Tunneling weekend
Rumble and I went up to Ridgefield for the CAT USDAA. We've not trialed in ages. And we've been lax on the practice as well. But last week we spent barn time doing some things that have caused us issues recently. Time WELL SPENT!
One of the things we worked on was backside tunnels.
History of Rumble + tunnels. He don't like em. Nope. For Rumble, repeating tunnels is a sure sign someone (and it ain't him) is doing it wrong. He'll often quit if you try too many times. His quit looks like 1. Running off and sniffing (stress) 2. Offering rear feet target on the side of the tunnel (weird, and just his attempted to get rewarded for SOMETHING!) or 3. Jump on top of the damn thing and run around on it (F-You mom, you're an idiot). He's done this since he was a wee lad. So yeah, I know he's not a fan.
We worked backside tunnels anyway and for CHEESE we finally got a good rep or two and I called it Ok. And left it alone.
So, we get to Team day on Friday and it's TUNNELS TUNNELS TUNNELS. I didn't know the club OWNED so many tunnels. They were KEY in everything. I don't know if Barb noticed the preponderance? Or if she did it on purpose to make us all crazy. Dogs who LOVE tunnels were in heaven... I was pretty worried Rumble would feel it was hell.
What really happened is I lost my sense of direction. I swear, a contact or two helps you keep your mind around where you're heading. Also, being hormonal X 10 isn't helpful either. I never used to get lost on course. This weekend I did TWICE. Fuck.
Anyway. Team was fun. My partner was injured and tried having someone else run her dog. That didn't work AT ALL and by the second runs, I knew we weren't Qing anything, so I made the day a TRAIN day for me and Rums and tried a bunch of stuff we've been working on. SOOOOOO worth it!!! We did not only one but TWO very important backside tunnels!! And nailed each one.
Rumble also had STELLAR weaves all weekend and kept up a nice even pace even tho he had to run a lot of things, and often quickly after eachother due to the rotation in team heights. I really was super proud of him. He was focused ALL day on Friday, and mostly on Saturday. He did get all wigged out when a dog came to say hi to him in the isle between the rings before our run. She's just super friendly and I said her name and bam! She came to visit. And of course, BAM Rumble was an ass. But it was ok... he just got all jittery after that. Still had an ok run.
He had some nice contacts, and some crappy ones. Still an issue to continue to work. You'll see in Biathalon (after I get lost... dork) that he blows the Dogwalk contact and I call him on it. Later on the A-frame he held it for release (but you can't see it because it's behind the camera range) but you can hear me compliment him on the good work.
I bought 4 videos. I like each for different reasons.
Biathalon didn't look hard, but GOT a lot of dogs. Some was the long straight lines (two) that handlers couldn't manage without dogs going off course. For us, I NEVER believed (trust your dog) that Rums would go out to the second tunnel and take it without me. Cute moment was the split second before he ducks into the second tunnel and I'm watching (because I don't think he'll do it!) and he smiles at me and dives right in. I was SHOCKED and amazed and then promptly forgot where I was going and stood right in front of the DW entrance and blocked him. Idiot....
Snooker on Team day ate a lot of dogs too. Rare to see one make it all the way through. It was tight timing. But Rums was so efficent that we made it all way through 6 in the close, even WITH the tunnels and more tunnels and tunnels. He ran it just as I planned and I was super proud of him.
Jumpers I got lost. You can see me stop and look around. Too many friggin tunnels. My mind was mush! But he stayed and I got back on course and he Q'd even with the long hold up. I think he got 2nd. in his height.
Finally, gamble from Saturday. I worked harder on the contact behavior and he did well. We ALMOST got that friggin tunnel gamble only missing the OUT JUMP.... Sigh. I'm done with tunnels for a while.
Rumble too I'm guessing.
Biathalon
Gamble
Snooker
jumpers
One of the things we worked on was backside tunnels.
History of Rumble + tunnels. He don't like em. Nope. For Rumble, repeating tunnels is a sure sign someone (and it ain't him) is doing it wrong. He'll often quit if you try too many times. His quit looks like 1. Running off and sniffing (stress) 2. Offering rear feet target on the side of the tunnel (weird, and just his attempted to get rewarded for SOMETHING!) or 3. Jump on top of the damn thing and run around on it (F-You mom, you're an idiot). He's done this since he was a wee lad. So yeah, I know he's not a fan.
We worked backside tunnels anyway and for CHEESE we finally got a good rep or two and I called it Ok. And left it alone.
So, we get to Team day on Friday and it's TUNNELS TUNNELS TUNNELS. I didn't know the club OWNED so many tunnels. They were KEY in everything. I don't know if Barb noticed the preponderance? Or if she did it on purpose to make us all crazy. Dogs who LOVE tunnels were in heaven... I was pretty worried Rumble would feel it was hell.
What really happened is I lost my sense of direction. I swear, a contact or two helps you keep your mind around where you're heading. Also, being hormonal X 10 isn't helpful either. I never used to get lost on course. This weekend I did TWICE. Fuck.
Anyway. Team was fun. My partner was injured and tried having someone else run her dog. That didn't work AT ALL and by the second runs, I knew we weren't Qing anything, so I made the day a TRAIN day for me and Rums and tried a bunch of stuff we've been working on. SOOOOOO worth it!!! We did not only one but TWO very important backside tunnels!! And nailed each one.
Rumble also had STELLAR weaves all weekend and kept up a nice even pace even tho he had to run a lot of things, and often quickly after eachother due to the rotation in team heights. I really was super proud of him. He was focused ALL day on Friday, and mostly on Saturday. He did get all wigged out when a dog came to say hi to him in the isle between the rings before our run. She's just super friendly and I said her name and bam! She came to visit. And of course, BAM Rumble was an ass. But it was ok... he just got all jittery after that. Still had an ok run.
He had some nice contacts, and some crappy ones. Still an issue to continue to work. You'll see in Biathalon (after I get lost... dork) that he blows the Dogwalk contact and I call him on it. Later on the A-frame he held it for release (but you can't see it because it's behind the camera range) but you can hear me compliment him on the good work.
I bought 4 videos. I like each for different reasons.
Biathalon didn't look hard, but GOT a lot of dogs. Some was the long straight lines (two) that handlers couldn't manage without dogs going off course. For us, I NEVER believed (trust your dog) that Rums would go out to the second tunnel and take it without me. Cute moment was the split second before he ducks into the second tunnel and I'm watching (because I don't think he'll do it!) and he smiles at me and dives right in. I was SHOCKED and amazed and then promptly forgot where I was going and stood right in front of the DW entrance and blocked him. Idiot....
Snooker on Team day ate a lot of dogs too. Rare to see one make it all the way through. It was tight timing. But Rums was so efficent that we made it all way through 6 in the close, even WITH the tunnels and more tunnels and tunnels. He ran it just as I planned and I was super proud of him.
Jumpers I got lost. You can see me stop and look around. Too many friggin tunnels. My mind was mush! But he stayed and I got back on course and he Q'd even with the long hold up. I think he got 2nd. in his height.
Finally, gamble from Saturday. I worked harder on the contact behavior and he did well. We ALMOST got that friggin tunnel gamble only missing the OUT JUMP.... Sigh. I'm done with tunnels for a while.
Rumble too I'm guessing.
Click to viewBiathalon
Gamble
Snooker
jumpers