I had a very happy Sunday at the CACM USDAA Agility Trial this past weekend in St. Cloud.
We went up just one day since I had to work at my real job on Saturday AM and after the previous weekend of failing at Sunday's gamble, last run of the day and weekend, I really put it out of my head there would be another chance ever in our lifetime (not that I'm overly dramatic or anything). I really didn't want this one last Gamblers leg that we needed for our championship to turn into the 40th double Q drama of 2011 where I received QQ's 21-39 in about 6 months and took an entire 6 months earning the last one because of anxiety, nerves and pressure.
However the day before, upon examining the running order I realized that there was Gamblers Sunday but I tried to push the thought away and just go up for a day of fun USDAA runs with no pressure or expectations. I didn't even have an idea of when Gamblers was and was determined to just take it as it came...didn't even look at the course map in advance of the course build. Once I did look at the map I couldn't help but feel hopeful since there was a teeter in the gamble and for some odd reason, we seem to excel at gambles that have teeters as the focus.
So, I began my walk through of gamblers in a fairly chill state (which was great) and planned a safe route (no dog walk) that would allow me to get plenty of opening points so I wouldn't need to panic about points when I should really be thinking about the smoothest approach to the gamble. I had a small quandry on what to do to get enough points since weaves were the high point obstacle and as a rule with Brag since he's gotten older, I really try to minimize the number of weave poles he performs in the day. But, I wasn't in Speed Jumping since I didn't attend Saturday and we only had Jumpers and Snooker left and I didn't need to do weaves in either of those so I decided to go for it since he enjoys doing weaves. Surprisingly my plan went perfect and I was totally in the spot I wanted to be when the horn blew (*wow*) and I actually backed us up a little in order to get some momentum going into the teeter send and ran for it. As I sent him, it seemed like he was thinking hard about turning his head to look at me and see if I was sure and that would be the kiss of death so thankfully he just trusted me and carried out and did it. There was a small amount of challenge in the exit of the teeter getting them to pass the first tunnel exit and opt for the second one but with my dog, that wasn't a big deal since I knew he'd be eager to get closer to me which would work to our advantage. The final part (and most difficult as far as I was concerned), was getting them to exit the tunnel and send back out to the final jump. I really didn't get myself in the right position for that but I had just been working him on the practice jumps sending to the jump with almost no movement from me. It worked and he went right out there and jumped (and kept bar up!). I acted like an idiot in our victory lap because I was genuinely surprised we got it. Though there wasn't much of a distance challenge, there was a bunch of starting and stopping which doesn't generally treat us well.
I'm totally in awe of Brag. We've been messing around in USDAA for a couple years without much for goals and working hard for our AKC MACHs. Last August he was still running at 26" Championship and I thought long and hard about what I wanted and decided to knock him down to 22" Performance and think about trying for the Championship title but it seemed so far off and earning Super Q's and gamblers Q's seemed next to impossible. Even after we met our Super Q requirements (and then of course the next few trials we got them without even trying - that is always the way it works), the Gamblers Q's seemed like they'd never happen. Then I thought I'd resort to doing something radical, and actually trying to train a little distance. We attended a short seminar by distance pro, Carol Lemche and got a little perspective and thought a little harder about how "the line is not your friend!)" Eventually I learned to stop panicking when the horn blew and things started getting a little better. Even courses where we did not succeed at the gamble, there was less flailing on my part and less looks of confusion from Brag. Unfortunately we had a rather large set back in February when Brag became suddenly and terribly ill. That sickness took a huge toll on his body and he lost even more weight (already had a tough time keeping it on him) and he lost much of his muscle seemingly overnight. In a few weeks after that, all of his coat came out and he was down to bare skin on most of his body. His attitude was the only thing about him that was still bright. I'm truly grateful he is still with me most importantly and also that he still wants to play the game.
There are so many things I haven't trained Brag to do at distance such as the a frame, dog walk, weave poles...definitely things I plan to do better with my younger dogs. I guess I used to think it was all about the "send" training but I've changed my opinion of that since working with my youngest, Swift. Now I believe that if you teach them to have value for something and perform it independently of you (so much so that they LOVE it), they will go to it enthusiastically whether it is 4 feet away or 25 feet away. I discovered that one day when I was able to send her to the table that was clear across the yard basically just standing still. She loves the table and will drive to it happily. Now I need to be able to get all the obstacles to have similar value. Of course, there is still skill involved in training distance and redirection and all that but obstacle value is half the battle!
My first spin on "If I knew then what I know now" was pondering how much more of a "team" my dogs and I could have been had we done x, y and z foundation work/conditioning work/trick work. Perhaps I could have had a World Champion on my hands by now! My dogs would run tricky international courses with their eyes closed and we'd be smooth as silk performing the ugliest of threadles into 270s to crazy-hard backside pushes.
After mulling that over, I thought okay, that is all well and good to have the benefit of hindsight, but realistically, it doesn't matter what I knew then, because I didn't know it then...
Isn't that what growing and evolving is all about? Many of us start off knowing nothing and doing everything the hard way. There is beauty in that though. The old saying is that anything worth having in life is worth working for. When I was 14 years old I began working at the Country Kitchen as a dishwasher. It was an incredibly retched, putrid, disgusting job and I got sick just thinking about going in for my shift. But, I worked my butt off for some precious spending cash which for me, translated into CDs (they were brand new then!), gas money, insurance money which then equated to some really priceless memories in my teenage years. Had I been born in a different situation where I didn't need to earn money to have the privilege of driving and buying my precious music, maybe I wouldn't have cared so much about that stuff and would have taken it for granted. You can see where I am going with this comparison.
