Life Adventures

Braddock missed competing at Westminster in  2018 due to his injury.  It was probably best given that we had just gotten Gracie and the trip to NY with a small puppy would have proven difficult.  Even so, a year later, we decided to leave Cadia with Russell's parents because 4 dogs in NY is tough and Cadia hates NY the most. We left on Thursday night after Russ picked me up from working in MD and we stayed at a La Quinta in Newark DE to be near White Clay Creek State Park.  We went to the Whitley Farms trailhead and walked the Brian Fields Trail.  Next time we should just park at that trailhead as there is a restroom in the parking lot.  Also, the trails at Whitley Farms trailhead were pretty muddy from all the rain. We arrived in New York about noon.  It was too early to check in but we went ahead and unloaded our items onto a cart at Ink 48 and then headed to Central Park.  The dogs didn't seemed phased by the big city.  They pulled l...

This was a hard trial for a couple of reasons.  For one, it was our first trip without Logan.  We had planned to bring him up one more time to see Patti.  It just didn’t work out that way,  People at the trial were so compassionate in sharing condolences and I was touched by their kindness.  The second difficulty was the weather.  The rain from a hurricane stayed with us Friday evening through the majority of Saturday, and the weather was cool.  Walking the dogs was miserable. We stayed at little Bennett campground again -  site 55, which has become our new favorite (site 70 previously), but we didn’t really get to enjoy the trails.  On Friday night, in the rain, we walked the Big Oak trail, which had been decorated for Halloween.  The only dog scared by this haunted trail was Gracie, and she quickly got over it.  It was a short walk as we only connected to Beaver Creek, back up Acorn, to Big Oak to make a small loop. The r...

Preamble (Stephanie's Musings): There are those who play short-game well and there are those who play long-game.  I have trended towards the long-game most of  my life.  My doctorate in Neuroscience was a 7 year investment.  It required sacrifice, determination, and always keeping the end goal in sight.  Similarly, this goal, to place in the AKC agility Invitational Finals, was a goal 8 years in the making.  It too required persistence, sacrifice, and constant improvement.  I knew from the first moment I decided to take Braddock, that this goal was the journey we'd be on together. I was fortunate to have a dog like him who was motivated to take this ride with me. Of course, we all hope to achieve our goals sooner rather than later.  We qualified for the Invitationals in 2014, 2015, 2016, and now in 2017.  We came to compete all of those years.  In 2014, on the third round, I forgot the course at the end and we had an off-cour...

Invitational 2017 Overview: The Invitational was held at the Orange Country Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.  It's been a wonderful venue and a great place to travel to in the Winter.  To qualify for the Invitational, you have to be among the top 5 in your breed during the July 1 - June 30 qualifying period.  To succeed at the Invitational you need to run 4 clean rounds, finish first in your breed, and be fast enough to be among the 12 chosen to go in your height class to go on to finals.  Speed was never our problem.  If Braddock ran 4 clean rounds, we would always make it.  Consistency had been the issue. The fact that Braddock ran 6 clean rounds is a testament that this was his year. Invitational 2017 Course Analysis: On Friday, handlers enter T2B if they desire a warm-up prior to the main event. Braddock ran a wonderful course and finished 2nd among 147 24" dogs. The first challenge was 3 to 4 (weaves).  A few handlers...

Well, I have learned that Braddock still needs training time.  I've been giving it all to Frye. While normally Braddock and I look very polished, I realize that when the course requires him to think a bit, he's not doing it.  He makes quick and easy decisions without considering all information, and this I believe is because I haven' t been working him as much.  Also, when I do work him, we are doing the same pattern of exercises, which allows him to follow on autopilot and not have to use his brain that much.  So, for the next 2 weeks before Invitational I need to get his mind back focused. On Day 1, he blew the dogwalk contact, and I have been working that at home.  But he shut his brain off, and missed it. In JWW, Braddock misread my pull as a rear cross at jump 15 (because I was facing into him).  I saved it, but then he knocked a bar.  Frye on the other hand, in her first Excellent JWW debut, ran the course flawlessly, and the only reas...

