Nina and I had a grand day at our first PCA agility trial. We were more than a little overwhelmed and a bit intimidated with the spectacle of the all-poodle line up. The dogs were awesome! (Do we really belong here?)
Our start line jitters fell by the wayside as we started our standard run with wide-open fun - unfortuneately we had a little too much zip approaching the table from a sharp left turn. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she
wasn't going to be able to put on the brakes fast enough. I tried to block her with my body, but she was flying, and I would have had to poodle punt her to get her back on the table. Everything else on the run was sweet.
T2B gave us our first PCA Q and 7 points. What a fun course with two long gently-curving jump series. I love it when judges give you a wide open, run for your money Time 2 Beat course.
The jumpers course took me over a dozen walk-throughs to get it straight in my exhausted head. I worried and stewed about how to handle it. There were so many options. New friend, Jennifer Deslauriers from Canada, helped me stop over-analyzing and got me to concentrate on just running it. Sweet success followed with my girl doing everything I asked. We even had an international cheering section in the upper deck giving us motivation to run for the finish line! Another green and a 3rd place.! These awesome runs also brought us MXJ7 (that's 70 JWW Q's in 14 months) and MX5 (50 STD Q's in 11 months). Pretty awesome for my Novice-A girl at 3 yrs 4 months old.
The agility trial followed an awesome day of field work. Yes, I said field work. This year four miniature poodles joined the big boys and girls for the Working Certificate Test: Bowie and Owen (Ros Beaman - Kitchener, Ontario), Ren (Lisa Harrison - Memphis, TN), and my Nina (Beth White - Maryville, TN). The weather was unrelenting with cold rain and wind all day long. Nina worked her heart out, and had a blast! She completed two successful retrieves on land.
Unfortunately, she returned duckless after two trys with her first duck in the water of a very challenging pond. She wanted to get her quacker soooooo bad, but was unable to maneuver through the submerged brush in her path and did not
figure out a way to get around it. I was so proud of her enthusiasm, tenacity, and spunk! Owen was the hero for us mini's with two successful retrieves on land and two in the stick pond and PASSED with style.
And if that wasn't enough, the Salisbury AKC Trial (Friday, Saturday - AND Sunday after the ducks) was so good to us. I loved the judges, courses, turf, and friends. Nina Q'ed in 8 of 9 runs with and six placements! We finally got the
last leg of our XF Excellent FAST title Friday, and our first Triple Q and a T2B 1st place on Saturday. Has AKC started titling Quadruple Q yet?!?
I have to say that I was expecting to enjoy my first PCA, but I was not expecting to absolutely LOVE the entire experience - dogs, exhibiters, breeders, dinners, .... and I did I mention that the shopping opportunities for poodle bling were incredible!?
I HAVE TO COME BACK AND DO THIS AGAIN NEXT YEAR! I must hooked; I booked my hotel room for 2013 before I left town.
Beth White and MACH Menina de Prata RA XF "Nina"
p.s. Grateful thanks to so many people who have helped us along our way:
Thanks to Ace Russell - for getting Nina and I started with the fundamentals of agility AND and starting us down a eye-opening thought-provoking path for communicating with and appreciating my dog.
Thanks to all my fellow agility competitors / friends: Your camaraderie, feedback, and guidance were my source of strength when times were tough and my education on what was possible - Kim, Lisa J, Lisa H, Valerie, Theresa, Tracy, Butch, Shelia, Julie, Dan, Barb, Linda, Wanda, and many more.
Thank you to my mentor and new friend, Carol Stone - who has shared with me her time, her skills, her work ethic, and her limitless passion for training our poodles to showcase the unending feats for which they are capable.
Thanks also to the entire crew of our Thursday training group. I am so grateful that you have allowed a such a novice to share in the depth and wealth of your experience. I learn something new every session. Your encouragement has been so helpful.
AND most of all, a special THANK YOU to my husband and friend, Joe White - who has tolerated my absences, shared in my successes, and learned to love our little four-legged Nina.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Susan Garrett Quote
The stronger the foundation, the stronger our future performances!
We can't change the how we started our dogs' educational journey, but each of us can re-visit what we have in order to create more confidence and clarity for our dogs in everything they do for the future.
We can't change the how we started our dogs' educational journey, but each of us can re-visit what we have in order to create more confidence and clarity for our dogs in everything they do for the future.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Conformation in Agility Dog's
The pelvis is the most impotent factor in agility dogs.
