I Love Lacey

Dobie show recap

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:02:48 GMT

Had a good time this weekend..... prepped and ready for winter agility--- long johns, gloves, thermos full of ravoli and/ or soup etc!

Glad I didn't sign up for FAST... felt good to sleep in and show up for EXC Std Small Dogs etc...

NO Q's for the weekend, but a real good effort throughout:

SAT EXC A Standard:

Made it to the Dog Walk, Jump then Table Sequence.... Lacey went long after the dog walk (was tempted by that darn tunnel) and with that we had a refusal as I tried to get her to do jump, table...... oh well!

Had another mistake after the teeter... she went long to the off course tunnel, then around the jump (do I see a pattern)

SAT JWW: felt pretty good about this, struggled with the 3 jump serpentine sequence with a push out to a 4th jump.... knocked 2 bars in this sequence because I got panicky and choppy with my hands (my personal demon)..... but otherwise a nice run!

I'll see if I can get Sandy R. to set up this serpentine sequence sometime......

SUN EXC A Standard:

Had trouble with the Chute, Jump, Table sequence..... Lacey carried long after the chute, almost taking the off course double jump, then we had a refusal as I tried to fix it..... knocked a bar at my rear cross towards the end..... but as I watched the big dogs go after us, there were many dogs who had trouble with the Chute, Jump, TAble Sequcne..... so I wasn't alone!

SUN EXC A Jumpers:

Boy that was a toughie.... sequence after the weaves felll apart... now I see the only way to handle this was leave the dogs in the weaves and get ahead of them...... didn't do that.... kind of exploded after that! Oh well..... tough sequence.... maybe I'll get Sandy to set this one up as well!

Fun weekend...... great to see Rob and Alyssa trying AKC out.... I hope they had a good time! Saw Alyssa and Peak run perfectly! how great was that! Rob and Stoke are a good pair, still working out some kinks, but Stoke is still young! Missed some of my peeps who were in Scottsdale (Sandy and Shelly) But had fun with class mates and others (CJ, Kathy, Jessica, M Lou etc)

See yawl at PAC in January (More long johns, thermos and gloves!)

Totally worth the drive

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:53:51 GMT

Well, entering 1 day of the Albany trial was totally worth the drive!!!!   It is a strong hour from my house in NE PDX to the site... quite an easy drive... my dad let me borrow his Honda Ridgeline for the drive, so I took him up on his offer. Nice to drive a rig that is a bit higher off the ground than my Ford Focus!

1st run: Excellent A Standard 16" preferred.

2nd time in Excellent A--- and first Q with 100 and 46.40 seconds..... wow what a thrill, all the bars stayed up... we managed the tricky serpentine in the middle of the course before the teeter! My girl was a champion and I held it together!

2nd run:   Open JWW 16" preferred:     this is the real reason I entered this trial--- I desperately wanted to get my OPEN JWW title and get the heck out of OPen all together.. too many conflicts between Excellent STd and Open JWW..... and drum roll please... WE GOT OUR TITLE.... Clean run with 24.20 seconds...... granted the course wasn't really that difficult.... the dummy jumps were the hard part... but we stayed on course, kept bars up what another thrill!

Was completely done by say 11 am.... hung out for a while, bought a good lunch at the vendor, then got a new frisbee for my girl and a mocha for me... hit the road and was home by 2 pm.....

Can't beat that!

Now I'm totally stoked for the Dobie show...... Excellent A in both STd and Jumpers! We area ready!

Great to see some awesome runs this weekend!

See yawl in a few weeks!

11 x 17 Collage I got from Nina's Photography

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:23:11 GMT

Well, this uploaded pretty small........... it's an 11 x 17 collage I bought from Nina's Photography take from the 3 trials in Vancouver in June.

What a treat this is to have........ I just need to buy a frame and hang... it's currently on my mantle leaned up......

I recommend Nina's photography...... she does a great job..

www.ninasphotography.com

Enjoy!

NW Cup Recap

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:14:04 GMT

What's so great about agility is that anything can happen..... Lacey and I had a good time at this trial, even though we were relegated down in STarters Land (We are still in P1) don't do very many USDAA Trials since I don't travel very often.....   Lots of runs over the 2 days.

Quick Summary:

P1 Saturday

Gamble-- Q and 1st place
Standard:    Teeter fly off... not a major fly off, just a minor skid, then she knocked the following bar... 10 faults
Snooker--- knocked 2nd Red, then took another obstacle... oops
Grand Prix--- I felt great about this run.... we ran it clean through, didn't have to restart any piece.... 2 bars down..... good time 40 seconds and change..... it was a thrill even with the rails down!
Steeplechase--- zero bars down... I had to fix 3 areas.... 2 refusals and restart the weaves.... didn't make the final round, but I felt good about our effort

P1 Sunday

Gamble-- Q 1st place... p1 Gamble Title
Standard:   great run.... thrilling..... seat of my pants... knocked last bar!    Bummer!
Snooker---- took extra jump on way to 3rd Red....
Jumpers---   judge was going to hold ring until All of Steeplechase finals ended.... I was pooped by that point and the course was soooo stupid!     so I scratched and went home.