Arguably, I did a lot of things "wrong" with Drina, my first agility dog that I began training in 2000. In fact, I may have done everything "wrong" with what we now consider to be basics of dog training. Foundation? What is that? We just jumped right in with obstacle training! Contact criteria? What is that? We just ran and hoped for the best! Circle work/shadow handling/working on the flat? Huh!?!? Drina and I spent years battling problems that could have been addressed by some basic concepts that we know about now. Our first experiences in Novice were absolute torture. I was beyond frustrated and my dog was beyond stressed. Besides not knowing anything, I was a very different person than I am today. I was actually shy (probably no one would believe that now) and introverted and I was mortified when my instructors wanted to me excitedly praise my dog. I didn't want to look silly and cause a scene! It makes me laugh now how reluctant I was to make a fool of myself since now it doesn't even cross my mind that anyone might think twice about how I look when I'm training my dog. I'm now a loud dog trainer (and proud of it!).
But, as awful as our early days were, I wouldn't change a thing. If I had started off doing all the right things and practicing perfect foundation, maybe I wouldn't be the trainer I am today. I might not appreciate that MACH title that Drina and I received out of the Novice A class as much perhaps. Maybe I wouldn't have gotten to experience the exhiliration I felt when Drina did weaves in Excellent the first time in nearly two years. Going to Nationals with her and having her run all rounds clean might not have held the same magic as it did. Had I trained contacts properly with Brag I might not have the drive to do them better now. If I would have recognized Dare's reactivity and motion sensitivity when she was a young dog and done all the right things I wouldn't have had the triumphs of working through those things in an older dog and the knowledge to recognize them in my puppy. In my mind I'm doing a good job of covering all the necessities with Swift's early training but I'm sure 5 years down the road I could make a long list of everything "I wish I knew then."
I ran across a quote that really said it all for me. "What's Past is Prologue." It is from Shakespeare's The Tempest and I really like one interpretation I've seen that says what's happened in the past merely sets the scene for the really important stuff. To me, that means the past has shaped me to be who I am now but also in my mind, it says that today is the important day. Not yesterday or tomorrow, but today. One of my biggest goals is to focus on the journey (today) rather than lamenting the past (yesterday) or blindly scrambling to the destination (tomorrow). If I obsess over the things that I didn't do, or didn't do correctly, or only drive to my goal, I'll miss all the magic happening in the here and now. This goal can have so many applications for my life and dog training specifically. From things as simple as trying not to burden yourself with a "timeline" of when your puppy should be doing this that and the other thing to not letting yourself go so crazy trying to get a title or some such achievement that you don't enjoy the runs with your dog. I've done those things and learned it isn't worth it.
So, in closing, I guess I'd conclude that "if I knew then what I know now", I wouldn't change anything for the world.
The agility community really is a "small world" despite the fact the sport has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. Most of us that want to be "in the know" of all the newest training techniques, cool moves and new trends follow quite closely at least 5 or 6 of the world's best known trainers whether it be via their blogs, facebook, books, DVDs, etc. A top competitor pulls out a move unique to America in a final Grand Prix round winning the competition and the next day we are playing around with that move in our backyards with our own dogs. The availability of information is truly overwhelming.
Recently one of those top trainers introduced a unique opportunity for very focused individual instruction for 5 individuals for $5K per person which has resulted in quite the buzz (ha ha pun originally not intended!). Though this has proven controversial, I really couldn't care less for the purposes of this blog entry. It isn't my place to judge anyone in how they choose to spend their money and people could argue this topic until their faces turn blue but for me it is nothing more than personal choice.
What does interest me in the fallout of all the discussion surrounding the $5K opportunity is the recurring theme harkening back to the 'olden' days of agility where everyone supported each other and all breeds were accepted. I've seen this topic come up on various blog sites and cooresponding comments very frequently especially recently. What am I missing?? Are we so lucky here in Minnesota that none of this so called desire to win no matter the consequences attitude can invade our MN nice veneers? Is veneer a real word or did I just make it up? It is late and I'm sleepy but I digress.
I know there are ruthless people out there. They exist in every walk of life. Unfortunately I'm sure a few of them have found their way into agility and are probably working their dogs on jump grids with spiked bars right now but I believe they are the very small minority. I don't wax fondly on the good ol' days. We have awesome people that care about their dogs whether they are Border Collies or so called 'off breeds.' People that I trial with care about each other. We cheer each other on and celebrate small victories whether it is a friend's stressed dog having fun in the ring or a world team prospective team smokin' a tough course. The people I trial with are considerate to the novices of the sport and are good teammates.
A while back when Brag and I earned our MACH 2, we were lucky enough to be among many friends that also received their MACHs on that day. The vibe in the air at the trial was incredibly positive that day and you could feel it. It wasn't because numerous people received a random number of double Q's or points that day, it was because everyone was genuinely happy for their fellow competitors. A few weeks ago at a USDAA trial that was well attended by lots of folks from Iowa/Omaha and I remember thinking at one point that I was so lucky because literally everywhere I looked, I saw a friend. Whether it was a close friend, a newly made friend or a friendly aquaintance, they were all friends and we all share the love of playing with our wonderful dogs -- the most important thing.
It is so fitting that as I was mentally arguing with some of the negative comments I read about how things aren't the way they used to be, I saw on facebook a video featuring Gary Herber who was making his trial debut after recovering from a stroke. It was awesome that he and his Stephanie got a QQ but what was the best part of the video was all the overheard conversation from those talking excitedly about how this was Gary's first time back. That is what I see when I look around and I'm very proud to be a part of such an amazing sport.
