USDAA nationals were a dream. 6 rings everyone walking from 7-9a.m. and then you would run later in the day according to what group you were in. It was not too hot and it was just such fun. I have to thank Barjor for suggesting she would like to try and get Alphie qualified. That started a year of USDAA which has been wonderful fun with both dogs now competing at the Masters level.
I loved watching the people from all over the world running their dogs and calling out in their own language. Watching Lori run in the steeplechase finals was so wonderful. Knowing someone out there well it was the best.



Our trip home was uneventful but gorgeous driving trhough the Sierra mountains.


Been just practicing and thinking about the coming year.
Did league yesterday as a subsititue at Larsen barn. Learned alot about Oreo. He knows the larsen barn we go at least once a week. He flies over all obstacles and weaves and cries when it is Alphie's turn. League.. strange dogs, strange people he was much slower. More like the AKC trial. Not too slow and did the weaves I would say at 3/4's speed of what he can do so I was happy. It was just more information for me to figure out.

It is so lovely here. We are at Mayflower county park on the colorado river. Gorgeous sunset tonight. Tried to capture it on film but it was just a little to late. I hope i will be able to get the sunrise. We've been outside since we got here. Pete put up his "dog play yard' and it has worked well. The dogs seem calm, this place has no concrete just grass and sand. I love it. Pictures for sure even if i don't get the sunrise. Tomrrow I hope to be at West World by one or 2 at the latest. Get set up and orientated and then relax.

Left on Thursday Nov 5 around 12":30 Uneventful trip.. dogs slept and Pete and I traded driving. Stayed at Valley of the Rogue state park outside of Medford. Lovely evening and then it rainied most of the night and was dry in the a.m.
Off we went and stopped for Breakfast next to the Klamath River (I think) at a rest area in Calif. On to nieces where we have been for a couple of days. Her three pugs welcomed us and we played at the dog park, walked the neighborhood and have had a good time. Last night we slept in the RV on the street. About midnight Oreo went crazy I got up and walked him and he pooped but wouldn't calm down. Under the covers out of the covers lick lick very unlike him and sat with his ears up. I finally sprayed some DAP and 5 minutes later our propane alarm went off. Sigh.. so we unplugged that and about 20 minutes later he went to sleep and so did I.

AKC trial over Halloween was wonderful. Oreo was very relaxed, my old dog and QQ'd all three days with lots of MACH pts for him. I was thrilled and relaxed also. ONe ring trial so more relaxed. Lots of trick or treat candy .. Alphie was sick on Friday. Very scary I was worred but he recovered on his own and QQ'd on Sunday with Barjor and was his usual cheeky self.

USDAA at Argus. GORGEOUS PLACE I LOVE TRIALING THERE I do hate driving home however. Alphie and Barjor were wonderful. they are truly coming together. Oreo was slow on and off and I can't for the life of me figure out why. Sunday was much much better than Saturday. He Q'd and was a few seconds under time in all his runs which made me happy as he was happy. I think my not worrying about taping others, hanging with him and being able to be outside the arena in the sunshine without tons of other dogs around makes a difference. Two of the BC's were crated on Sunday. I think that helped. I think I was more relaxed.
Went to a cross country track meet of grandson's yesterday and took dogs. They were happy til we got near everyone yelling and screaming as the runners went by. Even Alphie asked to be picked up and Oreo just shook and shook in Pete's arms. NOISE in new places or places we haven't been to often is another BIG FACTOR
they will not go with us to another meet.

They both happily came to the RV for breakfast and I sat quietly ball in hand. As soon as Oreo finished I threw the ball and he played happily with me. I eventually threw it out the door and he came back in for more. whew I feel better. We will keep having meals out there and playing balls and hopefully we will all feel happier when in the RV

I've been so obsessed with Oreo I forgot to write about my wonderful lesson with Alphie. I was able to do front x's everywhere that I did them with Oreo. Only jumps no contacts maybe a tunnel? but I could do it. a few months ago I wouldn't have even tried. I'm getting more self confident and I think watching Barjor run him has helped me too.