So for the Standards... good times with a total of 15 faults...... 10 Sat, 5 Sunday... a good effort

Next up:

1 day of AKC CRAC ALBANY SATURDAY.... Just sent in my premium, kind of an impulse

Nov AKC Dobie Trial Sat and Sunday

Then onto 2010----   fun stuff!

ps--- class Monday night.... ZERO BARS CAME DOWN, WE ALMOST HAD A PERFECT NIGHT WITH ONLY 1 BLOWN DOG WALK CONTACT.....   That was an amazing night.... I asked for a ribon for knocking zero bars.. but Sandy doesn't give ribbons for class.... Funny!

Later all!        Gayla

Sent in premium for NW Cup

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:27:53 GMT

Well,

I just bit the bullet and sent in my entry for the 2009 NW Cup..... because I don't do many USDAA, still working on getting out of Performance 1... need 2 more Standard Q's to move up in everything.

I entered:

P1   Standard, Gamblers, Snooker on Saturday

Performance Grand Prix

Performance Steeplechase

P1   Standard, Gamblers, Snooker and Jumpers on Sunday

I hope I have the legs and energy for 9 runs over 2 days..... Feet don't fail me now!

I could have entered P2 Pairs ( somewhere along the way we got our P1 Pairs Title), but I'm choosing to not enter this because it goes the same time as P1 Gamblers, and I hate Conflicts....   I also heard someone say at the last USDAA in Carlton, the judge said that the handler for dog #1 could not touch his dog during the baton hand off.....     Well I have to touch Lacey during the baton hand off.... I put her in a down stay and grab her scruff... .

My opinion is better safe than sorry for dog agressive, snarky dogs!    and yes, Lacey is dog agressive, snarky, hard eyed border collie, bitch....

I wonder if USDAA has a new rule for the baton hand off, holding dogs etc.

as an aside,   I would prefer USDAA to allows buckle, flat collars like AKC, but that's just me and my snarky Lacey!

See yawl at the PAC AKC next weekend..... gearing up for my 2009- 2010 Agility Season....   Lacey's almost 7 and still smokin!

Later! Gayla

Lacey's Pedigree--- (ha ha)

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:28:29 GMT

Lacey's Pedigree---- Totally Unknown...... in May of 2003 I did a Search on Petfinder.com and found a young BC on the coast who needed a new home, had been a back yard dog for a while.... I almost went and got this dog, but did one more search and found a younger BC ( 5 months old) ready for adoption in Vancouver, WA.

So, I said no to the dog on the coast, and emailed Second Chance Companions. The Foster Mom emailed me right back.... this was on a Monday, and on a Thursday they brought cutie pie Lacey to my house, they wanted to check on my back yard, have Lacey meet my other dog (which went great)

Low and behold May 2003 I was the proud owner of 5 month old cutie pie Lacey.

Breeding unknown.... some back yard breeders up on North Clark County... breed dogs for herding cattle etc. (no wonder Lacey is such a hard eye'd dog--- Cattle no doubt)

And that is they say is history.... I was very lucky and blessed to find Lacey.... she's been a challenge and a joy every day!

Good luck yawl at AKC Eugene... Lacey and I will be ready to go for PAC Vancouver Show-- Sat and Sunday......

Open JWW-- need 1 more Q
Excellent A Standard
Excellent A Fast

Should be fun! Happy Tuesday!

Whew what a weekend

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:04:03 GMT

Well, the 3 week agility marathon is over for me and Miss Lacey............ boy do I need a weekend to sleep in!

Quick Re Cap:

Saturday:

Excellent A Fast---- Q nd 72 points!   Whoot!

Open Jumpers:    (need 1 more Q to get Title) ----- one or 2 bars down! Bummer!   Refusal at weaves.... hit pole # 2

Open Standard:    (needed 1 more Q to Title)   Drum Roll Please:    Got our 3rd Q with a perfect run score of 100 points.... time was approx 38.53 seconds!    Whoot! Whoot!      I got to fill out a move up slip for Sunday!   Finally!

Sunday:

Excellent A Fast---   no Q--- didn't like the send, we had a error on it anyway, I said Over Tunnel and Lacey went into the Chute instead of the tunnel first........... oh well... worked contacts etc......... good warm up for the day!

Open Jumpers:    was a bit out of Synch with my girlie.............. I think 1 bar down............. no Q!    But Close.....

Excellent A Standard---- Course was fun.... not terribly challenging..... we made a good effort but with faults:
            10th pole weave pop out.............. bummer---- I think I got excited and rushed her last few poles....
             Dropped bar before A Frame that was the "wrap" jump............... then she back jumped that jump.........
              Dropped the triple.....................

But our contacts were 100% for the weekend................ I'm trying to put our "touch" command at the bottoms back........... we morphed into running contacts which just weren't working..........    The Touch command is slowing her down a bit at the end of each contact, and she's touching the yellow.......... hopefully I can get an actual 2 on 2 off over the summer and come back for Sept PAC with solid contacts......................

Great show at the PAC.... I agree with Heather and Tammy:   Jumpers courses on Sunday were Boring!   I kept saying Loop-d- Loop.....

Everyone have a great summer.................... we'll be at class, but not Trialing probably until Sept. PAC.................. too hot in the summer to compete!

It was great seeing everyone this weekend............. great fun as always!

Gayla and Lacey (NA, OA, NAJ, Nov Fast, Open Fast--- all Preferred........... cool that my girlie has titles!)   Need 1 more Q in Open Jumpers and Exc Fast A to move up in those............. they will come!)

3 shows in a row: 2 down 1 to go!