I was thinking this morning about hobbies. Most people have at least one, some have several all along the same lines and some even have many that are completely different from each other. Being the somewhat hyper person I am, my guess is that I tend to gravitate towards similar people. I have recently discovered an alarming fact about myself that I don't think is necessarily healthy. In the very rare event that I happen to have a free Sunday (we are talking maybe 1x per month, if that), I become very uncomfortable if the day remains unscheduled. If I wake up that day and still have nothing planned, I get edgy and somewhat bummed out. It never feels "right" to sleep in and I completely fail at those attempts. Obviously sleeping in is further complicated by the presence of my precious and always moving 9 1/2 month old Swifter girl. But, even before she was around to bounce on my head while I was tucked in my warm and comfy bed, sleeping in just doesn't happen for me. Therefore, I find myself avoiding this situation by making sure to schedule something, anything, on my hard-to-come-by days off.
Back when I shared living space with my ex boyfriend, we did have frequent 'lazy Sundays' where we spent most of the day on the couch watching some flicks and chowing on some food (and drinking some mimosas and beer most likely). There would be breaks in the laziness for some sort of doggie exercise but then it would be back to the grind sloth like behavior. But, now, I just can't do that by myself. I can't justify it. In fact, it is sad to say, I really don't ever sit down at home...well, only to eat my cereal at dinnertime.
The fact is, I am tired. Like really tired. So tired I was actually thinking of skipping an agility trial this Sunday where I'm entered with both Brag and Dare. No, I won't actually skip it, that would be earth shattering but I may just go find a Sunday sometime in February maybe that I will let myself just hang out for the day and lie horizontal on the couch a little bit. Anyone want to doggie sit that day??
Hard to believe but Swift is approaching her 6 month birthday. I can't believe I'm saying this but I think of her in the time before 4 months old as "Swift light." She has always kept me jumping but the past month has been beyond "active puppy" and more like covert, terrorist special agent. Among the senseless destruction she leaves in her wake (shoes, bedding, pillows, floors, trim), her energy level has shot up beyond comprehension (I thought she was insane before!) and she now "notices" stuff. I wish I would have known that my impending doom was coming so I could have made sure to enjoy the "easy" first few months. Our first few agility trials were so lovely. Swift sat quietly and sweetly in her kennel watching with interest everything around her. She seemed oblivious to the balistic Border Collies that were racing around the course and was instead interested in playing tug ringside with me. When Dare would lose her mind over the wacko squirrels running around the parkway on our walks she would just watch with mild curiousity. At puppy school, she gave me her complete attention and focus on leash or off leash.
Things have changed...
Here we come 'Control Unleashed' and 'Crate Games!'
Now when Swifter sees a squirrel it begins a long moaning and barking tirade with a little lunging for good measure. I have reached the point where I have no idea how to better 'Swift-proof' my house and every surface above 5 feet tall is totally full of shoes, pillows, throw blankets and toys that Swift enjoys destroying. All the pillows and sheets on my bed have tell tale holes in them from when she outsmarts me and gets into my room. I have not found the key for getting her to take a nap. We exercise constantly, and instead of tiring her out, she develops more endurance...it is a vicious circle!!! I play games with her and teach her tricks and she wants more and more! Going to puppy class has become a hot mess of late and now anytime she gets near a contact, she has to bark at it out of love and adoration. If I allow her leash to get too long she will take the opportunity to hop on the contacts and give me a heart attack that she'll fall off. Having Swift ringside is a very loud experience now. Apparently she also has xray vision because if you take her out of sight, the noise doesn't stop...
Sigh...I'm so exhausted...
Now for the positive side of Swift...
-She loves people
-She is good with other dogs
-She loves kids
-She is the cutest Dingo dog ever!
-She has great focus and control in certain settings (it is bound to transfer to exciting environments sooner or later!)
-She is game for any adventure (see latest river venture below)!
I'm Swift! Life is so EXCITING I just can't stand it!!
Barking is SUPER cool!
I've learned how to run REALLY fast!
...but sometimes I go so fast I can't put on the brakes without going ass over tea kettle
I come with rear-wheel drive standard!
Stalking things is SWEET!
I'm not a hunting dog that is just going to hang around for the humans to throw the bumper!
But if I get it, those suckers won't be getting it back!!
As the new owner of a herding breed (and also someone that has made lots of mistakes with her reactive dog, Dare) I have been pretty vigilant in looking for undesirable behavior from Swift and ensuring I address those immediately. It is one of my grave fears that I'll be *that* person with the brilliant Border Collie that has lots of potential if only the ignorant owner would get a clue. Really, I know that won't be me though I may make some mistakes I have a pretty good handle on raising crazy little Swiftie and am a pretty decent agility handler too.
I've been really pleased with Swift's behavior in classes and how she interacts with other dogs and people. She hasn't met a person/dog she didn't like and kids are the best! Her ability to focus on me in the face of distractions has really impressed me. I want to work hard to keep these great traits.
That said, though...we have met the object that causes Swift's little brain to melt out her ears. Said object = RAMP! Long ago, at least a month, we did a few baby ramps with the puppies in class. Of course they were on leash and while she was maybe a little faster than I would have liked for a little puppy, she did it very appropriately (keeping all body parts on the obstacle). Last night, the ramp was again pulled out in class and again, her first ramp was good - actually stunning. She cleared the apex resulting in a picture perfect running ramp all the way down. (No, I'm not actually intending to train her running contacts this way but it is fun to play and see where she is at from time to time.) By the time our second turn came around, Swift had gotten herself good and lathered up by watching all the other puppies perform the obstacle. I couldn't get her to focus on me very well and when I asked for a "down" (usually one of her favorites) I got a half crouch with her staring at the object of her affection rather than me. That is probably where I should have picked her up, moved to a farther, less exciting location and worked on some attention. But no, I got her set up to do the ramp again and first of all she took off so fast I had to run as fast as I possibly could to avoid her getting pulled back on her leash. Second of all, she caught so much air at the top that she touched about the last inch of yellow on the bottom of the ramp before hitting the ground. SCARY! She was not concerned and in fact thought it was SUPER AWESOME. That is the point in which my good sense prevailed and I decided to leave before she got even more out of control.
