the best way to describe training tonight was that i had to end it with a big glass of champagne :)
quest finished his UD this past weekend, so we had a party last night and tonight. cakes, cupcakes, pizza, you name it. flashes of brilliance (berlins attention was AMAZING), rah did some really nice things. rah also did some horrendous things, like marking someones glove when we were doing go outs and running out of the ring to steal said glove... and we decided for right now, rah can never do go outs while someone is doing gloves on the other side of the gate, because it BLEW HIS BLUE LITTLE BRAIN.
AWESOME articles. AWESOME broad jump. AWESOME dor.
berlin was rockin. rockin rockin rockin. we worked attention with terry throwing the db next to us and she was like "excuse me, im doing heelies with my mom, i cant look at you right now" she's such a good girl.
then rah had to have splodey butt.
we're all tired and i had to work this morning so thats the disjointed sort of update you get right now - hopefully there will be a more fleshed out version tomorrow. maybe.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
picking out the shows
so, ive been trying to decide where im going to enter for the next 2 months. dont even get me started on may, etc :)
3/7-8 Berlin and Rah are entered in an APDT trial
3/12-13 - considering entering rah in the AKC trials out in york, PA - the judge on the 12th is iffy, but they have graduate novice i could enter instead. i haven't decided, but i want to try for another leg.
3/14 - probably going to enter rah in an ASCA trial (still need to send it in)
3/15 berlin and rah are entered in a CDSP trial
3/20 i think im going to enter rah in the AKC trial in edison, NJ
3/22 i was going to enter rah in the AKC trial down in lower camden, but i heard the open ring is going to be super super tiny, and im not going to push it with rah, especially knowing how big and fast he makes it all. so i think im going to cancel going to this trial. i cant remember if i sent an entry in or not yet though??? (oops)
4/5 -- rally APDT in exton PA for both Berlin and Rah
4/18 - lower bucks AKC trial - but its outside???? minimally ill try graduate novice, but maybe ill try open too? if they offer prenovice ill enter berlin.
4/19 CDSP trial in horsham PA for both Berlin and Rah
then the 8th through the 11th, there's the blue and gray cluster out in harrisburg. i guess it will depend on how many CDX legs he has and if i need another leg. if i dont need the leg, i will probably just hold off and focus on the other venues for a little bit? unless his scores are nice...
3/7-8 Berlin and Rah are entered in an APDT trial
3/12-13 - considering entering rah in the AKC trials out in york, PA - the judge on the 12th is iffy, but they have graduate novice i could enter instead. i haven't decided, but i want to try for another leg.
3/14 - probably going to enter rah in an ASCA trial (still need to send it in)
3/15 berlin and rah are entered in a CDSP trial
3/20 i think im going to enter rah in the AKC trial in edison, NJ
3/22 i was going to enter rah in the AKC trial down in lower camden, but i heard the open ring is going to be super super tiny, and im not going to push it with rah, especially knowing how big and fast he makes it all. so i think im going to cancel going to this trial. i cant remember if i sent an entry in or not yet though??? (oops)
4/5 -- rally APDT in exton PA for both Berlin and Rah
4/18 - lower bucks AKC trial - but its outside???? minimally ill try graduate novice, but maybe ill try open too? if they offer prenovice ill enter berlin.
4/19 CDSP trial in horsham PA for both Berlin and Rah
then the 8th through the 11th, there's the blue and gray cluster out in harrisburg. i guess it will depend on how many CDX legs he has and if i need another leg. if i dont need the leg, i will probably just hold off and focus on the other venues for a little bit? unless his scores are nice...
i know i didnt post about training this week. can i even remember what we did? open on wednesday... so long ago! so many classes ago!
on thursday berlin was good in class, we got some nice drives into heel and some good transitions playing the "ready ready? " game i use.
open class rah was wired and we had to force him to take breaks he was so crazed.
utility class was the best class he's ever worked. did 4 articles and he worked the pile like a pro - even with a toy next to the pile, with terry out there by the pile, and working 20 feet away to a gate with the other dog in class on the other side of the gate. GOOD BOY - need to butt scoot him and bring the front box out for articles from now on.