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:09:12 GMT

Hey All,

Quick Update from GSD AKC and CRAC AKC:

GSD:

Saturday Open JW Q---- we had an actual perfect run!    No refusals, no knocked bars... what a thrill! What Fun!   2 Q's down 1 to go!

Standard Runs both days : struggled with triple jump..... and missing her running contacts.

Since I did not actually train the strides for a running, we just morphed into them for the heck of it ( I had my reasons) we have not had good luck hitting them at shows...... she strides right over the yellow on the A Frame and DW!

So, I've decided to put the Touch Command back which is 2 on 2 off for DW, A Frame and Teeter...... going back to this will take some time..... but it will be worth it.        Running Contacts are just not worth it , unless you've trained the striding from the beginning!

CRAC:

Saturday: Excellent FAST A Q---- good girlie sent to jump, did teeter from a distance, sent out to another jump...... maybe 1 bar down, but good stuff anyway.

Saturday: Open Standard--- ZERO bars down, but missed both contact..... still needs work......   good run otherwise, really felt conntected to Lacey which is what I really want regardless of the outcome of the run.

Saturday JWW:   one bar....... I chickened out on a front cross and did a herkey jerkey rear crosss, which made miss Lacey knock that bar... oh well...........

Sunday: Excellent FAST A:   almost a Q--- did the send...... out to weaves, the jump, then turn away to a tunnel....... boy she can weave!   But made an error on the way out, and was 3 points shy of a Q.

Sunday Open Standard---- my 2nd Q!    I had a refusal at the weaves...... 10th pole pop out as I rotated too soon to front cross, but I held it together for the Qs............   she didn't stop in the dirt for her contacts, but slowed down enough to hit the yellow.... we'll continue refining this performance.       Yes, Touch means something! Hit the contact please!

Sunday Open JWW--   after a long wait between Standard and JWW, I tried not to fade away!   never felt connectd with Lacey from the get go,    didn't get my lead out I wanted, was behind her quite a bit, but we stayed on course somehow, I had a panicky call over a jump and she knocked it................ somehow I called Left Tunnel and she took the correct entrance of the tunnel weaves were awesome,    the finish line was a straight line of 4 jumps I think,    as I tried to sprint to the finish and say go on go on, Lacey took down the triple.............   I think we were both toast for that run!

Oh well..... maybe we'll get our final Standard and JWW Open Q at the PAC to move up to Excellent!    We are aready.

Nice weather,   too long wait times between runs though............... especially between Open STd (ran at 10 am or so), the JWW (ran at 2:30 pm or so)   Zoiks!

Great to see everyone have a great time.................. I told Sandy my teacher that 6 of her students in the Monday class Q'd on their standard runs on Sunday.......... maybe more?   Unsure of Toss and Tara...... maybe we all did?    Great Stuff!

See yawl at the PAC this weekend....... boy am I tired.............. offf to doggie schoool tonight, then we'll rest this week.

Yawn!   Gayla and Lacey who I'm sure is ready for more agility!

I've been lurking/ not posting

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:42:16 GMT

Hey All,!

I've been lurking for the past few months on Live Journal, not posting much, but here I am!

Lacey and I have had mostly great agility classes lately!   A few bars here and there, but that's a given.

We haven't trialed since the Feb AKC Dobie show, but we are ready to go for:

May German Shepard AKC in Canby
June CRAC in Vanc.
June PAC in Vanc......

The yearly 3 shows in a row is good for us.... hopefully we can get out of Open Standard and Open Jumpers... I think our time is NOW! Hopefully!

I"ve really been hitting:

Start Line Stays--- no skulking please!
Cleaning up our running contacts
Me staying calm and quiet while running
Lacey: keeping her feet up and NOT knocking bars.

Now that the weather has improved, we can practice jump drills out back each evening, which really help us during our Monday night class and hopefully at our next show!

Everything else has been fine.... work has slowed a bit, but we're still here...... still paying bills, answering phones, we would like some more activity and sales.... but this summer's work load should improve!

Been really hitting my horse riding.... weekly lessons, monthly sessions with an out of town trainer, trail rides, loads of fun!   All good stuff!

Anyway, thought I'd check in!     Still here!   Still Kickin!   :) Gayla and lovely Lacey

Bundled up at the PAC

Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:25:19 GMT

How many layers can I wear while running agility.... ???.... BRR cold weekend.. but we survived. I entered EXC FAST both days, but dind't show up for either... too cold... possibly icey roads.. was a mistake to enter them... but oh well..... an 8 am Class in January.. just too cold.

No big deal.. just FAST, just a game....

Quick summary:

Well after 3 plus weeks of no agility class due to snow and holidays, I didn't know what to expect from this weekend. The lack of practice really only showed on the bar knocking front... her contacts were awesome, her weaves were great.. .she never lacks try and enthusiasm..... no off courses... etc.... one table refusal, one weave fault (10th pole pop out that I didn't fix).   Bar knocking was an issue.. I see this as me not being able to work her either at class or at home on this skill.. oh well!

SAT OPN JWW:   weave pole fault, a few bars down.. but stayed on course and I kept moving through the course and kept calm and quiet... nice try

SAT OPN STD: Knocked Triple..... table refusal.... so basically one knocked bar away from a Q..... great finish line, awesome contacts, awesome weaves... FAST FAST Girlie....

