Dolphin and I headed to an agility trial today, our first one in over 2 months! I don't normally enter this trial because the turf is very slippery and not good for big dogs, but I felt I really needed to practice before Weim Nationals next week. It was a GOOD decision as Dolphin got a beautiful
I entered Noodle in a field trial today, and since Pizza is out of commission for the foreseeable future I decided to enter Dolphin. Why not? He's not really a field trial type of runner, but both he and Noodle needed to work on birds before next week. What a great decsion it was! Dolphin was in the first brace of the Open Gun Dog. He had one nice solid find about 1/3 of the way in to the course and was rock solid. He hunted great, went into a lot of cover and hunted the thick stuff. He actually ran pretty good, did come back to me often but kept running the entire time. His bracemate also found one bird. Noodle was in the 5th brace and ran like a monster field trial dog, was out of sight many times hunting waaaay off course. This was her downfall as she went birdless. When they announced the placements, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out that Dolphin
Both dogs were entered in Amateur Gun Dog, another major. Noodle was in the first brace. She ran big again, and went on point at the top of a hill. I searched but didn't find the bird, I suspected it was probably in the bush at the bottom of the hill, but I wasn't sure, so I relocated her. Sure enough it was buried in the weeds near the bush. Noodle had been pointing a pretty long distance, but I didn't think it was that far away because her head was so low. Well duh, she was pointing downhill so of course her head was low. I am mad at myself for relocating, but we worked the bird cleanly. Dolphin ran great, had a nice solid find early on, and just as they were about to call time, he went on point in the trees. Before I could get to him, the bird flushed wild, and instead of staying put he turned and took a couple steps to me. Ugh. Not only that, but the bird flew over and took out my bracemate also. Bad bird! Noodle ended up getting a nice 3rd place for her effort, once again just out of the points. Poor girl is always a bridesmaid and never a bride...she is by far my best field trial dog but she just keeps missing the win for some reason.
The best part about the day was that two of my training partners also had great wins. It's so much more fun when you can share success with the people you have worked so hard with. Friends who are truly happy for each other are pure
We made it to Perry, Georgia for the WCA National Specialty! It's a
Today was the Shooting and Retrieving Ratings tests. We started off the morning with shooting ratings. Noodle was entered in Shooting Dog Excellent (similar to Master Hunter). Her birdwork was a little sloppy, but she passed. Dolphin was entered in Shooting Dog, and his point was solid, but he did break on the shot and had a very sloppy retrieve. This is allowed in SD so he also passed!
Noodle was entered in Retrieving Dog. Her land retrieves went well. The second bird fell deep in the trees and brush and she needed a little direction from me to find it, but she did. The water retrieves also went well - at one point she was confused and grabbed one of the floating distance markers to bring back to me. She dropped it on command and went back out and eventually found the second bird for a nice pass. Dolphin's retrieves were sloppy as usual, be he did pass Novice shooting dog, so today was a complete
Well, today definitely didn't go as well as I had hoped. Both dogs were pretty tired after the ratings test all day yesterday, and neither had their brains working for most of the day.
The morning started off with Time 2 Beat. Dolphin knocked the 1st bar, and Noodle spent so much time sniffing the dirt that she went a second over time. This is so unlike her, but then again it's been MANY years since she has run on dirt.
Dolphin's brain was absent in standard and he missed 2 jumps (but nailed his weaves, so that was a plus). Noodle was running GREAT until she just walked right out of the weaves around pole 5 or 6...made no sense as she never does this. So strainge! She then knocked the last bar, definitely a weird day for her.
Dolphin had a good run in jumpers but he knocked the triple...heartbreak. No Q's for him on Weim National Agility day. Noodle came through and saved my dark mood by pulling out a nice Jumpers Q, which we really needed! What a bummer of a day, but we still had a lot of fun with all of our Weim peeps.
Rally always makes me nervous for some reason, probably because I have never had any real formal training at it and a lot of the upper level stuff I have been trying to figure out on my own. Noodle was entered in Master-Excellent-Advanced. She was the only one entered in Master, so the pressure was on to qualify on all 3! Master went pretty well, we ended up with a score of 93 and (of course!) 1st! Excellent went even better, with a score of 99 and also a 1st place (with actual competition). I had a boo-boo in Advanced...someone was in the ring next to us practicing the jump with their dog and it totally distracted Noodle, and on one of the picot signs she did not come with me. In hind sight I should have re-done the sign, but it ended up being a -10 for an IP, so our Advanced score was a pretty low 84 and 3rd place. However, the triple QQQ meant that we earned
I always called Dolphin the worst rally dog on earth, but today he actually wasn't! He ended up 3rd place in Rally Novice B at his very first rally trial. He wasn't the straightest or the crispest, but he did everything somewhat correctly and that's all I can ask right now!