Started Oreo on 1mg per day. We will see if it helps. I was puzzled tonight. Fed both boys in the RV in hopes of getting Oreo inside the RV. He hates getting in this one. Never a problem with the old one. Anyway he came in, ate and left as fast as he could. I then left and Pete stayed to put up some hooks for me. He joined Pete after I left on his own, they played ball and then came in. Pete went out again and and Oreo didn't want to come in right away but he played ball with Alphie and after about 5 throws he went inside. The question is do I need Pete to go with me in the RV all the time.. does Oreo love him more then me.. or should I say trust him more then me. comments please.

Today we worked on the "yard" that Pete is making for the RV. We backed the RV out and pulled out the fencing. Alphie hung with us and watched. Oreo ran in the house and stayed in the house stressed. Melatonin I've been reading up on it for dogs. May try that and see if it helps him. So it isn't just trials it is ANYTHING different?? or does the "yard" make him think I will put him in it and leave a for a bit?

3 days at Ridgefield. Alphie and Barjor and really coming together. 3 JWW completing his MXJ and one Standard giving him his second QQ. He seemed his usual self relaxing between runs and loving every second on the course including barking on the table when it was a down for what seemed like hours. I'll be glad when the rule changes and he can stand, sit, lie down or roll over and they will just count. Of course we will continue to work on the down for USDAA.
Oreo.. my little stressed boy. On Friday he was panting with every run. It was hot out but not that hot. He could still play ball at top speed. The panting is a huge sign of stress for him. He QQ'd just barely with 0 MACH pts on his jumpers run. How can I help this boy feel better in the ring? Saturday was cooler and the second day. Debi was there and sitting with us and he loves her. We played ball, had lots of turkey and I could feel the difference in him. He got another QQ moving a bit faster and no panting. Sunday he was a bit more stressed then Saturday. It was a bit warmer. It was tall to small so we had to wait a long time before running but I did sit outside with him and Alphie for awhile and let them just wander and sniff on leash. He had two more perfect runs but JWW he was 2 seconds under time. It was wheeled very tight and many dogs got fewer points then normal. I want to destress myself. I want Oreo to enjoy the process. I ran way ahead of him over jumps and even the weaves in hopes of speeding him up. Is he so worried about making a mistake? What is he afraid of.
I will continue to journal about his reactions and hope I see something that seems to be constant.

Fun weekend. I actually ran Alphie in 3 CPE runs on Saturday and Q'd in 2 and the third was a standard that was awesome. He back jumped one jump which I didn't see (bad me must be why he back jumped) but made his contacts, paid complete attention and we had a ball together.
Oreo did two runs, snooker and jackpot and Q'd in both. Best of all on Sunday I went back to watch my friend "puglover" get her C-ATCH and I was able to give her the ribbon and bar.
It was a fun run and it is exciting to think that Mia is just 3 and has her C-ATCH. Now she is on her way to the AKC invitational I think in 2010.

This trial was Oreo's very first USDAA trial one year ago. This year he got his MAD getting his 3rd masters standard, his pairs and snooker. What a thrill. The weather was lovely, the friends awesome, and I was in bed by 8:30 every night.
Alphie ran with Barjor and got his Grand Prix qualification and an advanced standard run.
Both dogs managed to get into the river and enjoy it. Alphie I had to pull in on Saturday but by Sunday afternoon he walked in by himself. Neither swam which was ok by me but they walked around and enjoyed themselves and cooled off. I wanted to inset and image of all the fur that Pete got off the dogs today along with all the burrs and knots and dirt. They truly had a wonderful time in and out of the water. Oh the picture worked. Pretty ugly.
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Went to the barn yesterday morning and his DW RUNNING contacts were stunning with and without the manners minder and no matter how far back I was. Today went to a fun match at FG barn and spoke with barjor about his stupid contacts. I can't make up my mind what I want. The truth is I want to have fun with Alphie. I don't care about a MAch or anything else I want to run and play with him. Trying to get him to stop on the contacts will work in the barn but who knows at a trial. I must learn to mark his mistakes but just have fun. He's 6.5 years old. He loves agility. I must learn to not get frustrated and just enjoy him for him. He's one heck of an agility dog and I love him to death.
I have my consistent dog in Oreo. I love running him and he reminds me I can do it and I am not a horrible handler. I'm lucky to have two very different dogs that both enjoy running with me.

