I didn't sleep well last night - probably about 4 to 5 hours. I was worried about whether Gusto could run or not. I woke up after finally falling back to sleep and he jumped off the bed and ran downstairs with no limping.
We left early this morning and upon arrival found out that someone had found a scorpion in their shoe so we banged all of the things we had left the previous night just to be sure. Supposedly, it was a small one but still -YUCK!
We walked 3 courses today all before Noon. My first run was Noon and I was concerned for his feet. It was jumpers and it had a tough section that I notoriously do not run well. My 2 other teammates ran before me and both got eliminated. Each person had problems in the section that I was concerned about. The opening ran well but Gusto was FLYING and went off course after the broad jump to a straight line to the wrong end of a tunnel. Oh well, I was happy that he kept his bars up and weaved. Drifter and Kiba both got around the course.
Next was Steeplechase Quarterfinals. I really really wanted to run well enough to make it to the Semis. He did get around but it was not pretty and I had to do some screaming call offs. I didn't hold his contacts to make sure I made it in. With his 3 very wide turns and his screaming call offs, he was around 2 to 3 seconds off Drifter who ran it very clean and had the fastest time. I would like to have run better but I will take it. I was exhausted when I came out cuz he made me work so hard! He was well within the cutoff though and not far off the dogs that ran the contacts and stayed on course without the crazy call offs.
Last run was Snooker. I notoriously do not run Snooker well so I picked a plan that had flow and would reduce the turns for Gusto. He did have some minor issues with several pads after Steeplechase. My teammates ran before me once again. One got around and had a decent amount of points, the other one got some points but didn't get through the closing. I had several people with relatives to Gusto staying around to watch which was nice but also a bit stressful. When I stepped to the line though, I was totally focused and he ran really really well. He did bump into my leg twice though which is an indication how high and wild he truly was today. We got enough points for me to feel successful with that run though. Drifter and Kiba both got through and had nice runs.
I must close for tonight as I need to soak Gusto's feet in Epsom salt to help his pads.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Arizona Day 1
Sadly, Gusto was not ok to run today. Ria Acciani, a PT lazered his feet to reduce the heat and to promote healing and said that he should not run. I walked the course for mental preparation. The course was very tight and technical and I would have loved the challenge of running it. Many dogs were not able to get around clean. The good news is that while I am disappointed and worried a bit about tomorrow, I am totally relaxed and not worried about how he will run through the week. I am sort of resigned to his fate - whatever that happens to be. Val, the girl that took us on the marathon hike felt that I had a very good attitude. I told her, "What else can I do. Freaking out isn't going to help the situation and I just have to take a wait and see approach." I am trying to be optimistic but realistic.
On another note, Rosanne's dog, Drifter ran the course beautifully today and we have to check results tomorrow but he definitely had to place. It was a very nice run. Kiba, her younger dog, had some moments but wasn't horrible.
And then we came back to the house, ate and watched the end of the World Series - wow, the Phillies actually won!
Off I go tomorrow, hopeful that Gusto can run his team runs and Steeplechase without being in pain and without being higher than a kite. We run Team Jumpers, Steeplechase, and Team Snooker. That's actually good because that will limit the number of contacts he must run tomorrow which will be the hardest surface for Gusto's pads.
I say Good Night from Scottsdale, AZ - stay warm, I know we will. tee hee!
On another note, Rosanne's dog, Drifter ran the course beautifully today and we have to check results tomorrow but he definitely had to place. It was a very nice run. Kiba, her younger dog, had some moments but wasn't horrible.
And then we came back to the house, ate and watched the end of the World Series - wow, the Phillies actually won!
Off I go tomorrow, hopeful that Gusto can run his team runs and Steeplechase without being in pain and without being higher than a kite. We run Team Jumpers, Steeplechase, and Team Snooker. That's actually good because that will limit the number of contacts he must run tomorrow which will be the hardest surface for Gusto's pads.
I say Good Night from Scottsdale, AZ - stay warm, I know we will. tee hee!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Arizona Heat
Rosanne, Vanessa and I all arrived last night. Vanessa came a bit later from the airport. The drive was very long and very boring but there were some minor little things that stand out as interesting.
We stayed in Austin at a friend's house over the weekend. Went on a marathon hike which was pretty but Gusto burned almost every pad off his feet and is limping badly today. It doesn't look good for his first run tomorrow. Tomorrow is not the team event, it is a warm up run but it is still upsetting to think that I won't be able to run him. I have cut off all the blisters and soaked his feet in Epsom salt to help draw out the moisture and any bacteria. I plan to put stuff on each pad to protect them to see if he can run without limping. i won't actually know until tomorrow. We were going to train today inside but Drifter has diarrhea, Gusto has no pads and Vanessa's dog is soar from the flight and from some training before she left. So no training for us.
Some notable things along the trip on Route 10 in Texas: very long drive without seeing a human, a bathroom, a gas station. We really had to plan our stops because we were seriously in the middle of the desert. Part of this drive took us along the Mexican border near El Paso. You could see a huge Mexican flag very close to the highway. The actual border was very close to the road. You could tell which side was Mexican and which was the US purely by looking at the buildings. The US side was pretty typical - malls, business offices, chain restaurants. The Mexican side was mostly very poor looking.
When we finally arrived in New Mexico, we had to stop at a border patrol station. They didn't stop us but it was interesting as it was new for both Rosanne and me.
Upon arrival, we unpacked and waited for Vanessa. We were all hungry and needed to buy food and stock up on munchies so we went to Wal Mart. Try buying food and snacks etc for 3 people who all have their own tastes and their own comfort items. It was an adventure.
The heat feels pretty brutal today. We are hanging out in the house and relaxing. We did swim our dogs in the pool at the rental house. The house is very nice and we each have our own bedroom so it allows us some down time on our own.
That's all for now. Cross your fingers that Gusto heals well enough to run without pain.