And it really wasn't that she was being a complete freak or anything but in my quest for a "thinking" dog, I think it would be in our best interest to avoid the ramp before she can exhibit a little more self-control in the face of excitement. Also, from what I have read about running contacts, the dogwalk is really the "money" obstacle and the one on which to focus your training while the ramp is more of a "gimme" that may just require some fine tuning.
So, just one more lesson learned with my sweet Swifter. I'm sure there are lots to learn along the way!
I was just sitting in my own little world (recovering from my lovely agility weekend which DID include lots of volunteering), totally ignorant to the fact that the topic of volunteering has become apparently quite heated.
My question is what is there to get upset about - either you do or you don't and everyone probably has their reasons and life goes on...does it not?
Upon further thought, however, I think my attitude comes from the fact that I hail from the incredibly generous and civic minded state of Minnesota. Many folks I'm sure would volunteer regardless of monetary contribution, regardless of guarantees of entry in a random draw trial and regardless of a yummy free lunch. That attitude seems to run rampant around these parts but for those of us who aren't quite as giving with our time, there are obvious things clubs can do to "encourage" participation:
*Kind and organized club and/or trial committee are key! My past few agility trials have been of the wonderful type of volunteer experience -- appropriately scheduled jobs that agree with my running schedule, not an overwhelming amount of jobs, fun and friendly club members who are eager to help with questions and explanations for newbies, good lunch choices (don't forget your vegetarian helpers!), beverages available, proximity of kenneling area close to ring so you can just jump in an set bars if you are hanging out, easy-going yet efficient judges. These things all make for a pleasant experience.
*Worker exemption for random draw trials! This is a no-brainer. If you are having trouble getting enough volunteers, do a random draw with some guaranteed spots for workers.
*Vouchers are nice...however, not necessary. It is unusual nowadays to receive vouchers for work for the most part. They are great, but realistically, I tend to lose them or forget to turn them in with my entries, etc. That said, still a great perk.
*Non-heinous judges. I already mentioned nice judges, but it bears repeating. No, I haven't had much experience with nasty judges but it really sticks in your mind. Even if I love their courses, I'm certainly not going to push to work where they are judging. Just silly things for example, as a scribe a few weeks ago, I had a judge actually give me a "test" of calling out the right thing when she stuck her hand up for a refusal, wrong course, table fault or what have you. It was not really in a funny way and left me in a sort of pissy mood. Yes, I probably overreacted, but simply ask the scribe if they are comfortable with all the calls and go from there - no need to put people on the spot. Later in the day when I was bar setting, she made a big production of resetting a double I had put back up and said "this is how I want it done!" Okay, one of the cross bars on the ground was seriously half an inch from where I put it. Really?? Picky much?? That said, most judges are perfectly wonderful to work with and very appreciative.
Likewise, things that put me off are pretty much the oppostive of what I listed that I like. I was at a trial a few weeks ago where two members were constantly bickering and yelling at each other the entire day. It wasn't directed at me but it creates a very unpleasant atmosphere. Remember why we are out there - the love of running your dog. It is supposed to be a fun thing. If I want to hear yelling and complaining, I'll go back to my day job!
Clubs that are terribly disorganized (despite being full of nice people), are very exhausting to try and work with...not much you can try and do in those situations aside from trying to give some tactful advice and see if they'll take it. No, I won't jump to volunteer for them and will take my chances of not getting into the trial.
Overscheduling - the worst offense!! I'm not one of those sane people who only trial with one dog. I have multiple dogs to exercise and I need to occasionally go to the bathroom and eat and drink and it would be nice to be able to chat a little with friends. There was a trial years ago that literally scheduled my mom every second of the day that she wasn't running and even tried to schedule her when she was running! Do you think she hurried to work for them again in the future - no!! I've heard some trials hesitate to only schedule people for a few things during the day, preferring to load them up on individual days so they don't have to buy so much lunch. Okay, not doing yourself any favors by pissing off your volunteer base - rethink your strategy! Obviously I'm more than willing to do multiple jobs during the day but please use some common sense. Yes, I'll stay late to work in Novice/Open when I finish running my own courses early in the day but don't do that to me every day of the trial.
Here are some situations that prevent me from volunteering:
*Out of town trial - things are already a little more stressful and I may be traveling with an entire van of dogs that need exercise or I don't know what to expect as far as lay out of the land. Generally after the first time I go, I'll likely volunteer for the next time.
*Multiple ring trial when I'm running dogs in all different levels. You know you will have conflicts, you know you will miss walk throughs and be short on time for walking dogs and it is sometimes tough to pitch in during these situation. Usually though I'll get that Novice or Started dog into the upper level soon enough and will be back on the volunteering train. Yes, I should sign up for setting up or tearing down in those situations...I'll work on that!
*Higher stress events - Nationals, Regionals, Invitational. I need to concentrate on me and my dog and suck it up if the trial runs slower due to lack of volunteers.
That about says it. My feeling on chronic non-volunteerism is that people are people and they will do what they do. If I can't control it, I'll ignore it and worry about myself. I've met people that are such stressballs they think they can't do anything but sit and obsess about their runs for hours on end. Obviously, those people would do better to settle down and set some bars but they may need a few years under their belt before they reach that conclusion!
Mom said no jility tonight cause she is all red and hot from the weekend...must suck being so white. Might as well celebrate my 10 week birthday and make her scream...it is funny when she yells.
I start all cuddly and sweet looking to draw her in...
Don't you just want to squish me up??
Aren't I irresistable??
First I take up my strategic position up high...
Then I recruit the assistance of that old guy...