go outs - GREAT WITH NO TOY. fast turn and sit. the last time he turned on his name. AMAZING> at the reward he jumped up and fanged me in the finger and i bled everywhere.
everything else was perfect marvelous wonderful good. i was very very pleased. and very very sore.
on thursday berlin was good in class, we got some nice drives into heel and some good transitions playing the "ready ready? " game i use.
open class rah was wired and we had to force him to take breaks he was so crazed.
utility class was the best class he's ever worked. did 4 articles and he worked the pile like a pro - even with a toy next to the pile, with terry out there by the pile, and working 20 feet away to a gate with the other dog in class on the other side of the gate. GOOD BOY - need to butt scoot him and bring the front box out for articles from now on.
go outs - GREAT WITH NO TOY. fast turn and sit. the last time he turned on his name. AMAZING> at the reward he jumped up and fanged me in the finger and i bled everywhere.
everything else was perfect marvelous wonderful good. i was very very pleased. and very very sore.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
a healthy dose of health
no training today - the dogs and i went to the health fair i put together for my dobe club.
happy to report rah's echo showed no signs of dilated cardiomyopathy (phew!) and his ticker is totally normal, and he CERF'd clear!
berlin has a very tiny punctate cataract of no known clinical significance (no problems in regards to vision, no problems in regards to breeding, etc) in her left eye, and her right eye is normal.
im exhausted, my head hurts, and we had very very very good food for lunch and dinner. saw good people, hung out with berlin's breeders, some other good people from the tristate schutzhund club, and many other dobe-folk, had some good talks with dr. morris and sue krom, and then went out to eat with training friends once the clinic was over at 6
happy to report rah's echo showed no signs of dilated cardiomyopathy (phew!) and his ticker is totally normal, and he CERF'd clear!
berlin has a very tiny punctate cataract of no known clinical significance (no problems in regards to vision, no problems in regards to breeding, etc) in her left eye, and her right eye is normal.
im exhausted, my head hurts, and we had very very very good food for lunch and dinner. saw good people, hung out with berlin's breeders, some other good people from the tristate schutzhund club, and many other dobe-folk, had some good talks with dr. morris and sue krom, and then went out to eat with training friends once the clinic was over at 6
Friday, February 20, 2009
le sigh
ill update on classes from the past two nights, but i was considering starting berlin on scent articles this week.
turns out, despite the fact that she likes to chew on metal articles, she doesn't want to retrieve them - her retrieve doesn't have enough of a foundation to go through this yet, so im just sticking with working the basics on the metal articles, the leather she loves right now.
so im sitting here on the couch, home from work and everyone is milling about, and berlin is pointedly facing away from me and chewing on something on the dog bed... and she chews, chews and looks over her shoulder at me- an she's got her leather zero article in her mouth!!!!!
i have to actually change the tune of my song, i always tell people berlin has never destroyed anything as a puppy. the only thing she EVER ate was scent articles ;)
turns out, despite the fact that she likes to chew on metal articles, she doesn't want to retrieve them - her retrieve doesn't have enough of a foundation to go through this yet, so im just sticking with working the basics on the metal articles, the leather she loves right now.
so im sitting here on the couch, home from work and everyone is milling about, and berlin is pointedly facing away from me and chewing on something on the dog bed... and she chews, chews and looks over her shoulder at me- an she's got her leather zero article in her mouth!!!!!
i have to actually change the tune of my song, i always tell people berlin has never destroyed anything as a puppy. the only thing she EVER ate was scent articles ;)
Sunday, February 15, 2009
the play by play
ok... we got there at 12 or so? maybe 11:30 -- our class didn't start until 1 and we didnt end up going until 2:30-3 or so (maybe later - i lost my watch a week ago and still dont know where it is!).
it was SO TIGHT in there - the facility is barely large enough for three rings, and there wasn't much space for crating. luckily people were leaving, and when kathy took down her crates (she stayed to apprentice for utility A) she let us take her space, so we were actually able to bring the dogs in rather than leaving them in the car. warmed up rah for a few minutes here and there but that's about it.