We stayed in Austin at a friend's house over the weekend. Went on a marathon hike which was pretty but Gusto burned almost every pad off his feet and is limping badly today. It doesn't look good for his first run tomorrow. Tomorrow is not the team event, it is a warm up run but it is still upsetting to think that I won't be able to run him. I have cut off all the blisters and soaked his feet in Epsom salt to help draw out the moisture and any bacteria. I plan to put stuff on each pad to protect them to see if he can run without limping. i won't actually know until tomorrow. We were going to train today inside but Drifter has diarrhea, Gusto has no pads and Vanessa's dog is soar from the flight and from some training before she left. So no training for us.
Some notable things along the trip on Route 10 in Texas: very long drive without seeing a human, a bathroom, a gas station. We really had to plan our stops because we were seriously in the middle of the desert. Part of this drive took us along the Mexican border near El Paso. You could see a huge Mexican flag very close to the highway. The actual border was very close to the road. You could tell which side was Mexican and which was the US purely by looking at the buildings. The US side was pretty typical - malls, business offices, chain restaurants. The Mexican side was mostly very poor looking.
When we finally arrived in New Mexico, we had to stop at a border patrol station. They didn't stop us but it was interesting as it was new for both Rosanne and me.
Upon arrival, we unpacked and waited for Vanessa. We were all hungry and needed to buy food and stock up on munchies so we went to Wal Mart. Try buying food and snacks etc for 3 people who all have their own tastes and their own comfort items. It was an adventure.
The heat feels pretty brutal today. We are hanging out in the house and relaxing. We did swim our dogs in the pool at the rental house. The house is very nice and we each have our own bedroom so it allows us some down time on our own.
That's all for now. Cross your fingers that Gusto heals well enough to run without pain.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
A Win
I finally got to see Devin's football team win a game! Last year, no wins. This year, no wins....until last evening. They played under the lights at the high school stadium. The weather was perfect for football - crisp and cool. The boys and coaches were pumped up coming off a win from Saturday - their first actual win but I missed that game due to the USDAA trial at Fair Hill, Maryland. The Varsity squad didn't play much in the game on Saturday because we were up by more than 18 points which requires us to put in our back up players. Since the Varsity players didn't play much on Saturday, they were slated to rotate in last night.
Lucky for me, this was the last game I will get to see before leaving for Arizona. It was a fantastic game. Both teams played with heart, matching each others touchdowns and defensive attacks. Devin made some key plays so I was excited for him. He had two guys blocking him all night so he didn't get in the backfield like he has much of the season. He had to work hard to make plays for his team.
He was pretty excited by the win and the fact that I got to see it. He has one more Varsity game this weekend and one more JV game on Monday. Both of which I will miss but I can leave for AZ happy having seen a win.
The focus will soon turn to basketball, the sport I grew up playing as a kid. I hope Devin gets excited by it. I have a feeling that basketball will only be his second sport, he loves to tackle. I will enjoy the basketball season though because Greg gets to be the Head Coach for the 3rd and 4th grade level. He is a pretty patient guy and loves to work with kids so this should be fun. With my new camera in tow, I should be able to get some decent pics inside the dark gymnasium.
Lucky for me, this was the last game I will get to see before leaving for Arizona. It was a fantastic game. Both teams played with heart, matching each others touchdowns and defensive attacks. Devin made some key plays so I was excited for him. He had two guys blocking him all night so he didn't get in the backfield like he has much of the season. He had to work hard to make plays for his team.
He was pretty excited by the win and the fact that I got to see it. He has one more Varsity game this weekend and one more JV game on Monday. Both of which I will miss but I can leave for AZ happy having seen a win.
The focus will soon turn to basketball, the sport I grew up playing as a kid. I hope Devin gets excited by it. I have a feeling that basketball will only be his second sport, he loves to tackle. I will enjoy the basketball season though because Greg gets to be the Head Coach for the 3rd and 4th grade level. He is a pretty patient guy and loves to work with kids so this should be fun. With my new camera in tow, I should be able to get some decent pics inside the dark gymnasium.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Fair Hill Results
The weather was just perfect for the USDAA Kinetic show held at the Fair Hill horse grounds in Maryland. Every year, I dread this show because the weather is usually horribly rainy, cold with a ton of mud. People get stuck in the mud regularly at this show and must be towed out by the tractors. But this year was much different - perfect weather all 3 days!
Friday was the warm up for the 2 day team event. It was my first day back at the 22 inch height class in preparation for Nationals out in Scottsdale, AZ. I felt rushed by his speed at 22 and didn't handle him in a relaxed manner which is what I started to do once I got used to him at 26. So on Friday, I just kept working on my timing. He was good but wasn't weaving well which I felt was carry over from the A Frame slam on Wednesday. He managed 2 Qs - one of which was Masters Gamblers which earned him his Masters Gamblers Champion title. He Qd in something else but I am not sure if it was Jumpers. I know it wasn't Standard or Steeplechase. He ran them well but we didn't Q. I pushed him off some jumps on Friday - my timing was slightly off, especially for the rear crosses.
I didn't win or place in any of the team events. I was soooo hoping to place - just for a boost of confidence before we go to Nationals. He ran Team Gamblers well but I was conservative and didn't rack up as many points as several others. He was only 2 to 3 points out of the top though. Team Jumpers went well considering the course had no flow. He only dropped one bar - caused by me but had a decent time. He would have placed 2nd had I not been a spaz over one bar. Team Standard was a nightmare. I just wanted to run clean because our team needed all 3 of us to be clean in order to pull us up above the qualifying cut off. We all managed to survive the course. Team Snooker - something that I suck at for some reason didn't go well. He squirted off of me after I lied him down and took a red so we only got 5 points!
Team Relay was horrid but 2 of us managed to get around so we ended up with a Team Q. That gives him his first Q for Nationals at 22.