Full frontal assault on the enemy keen sandal!!!
<>
Pillage the toy quarters...
Strategic position #2 kitchen headquarters
Death to plastic - militant tree huggers unite!
Spy on the native people to observe their weaknesses before the strike...operation aborted for now...
Big bro is starting to think I'm okay...
YardParty
Probably cause I shared my best stick with him...
My sister Dare is my hero. I want to be just like her someday. She gets all the best toys and runs really fast and barks really loud. My sister even lets me play with her and bite her ears...she is the best.
This is me negotiating with my mom to let me on the couch. She said "no" so I just jumped up on it when she wasn't looking. It is cute how she tries to tell me what to do when she knows I've got her wrapped around my little dewclaw. She'll learn soon enough.
I've had a few glimpses of what type of agility partner Swift will be when we begin our training and trialing career. These are frightening and scary visions. The puppy seems to lack one little necessity for self preservation - FEAR!!!!
This morning, as I prepared the crew's breakfast at the sink, I have 3 food bowls lined up that I am mixing various things into before I put on the Irish's gear (must wear snoods so as spaniel ears don't slop in their food). In order to put on their snoods, I have Brag and Dare get on a step stool so I don't have to bend down to put on their head accessories. Well, Swift immediately decided the step stool is somehow connected to eating so she began bouncing all around the stool as soon as I got her. Today though, she tried something a little more bold. She went to the top the step stool (where usually she just sits there and looks cute until I'm done preparing the meal) and all of a sudden, she took a flying leap at the food bowls which were still about a foot taller and a foot lateral of her (picture a red tri-color, smooth coated wombat). Obviously she didn't make the jump onto the sink but she landed quite gracefully on the floor like a cat on all four feet from quite a long fall. It doesn't shock me that a puppy would do such a thing. What does shock me though is that instead of freaking out about the incident or deciding not to climb onto the stool again, Swift gets this look on her face like "YEEESSSSSS...IT WAS ALMOST IN MY GRASP! ADJUSTMENTS FOR NEXT ATTEMPT...10 INCHES HIGHER AND 5 INCHES TO THE SIDE... AND THEN ALL THE FOOD WILL BE MINE!!!"
Then of course there is the part where she is not appropriately afraid of Brag after he put a huge hold in her head last Saturday. She loves to do little "drive-bys" and he just looks at me and shrugs and asks me why I did this to him. Poor guy.
And there is the flying monkey routine when escaping her xpen and launching onto the couch. Doesn't seem to matter how many times she falls backwards while attempting, she keeps coming back for more.
So yeah. I can tell I'm going to be spending most of my time keeping Swift safe from herself when we actually move to obstacles in the future. She reminds me a bit of Dare who has many of the same freaky traits...like the time she plowed into the dogwalk full steam and forgot to run with her legs so just bounced off with her chest. That made a huge noise and HAD to hurt but she kept right on trucking. Or like how Dare would keep doing the teeter tall end first instead of approaching from the end on the ground like dogs are supposed to! Thank god Brag has some common sense...wish he would pass some along to these insane girls of mine!
If you can't tell (and lots of people can't so don't worry), she is a Border Collie. Additionally, she just happens to be perfect! :) Swift is funny (hysterically so at times), deadly cute, super smart and quite a naughty pants (like every night from 7p to 1030p...her designated crazy shift). I got her locally from Rising Sun Farms up in Stacy (she has lots of really neato dogs) and I just happened to fall in love with the parents when perusing available litters and got recommendations from people I trust so there you go - a new baby for me!
Swift absolutely cracks me up and there are so many different aspects to her personality. Part of her is absolutely angelic -- no accidents in the house since the night I got her, sleeps through the night, every night, walks on a leash wonderfully, thinks her meals are super yummy, loves people and kids and other dogs (except for one sweet puppy she was a complete bitch to this weekend - arg), hasn't met a toy she doesn't love, etc.
Then there is the pure evil side of her...I'll call her Mift (or Miffed as the case may be). Mift has lungs...very powerful lungs. She uses them whenever absolutely everything isn't going her way. Mift also has cat-like climbing skills and hasn't met a gate or xpen that she couldn't scale. Mift has also been evaluating a hostile takeover of the couch. Nothing will deter her from her quest of sofa domination. Currently Mift is in the prelim phase where she runs a million miles an hour and then levitates in the air only to find herself hitting about an inch below the landing pad and falling back on the ground but she knows with persistence, she will prevail. Continuing on the kitty theme, Mift likes to run underneath the couch and then pounce out like a cobra at any clueless dogs that may be walking past. Then when they growl at her, she runs top speed across the living room, circles back and dives back under the couch to continue the assault.
Mift also likes to look Death in the face and laugh. That's right...she is trying to "play" or taunt or whatever you call it with Brag (the one that put a big hole in her face on Saturday). Granted, it wasn't really Brag (yeah, he shouldn't bite things but he does so I have to be the smart one supposedly) or Swift's fault (duh - puppy!)...more of an unfortunately well-timed event of me carrying in raw food to the house and thinking Swift was across the yard on the far side and realizing only as I hear her screaming next to me that she thought it would be a great idea to race past us on the stairs as I carried in the food. I'm sure Brag saw her out of the corner of his eye and wasn't sure what it was but it was by his food and needed to be bit. There was lots of drama and crying (mostly me) but everything turned out okay. She had a puncture on her forehead and a little cut around her lip and her nose got quite swollen (making her look like a Collie instead of a Border) and has been getting hot packs, betadine and clavamox which have healed her right up. Swift was a very subdued little puppy for the rest of that day but luckily nothing worse occured aside from just scaring me to death. So, wouldn't you think that she might avoid Brag?? At least for a little while? Of course they are only together when I can supervise closely but last night as I witnessed her chasing his tail and racing around his head, I just had to wonder about if she is a suicidal puppy? Should I get her on some anti-depressants?? I thought Border Collies were smart?!? I love Mift though...nothing like a crazy naughty puppy to put some pep in your step!
