Bearded Collie Club of Western Washington
Enumclaw, Wa, July 24,25,2004
This was a two day trial outside on grass. 600 runs per day. In incredibly hot weather for Seattle. When we left after our runs on Saturday the temperature was 98 degrees F. The judges were Karen Paulukaitis and Jane Mohr.
The weather was incredibly hot for Seattle this day. At 8:30 AM it was bright sunshine, and hot and humid. When I finished the walk/run through I was soaked in sweat and very thirsty. The temperature had to be almost 80 when Al had his first run. We were the about the 12th Excellent B dog to run, so I didn't get a chance to second guess the plan, because I didn't get to watch any of the runs of the dogs before us. Al tried hard at the start line, did an obedient sit. He was very polite about it. I crossed the start line and he got up so we were off.
Al had a great run. We had a little trouble getting a sit on the table, as he has been practicing downs, and it took him about 5-8 seconds to get into a sit. Then we were off the table to the rest of the course. Al ran great!!! He ran hard enough so that I couldn't get in two front crosses that I had planned for the run (in front of the A frame and the Tire). That is a good thing.
Al had a clean run. He Qualified and placed 3rd in Excellent B Standard 12". This was his first Q and placement in Excellent B Std. (in three runs?) His time was 59.77 seconds, the Standard Course Time was 72 seconds (168 yds). He was 12 seconds under course time and earned 12 MACH Points. There were only 3 12" Qualifiers.
After 3 hours waiting with the temperature building, Al and I had a chance for our first double Q. Again we were early in the running order so I had to go with the plan that I had made without be able to modify it because we couldn't watch the dogs before us as we were getting ready to run. We ran at about 12:30PM and the temperature was probably in the low 90's by then. Before we ran I let Al cool down by letting him stand in a wading pool and I bathed him with cool water. He decided that it wasn't too humiliating, even though it was used bath water. We walked to the start line. He sat, gave me a few feet as a lead out and then we were off. The little man ran hard and had fun. We had a clean run!! Our first double Q!!!
I didn't think we were fast when we finished, but everyone was pretty excited for Al. Al was very pleased with himself and really was excited and wanted his treats. After his treats we headed for a drink, and then off to the wading pool again. Al as a special treat got some Ice cubes to chew and the white of a cold hard boiled egg!
In his JWW run he finished 1st!! That is unbelievable. He came in First in Excellent B??!! His time was 31.71 seconds. The SCT was 43 seconds (140yds.) He was 12 seconds under course time and earned 12 MACH points with that run.
The only dogs under 20" that were faster on that run were the 2003 8" AKC National Agility Champion (Tigger), the 2003 16" AKC National Agility Champion (Suni, a USA World team dog), 16" PJ run by Barb Davis (World Team Competitor), and a 16" BC that came up from California.
The best part about this day is that Al had two really good runs on the same day! He has his first QQ!!
The second day of a dog trial always starts out with total optimism. For that matter so does the first!!. The hot weather had cooled overnight so that the temperature at 6AM was in the low 60's, and it was cloudy. Quick get to the trial and hope that we get to run early enough before the day heated up!
The Standard course was seemed pretty nice as we walked it and Al was definitely ready to run. It was an unusual start that I haven't seen before. The first obstacle was the collapsible chute. Al couldn't resist it, and as soon as the leash came off he was ready, and as soon as my hand left his shoulder we were off. I ran as hard as I could and caught up to him as he exited from the chute, and we were off together. Everything went great! Over the Teeter over the dog walk and to the table where Al did a fine down, and then moved at the count of "four" and we had to restart the count. I wanted Al on my left after we came off the table so I moved, called him off and turned away from him knowing that he would come around onto my left side. Wrong??!!! Where was Al? I couldn't see him so I stopped, turned, and then I could see him at my feet from the corner of my eye as he jumped through the tire. This was definitely not as I had planned. I was on the wrong side of the tire, and Al was on the other side waiting for me?!! Yikes. He was at the buffet table waiting?!! Luckily he waited for me (kind of), but in doing so the Judge decided that he had refused the next jump because he came back to me. But from this point on, we were together and he ran well. Al did great weave poles and began to run hard. The last sequence was from the A Frame to three jumps. I had to do a front cross at the end of the A Frame , and I did it too far from him, and I thought I had pulled Al off the Frame before he got the contact. (When I see the tape, I was right, and Al didn't get his contact) The judge didn't call it, but I still thought he missed the contact, and I relaxed when I shouldn't have, and as a result I didn't push him out to the second last jump which Al cut short getting a refusal, and then Back jumped and then we finished. No Q for us this morning.
