Ruff Love!

Ruff Love by Susan Garrett

We were totally beat after this weekends trial and pretty much took it easy yesterday, fun for us to nap with Mom on the human bed, we love that!!!

Since Gracie is having focus troubles at her first two trials, Mom has put her back into a modified Ruff Love program. Gracie has to work for her food and do lots of long distance recalls in the yard. This morning they moved out of the yard, and Mom thinks she found the key - to helping with her focus. Unfamiliar territory recalls. (Think we can coin that phrase?).

They are gonna keep it up all week, cause we are both entered in a USDAA trial this weekend. Gracie has four runs per day and I have five or more. It's gonna be a fun weekend, but Mom is a little nervous about the Grace-ster!

Have practice tonight, so we can try some new stuff out with Gracie and hopefully I get to run my legs off - one of my favorite things in the whole world.

We did it again!

This weekend, Mom, Gracie and I headed off for another agility trial - it was our first CPE trial. CPE trials are much different than our other trials - they are pretty darn easy! But it's good for those just starting out (like Gracie) and others that just want to have fun!

So Mom took me to get in some extra speed practice. And took Gracie to get her some focus practice. The weather was GREAT!!! 70-75 degrees and sunny. After last weekend of sleet and snow, it sure was a nice change of pace!

Gracie ran two runs on Saturday - she was pretty focused with Mom, only ran off once to give kisses to a bar setter. I ran one run on Saturday and Mom put me at 12 inch jumps to work on speed, rather than my usual 16. Well I got a bit confused and didn't pick up speed, but we got a Q and a 1st place finish. Wow!

Sunday Gracie ran two runs, poor thing was wacked out! She took a couple of jumps ran off from Mom and wouldn't come back - Mom had to carry her off the course. After that, Mom wasn't all too happy. She had been doing so much better. So it's back to the Ruff Love program for Gracie this week and working for her food. It helped them bond before, hopefully it will work before next weekend's trial.

Gracie is so fun loving, you can't help but love her. Mom gets a bit frustrated, but can't help but laugh at her too.

I had two runs on Sunday, Jumpers and Standard. My standard run was really great - fast, fun, flowing, and we got within 2.5 seconds of one of our favorite, and most admired, dogs out there - Buster Brown, an Am Staff! He is great - and we were so proud to be close to his time. Very cool. 1st place and a Q!

My jumpers run was pretty good, a little slower, it was getting hot and about 5:00 PM by that time. But I Q'd with a second place.

Here's my jumpers run!

We had a lot of fun! Weather great - sport great - friends great - Mom's sunburn priceless!

Crazy weekend!

What a wild and crazy weekend!

We went to our USDAA agility trial - Gracie and I. When we got there it was about 35 degrees, kind of chilly!

I had four runs on Saturday and four runs on Sunday - Gracie had two runs each day.

My runs:

Saturday - Masters Jumpers, Advanced Gamblers, Advanced Standard
Sunday - Steeplechase, Masters Snooker, Masters Jumpers, Advanced Standard

Gracie's runs:

Saturday - Starters Gamblers, Starters Standard
Sunday - Starters Standard, Starters Jumpers

You all know that it was Gracie's very first trial. Poor girl; just before her first run it started snowing, and I mean snowing! She is still such a pup, and ran around some, but came back to Mom three times - twice to do her weaves perfectly and once to the tunnel, then on to the gamble which she almost completed.

She was much more focused during her standard run and only pulled away from Mom to check out the crowd a couple of times, didn't go very far and came right back. Once she got on the table, she absolutely didn't want to go down. So no Q's for her on the first day, but she is just starting to get used to trialing - she improved 200% from her first run to her second.

Me? Well I was on fire starting out on Saturday. Got my gamble - with a very difficult tunnel dog walk discrimination. Wow, Mom was really impressed. And I was really fast in my masters jumpers run and got a second place and Q!

Then the mud set in - not so bad for me, but not so good for Mom. She had trouble keeping up with me so I slowed down some to stay with her.

During my standard run Mom was running with me, put in a front cross and slipped in the mud!!! So I missed the tunnel/dog walk discrimination. Ahhh, the elusive standard Q.

Sunday the weather was much better, but the mud was so much worse. I did pretty well though. We got 4th in the Steeplecase, but I bailed the a-frame on our standard run when Mom got stuck in the mud. Oh...another elusive standard Q, ahhh!!! Got a snooker Q and fourth place, but then we ran jumpers - I was clean but 1.5 secs over time. Dang mud!

Poor Gracie didn't recognize the tire in her standard run - and it was the first obstacle, so they got eliminated. But then she was doing really, really well - totally focused on her jumpers run. And it was a tough jumpers run for a starters course, we thought. But then she came up to one of the wing jumps and stopped right in her tracks just before the jump. Hmmm....Mom said jump and she pushed both her paws on the wing and growled a little, then looked at Mom...Hmmmmm...Mom pulled her back and directed her again and she hit the wing again, the bar fell. Then she took the jump and off to the finish with a nice rest of the run.

Mom said she'd never seen a dog do that. Hmmm....very curious. Guess she just wanted to give that wing jump the what for!

Overall it was a miserable, fun, fast, slow, wild, tiring day. Mom worked a lot throughout the weekend to help with the trial, so we got to stay in the nice warm car. Lucky dogs!!!

Here's to our next trial next weekend - our first CPE!!!

Here we go again, yeah!