The big excitement is that Dare finally gave in and played with Swift last night! The puppy saw Dare playing with the frisbee and started to chase her and instead of growling at her, Dare chased her back (at a puppy appropriate speed thankfully) and they raced around the yard like happy idiots for quite a while. Brag (the fun police) had to be banished to the house for unsportsmanlike behavior but it was really a cute moment - I knew they would like each other!! :) Of course I am getting the usual protest about abandoning the breed my mom and I have bred and loved for over 30 years for a "dreaded" Border Collie. How come this is never an issue if someone has a breed long term and then gets anything other than a Border Collie?? Or, how come it is never an issue if someone has Border Collies and then gets an Irish Water Spaniel? No, I've not gone to "the dark side." Believe me...when you have IWS you already live on the dark side! I've got my reasons, and while I don't feel that I need to justify my decision, here are a few of them in case anyone is interested in what is behind this new journey:
I like Border Collies. Surprisingly to many I'm sure, IWS and BCs are a lot alike in their quirks. They both "notice" things (often to the extreme). Both have to be socialized and socialized and socialized (and then socialized some more) to ensure they stay solid with people and dogs. Also, each breed could be said to be a little "too" smart for their own good (or their owner's good). Both breeds fit my lifestyle. I am an on the go kind of person and I don't like to stay in one spot too long (may border on ADD at times). The older I get, the more hyper I get (scary thought). My IWS will happily do anything and everything with me and I expect my BC will be game for all too. I love the outline of a sleek and athletic BC just as I love the outline of my fit and muscular IWS.
I want to try something new. I love my Irish - love, love, love them however there are aspects of the breed I'm not happy with...primarily GROOMING (yeah - no need to brush the smooth Border Collie!) and health. I recognize that really, IWS don't have any more health problems than many other breeds but the cancer, to me, has really started to be scary. Drina's death in the prime of her life (couple months shy of 10), really rocked my world in a very terrible way. I was so incredibly attached to that dog it was very tough to begin to recover. In reality, there is nothing to say that a BC won't get sick young but I just can't take the same situation. With Brag, I have to push those ugly thoughts out of my head as he gets closer to the age at which I lost Drina. Strangely, there is something about the gleam in this puppy's eye that totally reminds me of Drina when she was a bad little pup. They both have the same type of expression in their face and the self-entitled attitude. If I ever learn to use editing software better I'll post some side by side pictures of Drina as a puppy and Swift for evidence.
And did I mention I'll never have to put Swift on a grooming table and slave for hours grooming her??? Oops, I did - Soooo excited!
Finally, yeah, I'd like to have a competitive dog in agility. I've been super lucky to have had awesome agility IWS that are at the top of their breed in agililty and can certainly hold their own against other breeds at national events and sometimes place and even win. If something happens and Swift isn't able to do agility, she'll still be my baby puppy and I'll be disappointed but life will go on and we will do something else fun. But yeah, I have dreams of handling a break neck speed dog and more than handling, I'm looking forward to training to be that kind of team. We'll see though...right now all I have time for is playing with her and laughing at her antics rather than worrying about the future. My biggest goal with Swift is to just enjoy every moment (and take lots of pictures!). Just like kids, before you know it, they'll be all grown up.
Finally, seeing as how the newest member of my crew isn't an IWS...I need help to come up with an acronym so Swift can fit into this blog. Here is what I've come up with so far:
Integrated Warfare Systems I'm with Stupid (guess that would be me...) I Wrestle Snakes Infantry Weapons Systems Infant Warming System (maybe if she were drugged...) Illicit Warped Swift Insulted When Stopped
Notice the emphasis on warfare acronyms. That seems particularly fitting since I've been wondering lately who replaced my sweet, kissy, cuddly puppy with a determined pirhana!
Here are a few pictures from her short 9 weeks on this earth. Enjoy!
With her sistas - sandwiched between the two black and white girls
It was one of the most enjoyable agility weekend I've had in recent memory. First of all, while it was only Iowa, it was SOUTH and I really needed that change of scenery. No nasty, black snow piles, no soggy and wet ground, warmer temperatures...it was paradise! Also, there were so many good and fun friends everywhere there was always someone to catch up with cheer on during their runs. In addition, it was the first time I've travelled by myself with my mom's girl, Quasi. While she kept me up much of each night with the never-ending tail wag and face washings, she is such a trip I love having her around. Got to run my friend Sandy's best girl, Bela in Open preferred and as it turns out, she got her title with that run -- gotta love those semi-retired MACH 2 dogs...they run themselves! She is super fabulous (and knows it). To cap off the weekend (rather to start off the weekend since it was Friday), my friend Cheryl and her dynamic boy, Keegan, earned their MACH 3 on Friday with their 60th double Q. He is an AWESOME boy (maybe a little overly horny around the girls -- or boys, he doesn't always discriminate) but such a goofball and knows he is THE SH*T.
The other aspect of the weekend was how good I felt running the courses. Going to the line I just felt excited and lucky to get to run with such fun and joyful dogs (Quasi's joy turned out to be our undoing during most of the runs -- who actually NQs a course because their dog jumps on them during the table?!?!?!). Brag was just on fire. I loved each of my runs with him. Our results were great - 5 for 6 and some nice placements in the standard class - but, I was soooo happy that it felt like I was running the courses really assertively rather than standing back in a passive capacity and being tentative. I really only had one movement of failing to drive the line with him and guess what - it resulted in a refusal. Just goes to show I have to handle like I mean it!!