It also turned out, once I had to watch the tape, that Al in the confusion at the Table, had gotten off the table and then when I turned to see where he was, he thought he should get back on it, and he did! This caused the Judge to wave her arms as he had a wrong course fault and the rest of the run was unknowingly just practice until I made the next mistake. Still he ran well, and hard with good enthusiasm. I can't ask for anything more from Al. After watching the tape I can see that I should have run harder myself!! At times Al was waiting for me and having to slow up.
Al's time was 66.77 seconds. The SCT was 74 seconds (173 yards).
By the time of our second run for the day, the sun had come out, it was getting hot, although it was much cooler than the day before. I was a little worried about the start line. The course was set up so that after the 2nd jump the doge was presented with a tunnel that it was looking straight into after in landed. If Al went in it was a wrong course and we were done. The other worry, was that Heather and Grace were running at the same time in the opposite ring to us, and I was walking Al out to the start line the other courses Gate Steward was yelling for Heather and Grace to come to the line. They didn't show, I was worried, and wondered why they hadn't shown up to run. I had Al sit and we were off. I didn't start at the right spot so the angle and approach to the second jump and tunnel was too straight. Al went over the 4rd jump as he was supposed to (Whew!!) and then when I called him to do a 180 degree turn he kept going straight to the far end of the tunnel and went in!!! We now had our wrong course. From then on, everything went perfectly. It was a course that Al loved! I called Al, he popped out of the tunnel took the next jump in sequence, and ran hard for the rest of the course. This is one of those runs where you wish you had done something to prevent the mistake that gets you. Oh well. He ran well, and had fun!! We had a party afterward anyway.
Most of the video of this run is missing because the friend that taped it didn't take off the lens cap!! Ha!!Ha!! So you get to see the inside of the lens cap while we were at the start line having a problem. The good thing is that the part of the run that made it to tape was the fun part where Al ran hard!
Conclusions:
This was one of Al's best Agility weekends. He earned his first QQ. He placed first in JWW Excellent B. Al ran hard all weekend and the conditions on Saturday when he got his double Q were brutally hot. He didn't sniff around, and his start line was improving( even if it is an inch at a time!!). We went 2 for 4 and earned 34 MACH points.
What was really nice was to have so many people come up to us and tell us how much they enjoy watching Al run, and tell us what nice runs we are starting to have. After the event the Judge Jane Mohr (who I like very much) made a point of coming over to me and telling me how much she appreciated and enjoyed watching Al run. She said that she has seen a lot of dogs run, and she'll always remember Al because of his attitude, and how well he runs. She was very encouraging.
What is also great about this weekend, is that while Al was doing so well, Grace and Heather were busy getting Q's and placements in their runs. This was Grace's best weekend of agility competition too!! She had Q's in 3 or her 4 runs in the weekend. She finished 3rd, in one of her runs on Saturday, getting her second leg of her Novice Standard Preferred title. On Sunday she came back and kicked butt again, having two nice runs!! Grace earned 2nd Place and the first leg of her Open Jumpers title and came in 1st Place in Novice Standard Preferred, earning her NAP title (Novice Agility Preferred). Grace had a double Q as well this weekend!!
So now Gracie is Willowmere's Lady Stetson NAP, NAJP.
It was a great weekend!!