Fun event. So very very hot but the shade trees were wonderful. I agree with Barjor worst RV park ever.. but hey we had a/c, water (awful tasting) and cable tv. We used the GPS to find a dairy queen for Saturday night's dinner. Drove to a non existent DQ and so settled for pizza.
Oreo and I had a good time. He took a couple of off course jumpers once on the way to a tunnel in Snooker and once from jump to jump in team jumpers. I thought I was running straight for the next obstacle. He apparently didn't think so. There was another chance for an off jump in the GP so instead of running hard in front I grabbed his nose after the first jump and led him to the next jump and it worked. May have slowed us down but it worked and he was the only 12" dog to Q in the GP. Kinda fun. Other than the above mentioned he had nice clean runs and I was happy. Did some FX's I never would have done a few months ago feeling very confident.

Alphie was Alphie through and through. He had some great weave entries, and good contacts and as Barjor said his start line stay got better. Anna ran him in Advanced Standard. She put him down and he left the ring to grab something he had smelled on the ground just outside the ring. When she yelled at him and started to run he happily caught up to her and they had a great time.

I love Alphie and wish I was young and could run him as he should be run. I love running Oreo, we seem to be a good pair but Alphie get so frustrated with me and I with him and then that tends to get me flustered so I mess up with Oreo. When I only run Oreo I feel we make a great team.
Off to a fun match this weekend to remind Alphie of contacts and stays and Oreo hopefully no off course jumps. I hope there some set up. Would be nice.

Went to the barn today. Alphie remembered the teeter and laid down almost immediately. He does it better if I run past the teeter. If I'm behind him he isn't sure what to do and since that is where I usually am I must considtrate on that. He was wonderful and got lots of treats and a thrown ball or two. We did the DW also. He wasn't sure on that one but figured it out. He did do one gorgeous running contact but I called him back and he got back and went down. I must be consistent. For now we will practice practice and then after USDAA nationals I'll pull him from AKC and just practice, do fun matches and some CPE where I can correct him put him back on and then leave the course. That is my plan anyway.

At class yesterday Alphie would not stay at the start. Put him in the arena tied to a hook and ran Oreo and told Oreo good boy etc. Alphie barked and barked. then Marti ran and then I ran Alphie. He stayed not liking it but he did. My teacher asked me what I wanted for my contacts. I think I need stopping contacts.. his A frame seems fine but his DW and teeter are very iffy. So she took him out and held the teeter up and had him lay on it. then she had him run up the teeter and when it came down he sat. She waited and waited (patience from me is the key) and he layed down. It will take months of training and after nationals I may just not trial him much and work on this. Same thing on the dog walk. I would love to accomplish this but I must be patient.
This a.m. Pete was going to do his nails. He got out the blanket he uses and put it on the couch. Alphie danced around the living room like he does at the start line. Finally Pete asked me to get him. Well I bet it took me 10 minutes. I did tell him to sit and he would come in front of me and sit and the minute I leaned down he was gone. Finally I invited him up on the couch which he is always allowed on and he jumped up. Then I got him and no growling he just allowed me to pick him up but his problem is huge. So I shall put out the blanket every day and allow 15 or more minutes if necessary to get him. My question is when I get him does he get a treat, just lots of love or do we just do it again after saying good boy?