Finally, the courses this weekend were AWESOME! I don't remember ever truly loving every single course so much. Both judges designed courses that were super challenging, unique, fair, safe and fun. As an exhibitor I love running courses with different elements in them than we are used to seeing. I liked the courses so much I thought I'd post them and provide a little commentary.
Friday 3/18/11 Excellent Standard
A basic enough start. Most chose to front cross from #3 jump to teeter. Gets interesting with the line from #5 to #8 table and this was personally the area where I could have improved a lot. Handlers felt they needed to pull so hard from chute to left end of tunnel (to avoid wrong course right end of tunnel) that we ended up so close to the tunnel entrance and had planned to handle the line to table with dog on right that it was super hard to not become flat footed at tunnel and cue triple too late. Quasi actually missed the triple because of this. I should have handled the line to the table with dog on left since I was already over there...next time!
Next problem was that some handlers didn't drive well enough to #10 and were in too big of a hurry to get to ramp that some dogs pulled off #10 jump. The area of most interest during the walk through was line from #12 tunnel to #15 weaves. I really wanted to let the dog find the tunnel on their own and get to the inside of the serpentine thus pulling to weaves. Problem was, the tunnel was actually quite far from the ramp and many dogs didn't see it. In fact even Brag spun and almost wound up back on ramp. Therefore I ran #13 with dog on left and rear crossed #14. Unfortunately because the tunnel required babysitting, I was so late Brag didn't read my rear cross (I was too far behind). This cost us a very wide turn but not fatal.
Finally there was much angst in walk through about #15 to #16 with off course jump looming after weaves. I opted to front cross after weaves and then rear cross at #16. This allowed me to really drive through weaves and take the off course out of play. I strongly felt if I only pulled with my hips that would totally open up the wrong course or I'd waste time yelling and pulling instead of just running. Our front cross to rear cross felt great and worked well for us. Dogs with a shorter stride didn't need to worry as much but I did see plenty of the bigger dogs take that extra jump.
Brag Fri Standard Q and 2nd place.
Quasi Fri Standard NQ but not bad.
Next we ran a fast and furious Jumpers course:
Tons of options at the start that accomodated those with a lead out and those without. I chose to take a step or two of a leadout and then do a running front cross between #1 and #2. This is followed by a nice send to #4 jump with front cross between #5 and #6 (or you could rear cross the triple). Some teams fell prey to the hint of a tunnel opening going from #8 to #9 but most handled that without issue. The line from #9 to #15 was the talk of the walk through! Tons of way to get it done (or fail miserably!). The biggest issues were that because of the way #14 jump was facing, it was tending to throw dogs over off course #18 and in addition, a rear cross before #14 would pull the dog to the wrong end of the tunnel. Some opted for a serpentine with a big distance send to #12 in order to get in position between #13 and #14. I chose to front cross between #12 and #13 and hold my ground and cue a very tight turn so they would't look at #18 off course. The next crisis area was the extremely fast entry to the weave poles from the tunnel. It was an entrance that just begged the dogs to enter at pole 2 or 3. Brag was a rock star and nailed it but I took Quasi's nice weaves for granted and just did not get in position to push enough and she went for pole 2 entry (after such an outstanding run - oh well!).
Brag Q (and DQ!) No video unfortunately.
Quasi NQ but awesome run (favorite of the weekend)!
Saturday 3/19/11 Standard:
Hoo boy this course had a lot of tricks! It was definitely my most ugly Q with Brag of the weekend as well as the one I'd most like to do over and redeem myself. One thing I've rarely encountered is having to wait until the dog before you finishes and is on their way to their leash before you can enter the ring. That threw me off more than I would have expected. I guess I cherish my few seconds of standing on the start and getting the dog into a sit and giving them a kiss before I hear "GO!" Therefore, never got my sit with Brag (or Quasi) and Brag had no intention of staying anyway so I had very little time to show any acceleration/deceleration from tire to #2. Also, something I did made him think he should turn left after #2 rather than right. I'm sure I was futile attempt at deceleration looked more like a rear cross to my dog. So, we had an interesting time of getting him turned the correct way and over #3. Quasi and I had a fuckery at that point. She was the opposite of Brag and took everything SUPER tight and I actually had to reach my hand between #3 and #4 to prevent her slipping through them (doesn't she know there are no threadles in AKC?!?!?!). Back to Brag, I slipped a f/c in between #4 and #5 on my way to another f/c between #5 and #5 dogwalk. It was not at all a pretty turn to the dogwalk. I had so much wished to just pull after #5 double to dogwalk for a much tighter turn but the issue was that I didn't trust Brag to stop on the dogwalk after Friday's self releases. No stop on dogwalk meant they could choose the wrong end of the tunnel as handler is defenseless to push to correct opening. I saw a few dogs actually take the #5 double and actually take #9 next! Yikes! Therefore, I took my wide turn to the dogwalk and exaggerated pull to the tunnel and was okay with it. Next line of interest was #7 tunnel to #10 table. Almost all handlers chose to have their dogs on their right entering weaves and pulling to table. I was quite concerned that both my dogs would see the dogwalk as the most viable option (instead of weaves) at the tunnel exit so I decided to get between dogwalk and weaves as a human road block and usher them into the weave poles and simply rear cross to the table. Loved it with both dogs! The r/c to table pulled them beautifully - no fuss, no muss. The ending obstacles weren't a huge issue except for ugly turns and near off courses on way to teeter. There didn't seem to be a great way around that since crossing in front of teeter was awesome option since you really needed to be able to move your butt from chute to tunnel to ending jump (and it was a haul!).
Brag Standard Q and 3rd place (surprised we placed with such ugly turns!)
Quasi NQ (because she jumped on me at the table of all things - argggg!)
Next up, Jumpers!
