September 4, 2000
AKC Berks County KC
The Mis-Adventures of Team Bean
Dum, dee, dum dee dum���yup,
it is Monday/Tuesday (depending on when you are reading this) and it is time for
the "adventures" email. As a matter of fact, there are going to be a lot of
them coming up and you all are going to have to suffer through them. Why?
Because I love my agility dogs and so should you.)
Hee hee hee hee hee hee hee
hee hee
AKC Berks
Classes offered -
Standard (all equipment),
Jumpers (jumps, tunnels, weave poles)
NQs result in no placement ribbons because AKC is weird and only likes winners.
Knocked bars & "jumped" contacts equal NQs.
Level Order - Novice, Open,Excellent A, Excellent B.
Hope this helps out.)
Fred & Harry need 1 leg (or win) for the Novice Standard Title
Crumpie needs 1 leg (or win) for his Open Jumpers Title.
Susie drove her RV out to the
show and Crumpie and I were graced with her hospitality for the weekend. I had
Fred and Harry to run as well as Crumpet. Having air conditioning for
the dogs was beyond kind as this was not a weekend for our four legged
companions. One run was enough to drench me, so I cannot imagine what the boys
were feeling like when we were done with each run.
I was lucky to have three dogs
that lived up to their breed standard and were willing to work under adverse
conditions.
Here it goes���in order as it
happened.
Saturday
Have the first run at 8am, next run was not until 1pm.
Excellent A Standard
Crumpie
Ya know how one trains every
week for four years and you think your instructor has evil courses? No. She
does not. As a matter of fact, Julie is lame when it comes to course design,
almost to the point of being FAIR. We cannot be having that.
I wish I could explain this
course to a mind's eye visual, but I cannot. Let me say it was dreadful and set
the tone for the ENTIRE weekend. I was not the only one to think/say this, as
it seemed that everyone walking the course had the same feeling.
As a run, the only good thing
that came out of this was that when Crumpie went off course to take that Tip, he
stopped and seriously thought about jumping off the side. Instead, last second,
he waited to for it to come down and then returned. Fine by me, as I saw this
as a potential "Gambling" problem.
However, with THREE off
courses, we were still under time AND the fastest of the 12 inch class.
I do not train my dog, nor has
he EVER seen an agility course before. I do not know how to handle either. My
timing was so off that it is amazing that we even got to the finish line.
NQ
"Bad Joyce, go lay down."
Novice Standard
Fred
The course was three jumps to
the Frame. He takes off at Mach 6, hits the Frame with all four paws and
promptly jumps off. That little rule about four paws on a contact comes into my
mind and I go on. NQ right there.
We are NOT going to discuss
the three knocked bars either or the little visitation with the Pole Setter we
had to do before getting on to the Table.
NQ
Novice Standard,
Harry - 9 dogs after Fred
Harry, the one of three of the
Corgis with the best, cleanest, and highest jumping style has to go and���knock
a bar. He then goes and jumps the DogWalk contact. Add to that a sudden
aversion to the Tip. (He got to the fulcrum and jumped off. Odd for Harry.)
NQ
Tomorrow is another day on the
wins for these two, not to mention there were a lot of things to rethink through
for training and warm up methods.
Open Jumpers
Crumpie
If I thought that running under
pressure for one leg with BOTH Fred and Harry was bad, I have no idea of what I
was doing to myself for this course. If I also thought that the Excellent A
Standard course was evil�.I have no idea of what to call this jumpers course
either.
I had decided in my walk
through, that "I was going to have fun because we were sure in heck NOT going to
Qualify for that Title". When I say this course was dreadful, I mean it.
While waiting for our turn,
there were quite a few of us standing under the gate tent. Everyone started to
pick on me about me making Crumpie lay on the floor of the RV because after 15
minutes of Crumpie annoying Meg�..I started to feel guilty. I was told I was a
horrible doggie mom and Crumpie was told NOT to listen to me while out on
course. In essence, everyone made me relax.
Then it was our turn. We
start and I barely get Crumpie through this INSANE jump trap�remember this is
OPEN Jumpers not Excellent. We get through and then end up on the back side of
the course where the grass is taller then my dog. NOT KIDDING. I am already
dragging that left leg and I nearly lose it twice. Knowing that we are going to
knock a bar and I still have one more run to go, I slow down to almost a walk
and direct Crumpie around. I happen to notice that his jumping style goes
vertical. Heck, I NEED to WALK this dog through a course not run it.
Dum dee dum dee dummmmmmmm
through the course and we have three jumps to go. That is when I realize that I
have not heard the PVC fall. Ut oh, just doomed myself. I watch in "odd
vision" (where it is your dog on course, but you might as well be outside of the
ring watching someone else's dog) as Crumpie clears two jumps. I call a
"right", he turns, and then I see that last jump. I look at him, he looks at
me, and all I could think to say was "you had better keep it up, Mister". That
Corgi glint comes to the corner of his eyes and with a tongue that is scrapping
the ground threatening to knock the bar, he does a Treffie (Dolores' Corgi) jump
right over. I am talking military airplane Harrier Jump Jet Takeoff over that
displaceable PVC. It stays up.
Hurray for Crumpie���.our 12th
title all around. Crumpet was the only mini dog to Q, and one of four to Q for
the WHOLE class. I said this course was evil and still hold to that opinion.
Novice Jumpers
Harry
The opening sequence to this
course was beyond difficult and I could have handled it better, but the tone for
the rest of the run was set within the first jump. I put Harry on the start
line at an angle facing AWAY from the tunnel and he went out of his way to go
and take it. Fine, I need ring time with him and continue on, but after a
beautiful set of directional calls, he just had to go out of his way to take a
jump really not that close to the CORRECT one.
