Gig Harbor Kennel Club
July31, August 1, 2004
Judge: Ann B. McQuillen
Outdoors on grass which was actually green!! 300 runs per day. It was hot!! with Temps in the low 90's
This was a fast course. Al gave me a fairly good stay at the start although he didn't hold his sit and he did creep up; but I did manage to get out about 7 feet before we were off. He had plenty of drive. He took a little while to sit at the table, and then we were off and into a fast part of the course. I didn't hold back at the entrance to the weave poles and because of that Al thought I was a crazy person and checked up to see if I really wanted him to go full speed into the poles. By that time our momentum had carried us past the entry and we had a refusal at the poles. Our first in a long time. We ran on, and had another problem after the A frame in which my brain decided to figure out what went wrong at the weave poles instead of planning the next part of the course. As a result, I stutter stepped, had to stop and think about the next part of the course because I wasn't sure, and we ended up missing the next obstacle. I blew two parts of the course. Al ran well despite my mistakes, and was very happy about his performance!
I was really looking forward to this run. Al was feeling pretty good when we started. Everything went well, even the Rear Cross worked out as Al didn't spin?! Halfway into the course Al did something that several other dogs did as well. When they got to the tunnel, he just blew me off, and went on an excursion around the course. He was sniffing for something. He was happy to parade around the course sniffing, when he came back to me, we went through the tunnel, and then I called him and he happily came over , and that was the end of our run. I picked him up. Al was walked off the course happily and with love, and then we had our treats. The game was over.
International Sweepstakes Class Standard Course:
Al didn't tear his heart out because he didn't finish his JWW run, and an hour and a half later, when we set up to run the ISC course he was ready to go. I had given him a soak in a wading pool to cool him down before the run, and that relaxed him and hopefully it kept him cool. It was hot. Low 90's
We were one of the first to run, and in hindsight, I didn't really set up Al properly for the start. As a result, we didn't have a stay at the start line, and worse yet, I didn't get a drop and go start either, so as a result Al was ahead of me when I had to be ahead of him. The result was that Al had a refusal at the second jump and then he backjumped it giving him a refusal and a wrong course before we had done the third obstacle. No wrong courses are allowed in the ISC class, but refusals are. The rest of the run was for fun, and Al loved it. He ran great and loved the whole course. He was very excited at the end of the run!! There's always tomorrow!
International Sweepstakes Class Jumpers with Weaves Course:
This was Al's best run of the weekend. He loved the course and his focus was great. I ran the course silent and it made a difference in his focus. There were 5 Front Crosses on the course and 2 wraps.
Al ran great and although he almost had a fault on the tunnel after he went through it the first time, the judge decided that he didn't get in the tunnel so he had a Qualifying score and Placed 2nd in the Mini Class.
Al's time was exactly on the Standard course time of 37 seconds (136 yds.) and his exact time was 37.53 secs.
Note:
The Judge (Ann McQuillen) was totally in love with Al during this trial. She wanted to take him home to California. I liked her courses very much, and enjoyed speaking with her about Al and particularly about Grace and working with a Rescued dog. She was very understanding of what Grace has had to get through and surprised at her background after having seen her run before she knew anything about her.
The good thing is that Ann McQuillen is going to be judging Agility at the IG Regional Specialty next year in Pheonix, and I hope that she will be seeing Al there as a competitor.