- It not only needs to have a good slope (30 degrees or more).
- The length is incredibly important. The longer the pelvis,
the broader the thigh and that means more power.
- A long flat pelvis is useless.
- A short sloped pelvis is a little better but not much.
I have found that the shoulder angles is not nearly as important in agility dogs as the rear.
- Too much angulation in the rear and the dog takes too long to get up to speed.
- Not enough and there is not enough length of the stride.
You have to look at the whole picture when it comes to performance!
Helen King
- It not only needs to have a good slope (30 degrees or more).
- The length is incredibly important. The longer the pelvis,
the broader the thigh and that means more power.
- A long flat pelvis is useless.
- A short sloped pelvis is a little better but not much.
I have found that the shoulder angles is not nearly as important in agility dogs as the rear.
- Too much angulation in the rear and the dog takes too long to get up to speed.
- Not enough and there is not enough length of the stride.
You have to look at the whole picture when it comes to performance!
Helen King
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Success in Agility - Silvia Trkman
1. Develop a firm, trusting relationship with your dog.
2. Properly condition your dog (2 hrs off leash running in woods / day, 1 a-day hike / week in mtns)
3. Teach your dog tricks - achieves total body awareness
4. Teach your dog obedience. Teaches you about motivation.
5. Boost your dog's confidence. Always let her know she's a champion.
6. Don't be afraid to do it your way. Trust your intuition on what is best for your dog.
7. If something goes wrong, remember it is always your fault - your training or your handling.
8. Never forget that results don't count.
9. Dog's work best when they work for themselves.
10. Go out and have fun with your dog.
2. Properly condition your dog (2 hrs off leash running in woods / day, 1 a-day hike / week in mtns)
3. Teach your dog tricks - achieves total body awareness
4. Teach your dog obedience. Teaches you about motivation.
5. Boost your dog's confidence. Always let her know she's a champion.
6. Don't be afraid to do it your way. Trust your intuition on what is best for your dog.
7. If something goes wrong, remember it is always your fault - your training or your handling.
8. Never forget that results don't count.
9. Dog's work best when they work for themselves.
10. Go out and have fun with your dog.
Training for Speed - Silvia Trkman
'Speed is certainly my major focus right from the beginning and I won’t do anything until a dog is showing the attitude I want. Many people choose to do things slowly first to let a dog understand the job and then try to add speed: those with good drivey dogs with no problems – but an average drive dog might never add speed. And even if he does, very often adding speed to the picture changes that picture that much that a dog can’t do the job correctly anymore, then a handler re-does the exercise before rewarding and by that, gives a dog a message that going fast is not good."
"A dog can be slow if they worry too much about being right and their handler fails to give them a clear message that they ARE right."
"Forget about that start line stay. Run with your dog. You should reward right away when a dog shows more speed. I know it’s hard because it’s just so much fun to run a fast dog, but if you reward anyway, this will happen again. If not, it might never happen again. Rewarding is your only way to give a dog an information that fast is good. If you keep running and then even comment the possible mistakes that more speed brought, you’re giving your dog an information that speed is bad."
1. Make sure your dog understand agility is about running, not about doing obstacles. To beginners, I teach running first and then we include an obstacle or two that are on their way.
2. Keep agility training short and fun. Do all the necessary drilling outside agility field – no drilling allowed on agility filed.
3. If you want a fast dog, put is as your priority and act like it. Be happy and reward enthusiastically everything that is fast or at least faster as usual. Don’t worry about skipped or additional jumps.
"A dog can be slow if they worry too much about being right and their handler fails to give them a clear message that they ARE right."
"Forget about that start line stay. Run with your dog. You should reward right away when a dog shows more speed. I know it’s hard because it’s just so much fun to run a fast dog, but if you reward anyway, this will happen again. If not, it might never happen again. Rewarding is your only way to give a dog an information that fast is good. If you keep running and then even comment the possible mistakes that more speed brought, you’re giving your dog an information that speed is bad."
1. Make sure your dog understand agility is about running, not about doing obstacles. To beginners, I teach running first and then we include an obstacle or two that are on their way.
2. Keep agility training short and fun. Do all the necessary drilling outside agility field – no drilling allowed on agility filed.