Many fun things in agility have happened since last I posted.
USDAA regionals.June 26,27,28
Went to USDAA regionals which was so fun. Went with Barjor and set up a huge "yard" connected to the RV so the dogs could go in and out as they pleased and so could we without worrying about them escaping. Nice spot near the rings. I learned about walking 3 courses by 8:30am and then not running the 3rd one til noon or so. the third one was jumpers and I went off course with Oreo. Darn. But this ole brain has to learn to do better. Overall Oreo great and picked up a Masters gamble leg and standard and most exciting and only due to other very fast dogs getting an NQ we took third in the finals of GP so we are in the semi finals of USDAA nationals. Just to say we particpated is beyond any plans I had for my agility time with my pups. It was very exciting. I met a Pap breeder from Calif (Livewire) that ran a wonderful 12" pap and took first in GP, SC and I read on her blog high in trial at Pap nationals. Really liked her and she primarily breeds for agility so if I last long enough I think I will look at her dogs as a possiblity for my next pup. Alphie had fun with Barb but still need that GP qualifier.
AKC Argus Ranch. July 10,11,12
Went to this trial with puglover26 and had a great time. Friday I ran both dogs no Q's. I'm finding it harder and harder to run Alphie and Oreo. Saturday moodypdx ran Alphie and had an aweseome run with him. Got a Q and first with him in his ExB standard. He didn't even argue with her on the table.
On Sunday Anna from Germany ran him. She does agility in Germany and was here for a year. Now she was just back for a 3 week visit. She had no dog to run and I was thrilled to have her play with Alphie. Oreo had an awesome weekend with two QQ's and he seemed loving running outside. I noticed that at the regionals also. He seemed quite relaxed and happy. Of course I played ball 24/7 with him sigh. they ran a different order starting EX standard in one ring and Ex JWW about 20 minutes later in the other ring so we were done by 12:15 or so. Also the people with open or novice dogs didn't have to get up at the crack of dawn to get there. I knew there were people who didn't like it. I personally did.
CPE July 18 one day
Oreo Q'd in every run altho if it had been AKC he would have had a refusal or two. But he ran fast again. I had him outside instead of the noisy barn and I think he really likes that. Set up a canopy with puglover26 and it worked well.
Alphie was crazy. No stays in fact took off so fast on one run that I didn't get a chance to throw the leash and he dragged it with him. Had some awesome moments.. his weave entries were amazing with me 2 obstacles behind yelling weave but not one NOT ONE DW contact as I couldn't be there and every run ended with the DW to a jump. I was/am pretty confused about what to do with the boy. At the barn he does so well. I will just continue to practice practice I guess. he loves it so. Thank goodness for Oreo who reminds me I can do agility and that I do handle ok with him.

It was a nice AKC trial this weekend put on by CRAC. I've decided to become a member of the group when they are accepting new members. It is a small group and I'd like to be part of a group that just likes to put on trials.
Liked both the judges this weekend, Terri Campbell and Laura English. Nice courses, their briefings weren't too long and made you smile.
Oreo:
I ran Oreo this weekend. Saturday was a hard day on him. He got cold from walking in the wet grass and was shaking in his crate. I wrapped him in a blanket and tried to keep him warm for about 45 minutes. He started shaking again later. Only thing I can think of is that is was very noisy and it may have reminded him of the thunder storm. He ran a bit slow but Q'd in standard and I messed up his jumpers run. We were coming into a straight run of jumps and I took off running trying to speed him up. Somehow I must have stepped to the right as he turned and took an off course jump but we just said continued on and it was fine. Today we QQ'd and he seemed VERY happy. Left him in the car in the morning with Alphie. Not sure if that was it or what but he ran fast and happy. We both flew in the JWW run and I will probably pay for it tomorrow but man it was fun and I got in some front x's whew great way to end the weekend for me.
Alphie
Barb ran Alphie all weekend. Wonderful runs and they were quite in tune with each other. I think she may blog about it but it was as usual a joy to watch and so much for me and for Alphie.
Great seeing so many friends and getting to visit with them.