We came to practice for the Invitational.  On Standard Day 1, he had a phenomenal run, but I️ stepped out after the table and he pushed to the off course.  In general, I️ need to work him going past an obstacle without taking it. Day 2 Standard run was incredible and he took 1st place, beating Baille the Greyhound by 1 sec.  Braddock was 28 seconds under time, which is impressive on that type of footing. Finally, in JWW Day 2, there was an opportunity.  I️ sweated the backside push, which he got just fine.  The challenge was that after the weaves, the next jump felt awfully close and required a hard turn after it as well.  With Frye I️ was positioned onside of the weaves and could do a reverse spin at that jump.  With Braddock I️ tried to blind cross after the weaves but my timing was off as I️ had to wait on him given the tight space, and then I️ darted, and thus he pulled out of the weaves. Although it is his job to stay in, if I️ we...

Braddock finished the day with a strong double Q, and he placed 1st in JWW.  In STD, there were 2 parts to really work. The first, was the exit off the Aframe.  The 3# broad jump pretty much took out the option of a front cross before the Aframe.  It was a timing issue - meaning that starting the turn at takeoff would likely be before the handler got into position on the other side of the frame. Also, big dog handlers had to watch any forward motion cues at the broad jump because dogs were taking the off course table.  Therefore, a cross needed to happen at the exit of the Aframe.  Most handlers chose a rear cross, but the rear could not be done too shallow.  I drew a line in my mind from the corner of the Aframe exit to the left standard of #5.  I ran that line, shaping the rear cross so that Braddock would slice the #5 bar.  This lined him up for the table.  Otherwise, a rear cross in which the dog didn't slice as s...

Braddock's STD run was extremely fast, namely because I chose techniques to stay ahead.  I did a lateral send to the tire and got the blind cross before the tunnel.  I chose a front cross at the tunnel exit because the first thing I wanted for him to see was my body turning.  This put him on the line to the aframe.  Those who went for a blind, if they weren't fast enough, had the dogs seeing their feet facing the off course jump beside the aframe and the dog would exit on a line to the handler's right and miss the cross. At jump 8, the better line to the dogwalk was to turn the dog to the left.  8 was a panel and leads to extension.  So when turning the dog to the right, people were delayed in supporting the turn to make sure the dog didn't back jump (due to handler position).  And then the handler was stuck with the dogwalk on the right and had to beat the dog to the end to push to the correct tunnel entry. Because I could leave 8 early...

We couldn't buy a standard Q this weekend so we have a couple things to work on.  But, there is so many things Braddock did well. In the STD run, for those that got a cross on the landing side of 3, you really had to leave the dog at the aframe or else the cue would be late.  If crossing on the landing of 4, a sliced blind cross was best option followed by rear on flat. A front cross set the line for the off course.  The line off jump 8 worked best with a front cross timed early.  Some chose to pull and the dogs went extremely wide over 8.  The final challenge was the descrimination.  Most chose to turn the dog left over 15.  It wasn't a good approach to the dogwalk and the dog still lined up for the tunnel.  But if the dog ran slowly, the handler could get the lead change for the dogwalk.  I turned the dog to the right, as did Tracy Hirsch. She got it, getting the change of lead after the dog landed.  I tried to get the head check but ...

Day 2 of the trial and Braddock did not disappoint.  He got another double Q with 2 first places.  Those are easy stats to put out there, and yet, they aren't what I think about.  What I do think about is the way we ran the course, improving our lines, trying new things, and being even more connected. JWW was first.  There were 3 key parts to really work on this course.  1) jump #6.  Most people serped it, staying on the landing side.  This did, however, put a lot of pressure on the bar.  If you decided to front the exit of the tunnel and pull the dog to 7, then you were behind for the push out at 8.  I felt the serp wasn't fair to B.  He would accelerate to me, jumping center of the bar as that was the line, and then I would be asking for a sharp left turn from him.  So instead, I chose collection over the bar, opting for a front cross.  I did a blind at the tunnel exit, and then a front cross very close to #6, setting a tig...

