The Debut - Long Summary

Last weekend was our debut weekend in Fargo.  Overall, I was very pleased with how Shasta did.  I really couldn't have asked for much better.  We had a chance to run eight courses, two Time 2 Beat courses and six novice courses. 

Most promising was her focus.  I thought it was outstanding.  She had a few moments of looking around at the start line when I led out past the first jump.  She had one moment of briefly checking out the bar setters when they were actually quite close to a correct tunnel entry.  That's all I can think of through all eight courses and three long days at the show. 

I have thought all along that her focus and willingness to work for long stretches are her biggest strengths.  At the same time, I am fully aware of the "berner grace period" that our berners have nearly always had early in their show career.  The grace period before they realize and learn that the treats really aren't coming in the ring.  I have great hope that Shasta will have a far smaller period of distraction issues than most berners.  I see indicators of that but I still have to be aware that she is currently in the "berner grace period".

Her final run, jumpers with weaves, may have been her most impressive.  It was late in the afternoon of the third very long day.  We are about to enter the ring when the dog before her poops on the course late in their run.  We go back out of the ring, find our extra treats we left behind and sat in a chair near the entry gate for 10-15 minutes while they cleaned things up.   We entered the ring and she ran a perfect course.  Impressive Shasta, impressive (to me).

The biggest issue that the weekend did point out, an issue I knew but she made very clear, was her confusion in breaking from her contacts/start line/table.  Most times she paused before breaking and when she did break it was at a slow pace.  She clearly seemed to be trying to tell me that I was forgetting the treat for her great contact performance.

Weaves were awesome.  Entered and weaved first try all eight courses, including the two T2B courses that were 12 poles of weaves.  I even got way in front on one course, got good lateral distance on another.  Good girl!

Contacts, aside from the release, were very good.  She did run off the very last one, the aframe but clearly knew she was wrong when she saw my "surprise" reaction. 

Speed was not great.  It wasn't bad either.  I am finding myself a little concerned about it.  I know and have written in this blog numerous times that she was not going to have great speed until she felt comfortable in the ring.  She certainly wasn't stressed in the ring but that's not to say she was comfortable.  By comfortable, I mean running without thinking.  At this point, she is still being very thoughtful, a good thing in the big picture.  Be safe and thoughtful for a while.  Still, knowing these facts does not change me having a tiny concern about her eventual speed.  She did have a few stretches with some pretty good speed.  I knew I would feel this way, I tried warn myself I shouldn't, but it just doesn't work that way, does it?

Fargo was a venue she has never trained in.  And it's a venue that our other young dogs have struggled with in the past, both with distraction and obstacle concerns.  Shasta had no obstacle concerns at all.  She did the teeter very confidently all five times (w/ T2B), did the dogwalk, the spread jumps, the panel, all without hesitation.

Officially she came home with 3 standard "legs" (one judge so no title), 2 jumpers legs and 2 T2B legs.  She failed the one jumpers course because of a knocked bar.  She had a wrong course in a standard run taking the broad jump off the aframe.  She had the one refusal checking out the bar setters.  Eight runs, three mistakes.  Nice.

Debut in Two Days

It's now only about 36 hours until Shasta formally enters the agility ring for the first time.  We start with T2B on Friday, a nice way to start.  But then it's the novice classes later on Friday.

I few weeks ago I was really excited for this weekend.  Now I am excited and a bit apprehensive.  Nerves?  I don't think so but maybe.  I think I'm a little apprehensive because of the lack of training.  With the AKC nationals and my work schedule around it, I've missed the last three weeks of class.  And this is the worst March ever here in 2013 in Minnesota.  Temps literally never above 35 and no break in sight.  So no outdoor/at home training in sight.  Anyway, I would be more comfortable with debut if I had a chance to get to a few classes in lately.  But life happens and I didn't.

Kris kept reminding me that I needed to do some sets of six weaves poles, which she hasn't seen since we moved to twelve in training.  Finally, tonight, I got down to the pole barn and worked some sets of six weaves.  The good news is we did about 6-8 sets of them and they went perfect.   On the other hand, I then went to do a few sets of twelve and she did her first two or three but then started "double pole weaving" the last four poles.  Oh well, she hasn't done much training on them recently (sense a theme here?), we are going to have get back to them more routinely.  (side note, I hate that AKC still has six weaves in Novice, oh I wish they would change that).

So, Fargo here we come! 

First Time at SPDTC

Yesterday we brought Shasta to SPDTC for some training time.  The ring was split in three with a dog running in each section.  We got three minutes in each section.  No room for crosses or much of anything having to do with flow, but it was perfect for Shasta and I as it allowed us to work every obstacle in a brand new place.

She did great.  Took all the "unusual" obstacles first and every try: panel, triple, broad jump, double, weaves.  The best part was that she did the teeter multiple times no hesitation.  Not that she has a teeter issue but she hasn't done many inside on cement/mats and the SPDTC teeter tends to be loud.  It was a relief to see her take it aggressively multiple times.

She was intrigued by the border collie running a few feet away from her on the other side of the baby gates.  I lost her to watching the border collie once for a few seconds and then got her working again.  I'm just saying, I have this hunch she would be a dynamite herding berner. 

We are now 12 days away from our debut.  I am really looking forward to it.  Hopefully I can keep my expectations reasonable.  I try to remind myself all the time that berners new to the agility ring take some time to learn the game and not have some distraction issues.  Still, it's not wrong to HOPE we are an exception, is it?  I would love for the debut to be at a time of year when I could be training her in our yard but in the winter/spring of 2013 that looks to be a long ways away.