Sunday, March 1, 2009

Success Is Not Measured in Q's

We had another competition this weekend...and while we were only 1-4, I was so proud of her and how she ran! We seem to be just a fraction of a second off - today, it was me, getting out my command for the next obstacle while she was in the middle of a jump. GRRR. I did not like this particular sequence - the dogs had a ton of speed (3 jumps in a straight line) and then had to pull left on to the dog walk with what had to be the minimum distance required by the AKC between obstacles. Of course, she made the entry to the dog walk fine...the danger is that the dogs are going full speed one direction and then having to turn the opposite direction to go up a dog walk can cause them to head up at an angle - and consequently fly off the dog walk. Thankfully, that was not an issue...and she was moving rather quickly across the dog walk to boot!

After you mess up, typically what you do it try things...to see what your dog can do. My whole plan changed...and my baby angel never missed a beat. Some of the things we did required some advanced skill - in particular, a "stay" on the table. Most dogs HATE the table, because it means they have to stop running the course. I can leave Chelsie on the table and work out ahead of her to get in positions that really help me handle challenging situations. Today, I left her on the table and handled a very tricky sequence of events in a manner that only a handful even tried. Chelsie did it no problem...never broke stride after leaving the table. I was so proud of her - we got so many compliments on the run, and many people asked if that was my "plan". I said no, it wasn't, but she made it look like it was! Good girl, Chelsie Belle, good girl.

Our next trial is in Louisville in two weeks - going with a group so it should be a ton of fun. I am really looking forward to getting out of the dirt and trialing on a smooth surface. She is running so well and we are really bonding - and having a ton of fun. And that is what it is all about. :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

1 comment:

Becky Andrews said...

That sounds fun. I think Cricket would love that if her current career gets boring.