USDAA Trial May 15/16

Well, this trial was interesting. Saturday it seemed like the dogs just couldn't get their heads screwed on straight, and Sunday I just couldn't seem to find mine! But, it did give me a chance to see what we need to focus on, so that is a good thing.

First, Landon and Deets competed in standard, and Landon blew a contact on the A-frame and Deets went off-course so they both NQ'd. In gamblers, Landon just wouldn't go out to the tunnel across the gamble line, which is something we have been working on and he really seems to only have an issue with it at trials, but not in practice. Deets went off-course again, and both of them just didn't seem like they wanted to be there.

Sunday was a much better day. Deets had a really fantastic standard run and ALMOST qualified but I made a stupid little skip-step right at the last just and he took down the last pole. Woops!



Landon had a great, steady standards run and qualified as well as taking first place. That is his second leg toward his P1 standard title so he only needs one more to move up to P2.



Landon finished his P1 jumpers title last trial so he was moved up to P2 (advanced) jumpers for this trial. He went off-course, despite my best efforts to keep him on it... and what do you know, the jerk of a dog who wouldn't go out to the tunnel the day before in gamblers just trotted right into a tunnel I was trying to pull him off of. Blah! Again, my fault, and something we need to work on.

Deets, however, had an AMAZING jumpers run! He used to be such a bar-knocker but I believe he's finally gaining his confidence over poles and now most knocked bars are my fault. I wasn't expecting him to Q in jumpers because there's so many bars he could possibly bring down, but low and behold, he Q'd with a blue ribbon and a time of 16.29 seconds, less than half the allotted course time. He also beat 7 Border Collies for time! It was Deets' first Q in USDAA.



Sunday was Mimzy's USDAA debut, and the first time she would be running in a new place that wasn't her home training center. I was doubtful, and convinced we were just in the ring to have fun and get used to being in the ring. She really surprised me, and competing at 26" at the Champion level took her first Q at her first USDAA trial, and first place!




Her run around the jump in the pinwheel was my fault... just me and Mimzy not being well meshed yet, along with me having trouble remembering how to run two very different dogs back to back on the same course. Her little detour right before the last jump to see the scribes at the judge's table was a repeat on the CPE trial a few weeks ago, and I attribute that to her little baby-brain. Again, something we can work on.

Monday night Deets and Mimzy went to class with Miss Terry and Deets and I worked on a very gnarly jumpers course from 2005 that Terry said was the hardest course she'd ever seen. Deets and I managed to do it perfectly the first time, with not a single bar knocked. Mimzy was goofy Monday night, and Terry and I spent most of the class time laughing at her. She's such a babyface, it's so easy to forgive her. :)

We have a USDAA trial in McKinney on the 29th and 30th, and then we will slow down quite a bit for the summer. Landon just absolutely refuses to run agility in the summer because of his big black coat so he and I will focus on obedience. I have joined the Tyler Obedience Training Club and Landon and I joined the drill team. We have our first practice tomorrow night. I am hoping that by the end of the summer Deets will be ready for Novice and Landon will be ready for Open.

It's starting to get really hot out there so remember your dogs need lots of water and lots of fun time at the lake or river or whatever is close to you!