I didn't walk Masters Jumpers because I forgot that I entered it. I decided to not be a wimp and run it anyway. I stood outside the ring and watched the course - asking people how they planned to run it. I visualized the course in my mind, walking it over and over in my head and then doing some physical practice outside the ring. Went in saying to myself, "we'll see what happens" and wow, it was a beautiful run! He went wide and I had to call him off a tunnel, but otherwise very nice. I waited for all the 22 inch dogs to run it and then checked his time and discovered that he won the class! Tracy Hirsch - a teammate of mine for Nationals told me not to walk the courses out in AZ :)
Gusto now only needs 4 legs for his ADCH: 2 Super Qs in Snooker, 1 Standard, 1 Jumpers. The Super Qs will be hard for me - I have a thing about Snooker, I hate it. Jumpers too because I never stick around for the last run of the day on Sundays which is when we always run Jumpers.
Anyway, I feel pretty good about heading out to AZ. I need some rear cross practice and weavepole practice but I felt good mentally - other than the darn rears!
Friday was the warm up for the 2 day team event. It was my first day back at the 22 inch height class in preparation for Nationals out in Scottsdale, AZ. I felt rushed by his speed at 22 and didn't handle him in a relaxed manner which is what I started to do once I got used to him at 26. So on Friday, I just kept working on my timing. He was good but wasn't weaving well which I felt was carry over from the A Frame slam on Wednesday. He managed 2 Qs - one of which was Masters Gamblers which earned him his Masters Gamblers Champion title. He Qd in something else but I am not sure if it was Jumpers. I know it wasn't Standard or Steeplechase. He ran them well but we didn't Q. I pushed him off some jumps on Friday - my timing was slightly off, especially for the rear crosses.
I didn't win or place in any of the team events. I was soooo hoping to place - just for a boost of confidence before we go to Nationals. He ran Team Gamblers well but I was conservative and didn't rack up as many points as several others. He was only 2 to 3 points out of the top though. Team Jumpers went well considering the course had no flow. He only dropped one bar - caused by me but had a decent time. He would have placed 2nd had I not been a spaz over one bar. Team Standard was a nightmare. I just wanted to run clean because our team needed all 3 of us to be clean in order to pull us up above the qualifying cut off. We all managed to survive the course. Team Snooker - something that I suck at for some reason didn't go well. He squirted off of me after I lied him down and took a red so we only got 5 points!
Team Relay was horrid but 2 of us managed to get around so we ended up with a Team Q. That gives him his first Q for Nationals at 22.
I didn't walk Masters Jumpers because I forgot that I entered it. I decided to not be a wimp and run it anyway. I stood outside the ring and watched the course - asking people how they planned to run it. I visualized the course in my mind, walking it over and over in my head and then doing some physical practice outside the ring. Went in saying to myself, "we'll see what happens" and wow, it was a beautiful run! He went wide and I had to call him off a tunnel, but otherwise very nice. I waited for all the 22 inch dogs to run it and then checked his time and discovered that he won the class! Tracy Hirsch - a teammate of mine for Nationals told me not to walk the courses out in AZ :)
Gusto now only needs 4 legs for his ADCH: 2 Super Qs in Snooker, 1 Standard, 1 Jumpers. The Super Qs will be hard for me - I have a thing about Snooker, I hate it. Jumpers too because I never stick around for the last run of the day on Sundays which is when we always run Jumpers.
Anyway, I feel pretty good about heading out to AZ. I need some rear cross practice and weavepole practice but I felt good mentally - other than the darn rears!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Crash Test Dummy
Gusto is very much like his Sire - Mayhem who is dying from some rectal cancer. It is very sad and I will miss knowing that he is part of this world. Gusto shares so many similarities to Mayhem. One of these traits is his happy attitude towards life (since I neutered him). Mayhem always seemed to smile and Gusto shares this trait if my memory serves me well.
I was at a friend's place yesterday running some tough sequences and someone was there that knew Mayhem and mentioned Gusto's face and how much it reminds her of his Daddy. Then Gusto did a very Mayhem thing - he splatted on to the Frame. I never saw Mayhem do this but he was regularly referred to as "Crash Test Dummy" and I immediately thought of that comment when Gusto decided to splat the up part of the contact, leaving about an inch patch of fur on the frame.
Gusto was wild yesterday - dropped bars (at 22), went off course and missed almost every freakin weave entry because I didn't slow down so that he could figure out how to get in to the weaves even though he has been doing this for at least a year on his own with no help from me!!! Oh well, will be working the weaves today. Another legacy shared with his Daddy - the dog that could never rock back, slow down to find his own weave entries.
Farewell sweet Mayhem - you will be sadly missed.
I was at a friend's place yesterday running some tough sequences and someone was there that knew Mayhem and mentioned Gusto's face and how much it reminds her of his Daddy. Then Gusto did a very Mayhem thing - he splatted on to the Frame. I never saw Mayhem do this but he was regularly referred to as "Crash Test Dummy" and I immediately thought of that comment when Gusto decided to splat the up part of the contact, leaving about an inch patch of fur on the frame.
Gusto was wild yesterday - dropped bars (at 22), went off course and missed almost every freakin weave entry because I didn't slow down so that he could figure out how to get in to the weaves even though he has been doing this for at least a year on his own with no help from me!!! Oh well, will be working the weaves today. Another legacy shared with his Daddy - the dog that could never rock back, slow down to find his own weave entries.
Farewell sweet Mayhem - you will be sadly missed.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
A Gift or Two
I was at the Keystone Agility Trial in Mt Clare, PA yesterday on a beautiful, sunny, warm Fall day. The weather was crisp in the AM - around 45 degrees. I bundled up in layers and gloves and got ready for the fun to start. Katie Leisey came along to run Ivy and to put her own dog, Zip, back in the ring after months of time off to recover from an injury due to a structural weakness in his rear.
First run of the day was Gamblers. I love when this class is first so you can work out kinks and remind your dog what is expected for the weekend. Gusto ran great - no bars down at 26 inches - woo hoo! Didn't qualify (Q) because I screwed him up trying to get a tight wrap and caused a refusal. Ivy had a very nice run with Katie and nearly Qd but went off course in the gamble. She ran really nicely for Katie (side note - Katie Qd in Standard with Ivy taking first place in Performance, 16).