SUN OPN JWW: I felt myself go into panic mode early on on the run... bars were falling down.. I think she knocked 3.... once I switch into panic mode... I have a hard time getting out.... oh well! nice effort

SUN OPN STD:    cross behind weave poles... success.... the weaves didn't feel like they had the correct rhythm, like she skipped a pole in the middle, but we didn't get faulted... contacts great..... I chickened out doing a front in front of the teeter... so I had to restart that piece.. one bar down.... great A Frame.. she didn't fall off like many other dogs... .rear cross from running dog walk to the chute.... I used my left chute command which worked....   so when it came down to it.. one knocked bar from a Q....

So, Q less for the weekend, but close... class starts up again tonight.. and I'll try doing some jump drills out back... now that the snow and ice are waning (I hope) Hopefully her jumping will be better for our next show: AKC Dobie Jan 31 Feb 1st...

Cool photo that Joe Camp took..... Go girlie....

It was great seeing everyone this weekend.... great runs... great fun! Now back to work!

Wassup

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:19:20 GMT

Hey All,

Well, I'm a loser... been 8 weeks since my last post.. since my computer is at work, I have time to browse postings but little time to actuall post.

We've been pretty busy the passed few months.. .so I have a few moments to chat about my love Lacey etc.

Classes at Sandy's have been rockin' for weeks now... Lacey and I are really jellin' as a team. What a treat.   Sandy combined her 8pm class with our 6 pm class to make one larger 6:30 to 8:30 ish class with about 7 dogs, I think.... maybe 8. It's a good group!

Having 2 new dogs in class has been a challenge for my hard eye Lacey.... one young Terv, Jan and Carl's Tara is an issue.. Lacey actually bolted over to Tara after her run on Monday, charged her agressively, I yelled at her, told her to "down"... then Sandy came over and gave Lacey the correction for this behavior. Boy did Lacey get in trouble. But she was Naughty!   While coming out of the chute, she got tangled, then bit her tongue... Poor girlie, had a rough night at doggie school.

AKC Dobie show was fun:   My first weekend in Open Jumpers and we Q'd! What a thrill!     Open Standard--- no Q;d either day, but close...... a good effort! OPen JWW on Saturday had 2 rails down, but we stayed on course, through a difficult box type thingy!   Weaves were awesome all weekend!     Coming right along.

Next show for us wil be PAC in Jan 3rd and 4th.... will be a cold show, but always fun!    Long John Agility, here I come!

On the Horse front:   At the end of Sept, I moved my horse to an actual boarding stable just a few miles North of Clark County Fairgrounds in Ridgefield, WA-- called Peacock Stables..... I has nice open stalls, a covered lighted arena, lots of nice people to ride and chat with, and the best of all, trails right off the property.

We can go anytime down a trail and cruise around some wetlands and trails by the Lewis River! I love it, I've seen Heron, Bald Eagles, deer, nutrea..... gorgeous!

It's been a good move, a bit more per month, but well worth it! I take weekly riding lessons now and we are finally really making progress!

Work has been good, and busy! We have work thru Dec. and into January, but as I am in commercial construction (cabinetry) who knows what 2009 will bring with the economy etc.......

Well that's it for now!   Looking forward to a long weekend for Thanksgiving!   Then December.... Ho Ho HO!

Everyone take care! See yawl at the PAC in January!

PAC Update

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:36:40 GMT

What a great weekend Lacey and I had.......... great runs, great friends, great weather... couldn't ask for more:

Sat NOV JWW:   My body did a front cross after the weave that I didn't plan, which put me way out of position, but I saved it.... but we had one bar down as I rear crossed before the tunnel........ oh well........... One Bar..... back to NOV JWW On Sunday...

Sat Open Std:   We had a smokin' run, perfect.... at least I thought...... I thought we Q'd, but apparantely Lacey missed a contact somewhere along the way........... that I didn't see... You see, I have let her Morph into running contacts which sometimes are awesome and sometimes, she strides over them........ over well....... that's the slippery slope we travel.

Sun Excellent Fast: first time in Excellent anything...... with Lacey anyway.    We had a nice run, kept our feet up....   I had to resend to the first jump of the distance portion... then serpt. corner the second jump and send to weaves.... she popped out of the weaves at pole #10, so I went back and resent her to the poles from a distance and she completed them.... I guess having to redo the weaves was a NQ for Fast.... but otherwise a good run.

Sun NOV JWW--- WHOOT a clean run and our title. WE ARE FINALLY OUT OF NOVICE JWW.   Which for us is kind of like getting our MACH......... thanks to Heather for catching our run on tape.............. 1st Place, Q, 22 point something seconds.... 2nd fastest dog in Novice.... only beat by Dick Watson's Rhune who ran it in 19 seconds... and I had to restart the weaves.

Sun Open Standard----- Our first Open Standard Q... with only 1 Table Refusal fault.... weaves were rockin' contacts were good, poles stayed up!    How fun was that!

All in all a great weekend!   Great to sit with all my class mates who are now competing as well!   Great to see Sandy Rowan there, both of her dogs have been out injured and/or sick.......... Trick may be ready to start up again for the Nov Dobie... Strike is out for a while, having come down with some type of Viral Ensephalitis (sp).. but he's healing, slowly! Sandy tried to run someone else's dog, didn' t have much luck, but she tried! It was hilarious!

