Our agility weekend

[Milesmom]

We spent all of last weekend at an AKC agility trial. I don't trial much in the summer because the heat really deteriorate Miles performance so I just skip summer. This trial is held in air conditioned building! WooHoo!

The weekend could not have gone better. We had 7 runs and 7 Qs! Six first place ribbons and one second. Two titles NA and NAJ! Novice A is such a lovely place to be!

Friday we started with a clean Jumpers run-second place. In Standard, I was so worried about one trap, I didn't prepare for an earlier one in the course so we had 5 faults for an off course, but the rest went according to plan and we Q'd and got first place. We also tried Novice FAST and that was alot of fun. We got a Q and first there too.

Saturday was a perfect day. We had a clean Jumpers run and a clean Standard run. Those were fun because those were for the titles. My instructor was a bar setter for the Standard run and I knew we were good after we crossed the finish because I heard a big "whoop!" coming from her corner.

Sunday was insurance. I chose not to move up. My dog was ready but I am such a novice handler and thought it would be better just to stay in Novice. Besides, data entry errors happen. Would hate to move up and find out later I didn't actually get the titles because of a paperwork problem. We got 95 in both. We had a refusal in Jumpers (ran past the jump) and a 95 in Standard. Miles ran off the table. Then he didn't want to down on it. Perhaps because a prior dog had pee'd on the table. I am standing trying to down him and he is looking at me "In THAT???" He finally did. We lost quite a bit of time fooling with that.

It was a great weekend! I had fun and learned lots. Now will move up to Open for September

[brody]

the venues where you can make a mistake and q are so lovely - not what i'm used to at all (aac is all about PERFECTION) but
I wouldn't have moved up either I had to move thea up for a class this weekend so I did - but I know it's a little over her head - was actually not going to do it at all then thought - shoot .. and figured I should just do it

congrats on a fabulous weekend

[Milesmom]

Well, to get a MACH, you have to have 20 double Q's and for those Q's to count toward the MACH, they have to be clean. The work toward the MACH comes after the Novice, Open, and Excellent titles.

[debjen]

what a great weekend..congrats on the new titles.

[brody]

see this notion of double q completely escapes me our ATCH needs 4 each of standard, snookers, jumpers and gamblers ...used ot need 3 of eqach adn 3 team but that was changed a couple of years ago

[2yellowlabs]

Ann is being modest about what a great job she and Miles did. I had the pleasure of watching her Friday and Sunday runs and together she and Miles make quite a team. They both looked they were having fun and isn't that the goal? Well - OK plus - Q's and placements.

[brody]

I'm glad you jumped in ... 7/7 is AMAZING in any venue - at any level
If I didn't make that clear I apologize

I guess it depends on "you" (whoever) what matters to you - placements don't mean much to me .. fun and qs do ... I will actually wrap up a class like snookers when the q is earned rather than pushing for the final 7 - I really fundamentally was taught that a horse has only so much Jump in them - I think I've brought that belief to agility

anyhowwww fabulous - congrats again !

[Milesmom]

Thanks you guys!

I hear you in those game classes. I figure out what I need to do to Q and do that and try to push for more to win the class but I see others go for the points. In Novice A, it is easy to place, at least around here. If you Q you pretty much get a blue or a red. But, it IS fun to sport the satin. I don't expect to get that in Open.

Betsy was a big help, we figured out together how to do that FAST game. She had the rule book, so that helped!

[brody]

rule books are very handy

I was at a cpe trial this weekend and kept borrowing the rule book from various people