We have another trial this weekend, yeah!!! It will be my second one coming back from my injury. And it's a USDAA trial, which are really fun!

But one of the best parts is that this will be my sister Gracie's first trial EVER! We call her Goofy Gracie, cause she can be so much fun, and she still has so much pup in her.

Gracie came to live with us in March of 2006. She was rescued from a hoarder that had 70 dogs. A nice vet took in the puppies and they were posted on Petfinder.com. And that's where Mom found her!

We wanted to be sure that she was a good candidate for agility, 'cause that's what we do on the weekends and we definitely wanted our new 'addition' to fit in and have fun with our family.

She's been with us just a little over a year. She's about 19 months old, just one month old enough to compete in USDAA (United States Dog Agility Association) events. She's been training since about May of 2006. Mom focused a lot on me last year and didn't train with Gracie a lot; but when I got my broken paw - she got lots of training!

She's very different to train than I am. Gracie is a very happy-go-lucky kind of gal and likes to have a lot of fun with everything and everybody. So she gets unfocused now and then; but she's been doing really well with that lately at practice. And she's still a little unsure of her weaves, but she's done them pretty much every time the first time at her last three practices. So we have really high hopes for her.

This weekend (even though I am super excited to be competing again) - this weekend is Gracie's time to shine. Wish her well, she has lots of potential to be a really good agility dog.

Good luck Gracie!!!!

The results are in!

First, I want to tell everyone that I SOOOO appreciate all your thoughts and well wishes for my 'comeback' trial. I could hear you cheering me on all day!!!

Secondly, I (oh, yeah, and Mom) didn't let you down!!!

We qualified in both of our runs on Saturday at the Columbus OH All-Breed Training Club AKC Agility Trial; earning ourselves a real nice Double Q! (Q=qualifying run)

The day started very early, rising at 3:00 AM. Then the long, three hour drive to Columbus OH. We got there about 7:00 AM just in time to get measured. Thank goodness my last measurement was under 16 inches. So I'm now official and can ALWAYS be assured I will jump 16 inches. Yeah!

We got our course maps and studied them. Mom walked our standard course and then we waited a couple of hours until our run. Mom and I were a little nervous - since we hadn't done this for about 6 months. But I think we did great for our first trial back. The courses were kind of easy (but don't tell the judge that!). We finished with plenty of time to spare and I wasn't even up to my fastest running.

Result of our first Standard run? Q!!! Yeah!!!

After our standard run, we got our jumpers course map, and studied again. Mom walked the course (but they don't let me see it until I run). Then we waited another hour or so until it was our turn.

Then we were up. I didn't run as fast as I have been, but we did well! Mom almost trashed the last jump when she stumbled, but she recovered nicely. Whew!!!

Results of our Jumpers (with weaves) run: Q!!!

Here are the videos, hope you enjoy! (And please, don't make fun of Mom's running, she tries so hard to keep up with me, BOL!)

We got home near 5:00 PM and picked up Gracie at Cosmo's house. They sure had a lot of fun!!!! And Gracie got a great parting gift from Cosmo, Brindi, Sadie and Darby -

Yes, we absolutely love the pic, what a good looking bunch of gals!

But, wait, OH LOOK IT'S A BOBO!!! They gave Gracie a BoBo! Wow, she's always wanted one of those! Can you say jealous!

You gals are the best!!!! And thanks so much for taking care of Gracie and keeping her out of my hair all day! (and night!).

We got home and we were beat!! What a long day for all of us. But a rewarding one, for sure!

So, here I am with my two Q ribbons!

It sure was just about the best time ever!!! What great satisfaction (and relief) to know that:

1. I'm over my injury
2. I can still remember how to run agility
3. Mom can still remember how to figure out course maps, courses and the best path for me!
4. That I have great friends that support me (and Mom)
5. And that Mom and I have much more to look forward to!!!!!

There ain't no gimp on me.....

(Can you hear the song?)

.....There ain't no gimp on me, there ain't no gimp on me - I'm a goin' to the trial on Saturday - there ain't no gimp on me!....

Yee haw - went to practice tonight and was on fire. But, also, did what Mom told me, whew. No gimp, nice weaves, pretty fast - so we are all systems go for the Saturday's trial.

Thanks all, for your kind wishes and advice. We'll talk with ya next week! And know that you all will be thinking of us.

Blast off!

Gimpy?

Well, Mom had never heard the word Gimpy before I came along. And yesterday she found out exactly what it means. Yesterday, I appeared Gimpy. Not too bad, just a little limp/bobble in my gait. But wouldn't you know it, I have my first comeback trial this coming Saturday.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source gimp ² (gimp) Pronunciation Key
n.

1. A limp or a limping gait.
2. A person who limps.

intr.v. gimped, gimp·ing, gimps
To walk with a limp.
[Origin unknown.]
gimp'y adj.

So Mom, massaged me, put ice packs on my left leg, and massaged me again. This morning she did it all over again, and made me sleep in the sun coming through the window. (That wasn't too hard, since it turned freezing here again the past day or so, and the sun felt SOOOO good).

She watched me walk again a little bit ago, and no gimp, no real visible limp. Yeah! Not sure what it was all about, maybe just a little muscle soreness, maybe a little pull. But I'm looking a lot better.

So we are going to training class tonight, only get one run in and then Gracie is taking over the class. But at least I'll get one full course practice in before Saturday. YEAH!!!

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