The pressure was off for the rest of the week. We had two days of an all-breed agility trial. Noodle was on
Just for fun, I showed Noodle in the Field Trial bitches class at the specialty on Sunday. She was the only entry, and she had a great time in the ring. That girl
After taking several days off while we all recovered from the national specialty week, today Dolphin and I were back at field training.
Dolphin was great, and rotten, but way more great than rotten so it's all good. He was solid on his points, and through the actual gunshot (bird was missed so no fall). He had a couple OK honors, he stopped and I had to remind him to stay put and not turn towards me. We had one pretty nice stop to flush, where he was getting birdy and the bird flushed up wild and he stopped and waited for me (progress!). However, his training partner/bracemate went on point on a loose bird in the trees and Dolphin went right past him on point and went on point in front of him - a stolen point. Bad boy! We didn't do any retrieving today. I really don't have a training plan for him right now and that makes me feel very unsettled.
In the evening, I had a Friday night training date with the Dolphie. We worked on our running A-frame, tunnel to weaves, and wraps. He was magnificent. Maybe he got all of his silliness out of his system in Georgia?
The one thing Dolphin and I have consistent is our inconsistency. But today was a mess, so I guess that is consistent for him. Noodle and Dolphin and I did one day at the agility trial today. Dolphin did get a FAST Q, poor Noodle missed it because I was not paying attention and was actually running over the line on the send (oops!). In Standard, Dolphin had a myriad of mistakes - missed weaves, knocked bar, missed jump. Noodle was running awesome until she went into the corner, distracted by something (who knows what?) and missed a jump. So strange.
Jumpers was much better. Dolphin had a beautiful run but knocked a bar. From the video it looks like he may have bumped the upright. Noodle had a beautiful Jumpers Q, it was very pretty. We did end on a good note, so that is important. I've just thrown my hands up in the air with Dolphin, I have no idea what to do differently to get him more focused.
I had a rare Wednesday agility trial. It was close to home, so it was a nice convenient day trip. Well, the day was up and down. Let's start with the up.
Noodle was wonderful. She Q'ed in FAST, Standard, and Jumpers for another
Dolphin, however, wasn't as successful. I can say this probably was one of his worst trials all year. He did get a FAST Q first thing in the morning on a course that went exactly as planned (how often does that happen when running FAST???). This FAST Q was #25, earning him his Master FAST Bronze (MFB) title. He also got a very poor Time 2 Beat Q. However, once again he got nothing in Jumpers or Standard. nHe missed the weaves in BOTH classes, also missed them in T2B but since there are no refusals in T2B I was able to restart them. He just had zero mojo...like
I am inches away from calling a dog psychic. I think I need one with Dolphin! Yesterday he had agility class, he ran so-so. Afterwards we went field training, and he was pretty unmotivated, which is SO unlike him! Today I had signed him up for a 3 hour agility seminar, and I knew that there is no way I could keep him motivated for that amount of time, so I brought Noodle along so that I could switch dogs when he quit on me. Well
I am baffled as to why...why after a week of zero drive he suddenly found his joy again? I really have no idea, but it made me feel a heck of a lot better that he still does love his work. Maybe it was just a weird week for him. Possibly it was the full moon? Heck, who knows?
Monday Pizza goes in for her ultrasound and we find out if she is pregnant. I have no words to describe what I am feeling...such anticipation, excitement, a little fear...
Noodle and I spent the day at a local Rally trial. She was
Pizza had her ultrasound today.
Now I have this whole yawning summer ahead of me with nothing planned. I thought I would be at home raising puppies during June and July, and now I am at loose ends. Pizza is extremely fat, so she needs diet and exercise in a big way! This evening I took Noodle and Pizza to the bird dog club for their open training night. I figured taking my two best girls would cheer me up, and it did, in a way. Pizza lasted about 10 minutes before she was hot and tired, but she had some nice honors and a shared point. Oh, did I mention they were getting ready to turn all their pheasant loose so they can repair the bird pen, so I got to work both girls on pheasant? Yeah, that will cheer anyone up!
Noodle was stellar, with a couple nice honors and some solid points in the heat. We all need to get acclimated to the sudden change in to 80+ degree temperatures. It's awfully early to be in the 80's, but such is Ohio...ya never know.
So I am back to my usual self, I guess. No more big plans. Just trudge along day by day.