Next run was Steeplechase. It was a nice course with some tricky sections. My goals right now are based on tournament classes - I want to really start to nail these courses, fast and clean. Well, we ran it really well but he missed a tough weave entry - actually, he hit the entry but missed the wrap on pole 2 due to a bad approach over the previous jump. The cool part was that I ran my butt off to get up there - I was WAY ahead of the Guppy too which probably actually screwed him up but MAN that was a rush!!!!!!!!!! He dropped a bar due to a front cross on a weird angled jump. His only bar down of the whole day though. So with his missed entry and a bar down, I figure he won't qualify right? His time - with me fixing his poles was 30.XX seconds - the fastest time in our class was a clean 29.XX seconds. So G put down a smoking time and Qd. Gift number one - 26 inch class had a slower average than the 22 inch class so he Qd.
Next run was Standard. I wasn't thrilled with his ST Q because it wasn't clean and he screwed up his weaves. Rosanne said - go lay down a great standard run. So I did :) BUT he actually nearly flew off the teeter - in fact, if I was a Judge, I would have called it. I let him standing on the ground and gave him the "EVIL OH MY" eyeball. Looked at the Judge to see if she called it and then carried on. He ran the rest really well - one wide turn to the poles but ZERO BARS DOWN. So another Q and his second gift of the day. He took 2nd place behind Whip, his litter bro.
Last run was Pairs - wow - he ran it fast and furious and really really well! Another Q. He needs 6 legs for his ADCH - Agility Dog Champion Title. Three of those needed legs are Jumpers - I never run it as it is always the last freakin class of the weekend and I am toast by then and ready to go home.
So many very nice people came up and gave me lovely comments about the Guppy. The nicest comment came from a friend of mine, Tinna Brown. She said - you know, I have to admit that I like Gusto at 26, he jumps it very nicely and he actually looks better at 26 than 22. That's because he has to actually jump 26, he can flatten out and not jump 22 because it is too easy for him. It was very nice to hear this from Tinna - many folks weren't sure Gusto could jump 26 easily due to his structure. We shall see if he can hold up. David Acciani looked at him yesterday and did say his left hipflexor muscle is tight. Nothing horrible but he does need to be stretched. I am already feeling improvement but will have to keep on it.
First run of the day was Gamblers. I love when this class is first so you can work out kinks and remind your dog what is expected for the weekend. Gusto ran great - no bars down at 26 inches - woo hoo! Didn't qualify (Q) because I screwed him up trying to get a tight wrap and caused a refusal. Ivy had a very nice run with Katie and nearly Qd but went off course in the gamble. She ran really nicely for Katie (side note - Katie Qd in Standard with Ivy taking first place in Performance, 16).
Next run was Steeplechase. It was a nice course with some tricky sections. My goals right now are based on tournament classes - I want to really start to nail these courses, fast and clean. Well, we ran it really well but he missed a tough weave entry - actually, he hit the entry but missed the wrap on pole 2 due to a bad approach over the previous jump. The cool part was that I ran my butt off to get up there - I was WAY ahead of the Guppy too which probably actually screwed him up but MAN that was a rush!!!!!!!!!! He dropped a bar due to a front cross on a weird angled jump. His only bar down of the whole day though. So with his missed entry and a bar down, I figure he won't qualify right? His time - with me fixing his poles was 30.XX seconds - the fastest time in our class was a clean 29.XX seconds. So G put down a smoking time and Qd. Gift number one - 26 inch class had a slower average than the 22 inch class so he Qd.
Next run was Standard. I wasn't thrilled with his ST Q because it wasn't clean and he screwed up his weaves. Rosanne said - go lay down a great standard run. So I did :) BUT he actually nearly flew off the teeter - in fact, if I was a Judge, I would have called it. I let him standing on the ground and gave him the "EVIL OH MY" eyeball. Looked at the Judge to see if she called it and then carried on. He ran the rest really well - one wide turn to the poles but ZERO BARS DOWN. So another Q and his second gift of the day. He took 2nd place behind Whip, his litter bro.
Last run was Pairs - wow - he ran it fast and furious and really really well! Another Q. He needs 6 legs for his ADCH - Agility Dog Champion Title. Three of those needed legs are Jumpers - I never run it as it is always the last freakin class of the weekend and I am toast by then and ready to go home.
So many very nice people came up and gave me lovely comments about the Guppy. The nicest comment came from a friend of mine, Tinna Brown. She said - you know, I have to admit that I like Gusto at 26, he jumps it very nicely and he actually looks better at 26 than 22. That's because he has to actually jump 26, he can flatten out and not jump 22 because it is too easy for him. It was very nice to hear this from Tinna - many folks weren't sure Gusto could jump 26 easily due to his structure. We shall see if he can hold up. David Acciani looked at him yesterday and did say his left hipflexor muscle is tight. Nothing horrible but he does need to be stretched. I am already feeling improvement but will have to keep on it.
Friday, October 10, 2008
OH DEAR!
LuAnn, a friend of mine, came over to work her BC, Jack this morning. I decided to run Gusto at 22 since that is the height he will be doing at Nationals (14 days until we leave). HOLY CARP - he is flying over 22 and not being particularly careful. He has one more trial at 26 - Keystone this Saturday only and then down to 22 for Fair Hill. I am not working him at 26 right now - let the bars fall. I'm getting totally focused on Nationals.
Looks like we may have secured some private time at a training facility in Scottsdale on Tuesday to work our crazy boys. Rosanne's dog, Drifter, is really going to need the time since he is going to be coming off rest from his iliopsoas injury. My boy will need it from being in the car for that many days. I remember Ivy being off her stick on the first day of competition in 2005. Gusto gets much higher than Ivy ever did - GOD HELP ME!!