I think my big break through this weekend, was that I moved my feet and ran! No holding back to baby sit obstacles.... keep my feet moving drive Lacey to where she is to go, keep moving! What a great confidence booster!

We will be ready for the USDAA Black Cat where I entered everything, Grand Prix and Steeplechase, plus all the P1 stuff!

Will be a busy Trial, hopefully I can handle 5 runs on Saturday and 3 on Sunday..... feet don't fail me now.

Take are all, great to see everyone!   Tired, Gayla

It's been a while

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:28:09 GMT

Well LJ people,

It's been a while since I've posted.......... my computer is at work and work has been SOOOO busy this month.... I guess the down economy isn't affecting commercial construction/cabinetry very much.    We've been pretty busy all year, except maybe for May.... that's good...... just lots to do! So, quick post at the end of the day.

Class has been going good......... we've been doing lots of jump drills/ jumpers type courses because Sandy is repairing her Dog walk and Teeter..... so only the A Frame has been out lately, but that' s ok....... god knows we need work on jumpers type courses... that's where the real handling and timing comes into play!

No class last week because Sandy's dog Strike came down with some horrible virus with a high fever and was in the doggie hosptial for a few days......... let's hope he's ok......... I haven' t seen any updates from her on line........... I hope he's ok!

After browsing through some website........ I came across Linda M. new website.......... how fun is that!   I printed out a jumping article and saw that she has a book on Cleanrun.com on jumping.   Well, I ordered it right away.

You see, I'm a loser and don't subscribe to Clean Run, so I didn't even know she had a book.

I've been going through those exercises with Lacey in my yard............. similar stuff to what Tammy has done w/ Freddie.... one jump, clicking and treating for jumping round, and keeping the bars up........... I' ve been doing 2 jump drills, and using lots of treats and clicker for a good job,   noting if she knocks a bar, a slight verbal UH OHHH, putting her in a "down", resetting the bar and starting over.

All good stuff.................    I like the positional cues from the handler to cue either extension over jumps or collection............... deceleration cues collection, lateral motion cues collection,   facing your dog on landing side cues collection. I've been dabbling wiht these Linda M. handling moves in my yard........... I really like them, Lacey really reads them as well.     We'll see where they go............. Linda's description for reasons against the Lead Out Pivot reallly make sense.............. not sure what Sandy would say if I tried one in class......... (the recall to heel lead out) rather than the Lead Out Pivot, but like I said before... I'm a mixer!

Hopefully we have class next week.......... looking forward to Sept PAC in Vancouver.............. I prefer Fall and Spring Agility, good weather......... good times!

Everyone take care!               Have fun in Eugene if you go!      Cheers! Gayla and round jumping Lacey

5 days off WHOOT

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 22:43:02 GMT

Hey All,

I'm taking a few days off work....... Thursday thru Monday.... doing as I usually do when I take time off ... staying at home, doing what I want, just NOT WORKING!! It's a "stay cation" as they are calling it now.

Should be fun..... no real plans other than, some projects around the house, fun time with dogs, horses etc.

My horsey friends in Scappoose are planning a group day trip to Stub Stewart State Park in Vernonia on Sunday. Oh, I really hope this pans out... I haven't been on a trail ride in quite a while and nothing is better! This would be doubly great because Sunday is my 38th Birthday.... how fun would that be!

I don't have a computer at home, so I won't be on line to check Live Journal until Tuesday... so everyone, have a great weekend!

ps-- no dog agility class this week because Sandy is auditing Nancy Gyes Seminar at Debbie's all week... I'm sure she'll bring back some good stuff! Lacey and I have been doing some one jump drills, similar to little Freddie's work... and trying that 2 jump drill the Daisy posted.... Lacey reads the recall to heel command at the "serpentine" corner, but is having a hard time going around the standard and taking that jump again in the other direction.... ahhhh.... collection and body control... a good one for us to practice!

Back to doggie school next week! I've decided to not go to any out of town trials this summer due to gas prices and other issues as far as scheduling goes... but we'll see yawl at the PAC in Sept 20/21..... should be fun! I currently have one trial per month in Sept/Oct/ and Nov.... let the games begin!

Later, Gayla

Wednesday Update

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:53:26 GMT

Just a quick update, since I haven't posted in a few weeks. Work's busy, so this will be quick....

Lacey and I had fun on Saturday at the USDAA Trial in Canby.....

P1 Standard--- our first USDAA Q and a 1st place... Thank you Heather for taping us. I really liked watching Lacey run.. I really liked what I saw... her jumping technique is improving... her contacts were great.    Great fun

P1 Gamble--- I though we got a Q and a 1st place.. but apparantely I didn't have enough opening points to Qualify... I mis read the crazy hand written USDAA score tally sheets... oh well, we did waste time trying to weave and on the 2nd time through the teeter, I rear crossed it and she didn't complete the teeter correctly, oh well, it's just gambles...

P1 Jumpers: a beautiful flowing course, 1 bar down, oh well..... many dogs were knocking bars at the tricky pin wheel in the corner that required either a fast front cross at the first jump to the pin wheel, or a rear cross and a send out to the 2nd jump,    Lacey kept the pin wheel jumps up, but knocked a jump before that..... oh well..... it was fun.

A hot trial, I was glad to be out of there by 1:30 pm..... wanted to stay and watch the Big Whigs and other local greats, but too hot man!