This was truly one of the most interesting and fun openings of a course I've seen. There were so many ways to get through it! Unfortunately, neither of my dogs stayed at the start line (sensing a pattern here??) so I was stuck with the panic and yell a lot method. What I intended to try was leading out almost to #2 and then doing a one sided serp from #3 to #5. I thought that would be super fun. Not so much with that. Brag took off after I got a few steps so I pulled to #3 and then rear crossed before #4 and then pulled to #5 and rear crossed. Not the optimal way but we were past optimal options! What I saw lots of 20" handlers doing which I never really considered was leading out almost to #3, directing the dog into the pocket and then front crossing again before #4. Looked sort of fun. I had also considered doing a serp with dog on left and then quick landing front cross on #4. After we got past that self-imposed disaster, I drove into #6 and front crossed for dog on right during weaves. I think most handlers opted for that same option. Next was the most terrifying part of the course for many during the walk through. I didn't worry about it (why worry about something you can't even see through the mass of people during the walk through??) but it was a pull after weaves to a tight wrap - fun!! The biggest danger was sending your dog to the #10 off course jump as you tried to make a wide enough path for your dog to navigate the wrap. Brag handled this part with ease and it was darn tight for such a big boy. I've been thinking about the line from #10 to #16 for days. I'm wondering if judges "plant" diversions such as the wrap around #9 to panic people about an area that won't really be a problem to take away focus from the real area of concern...would they do that?? Are they really that devious? Or was it all just a big coincedence that almost all the issues on the course were on the #10 to #16 line? I think something evil is afoot! So, never did I suspect this would be such a big problem for so many dogs. If you actually succeeded in keeping them off the wrong course #18 jump, then like me, you had issues getting them over #14. I was in such a darn hurry to get over and show him the correct path to the tunnel that I didn't support #14 and even flipped up my arm to indicate a turn before he had committed. Duh!! If that didn't get you, then the part where the dogs miss #15 as their handlers assume they will see it on there way to the tunnel (they were wrong). There were all sorts of bad things going on there. If you got past that, the exit was pretty basic. Oofduh! Brag NQ'd just got the one refusal but otherwise quite nice. I don't even recall what Quasi did wrong - she got a refusal around #11 or #12 or somewhere...
Brag Jumpers NQ but fun nonetheless!
Sunday Standard 3/20/11:
The start seems easy but yet jump to weaves straight on causes me fear when I'm running Brag. Brag has lots of "enthusiasm" at the beginning and often is blind to weaves. In fact I thought he was going to miss these but he dove in last minute. I made a mental note of doing some deceleration toward #4 panel so he would collect for a tight turn and that was lovely. I was somewhat concerned about having too much speed going to table but that was all good. The #10 tire to the #14 panel was the subject of much debate. There was lots of concern over dog getting incorrect end of tunnel and more concerns about trying to get to the teeter. Many planned front crosses after tunnel (or blind crosses)...I wasn't convinced I'd have time to actually find that teeter if I tried that. A few brave souls went for a send to the tire and then f/c after #11. I was so not doing that! I saw a few get the off course jump after the tire as a result, a few made it (in a sort of ugly manner) and a few actually made it look pretty good. I was very happy with what I did (even though I hadn't walked it). I let Brag land fairly far after tire since I figured that would set him up really well for the correct end of the tunnel, then we went to the teeter with him on my left and I made him stay for a quick second and walked in front of him for a push to panel, chute. I loved the way that felt. Again, no fuss, no muss. Brag finished the rest quickly with no issue. Quasi, on the other hand, did as so many other dogs did and pulled way in during the chute and as a result almost ran me over. I had to stop dead in my tracks to try and get her to not run past #16 double and she took it at a goofy angle and knocked it down. It was nice aside from that!
Brag Standard Q with 2nd place (4.25 YPS including table - is that usually included in YPS??)
Quasi NQ at double but not bad!
And Jumpers for last runs of weekend!
This was a great beginning for Brag and I because there was so much room I could practically start him 20 feet from the first jump - lots of room for him to break his start and me to get where I needed to be and I needed it. He, true to form, broke immediately and it was a serious race down the line. The first issue was #6 to #7. It was a very flat, ugly angle and it was hard to find a good way to make it nicer for the dog yet at the same time get your f/c in before the weaves (as most everyone wanted to do). I went into #5, did a f/c and sent from #6 to #7 and did one of the most ugly, confused front crosses before those weaves for Brag and bless his heart he will practically run me over to find his entry because he is a good boy! I wish I had it on video tape because I wanted to see how bad it really looked (it felt awful!). In hindsight, I wish I would have considered helping him more at #7 and then weaving with him on left and turning him in the correct direction after weaves...was just really worried that would be a disaster (and maybe it would have been). I saw one particular gentleman who has a really nice blind cross on his fast Terv send her around his back at the end of the weaves and it was lovely! I don't have that particular skill though and was in a big hurry to get to the next sequence. Next up, most everyone opted to rear cross the triple (I'm sure with a litle anxiety in crossing behind a spread) and then send with a little distance to #14 and then do a landing front cross after #15. Plenty of younger dogs missed #15 mostly when handlers did a take off front cross at the far end of #15 the dogs would just slip by it. I was dang lucky at the ending since I was feeling behind during the entire run I hadn't really thought what I would do at the turn leading to the last jump and ended up pretty much crossing on top of it. Again, Brag is awesome. Quasi apparently felt it was time for baby-dog meltdown after 3 days and felt that barking and jumping at me was more fun than taking #13. I couldn't get her unstuck to me - she just wanted to bark at me and jump around. Oh well that is to be expected once in a while!
Brag Jumpers Q (and DQ and Nationals qualified!):
Quasi Jumpers meltdown!
That will do it. If you got through this huge post I will be surprised!