I am hoping to have my new laptop for the trip. I can watch movies and update my blog which will be really cool. Kind of a log of emotions and notable things from our trip. This is going to be fun - it is more than just a test of your agility skill, it is also a celebration of getting qualified and it is a little mini-vacation too. When Barb (Rosanne's Mother) and I went out together in 2005, we did little side sight-seeing trips. It made the trip more than just going to Nationals. We had a lot of fun - it was my first time to that part of the country. I do not believe we will have time for sight-seeing but we rented a house so we should have time for cutting loose. Vanessa Mortarino will be sharing the house and although she is having a tough go of things (dog has cancer, Dad was ill, Vice diagnosed with some weird hypothalamus issue), we usually have fun when the 3 of us get together. Rosanne and I will try to help Vanessa enjoy the trip even though Vice, who is qualified, will not be coming due to his issue with temperature regulation.
14 days and counting - OH DEAR!
Looks like we may have secured some private time at a training facility in Scottsdale on Tuesday to work our crazy boys. Rosanne's dog, Drifter, is really going to need the time since he is going to be coming off rest from his iliopsoas injury. My boy will need it from being in the car for that many days. I remember Ivy being off her stick on the first day of competition in 2005. Gusto gets much higher than Ivy ever did - GOD HELP ME!!
I am hoping to have my new laptop for the trip. I can watch movies and update my blog which will be really cool. Kind of a log of emotions and notable things from our trip. This is going to be fun - it is more than just a test of your agility skill, it is also a celebration of getting qualified and it is a little mini-vacation too. When Barb (Rosanne's Mother) and I went out together in 2005, we did little side sight-seeing trips. It made the trip more than just going to Nationals. We had a lot of fun - it was my first time to that part of the country. I do not believe we will have time for sight-seeing but we rented a house so we should have time for cutting loose. Vanessa Mortarino will be sharing the house and although she is having a tough go of things (dog has cancer, Dad was ill, Vice diagnosed with some weird hypothalamus issue), we usually have fun when the 3 of us get together. Rosanne and I will try to help Vanessa enjoy the trip even though Vice, who is qualified, will not be coming due to his issue with temperature regulation.
14 days and counting - OH DEAR!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The Apple and The Tree
Wow - now I know how Rosanne feels when driving long distances with me in the car (15 more days and counting). The apple doesn't fall far from the tree? Devin came home on the bus yesterday because Greg was home waiting for a mechanic to come and look at our ailing washing machine. What this means is that Devin didn't get to run around and play football at the after school program. He also didn't have football practice last night.
With no physical outlet for his energy, he was squirming out of his skin with boredom. This extra energy always seems to get directed at me. So I had a brilliant idea - go get the hula hoop from the basement (the reason I have one - the dogs). This entertained him for at least 30 minutes and it took the edge off of him.
Nothing like having 6 dogs (4 of which are high energy Border Collies) and one 9 year old boy that is also very high energy to try to entertain. Thank goodness I was a Border Collie in a former life.
Poor Greg, he will have to deal with 5 dogs and one child when I am in AZ. Sympathy cards can be sent to: Greg Gilligan (ggilligan@philamixers.com) while I am gone :)
With no physical outlet for his energy, he was squirming out of his skin with boredom. This extra energy always seems to get directed at me. So I had a brilliant idea - go get the hula hoop from the basement (the reason I have one - the dogs). This entertained him for at least 30 minutes and it took the edge off of him.
Nothing like having 6 dogs (4 of which are high energy Border Collies) and one 9 year old boy that is also very high energy to try to entertain. Thank goodness I was a Border Collie in a former life.
Poor Greg, he will have to deal with 5 dogs and one child when I am in AZ. Sympathy cards can be sent to: Greg Gilligan (ggilligan@philamixers.com) while I am gone :)
My Cute Little Ivy
Katie came to agility class yesterday to run Ivy. She will be running her at the upcoming Keystone trial this weekend so she needs to get in some practice. Katie was having some difficulty in a tight section of the course that Barb DeMascio set for us. So I thought I could take Ivy out there and get her through that part to show Katie. Well guess what? I have totally forgotten THE IVY RULES! EEK - she is not easy to run and I am not missing all the required strategies and thinking on your feet and the very last millisecond changes in strategy. Sorry my cute little Ivy - I adore you but I will not be running you again any time soon. I do not miss the mental energy required to run your cute little deaf self.
The funny thing is...she is fine with all of this. She kept running to Barb for treats - totally ignored me. That is fine with me too, I just want her to get some exercise and have fun. I don't know how to have fun running her but Katie just takes it all in stride. They are a very nice team - neither one cares and they are just enjoying it together, both smiling.
The funny thing is...she is fine with all of this. She kept running to Barb for treats - totally ignored me. That is fine with me too, I just want her to get some exercise and have fun. I don't know how to have fun running her but Katie just takes it all in stride. They are a very nice team - neither one cares and they are just enjoying it together, both smiling.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
No Cycling, No Running
Until I get back from Arizona, I have limited my physical outlet to teaching and working my dogs in preparation for Nationals. We leave in 16 days! It is coming fast and furious.
I decided not to ride or run to ensure I do not have any knee or IT Band issues while I am out in AZ. I am staying fit by practicing with Gusto more than I had so I do not feel I will be out of shape. I am eagerly awaiting the return so I can do more physical things - they are the best outlet for my mind. I need it but am trying to control myself so I go out with no pain.
The strategy is working to date. I have not had any knee pain at all and no IT Band discomfort. I am not wearing running shoes when I do agility; I am wearing my super duper awesome soccer cleats that allow me to wear my hideous orthodics. It seems that when I wear running shoes (with orthodics), I have inside knee pain - in the medial meniscus location. It could also be some strain on my Tibial Collateral Ligament. Either way, I have not been having any pain since I stopped cycling and started wearing my cleats. I am unsure which of these factors have given me the relief but with Nationals in a few short weeks, I am not going to play around to find out.
I have a dog and a team counting on me, not screwing up my chances to go this year. I missed last year because of my IT Band injury.
I decided not to ride or run to ensure I do not have any knee or IT Band issues while I am out in AZ. I am staying fit by practicing with Gusto more than I had so I do not feel I will be out of shape. I am eagerly awaiting the return so I can do more physical things - they are the best outlet for my mind. I need it but am trying to control myself so I go out with no pain.