One little Harry butt picked
up and carried off course.
NQ
Mudslide and Steak Time.
Sunday
Excellent A Standard
Crumpet
Now this was a course. Had
the traps, had the handler restrictions, had everything INCLUDING flow.
***Evil laugh knowing my hair
is going to be smoking when I am done.***
Crumpie pulled everything off
as if I train all the time and I can handle. : ) We are flying around the
course and we come to the off side poles. I take the blame for this one,
especially after seeing the videotape. I went too far forward and Crumpie took
the second pole as an entrance. A bummer, but no biggie.
He does the tunnel that is
under the DogWalk (the end is at the bottom of the DW) and has to do a 180
degree turn back up the DW. I am smelling an off course tunnel, but he keeps it
together and follows the "walk" command.
Crumpie does keep all the bars
up and ran in control. What more can one ask for? I know, a handler who knows
where to STOP for the weave poles.
NQ
Novice Standard
Fred
Fred, Fred, Fred, Fred.
Knock, knock, knock the
bar�������������.but he ran in control.: )
N, N, N, N, N, Q
I love Fred. What a cool dog.
Novice Standard
Harry
Hauling around the course at
oh mach 18, we knock a bar and jump the DW contact. We get to the table, which
is a "down". Everyone knows about Harry and his downs. I get him into a sit
and everyone watches as the captain of Team Bean repeats 'down' a million and
eight times. I had decided that if he would not go into a down, I was taking
him off course and I had told him that earlier in the day. There we were and I
was getting ready to pick him up.
Harry, do you remember our
conversation this morning?"
Honest to god, Harry looked at me, rolled his eyes
and went into a down.
Hooray for Harry as he then
gets to go on to the Tip and the rest of the course. He then repeats
Saturday's performance and jumps off the Tip. Odd, odd, odd.
NQ
Open Jumpers (because there were no move-ups)
Crumpie
***Once again, an evil, delighted laugh***
Joyce, for the first time in a
very looooong time, has no pressure to Q. This course was really nice with a
tight circle, but the pony-tailed blonde is going to do two things for practice
and both human & dog are going for broke. No holes barred. Crumpie is going to
fly at Mach 35 and Joyce is handling with angle approaches to all of the jumps.
She is also going to practice a little gambling work.
The plan was to do a four jump
lead out, but Crumpie mistook my "wait" hand signal on my way past the second
jump as an 'over' command. Not his fault as I no longer do lead-outs. We are a
fly'n and he does everything perfectly. He knocked only one jump in the middle
of the course, but that is more my fault then his.
Hee hee hee hee hee
This run was beyond bold,
beyond ME, but man was it fun. Everyone who came to watch knew that I was going
to let Crumpie go and that I was basically not going to handle because there was
nothing at stake. The glint in Crumpie's eyes was enough for me to know that he
had just as much fun as I did as everyone cheered us on.
NQ and one of the fastest times of the course�..26 seconds.
My hair was on fire and is no longer blonde. Heck, it is gone.
Novice Jumpers
Harry
I took one look at this course
and wanted to go home. What is it with AKC now? Dreadful opening sequence.
Suddenly that tight circle from the Open course was even tighter for the Novice
run.
I call this type of run "ring
experience", but Harry goes and surprises the living daylights out of me. Not
only did he listen to every directional command like he was Crumpie, but��.are
you ready��.he GETS THE WEAVE ENTRANCE AND DOES THE WHOLE SET. No, I did not
slow him down either. Cannot baby-sit all the obstacles forever. He pulls off
an insane, angled left jump and follows a "right" to a jump. He knocks that
bar, but HE DID IT. The rest of the course was as
flawless as the beginning and I could not have been any happier with a
performance like this from Harry.
Just a little time and more
training and things should get moving.
NQ, but one heck of a Q in my heart.
So that was our weekend. Not
the best that I have ever had. I would have changed a few things, but that is
the way it goes. We have the Corgi National next week so there is something to
look forward to.
Three dogs, 10 runs, 1 Q. At
least the ribbon that we came home with was BLUE and not RED. Thank god. We
even came home with a huge red, white & blue "New Title" ribbon.
Geez, I felt
like I went "Best In Show" or something.
With the Open Jumpers
obtained, I truly do not care about another title. My goal with Crumpie was to
get into both Excellent Standard and Jumpers and well, we did it. He has
already received one leg towards the standard title, so I know we can do this.
We both truly have a blast on the more difficult courses and I look forward to
running them.
In essence, Crumpie is retired, but not by a long shot. We just started to pull it together and we
have a ton of courses to run, but from now on anytime we NQ, it IS MY fault, not
his�.even when he takes those yummy tunnels.
Crumpet is the coolest dog on
the face of this planet, even cooler then Fred (sorry Susie) and nothing in this
world can change that. He is my best friend�..even if he knocks bars and takes
tunnels. That is what wakes him up in the morning.
For those who know and care:
Ann and Robin - Yes you DID Q
in the Novice Jumpers course. There was no placement as Robin was over course
time and it effected the score, but I have your Q ribbon. : ) Email me as I
have the specs written down for you.
Congratulations.
Larry and Puck Qed on that
dreadful Open Jumpers course�to be 1 of the other 4 Qers that day.
Forgive me if I missed Pam or Larry's other Qs, but I was kind'a busy.
Hope everyone is having a great holiday weekend!
Joyce, the Captain of Team Bean
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Last Updated on April 21, 2007
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