Didn't do much agility the week of the 4th of July..... just let Lacey be a dog with sprinkler fun, frisbee fun, etc.....

Back to class on Monday this week 7/7/08--- fun stuff...

Sandy audited the Linda M. seminar at Daisy's and brought back lots of good stuff........    she finally has a set of 24" weave poles set up.. all the dogs really liked the wider spacing... zip zip.....    Lacey did a perfect funning dog walk, go girlie.... I don't make her stop on the yellow anymore, this just slows her down to a painful skulk... letting her run though has really sped up the contact obstacles.... which is awesome!

Anyway, glad the 4th of July fireworks is over... my older dog Frisco, barks and barks.... a difficult evening!

Next show for sure:

USDAA Starters/Adv. show in Turner 8/23 and 8/24 --- Barb White's Barn
PAC in September

Maybe AKC show in Eugene Sept 4-7----- maybe I'll do Friday thru Sunday.. we'll see--- anyone else going?

Enjoy your day!    Gayla

Weave pole entry

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:05:59 GMT

A quick brag about class last night.... Sandy Rowan had us do a sequence where part of the course was a sweeping curve, almost a straight line of jump, jump, jump, then weaves.... this was a situation where most dogs and definately Lacey would be ahead of the handler and had to find the weave pole entry by themselves.... then the handler would catch up to them in the poles then drive to a table.

I walked this part and thought, good god, how am I going to make this stretch... well I ran as fast as I could, Lacey was definately ahead of me and I called out WEAVVVVEEEE... and low and behold Lacey powered ahead, collected her body and found that weave pole entry.... and did all 12 fast and successfully, then the drive to the table was fine.

What a rush that was, then we tried the whole sequence again.... and she did it again! WHOOT What A THRILL for her to find that entry on her own... I was so proud of her.   It has taken so long to get these darn weave poles..... seeing her power to that first pole was awesome!

Class was fun last night.... great weather...   knocked a few bars.... but not bad... we jump 20" in class.... contacts were great last night as well.

Let's hope for some success this weekend... we'll be there Saturday for the Performance 1 events only.... I may stick around for some of the Grand Prix stuff.. we'll see how hot it's going to get!

Good luck everyone!    Gayla and Weaving Lacey

What a fun time

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:21:07 GMT

I had such a blast this weekend at the PAC... it's so much fun to have a larger group of agility buddies to root for... thanks to Live Journal!      I really felt in the zone this weekend for 5 out of 6 runs. I am really working on my internal mental dialogue with myself while running Lacey. There was one run where I felt my self panic a bit and get a bit more verbal frantic etc... (OPEN Std Saturday).. but the rest of the runs, I was calm and quiet, which is my goal.

Quick Recap:

SAT:

OPEN FAST Q's 1st place WHOOT-- one bar down-- she took off way too early
NOV JWW: Q 2nd place.. had 2 refulsals which I fixed without any off courses... zero bars WHOOT
OPEN STD:   kind of a train wreck... bad DW Contact.. weaving was a problem with a tunnel afterwards... bad TEETER.. but zero bars down... good effort

SUN:

OPEN FAST Q 1st Place TITEL DOUBLE WHOOT-- zero bars down, good teeter
NOV JWW:   good run, one bar down.... oh well, close! good effort Would have been our Title, but maybe next time
OPEN STD:   great effort, good contacts, weaves on 2nd try, good teeter... had a trouble going into wrong end of both tunnels and taking the off course jump before the weaves.... otherwise a good try!   God she's fast!

Thank you Heather for videoing us... both JWW runs.... that's a treat!

www.brisbeethewhite.com/video/laceyakcjww6-14-08.wmv

www.brisbbeethewhite.com/video/laceyakcjww6-15-08.wmv

I was heartbroken to hear that my teacher and friend Sandy Rowan lost her 10 1/2 year old BC Blast to a mishap with anesthesia during some routine dental work on Friday.... she had to previously scratch her dogs from running this weekend due to injuries (Strike has a groin muscle strain and Trick is recovering from a groin strain.. .then to have this tragedy happen to Blast is heartbreaking... please send your good thoughts to Sandy Rowan....

That's all for now.... next show:   Saturday Only of the USDAA in Starters ring... I had to scratch Sunday's runs due to a scheduling conflict... oh well

Good job to everyone this weekend!     Tired Gayla and Lacey who's resting as well!

GSD AKC Canby--- A personal milestone

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:06:22 GMT

Lacey and I had a great time at this trial.... Barb P and the other GSD Folks--- thank you so much!!!

Well, Lacey and I had a personal MACH moment on Saturday with our first ever Novice JWW Q.... we've been close with 1 bar down before... but this was our first clean run.

As we were going through the course.. I kept my mouth quiet, my hands quiet and my feet moving... I was really moving through the course with determination which really gave Lacey clear direction as to where we were going etc.... as she cleared the last bar and all bars were UP! I let out a rousing HOOT and HOLLAR... apparantely brought Tammy to tears... Sandy was thrilled...there were hugs all around!

I was so glad that I could keep it together through the course... staying calm and determined!   We did the 104 yard course in 18.53 seconds... which is like 5.6 YPS... go girlie!!!

Other good stuff happened during the weekend, but no other Q's... that's ok.... 1 bar knocked on Saturuday's OPEN Standard where I rear crossed the final jump, probably late, and Lacey took the bar down... on Sunday: 2 bars in Jumpers... but otherwise nice....