I came in with the realization and appreciation that Braddock is a once in a lifetime dog.  I needed that insight.  Otherwise, the pressure that he's currently not in the top 5 could have taken out the joy.  We haven't trialed as much, but our teamwork hasn't faltered. I had so much fun running him. JWW was first.  My only real decision-making was whether to blind or rear cross before #15.  I chose the rear cross which gave a nice tight turn to 16. In STD, the line off the teeter was tricky.  If dogs took #16 tight, it set a line for off course #4.  The turn on the flat worked well for many, but put the handler behind.  I chose a blind after the teeter, but that meant I could not babysit the entry to tunnel #14. So I set the line to the tunnel, kept eye contact, and when I saw commitment, I moved into position.  The other thing handlers missed was supporting the line from #9-10.  Some dogs went around 10.

I realize that agility will never look the same to me again.  From now on, all my eyes will see is a brindle blur.  Well, at least as long as I'm running Frye.  In previous years, all 20 of them to be exact, I looked ahead to see obstacles and my running path.  Yet all this time I was supposed to be looking at the dog, never losing connection. There were some other important learnings as well, taboo suggestions if we reversed time a decade ago.  This little tidbit of knowledge is that in order to get max speed on course, don't get in your dog's way.  The best turn tool for cuing and getting out of the way is the blind cross.  Of course, if agility were judged like Olympic Ice Skaters, all those fancy moves we've been learning the last 5 years might get us some extra points.  Don't get me wrong, I love learning new moves, challenging the status quo, and getting more tools in the toolbox, but it is important to also remember the old adage, ...

My goal for Braddock was to achieve an even higher bar than what I had for Logan.  I wanted to have placements at major competitions like AKC Nationals, AKC Invitational, and Westminster.  To achieve this, I knew I needed to have fast performing and solid contacts.  I worked these elements of my training the most.  The following videos describe how I trained the teeter.

I decided to sign up for my first online agility class in 2014.   This was a Daisy Peel Online course, 4 week lesson.  Here are some video clips of the progress.  Week 1:  Goal was to cue jumps out of tunnel (a "go on" and also a "turn back").  So, you can see on first exercise I had to support more the jump out of the tunnel.  And in the second exercise, I had to use the tunnel brake in order to get the tight turn out of the tunnel at the end. Week 2:  Goal as running lines, timing and clarity of cues, and connection (especially for the collection and turns) Week 3:  Goal was working hard weave entry angles.  I left weaves slightly open to take it easier on his body.  Also I continued to reinforce efforts even if they weren't correct. Week 4:  Goal was handling a mixture of collection, extension, and turning.

I wanted one more trip with Logan.  I don't want to think about this being the last trip, and I hope it isn't.  I only knew that I wanted one more.  And now that the trip is over, I am consumed by the aftershock of still wanting one more.  It's been 8 years, and finally we return to a place we've always enjoyed visiting.  I call it the dog resort.  Everything is tailored to the dogs;  dog beds, dog towels, dog sheets for the furniture, private fenced yards, dog treats, dog doors, doggie gates so they can stay out on the deck with you.  The property itself is dog heaven; a few acres completely fenced with a lake in the middle.  The owner makes you feel right at home. In the kitchen there is a welcome white board with yours and your dogs' names.  She shows you how to work the fireplace, the hot-tub, internet password, etc. In the past we've stayed at Diva's cabin, but this year we chose Lacey's cabin and we prefer the...

We came to the show because it was on home turf.   Not our real home, but part of me never left Georgia.  This is the reason that every April we go down to the agility show in Perry, Ga.   We go mainly to see old friends, have everyone over for a cookout a the RV and catch up, allowing myself to feel like I did in the old days, when I felt most alive in my life. This year will be an anomaly, our first to miss the April Perry show in 10 years.   We can’t justify the long trip and time off work 2 months in a row.   Another compelling reason to go is that the Nationals aren’t usually so close to home.  The only other time we entered the show, despite qualifying every year we were eligible, was the Harrisonburg, PA Nationals in 2014. Ironically, I wasn’t looking that forward to Nationals.   I’ve always set my agility vision on the Invitational, hoping to make the finals, hoping to take home a placement trophy.  The Nationals is the most c...