of course, the judge had to take a pee break right before i went, ack! rah was ON ON ON though, so i was pleased. of course, the steward was blocking our ring entrance and stepped on him as we went in, so i wasn't so happy with that. he sat nicely, great attention, i took the leash off - he dropped his head as we moved th ering length away - but he set up perfectly and was eagerly watching me as we waited. i had some moments of not perfect attention on the heeling, and he's had better days - but it wasn't bad. he wasn't too pushy - and he got REALLY forgey on the fast, which hasnt' been an issue for us recently, but it was today - he strode out to his shoulders! the pattern was really nice - first time in awhile i didnt have the forward-halt-forward (WOOHOO) instead it was a forward right turn slow, which i was fine with.
fig 8 was ok - rah hit me at one point, but he wasn't too pushy. DOR- he was crooked for the front and i think i gave too much body movement with the signal because she gave it really late as for how fast he was moving (and the ring was short) so he was close, i needed to make sure he would drop and not come in all the way. poor mercury had to drop right in front of lydia!
ROF - i waited for my db, and waited... and it wasnt there? i turned and looked and the steward thought i was telling her to wait? im like GIVE IT TO ME! i get it and reset rah up (just wanted to break him out let him see the db and know we were going for the retrieve now), he was shaking again. threw it, it took a right turn (SHIT). sent him, and he's coming in REALLY wide and he's not looking at me and im like FUCK he's going to run around the ring with his db and not come in at all... and then miracle of miracles he comes in and FIXES his front. he comes in and realigns his body. and makes himself straight(er). it wasn't straight enough, but considering he was three feet off to my right up until about 5 feet out, it wasn't half bad. then... rah wouldnt give me the db. at all. i said out. he wouldnt out. he clamped down and wouldn't give me the db at all. for real. i essentially had to rip it out of his mouth. asshole. finished him and moved him to the high.
we were back up to our full height (everyone at the show was like... wow, we've never actually seen a dog that had to jump 28!!!!!!), i threw it and i was so afraid it would turn to the right and he would miss the jump on the way back like he did in training. but it went straight... about 8 feet. shit SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT - that's so not that far! come ON, just roll a bit further... no go. so i sent him. and god bless his soul, he goes out, gets it, and comes in for a mostly straight front, too! hand off the db, and i MOVE WITH A PURPOSE...
over to the bj. set him up, he was crooked so i fix it and he sets up nicely the second time (have i mentioned im very happy with his set ups in the open ring, he did these all so nicely willingly and happily?), leave him and get to my spot. i send him on the word and he jumps and is going SO FRIGGIN FAST he almost fell again. cant hit the straight front, but we're done.
he's high as a kite so i platz'ed him there and put the leash on him because we were so close to the ring entrance. and the steward was the tard that wouldnt give me my db before.
got him up for stays and i repeated "its just stays, we can do it, its just stays". left him for the sit and when i looked at him he was a perfect statue (i peeked). came back and he was happy and left him for the sit - the ring next to him (in front) was doing pictures and squeaking a toy and lydia said he wanted to get up so badly to get the toy but he didnt and...
WE QUALiFIED!!!!
we got a 193 -- not bad!
2.5 off on the heeling/fig 8
1 off on the DOR
1.5 off on the ROF
1 off on the ROH
1 off on the BJ
im pretty proud. unfortunately while that would have kicked the classes ass last weekend at that show, this weekend it wasnt even a placement (i was 5th in the class i believe looking at the scores?) first was a 197.5
its our fronts and finishes that are killing us. and i gotta work on the heeling and how much he bumps, and how straight he is on the sits. thats where we're losing our points. the points are in the minutia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
everyone was happy with him - i think the photographer got some shots of him jumping because he was telling me how high rah has to jump and how he flies. a few people came up to compliment me on his performance and what a fun dog he is, someone else asked me if he's taken HIT's (I WISH!). i wish i had found out the photographers website. hopefully someone else knows it...
so that's it. one leg down, two to go. i think ill enter him in the ASCA trial now. need to find the money for all of this...
it was SO TIGHT in there - the facility is barely large enough for three rings, and there wasn't much space for crating. luckily people were leaving, and when kathy took down her crates (she stayed to apprentice for utility A) she let us take her space, so we were actually able to bring the dogs in rather than leaving them in the car. warmed up rah for a few minutes here and there but that's about it.