3. If you want a fast dog, put is as your priority and act like it. Be happy and reward enthusiastically everything that is fast or at least faster as usual. Don’t worry about skipped or additional jumps.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, February 6, 2012
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Picking the Agility Puppy with the Tippy Board Test
Article by: Justine Merrill - The Dog Lady of Forest Grove, Hillsboro and Portland Oregon
When considering a youngster, do not be in a rush to take home a puppy under twelve or fourteen weeks of age. All previous written advice in the 70’s and 80’s has advised the opposite. We were encouraged to take puppies home at six, seven and eight weeks. “So they bond to us”. I have never taken a sheltie home that did not want to bond, no matter the age. If we still believe that old myth why do so many nice agility dogs come from rescue?
Keeping youngsters in the puppy pen for a few extra weeks does no harm: they learn dog manners, and grow up just a bit. Sheltie babies are such babies at ten weeks. Constantly I advise people that a fifteen week show grow out youngster can be the best possible agility or pet pick, they have had lots of attention, are ready to learn, and the temperament is more on display.
Since the biggest issue that arises in agility shelties is stuff and noise sensitivity, I want to test puppies when they have a little more brains under that cute fluff. I like to test after twelve weeks, I am not sure that results with a tippy board under ten or twelve weeks are accurate. This is just based on working puppies and having a puppy or two that did well at eight weeks, which did not test so well, or poorly at seventeen weeks.
http://justineleo.net/articles/picking%20the%20agility%20puppDy.htm
When considering a youngster, do not be in a rush to take home a puppy under twelve or fourteen weeks of age. All previous written advice in the 70’s and 80’s has advised the opposite. We were encouraged to take puppies home at six, seven and eight weeks. “So they bond to us”. I have never taken a sheltie home that did not want to bond, no matter the age. If we still believe that old myth why do so many nice agility dogs come from rescue?
Keeping youngsters in the puppy pen for a few extra weeks does no harm: they learn dog manners, and grow up just a bit. Sheltie babies are such babies at ten weeks. Constantly I advise people that a fifteen week show grow out youngster can be the best possible agility or pet pick, they have had lots of attention, are ready to learn, and the temperament is more on display.
Since the biggest issue that arises in agility shelties is stuff and noise sensitivity, I want to test puppies when they have a little more brains under that cute fluff. I like to test after twelve weeks, I am not sure that results with a tippy board under ten or twelve weeks are accurate. This is just based on working puppies and having a puppy or two that did well at eight weeks, which did not test so well, or poorly at seventeen weeks.
http://justineleo.net/articles/picking%20the%20agility%20puppDy.htm
Friday, December 9, 2011
MACH Party at Harriman
Thanks to all who helped celebrate our first MACH at a party held at the TVKC agility trial in Harriman. What a blast to share some fun and treats with my agility friends. I am so thankful for the help and encouragement I have recieved. I couldn't have done it without you! Thanks also to husband, Joe, for attending the party and for cheering me on.
Friday, November 11, 2011
We Finally Made It! First MACH!
I cannot begin to describe the excitement and pride I have in team Nina and Beth. I know we have a lot to learn and a lot to improve, but for now, I am so happy with what we have done so far. From Perry, GA in early July 2010 to Meretta, GA in early November 2011, w managed to go from Novice A to MACH in 16 months. We experienced a lot of ups ad downs and will, no doubt repeat that roller coaster as we procede up our learning curve. That is what keeps this sport so exciting.
I continue to strive to be the best handler I can be so I can help my dog to do her best for each run each day. I struggle with stayting in the present, respecting and accepting and running the dog I have today. I know I can improve my handling skills, mental focus, and physical attributes. I know I will will work hard to do this.
I am taking a hard look at what I want my new goals to be. I know this includes a lot of honest introspective, detailed planning, learning new training methods, stepping out of my comfort zone and hard work.
But for now, I want to bask for a little while in what we have accomplished an be grateful for my dog, my husband, my friends, my trainers and my encouragers.
MACH NINA! Congratulations!
I continue to strive to be the best handler I can be so I can help my dog to do her best for each run each day. I struggle with stayting in the present, respecting and accepting and running the dog I have today. I know I can improve my handling skills, mental focus, and physical attributes. I know I will will work hard to do this.
I am taking a hard look at what I want my new goals to be. I know this includes a lot of honest introspective, detailed planning, learning new training methods, stepping out of my comfort zone and hard work.
But for now, I want to bask for a little while in what we have accomplished an be grateful for my dog, my husband, my friends, my trainers and my encouragers.
MACH NINA! Congratulations!
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