The strategy is working to date. I have not had any knee pain at all and no IT Band discomfort. I am not wearing running shoes when I do agility; I am wearing my super duper awesome soccer cleats that allow me to wear my hideous orthodics. It seems that when I wear running shoes (with orthodics), I have inside knee pain - in the medial meniscus location. It could also be some strain on my Tibial Collateral Ligament. Either way, I have not been having any pain since I stopped cycling and started wearing my cleats. I am unsure which of these factors have given me the relief but with Nationals in a few short weeks, I am not going to play around to find out.
I have a dog and a team counting on me, not screwing up my chances to go this year. I missed last year because of my IT Band injury.
MAD Dog
I just checked the USDAA official site for my results. I am one leg shy of Gusto's Tournament Masters Bronze title. Although I am sure others will have earned higher titles much faster than I have, I am still pretty happy with how G and I are doing so far. He was not an easy dog when I started to run him on sequences. He wasn't horrible, just very fast and quite reactive. If I twitched or said anything, he would react instantly which meant bars. In the beginning, he always dropped at least one bar per class (Not to mention the teeter fly offs, the dogwalk disasters and the flying frames)- that was at the 22 inch height (and 20 in AKC). It took both of us some time to work out the nuances. Then I moved him up to 26 - this is going much better than I anticipated! I was frustrated for awhile but he is starting to figure it out and wow - his muscle tone is amazing now!
If you consider that he is a minimum of one yard per second faster than Ivy was (at least comparing some of her better runs), I think I am adjusting to him pretty well. We have our moments of "what was I thinking/doing, what was he thinking/doing" but for the most part, we are starting to come together. I admit, this is happening a bit sooner than I expected. I parked Ivy so I could focus on him, I think that was a wise decision. Katie Leisey, a junior handler, is running Ivy when she can so at least she is getting to play and she really enjoys Katie.
He earned his MAD (Masters Agility Dog) Title in 1.5 years of showing. While that doesn't sound great, it was much quicker than Ivy - she took 2 full years. He has his TM (Tournament Masters) in about one year - I didn't start him in tournaments right away. I waited a little while before trying him on those courses. Ivy took 3 years for her TM - I didn't show her in tournaments right away either so it was probably more accurately 2 - 2.5 yrs. Comparing my results with both dogs and with Gusto being such a quick dog (speed and reflexes), I am moving in the right direction.
The question is - can I keep it together at the big events? Can I handle his excitement level which will definitely be amped up? These questions remain unanswered.
Ever hopeful and always in pursuit.....
If you consider that he is a minimum of one yard per second faster than Ivy was (at least comparing some of her better runs), I think I am adjusting to him pretty well. We have our moments of "what was I thinking/doing, what was he thinking/doing" but for the most part, we are starting to come together. I admit, this is happening a bit sooner than I expected. I parked Ivy so I could focus on him, I think that was a wise decision. Katie Leisey, a junior handler, is running Ivy when she can so at least she is getting to play and she really enjoys Katie.
He earned his MAD (Masters Agility Dog) Title in 1.5 years of showing. While that doesn't sound great, it was much quicker than Ivy - she took 2 full years. He has his TM (Tournament Masters) in about one year - I didn't start him in tournaments right away. I waited a little while before trying him on those courses. Ivy took 3 years for her TM - I didn't show her in tournaments right away either so it was probably more accurately 2 - 2.5 yrs. Comparing my results with both dogs and with Gusto being such a quick dog (speed and reflexes), I am moving in the right direction.
The question is - can I keep it together at the big events? Can I handle his excitement level which will definitely be amped up? These questions remain unanswered.
Ever hopeful and always in pursuit.....
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Midget Football
At one point, several weeks ago I was not happy that I would be missing Devin's last 2 football games of the season. I am now over that feeling because their football team has a losing season so far and I am sort of tired watching them lose over and over again. They play well but are just not big enough and they get pushed around A LOT. Devin basically got neutralized on Sunday. He only made 3 tackles and was not in the backfield at all! That hasn't happened yet this season.
He is still enjoying it though and it has made him quite fit. He challenged me to a foot race to the car after his game on Monday and he beat me. Now I was not in running shoes but still!!! He was very proud of himself because this summer when we were jogging together, he couldn't catch me when I sprinted.
The latest new thing for Devin is that he is planning torun for Student Council. He made the decision on his own and shocked both Greg and me. Even if he doesn't get elected, it will be a great experience for him. He has to write a speech and give it to his class. Wish I could be there to hear it.
He is still enjoying it though and it has made him quite fit. He challenged me to a foot race to the car after his game on Monday and he beat me. Now I was not in running shoes but still!!! He was very proud of himself because this summer when we were jogging together, he couldn't catch me when I sprinted.
The latest new thing for Devin is that he is planning torun for Student Council. He made the decision on his own and shocked both Greg and me. Even if he doesn't get elected, it will be a great experience for him. He has to write a speech and give it to his class. Wish I could be there to hear it.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Artful Dodgers USDAA Trial
Wow, what a weekend Gusto and I had together as a TEAM. He was absolutely wonderful - kept all his bars up, all weekend long. We ran 4 runs total and he handled so nicely. First run of the weekend was Standard; it was a nice course and I felt good about my handling decisions. He ran it really well and should have qualified except that I put a front cross in the wrong location and pulled him past the jump so he got a refusal. Otherwise, very nice run. Next run was Gamblers - he did very well on that course but didn't get the Gamble because I didn't set him up correctly to turn him back to a chute that was not apparent to the dog.