of course, the judge had to take a pee break right before i went, ack! rah was ON ON ON though, so i was pleased. of course, the steward was blocking our ring entrance and stepped on him as we went in, so i wasn't so happy with that. he sat nicely, great attention, i took the leash off - he dropped his head as we moved th ering length away - but he set up perfectly and was eagerly watching me as we waited. i had some moments of not perfect attention on the heeling, and he's had better days - but it wasn't bad. he wasn't too pushy - and he got REALLY forgey on the fast, which hasnt' been an issue for us recently, but it was today - he strode out to his shoulders! the pattern was really nice - first time in awhile i didnt have the forward-halt-forward (WOOHOO) instead it was a forward right turn slow, which i was fine with.
fig 8 was ok - rah hit me at one point, but he wasn't too pushy. DOR- he was crooked for the front and i think i gave too much body movement with the signal because she gave it really late as for how fast he was moving (and the ring was short) so he was close, i needed to make sure he would drop and not come in all the way. poor mercury had to drop right in front of lydia!
ROF - i waited for my db, and waited... and it wasnt there? i turned and looked and the steward thought i was telling her to wait? im like GIVE IT TO ME! i get it and reset rah up (just wanted to break him out let him see the db and know we were going for the retrieve now), he was shaking again. threw it, it took a right turn (SHIT). sent him, and he's coming in REALLY wide and he's not looking at me and im like FUCK he's going to run around the ring with his db and not come in at all... and then miracle of miracles he comes in and FIXES his front. he comes in and realigns his body. and makes himself straight(er). it wasn't straight enough, but considering he was three feet off to my right up until about 5 feet out, it wasn't half bad. then... rah wouldnt give me the db. at all. i said out. he wouldnt out. he clamped down and wouldn't give me the db at all. for real. i essentially had to rip it out of his mouth. asshole. finished him and moved him to the high.
we were back up to our full height (everyone at the show was like... wow, we've never actually seen a dog that had to jump 28!!!!!!), i threw it and i was so afraid it would turn to the right and he would miss the jump on the way back like he did in training. but it went straight... about 8 feet. shit SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT - that's so not that far! come ON, just roll a bit further... no go. so i sent him. and god bless his soul, he goes out, gets it, and comes in for a mostly straight front, too! hand off the db, and i MOVE WITH A PURPOSE...
over to the bj. set him up, he was crooked so i fix it and he sets up nicely the second time (have i mentioned im very happy with his set ups in the open ring, he did these all so nicely willingly and happily?), leave him and get to my spot. i send him on the word and he jumps and is going SO FRIGGIN FAST he almost fell again. cant hit the straight front, but we're done.
he's high as a kite so i platz'ed him there and put the leash on him because we were so close to the ring entrance. and the steward was the tard that wouldnt give me my db before.
got him up for stays and i repeated "its just stays, we can do it, its just stays". left him for the sit and when i looked at him he was a perfect statue (i peeked). came back and he was happy and left him for the sit - the ring next to him (in front) was doing pictures and squeaking a toy and lydia said he wanted to get up so badly to get the toy but he didnt and...
WE QUALiFIED!!!!
we got a 193 -- not bad!
2.5 off on the heeling/fig 8
1 off on the DOR
1.5 off on the ROF
1 off on the ROH
1 off on the BJ
im pretty proud. unfortunately while that would have kicked the classes ass last weekend at that show, this weekend it wasnt even a placement (i was 5th in the class i believe looking at the scores?) first was a 197.5
its our fronts and finishes that are killing us. and i gotta work on the heeling and how much he bumps, and how straight he is on the sits. thats where we're losing our points. the points are in the minutia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
everyone was happy with him - i think the photographer got some shots of him jumping because he was telling me how high rah has to jump and how he flies. a few people came up to compliment me on his performance and what a fun dog he is, someone else asked me if he's taken HIT's (I WISH!). i wish i had found out the photographers website. hopefully someone else knows it...
so that's it. one leg down, two to go. i think ill enter him in the ASCA trial now. need to find the money for all of this...
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