OMG What a Fun Day!

We were in the ring like eight times today. This is an amazing pace. It was all pretty much good. Kory qualified in Advanced Gamblers and Jumpers; but missed a contact (A‑frame) Advanced Standard. In Team we didn’t embarrass ourselves (just hold fast); and our team finished the day in second place. Kory went wrong course in the Grand Prix; but won his Steeplechase run. Okay, it was just a lot of fun today. It’s all good.

Kory held up well and was ready to go every time we went into the ring. But when we got back to the Red Roof… well, you can see.

Team Standard Opening

Mostly I think people will remember my distance work on this day. Trust me it’s not a matter of being lazy. I simply can’t run the way I once might have. My philosophy is, trust your dog and let him go out to work. I save my moments of near proximity for those technical moments in the course.

This was the start of the Team Standard course. The threadle between #2 and #3 mostly inspired in the field a grinding moment of micro-management. Note too that a Front Cross doesn’t create a great approach to the A-frame.

I tried to illustrate here my solution. I took the long lead out and after jump #2 called Kory into a “Come By”; which means for him to circle me tightly in a clockwise direction. It worked just hunky dory, and sweetened the approach to the A-frame

What I learned on the Day

Well, I’m going home and setting our A-frame up to the USDAA championship height. We spend too much time in classes on wimpy CPE and AKC elevation… which makes the A-frame a different obstacle. Kory missed about half of his down contacts on the A‑frame today. This is something I have to take back to our training program. ‘Nuff said.

Blog842

Questions comments & impassioned speeches to Bud Houston Houston.Bud@gmail.com. The web store is up and running.  www.dogagility.org/newstore. I have five volumes (over 100 pp each) of The Joker’s Notebook available on my web-store at an inexpensive price. These are lesson plans suitable for individual or group classes for teaching dog to work at a distance.