Next run was Grand Prix - I needed this for the 2009 qualifying period and have not been running Grand Prix courses very well. Mental block, too technical, bad timing - whatever the reason, it hasn't gone well. When I walked the course, there were some tough portions but otherwise, a nice course. I felt good about my decisions but wasn't sure if he could keep the bars up due to some required talking to kept them on course. The talking has caused me issues with the bars. Anyway, we ran it conservatively, just trying to keep him on course and all bars up. I held his contacts for a beat and took some inhaled breaths at the contacts to keep my wits about me. He ran it clean - an even 32 seconds. The 22 inch dogs went under 32 seconds - both dogs that did that have running contacts one of which is Rosanne DeMascio's Kiba. Great little dog that can run a very tight path. The only other dog to run the GP clean at 26 was Julie Luckcraft's Strider. Everyone else faulted. Bridget McKnights Kestrel ran slightly faster (31.8ish) and she has full running contacts - got called for the up contact on the teeter. It was a tough line and very easy to nearly push your dog off which several handlers did. I was so thrilled to win and get my very first BYE for a Regional. He needs one more GP Q at 26 and then I will drop him to 22 to get him qualified at that height too.
Sunday, I was only running his first class so I could get home to watch Devin's football team lose another game - sigh. Our first class was Standard and it was a really nice course with some tricky sections. The 22 inch class ran first so I got to watch how some teams ran it. I felt confident with my handling decisions so I stuck with my plan. I walked it with a couple things in mind in the tricky parts and told myself not to rush through those sections and maintain connection with Gusto. He was wonderful, didn't put a foot wrong. No wide turns, no near call offs, no bars down - perfect! That standard leg Q earned him his MAD title - yay! He ran it in 40.22 seconds. The fastest time out of the 2 big dogs heights (not sure what the smaller dogs ran it in). The next fastest time was 45 ish, I believe. Not sure what the second place dog ran it in - I was checking times of dogs with running contacts to see how I stack up. I held his contacts but not as long as I had on Saturday - I ran that course trying to see how well I could run it to warm me up for Nationals. I felt amazing!!!!!
The weather could not have been nicer. It was cool in the AM but the sun would quickly warm you up. Not too hot - just perfect. And his MAD title and winning the class was the perfect ending!
Next run was Grand Prix - I needed this for the 2009 qualifying period and have not been running Grand Prix courses very well. Mental block, too technical, bad timing - whatever the reason, it hasn't gone well. When I walked the course, there were some tough portions but otherwise, a nice course. I felt good about my decisions but wasn't sure if he could keep the bars up due to some required talking to kept them on course. The talking has caused me issues with the bars. Anyway, we ran it conservatively, just trying to keep him on course and all bars up. I held his contacts for a beat and took some inhaled breaths at the contacts to keep my wits about me. He ran it clean - an even 32 seconds. The 22 inch dogs went under 32 seconds - both dogs that did that have running contacts one of which is Rosanne DeMascio's Kiba. Great little dog that can run a very tight path. The only other dog to run the GP clean at 26 was Julie Luckcraft's Strider. Everyone else faulted. Bridget McKnights Kestrel ran slightly faster (31.8ish) and she has full running contacts - got called for the up contact on the teeter. It was a tough line and very easy to nearly push your dog off which several handlers did. I was so thrilled to win and get my very first BYE for a Regional. He needs one more GP Q at 26 and then I will drop him to 22 to get him qualified at that height too.
Sunday, I was only running his first class so I could get home to watch Devin's football team lose another game - sigh. Our first class was Standard and it was a really nice course with some tricky sections. The 22 inch class ran first so I got to watch how some teams ran it. I felt confident with my handling decisions so I stuck with my plan. I walked it with a couple things in mind in the tricky parts and told myself not to rush through those sections and maintain connection with Gusto. He was wonderful, didn't put a foot wrong. No wide turns, no near call offs, no bars down - perfect! That standard leg Q earned him his MAD title - yay! He ran it in 40.22 seconds. The fastest time out of the 2 big dogs heights (not sure what the smaller dogs ran it in). The next fastest time was 45 ish, I believe. Not sure what the second place dog ran it in - I was checking times of dogs with running contacts to see how I stack up. I held his contacts but not as long as I had on Saturday - I ran that course trying to see how well I could run it to warm me up for Nationals. I felt amazing!!!!!
The weather could not have been nicer. It was cool in the AM but the sun would quickly warm you up. Not too hot - just perfect. And his MAD title and winning the class was the perfect ending!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Umbrellas!
What is it with puppies and the fear of umbrellas? Maybe it is just a border collie thing. I took Robbie to football practice with me because he was crated all day while I had my little adventure in Morgantown. I figured just a change of scenery would do him good; we wouldn't be home until 8:00 and he would be full of obnoxious youthful energy. I left him in the crate in the truck with the tailgate open. Of course, he could see me so he barked his head off. And his bark is no ordinary one, he sounds like a very large 90+ lb Labrador.
After waiting a bit to make sure he didn't think his barking resulted in his freedom, I went and got him out. Took a Frisbee with me for entertainment and walked over near the practice field. The sidelines at football practice are always a flurry of activity; younger or older non-football playing siblings are engaged in chase games, football throwing, soccer kicking and anything that kids due with their energy. Robbie thought the kids games were very exciting. He was good though, I asked him to play with the Frisbee - bite the dead Frisbee game. It is my new way of getting him excited to play with inanimate objects. I am teaching him that "dead" toys are just as fun as the ones that get tossed, thrown, and kicked. I think this will help him with agility - he doesn't like boring repetition and he doesn't like stand still type training activities or training skills that require his own drive and speed independent of mine. He likes when I move - PERIOD.
Anyway, he was good at the Frisbee bite, toss and play by yourself game. But then a friend of mine walked up to say hi and he had the EVIL UMBRELLA. It was a golf size one so that means it must be from the DEVIL. HA. He started alarm barking and acting like a freaky BC. I asked Lance (yes, that is his name) if I could borrow the umbrella and help Robbie get over his irrational fear of very large evil umbrellas. Robbie was having a cow, so I lied him down and put the evil object near him for a sniff. After a good sniff, he decided he should bite it. I had to end the fun but he got over his fear and went back to playing with the Frisbee and nearly ripped my arm out cuz he tossed it out of leash range.
I put him back in the truck, he had calmed down, had a good day of being around different stimulating things and I was pretty sure that would take the edge off of him so we could have a pleasant evening.