OPEN Standard on Sunday was fun... I was really able to keep it calm and together through the run... zero bars down, but had a funny slipped off teeter and didn't hit her down Dog Walk Contact.... popped out at the 10th weave pole.. so I was bound an determined to get her to do all 12 at show.... she's solid with 6.. took us 2 trys, but she did them!   It was soooo much fun!

I was really pleased that I kept it together mentally while we are out there... I can really get my handling where it needs to be because she's becoming more indepenent on the course.. what a relief!

Anyway, that's all for now... thanks to everyone who supported us this weekend!    We had a blast!

Can't wait for the PAC in 2 weeks! Should be fun! Later! Gayla and awesome Lacey....

Photo from class

Tue, 20 May 2008 21:27:31 GMT

Below is a photo taken at class last week.... 5/12 by a lady in Sandy's 8 pm class (after mine)... she wanted to practice using her new camera and high speed lense.... Her photos are fun.. however... she needs to practice still.... most of all the photos have the dogs blurry....   This photo is pretty cool.. Sandy had us do part of the AKC world team Try out Finals course.... we actually nailed most of it.... struggled with weaving with a chute in her visual path.. I'll have to work more on doing weaves with a tunnel after!

She's Fierce!

Last nigth we did the recent USDAA Grand Prix Course.... the one Tammy posted.... on our first time through... we made it clean through the course.. but with several bars down.... I felt myself way too verbal... I have a knack of cueing verbally while she's over a bar... and yes it comes down. So 2nd time through... I kept my mouth shut except when she was on contact equipment... only 1 bar came down..... we had to redo the weave pole entry on the second time around... but were successful most other places... Fun night... very sweaty, and humid!

She's Fierce!

Looking forward to the GSD AKC..... many of my class mates are entered in that show, so it will be fun to have more "peeps" there to cheer on etc.

Happy Tuesday!

ASCA Update

Mon, 12 May 2008 21:58:54 GMT

Well, Lacey and I made the one hour trek out to Yamhill on Friday for a full day of ASCA Fun. What a nice little outdoor arena and property that Sherry Butler has.... these little ASCA Trials are quite fun... although the "nadac" style of handling is quite interesting to say the least....    I actually run with my dog.. and those wide open quick NADAC style courses (especially in Novice) were quite fast.... Lacey ran her 2 standards in approx 25 seconds and 26 seconds... no table... and only 6 weaves... but she has running contacts at and is very fast.... Boy was I winded.... MEDIC..... Oxygen!

Everyone was really nice.. although I only knew Cherie Kanan (Harvey and Tedo's mom) , Annette Dusa (Peyton and Gracie's mom) and Dwight Cash (Jackson's dad) ... but everyone else was very nice!

I did this show as 16" FEO... but we did ""qualify"" in 1 Gamble, both Standards and unsure about Jumpers...

Jumpers was a bit later in the day and we were both done by that point, unfortunately I didn't get to warm her up as much as I'd like, for jumpers that is and she knows at least 1 bar per round.... but I didn't stay to see my scores for jumpers.....

Lacey was by far the fastest dog there... lots of medium speed steady Aussies....

Good venue to work on trial only issues that come up.... 6 runs for $60 can't be beat....

Friday traffic coming home through Tualatin and I5 North was a bear... took over 90 minutes.... I was wiped out by the time I got home!

Fun stuff.. a good primer for the German Shepard trial in a few weeks....

Well class tonight should be fun!!!! It always is!   Good weather, dry and cool... should be perfect!

Later All! Gayla

A few arena shots

Thu, 08 May 2008 17:08:59 GMT

Above: photo taken of me and Copper during a lesson in February...... yes... there was sun in February... but none in March!

Above: just an atmospheric shot... to show yawl a glimpse of the outdoor arena where I get to practice/board in Scappoose.... I love going up there to get away from the City and enjoy the outdoors....

Enjoy!

Ok, here's a photos as promised

Thu, 08 May 2008 16:44:14 GMT

Hey Gang... here's a photo as Rosie requested: On the Left, 12 year old BC Mix (maybe some Aussie in there??) Frisco... my first agility dog and Lacey 5 year old Lacey... and of course me in the middle.

Notice the nice green grass and bark dust in my newly done back yard! Love it!

Enjoy!

Ready for the ASCA

Wed, 07 May 2008 15:56:43 GMT

Well,   Lacey and I are pumped to take Friday off work and head out for one day of the Yamhill ASCA Trial..... I entered her as a 16" FEO just so I can get some ring time in with her before my 3 big shows in Canby in June.

I compete with Lacey at 16" in USDAA and AKC... and ASCA doesn't offer a 16" class for 20" dogs until they are 7 years old... so we entered FEO.... which is fine with me.

I'm using this show just to work on competition issues without pressure to Q... and 6 runs for $10 each is a bargain!

Show only issues we deal with:

Teeter performance--- she sometimes dribbles off the teeter at the pivot point..... only at shows....

Weaving at shows--- for a long time , we would attempt weaves a few times, then I would just move on (at shows) which is a big mistake, it taught her that she doesn't need to complete the weaves at the shows.... but that's improving!

Jump performance: I've been jumping her at 20" at home and at class and she's doing great... so with the practice at 20" hopefully she'll have success at 16" at shows..... (my girl is not the most talented jumper, but is improving) Lots of one jump drills, pushing off her hind end over the jump... I guess it's Linda M. stuff.... Tammy shows me some drills once after a massage.... and Sandy works on some of those jumping skills as well!   I think it's working....

