NADAC Championships - Update

If you would like a live feed of how we are doing, the scores will be posted here.

Porter - QQ #15

Porter had a pretty good weekend at Hamilton too  :)

We had some of the hardest courses that I have ever run... But I like the challenge. We did run clean on Saturday, except Porter's old weave pole problem came back to visit...  :)

On Sunday, we kicked the weave problem out the door & earned QQ #15!

We are slowly earning our Q's & points needed for the Nationals...

Speaking of Nationals, Porter & I are competing at the NADAC Championships right now  :) 

I had meant to do a little more info leading up to it, but it kind of snuck up on me. I just hope he weaves this year! He was phenomenal in 2011, but never did complete a full set of weaves... I really hope him missing them last weekend was not some kind of omen!

Wordless Wednesday: Watching Kittens on TV

Stout NJP!

Yes, Stout earned his first title! Preferred Novice Jumpers with Weaves!

And he did it on a pretty tough course too!

Video below:

We obviously had a couple mistakes...  :)  But we passed with a 90!

I'm so proud of the little goofball!

This Weekend

Today & tomorrow we will be up in Ohio doing a little of this:



 

Just Swimming...

It's so much fun to have a dog that enjoys swimming!

 

Consider this a sneak peak of next week's posts...  :)

Maybe It's Not The Perspective...

After Taryn's comments on yesterday's post about how Stout looks like a giant next to Porter, I took a look at the other photos taken from that day...



 

Yep, still towering over Porter...

At least a head above...

Hmmm, Porter is a midget!

I initially blamed it on the camera's perspective in the Wordless Wednesday photos  :)  But these photos are from a very different angle & yet Stout still towers over him!

So I conclude it was last Monday's post that was taken from a unique perspective, because they actually look the same size there!  :)

The only time I really notice the size difference is in photos. They always look about the same from above! :)

Wordless Wednesday

Just Stout

Porter was busy rolling in something disgusting behind me...

Almost Silhouettes...

Stout's Trial Update - Derby City

Stout also ran last weekend at the Derby City agility trial. Like everything that Stout does, he was both brilliant & yet frustrating, all at the same time  :)

His Novice JWW run on Sunday was probably one of the best runs he's ever had. He was fast, engaged, & didn't run off once  :)

Look at that start line!

I did everything that I've been telling myself I need to do with him: just run! I called his name quite a bit, I stayed ahead of him, and he chased. Perfect!

Of course, it would have been nice if he had taken that one jump... But by the time I realized he missed it, it was too late to go back, he was already committed to the next one. And it was my own fault that he missed it anyway because I had begun to pull away to get a blind cross in... I felt that continuing on was best for our long term goals, vs. going back for the Q (and risking him getting frustrated).

So once he ran around it, I forgot all about my blind cross & ended up having to do a rear. Which he rocked!  :)

I felt really good about our run & our progress in general. Then the next day dawned...

Oh Stout...

This was totally my fault though. I should have known better that to go back & fix things, that's when he completely lost focus & went off the chain  :)  But he could have acted a little more domesticated... I don't want to tolerate that jumping up & nipping. He can be frustrated, but he doesn't have to bite me in the ass!

Yep, I let the desire for a Q & his title creep into my head & I strayed from my plan. Ugh...

But the first part was really nice  :) He came flying out of that tunnel like his tail was on fire! Check out the photos here & here. I did get in those front crosses though, thank you Silvia Trkman & your Foundations class!  :)

So now we take a little vacation, regroup, and trial again in a couple weeks. It's so hard to be too frustrated with this little guy. Just look at the joy on his face here  :)

Another Agility Trial?

I know, after most of the summer off, we are hitting it hard!  :)  Two trials back to back!

We traveled to Louisville for Derby City's trial in a brand new location. I have to say, this site is way better than their old one! I hated Buckner... But while the surface was great, the parking was lacking & there was no a/c. Yes, no a/c at a Labor Day trial! Obviously we did survive - thank god they ran small to tall!  :)

Anyway, this weekend was not as good as last. Porter was plagued with some weird weave pole problems & Stout, well, it was normal Stout behavior (we'll talk about him tomorrow...).

Porter's Sunday Runs:

 

I don't know what the deal with the weaves was. I knew when I sent him in that it just didn't feel right, and sure enough, he popped out. Then he picked up speed after the frame & I barely got him into the right end of the tunnel!

 

Jumpers was great - can you tell we've been working on our blind crosses?  :)

 

 Porter's Monday Runs:

  

 

 Standard - eh. I'm trying hard not to overthink the weave thing...

 

And Jumpers - a bevy of blind crosses!  :)

 

Riding the Teeter Down Into Retirement

Time again for another Dog Agility Blog Event! Today's topic: Aging.

 



 

A young Porter - Look, no gray on his muzzle!

 

Ah, where do I even start... I have so many opinions on aging & retirement...

 

Let's continue with the teeter analogy.

 

Would you rather have your aging agility dog ride the teeter smoothly down onto the ground & into retirement?

 

Or would you rather they tackle it head-on, slamming it down with the same power they've held throughout their entire career? Then rushing off into the next phase of their life?

 

Or there is the possibility that they stumble onto it, slip, lose their footing, and bail? A formerly great agility dog, now just falling off the teeter into retirement?



 

There is no easy answer. A lot of people may not even realize that there is perhaps a bad answer.

 

If you're lucky, you may even get to choose your dog's teeter performance into retirement. The unlucky have no choice. The greedy will not make the choice.

 

Take some time & think about it. Realize that you're not the one on that teeter. But you are responsible for putting your dog onto it.

 

 

Another young, spry Porter  :)

Don't forget to visit the other blogs taking part in today's event. Here are a few of my favorites so far:

• Agility Engineer: Don't Be THAT Guy!
• Mutts & A Klutz: The Young & The Restless
• Michele Fry: Dog Club Aging

I will leave you with a video of a young Porter (although he still does this if it is a particularly good bone...) :

Family Resemblance?

Stout met up with his half-sister Ginger at the agility trial this weekend.

They had a lot of catching up to do...