After waiting a bit to make sure he didn't think his barking resulted in his freedom, I went and got him out. Took a Frisbee with me for entertainment and walked over near the practice field. The sidelines at football practice are always a flurry of activity; younger or older non-football playing siblings are engaged in chase games, football throwing, soccer kicking and anything that kids due with their energy. Robbie thought the kids games were very exciting. He was good though, I asked him to play with the Frisbee - bite the dead Frisbee game. It is my new way of getting him excited to play with inanimate objects. I am teaching him that "dead" toys are just as fun as the ones that get tossed, thrown, and kicked. I think this will help him with agility - he doesn't like boring repetition and he doesn't like stand still type training activities or training skills that require his own drive and speed independent of mine. He likes when I move - PERIOD.
Anyway, he was good at the Frisbee bite, toss and play by yourself game. But then a friend of mine walked up to say hi and he had the EVIL UMBRELLA. It was a golf size one so that means it must be from the DEVIL. HA. He started alarm barking and acting like a freaky BC. I asked Lance (yes, that is his name) if I could borrow the umbrella and help Robbie get over his irrational fear of very large evil umbrellas. Robbie was having a cow, so I lied him down and put the evil object near him for a sniff. After a good sniff, he decided he should bite it. I had to end the fun but he got over his fear and went back to playing with the Frisbee and nearly ripped my arm out cuz he tossed it out of leash range.
I put him back in the truck, he had calmed down, had a good day of being around different stimulating things and I was pretty sure that would take the edge off of him so we could have a pleasant evening.
What a great day!
I had the best day yesterday. I went and taught one lesson - one of my favorite student/dog combinations. Then I picked Katie Leisey (Junior handler that is working and running Ivy for me) up early and we ate at Sonic. Then I went to Wal-Mart for some needed essentials for Arizona (I still have more shopping to do but at least got a few things done). We then couldn't remember what time our class started! Neither one of us - isn't it weird how a change in your schedule can totally throw you off? Katie is 16 or almost 16 so it isn't an age thing. We drove around the Morgantown area looking for a park because we had an hour and a half before class actually started (I called LuAnn to ask about class time - I felt like a dork).
We found a cute little park along a pretty creek but it wasn't dog friendly. I searched my GPS and found Marsh Creek was about 4 miles from Julie's field. We took Ivy and Gusto for a walk along a beautiful lake. The dogs thought they were there for a swim and kept trying to drag us down to the water; eventually, they realized that was not part of the agenda.
Then we headed back to Julie's. It was a fun adventure and a very nice change in my daily routine. Along the drive, we saw many lovely stone houses and we kept saying - oh, I could live there. It was a fun game of "imagine if you lived there instead."
Gusto was amazing at class. He only dropped one bar, maybe two but was otherwise very good. I also put him over the dreaded broad jump - he did it flawlessly every time. Totally had me bamboozled because he was so horrible just one day prior!! Go figure dogs!
Ended the day at football practice. That didn't go so well for Devin and his defensive line. Oh well, everyone can have a bad day. Gusto had his on Tuesday :)
We found a cute little park along a pretty creek but it wasn't dog friendly. I searched my GPS and found Marsh Creek was about 4 miles from Julie's field. We took Ivy and Gusto for a walk along a beautiful lake. The dogs thought they were there for a swim and kept trying to drag us down to the water; eventually, they realized that was not part of the agenda.
Then we headed back to Julie's. It was a fun adventure and a very nice change in my daily routine. Along the drive, we saw many lovely stone houses and we kept saying - oh, I could live there. It was a fun game of "imagine if you lived there instead."
Gusto was amazing at class. He only dropped one bar, maybe two but was otherwise very good. I also put him over the dreaded broad jump - he did it flawlessly every time. Totally had me bamboozled because he was so horrible just one day prior!! Go figure dogs!
Ended the day at football practice. That didn't go so well for Devin and his defensive line. Oh well, everyone can have a bad day. Gusto had his on Tuesday :)
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
No Clue
Gusto has no clue how to jump a broad jump. This is what I learned yesterday at my session with Rosanne. I did quite a lot of reps on it yesterday and was not totally satisfied with the results. I will need to do this again every week before I leave for Arizona. He is turning tighter out of chutes though so I was very happy with that part of our session yesterday.
I ran Gusto at 22 once and he was amazing so that gave me some confidence for Nationals. Jumping him 26 is definitely a challenge for both of us. He is doing much much better but there is so little room for error that I find myself constantly thinking about the bars and it takes my focus off of my handling. This is something I am going to need to conquer if I am going to continue to pursue goals in the 26 inch height class. He is an amazing athlete and I definitely want to give him the opportunity to reach his potential. I do not want to hold him back, he is probably my one shot at reaching some pretty high goals in agility.
Robbie, while super smart, is just not as driven for the sport - yet. He can cover ground nicely but he lacks the explosiveness that I see in Gusto and Seri. I plan to continue my training of Robbie, focus on the things he needs to learn and see what I have in about a year. If he is missing the IT factor, I will make a decision on another dog in 2 years. I was going to wait but I confess, running a dog like Gusto is a total rush. I will want that type of explosive, running on the edge type of dog again. It is an addiction - an adrenaline rush.
I ran Gusto at 22 once and he was amazing so that gave me some confidence for Nationals. Jumping him 26 is definitely a challenge for both of us. He is doing much much better but there is so little room for error that I find myself constantly thinking about the bars and it takes my focus off of my handling. This is something I am going to need to conquer if I am going to continue to pursue goals in the 26 inch height class. He is an amazing athlete and I definitely want to give him the opportunity to reach his potential. I do not want to hold him back, he is probably my one shot at reaching some pretty high goals in agility.
Robbie, while super smart, is just not as driven for the sport - yet. He can cover ground nicely but he lacks the explosiveness that I see in Gusto and Seri. I plan to continue my training of Robbie, focus on the things he needs to learn and see what I have in about a year. If he is missing the IT factor, I will make a decision on another dog in 2 years. I was going to wait but I confess, running a dog like Gusto is a total rush. I will want that type of explosive, running on the edge type of dog again. It is an addiction - an adrenaline rush.
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