My usual show goals are:   good sit stays, successful lead outs..... me staying calm, quiet, and KEEP MY FEET MOVING THROUGH THE COURSE and of course HAVE FUN WHICH WE ALWAYS DO ANYWAY.... Q OR NOT!

That's actually my motto for 2008 and beyond: FEET FEET FEET.   I have a bad habit of say moving for a front cross and planting my feet watching her take a jump rather than moving through the turn and stepping towards the next obstacle..... FEET FEET FEET.

Anyway,   maybe I'll see some peeps in Yamhill.... if not, I'm sure to see you at the 3 shows in Canby in June.... Fun stuff!

Thank you Rosie for posting the video... now I get a feel for how the ring is set up... it looks beautiful!

Saturday is family early Mother's day dinner at 4 pm
Sunday:   monthly horsey/dressage lesson in Scappoose....
Sunday: weekly mowing of new lawn, my gorgeous green carpet of yummy that Lacey has not destroyed yet.. no digging YEH!

I had my dad take some photos of me and the dogs, Frisco and Lacey, as my family portrait that I'll frame and give to my mom, I think I may surprise her with this one...... she's easy to please, but tough to surprise!

-- ps--- I think that my dogs, especially Lacey have made me:

made me a better dog trainer
made me a better agility participant
made me a more positive enthusiastic partner

Enjoy your Wednesday..... Gayla

This and That

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:32:52 GMT

Hey All,

Just a quick this and that update:

Class last Monday:   always a great time... a bit cold (still wearing long johns, doggie coat for Lacey) but dry!   Oh, it did hail for a few minutes then stopped....

Good drills... I need to work on our serpentine cue... my timing is off, and Lacey is being pulled off the serpentine jump by my motion to get to the right place... bummer! She's sooo sensitive to my motion... but we'll work on it!

Only a few bars came down.... things on that front are getting much better.... Sandy Rowan had some great tips as usual!

She's going to have a fun match soon on some Saturday which will be fun....

Great fun! Great Class!

Shows I'm thinking of entering:

ASCA Trial May 9th-11th in Yamhill-- I'm thinking of entering Friday and maybe Saturday, as an FEO just to get some ring issued worked out without any pressure to Q.....   ASCA allows some training in ring if it is within the course time...... so I can work the Teeter of needed.....

GSD AKC-- mailed in Premium today
PAC AKC
USDAA Regional (starters ring baby!--- no DAM Team this year... boy was that a mistake last year.. we weren't ready and we didn't have that great of time... OH well!)

After that, not sure.... don't trail much in July and August due to the heat..... but we'll see!

Home Improvement Front:

Bathroom remodel almost complete--- just need the new Medicine Cabinet and Over the Toilet cabinet completed (waiting on painting)   It looks great!

Had landscapers at my house this week:

Front Yard:    Mow/Edge/Aerate, Thatch, seed.... look great

Back Yard: ALL NEW SOD HAS BEEN INSTALLED.. .NEW BARK DUST AROUND PERIMTER.. before I had virtually no lawn due to dogs, a bit maple that that sucks sunlight and moisture from the lawn.   I got home from work Tuesday afternoon to an emerald green carpet of yummy out back!   I'm thrilled. Now I just need to mow it, learn how to take care of it... and hopefullly Lacey does not dig any holes!     I'll try to post some photos soon.    It's so lovely!    I can't do any back yard agility training for 4 weeks, so that the grass roots take... but we can still go out back and play.....    WHOOT!

Horsey Stuff:   been able to ride 2 times per week, maybe 3 if I'm luckly.. waiting for the weather to start improving, but Copper is mostly shed out of his winter coat and his copper penny coat is starting to gleam! I have a lesson on Sunday, hopefully it's not snowing!   BRRRR... still wearing thermal riding breeches!

Well that's all for now... back to work!

oh, Lacey's occasional limp seems to be gone.... I'm just being very careful how I play ball with her... lots of warm up before agility class etc..... I'll keep an eye on her though.. .so far so good!

Cheers, Gayla

Need advice, plus class update

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:11:48 GMT

Hey All,

Quick class update:

Had class Monday night.... I tried to take it a bit easy since my pulled calf muscle was about 95% healed... didn't push to finish lines etc.

We had a great night.... mostly some jumping/tunnel drills.... good stuff... great sit stays, great lead outs... zero bars knocked... good stuff!    My goal this year is to really keep my feet moving through the course, and not get stuck in place which just screws us up!

***My need for advice***

On Saturday March 23rd, sometime while I was doing yard work and playing ball with the dogs, Lacey tweeked one of her front legs, I noticed her limping a bit later that evening. So I kept her quiet for a few days and things improved... started some easy jumping later that week.   She limped a bit after that work.        Went to Class 3/31 and had a great class... but when we got home, she limped just a little when I took her back into the house... next day Tuesday 4/1 she was better.

My question is:   Does this minor injury require a vet visit?    Or should I just keep her on easy work for a while, and watch her?

Would a massage be a good idea?     Tammy?

I don't want her to really hurt herself and get her out of commission for a long time....... although I'm not sure I want to go to Dr. Helfer for a $95 visit?     Any thoughts....    Gayla and occasional limping Lacey.