  However, the spin was way far from the weaves so we are still clean.  I was really worried about getting the wrong end of the tunnel after the weaves because he has been popping out when I move too far ahead so I can't do much to drive to the correct end.  I contemplated running way out after weaves for deep front cross before jump and then tunnel but I thought I wouldn't be able to pull it off.  Imagine my surprise when I did it and it worked - awesome!  As I was thinking about what I just did I forgot to indicate the teeter and we got a pretty crappy entrance but still legal.  Then to the finish, the trickiest line of the course.  I wanted to f/c at the end of the teeter because I didn't trust that I could run fast enough to show him the correct end of the tunnel instead of the #2 off course jump.  However, too shallow of a front cross meant certain death because it was a big push to the next jump.  Okay, he stops on the teeter perfectly, here is my opportunity to get the perfect f/c...I'm running, I'm turning...ahhh!  I'm in the wrong spot and I've already released him.  I'll never get the push to #17!  "OOOUUUUTTTTTTTTT"  Whoa, good dog we got it and #18!  Ahhhh....now he is about to speed past the tunnel entrance into no man's land!  "COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  Smart dog turns on a dime and grabs tunnel!  I've got the best boy!!!

And, finally Sunday rolls around.  I hate Sundays...knowing you have to hurry and pack it all in the car only to return back to a dreaded job - blech.  However, this particular Sunday gave me more reasons to hate it.  Okay, so I've got a bad back.  One of the disks is degenerated or in my book, just plain bad news.  But, my back has been so much better lately and I've been working really hard to strengthen my core and I am very regimented about my little stretching routine every day but that morning, I got out of bed, bent over to tie my shoe or something stupid and ow...I know I'm done.  I stretched anyway as much as I could even though I was so locked up it was sort of futile.  Immediately took a vicodin since I was going into the equivalent of war on my back that day:  Packing up all the kennels and other crap and loading in the car and then driving 4 hours home.  Not good treatment for an injured back!  Anyway, checked out of hotel and hobbled along my way thinking a smarter person would just go home immediately.  I'm not smart though, just stubborn!  I hobble around the standard course walkthrough thinking I definitely shouldn't run Dare.  She is a challenge to run and I have to go very fast and she doesn't have as many distance skills as Brag.  Well, the distance is no problem but the coming back to me is the larger issue there (obviously I ran her anyway :))  Anyhoo, I walk the course for Brag and I'm planning a monster layer of the chute while he goes and does the dogwalk (good thing we practiced yesterday!).  I'm feeling a little "mavericky" about that move!  The rest of the course also seems like it is designed for someone like me with limited mobility.  Planned a couple f/c's after the tire as well as before #13 jump on the way to the table but then no more side changes!  And, just as I planned, Brag got his layer perfectly which saved me tons of steps and the rest of the course was sort of easy breezy and another 1st for him.  Thanks to the judge for saving the easy-going course for when I needed it!  :)

Now all I need to do is get through jumpers and by the looks of it on paper, not too complex.  Well...I should never, ever think that to myself.  For some strange reason during the walkthrough, I just kept having this terrible premonition that I'd pull Brag off #3.  Not sure why I was so certain.  That is such an easy send out for him and something we do ALL THE TIME.  Now, when you are worried something will go wrong, don't you think it would be smart of take it seriously and do something to prevent it?  No, I just thought I was being silly and of course he would get #3.  Guess what?  I pulled him off #3 - aaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!  I guess in order to make me feel better about myself, Brag took down jump #13 - really smashed it...stantion and all.  Well, I didn't tell him but that was totally my fault too as I put my f/c in a stupid position and he couldn't even see the dang jump until he was practically on top of it.  Okay, so no double Q but I let myself off the hook.  The vicodin was taking it's toll on me mentally and making me sort of fuzzy and very tired.  I was totally locked up in the back by the afternoon and could barely move so I guess I did okay but still disappointing to lose a DQ on such a nice course!  On the plus side, my friend Barry showed me an awesome new stretch.  I lay on my back with my feet up and knees bent a little.  Then she sits on my feet and it gives you the most wonderful low back stretch.  Always learn new things when I screw myself up!

Back to the jumpers course.  Really the coolest thing about it was that it was my friend Kris's final double Q for her MACH with her Berner Kiva.  She sooooo deserved it and has worked so hard that I was ecstatic to be there for that.  Therefore, I will refrain from hating this course!  :)

Okay, so aside from a few atrophied disc issues, this was such a great weekend.  The dogs and I spent tons of time in the fields of the fairground retrieving their bumper and I got to work out in the cheesy little hotel gym and then in the evenings the dogs and I would snuggle up and watch very important cable shows like Storm Chasers and Animal Planet's Fatal Attraction!  Bragger had a great weekend with perfect standard runs, a double Q on Friday, 4Q's and 3 of them 1sts and more points than we've ever gotten before and Dare had such a fabulous weekend (no Qs) that I'll talk about another time because this has to be the longest blog ever!!