Woah, I'm a super slacker. Sorry..this week sort of got away from us.
I do have the details on our final day of competition at the trial from last weekend. Man, I really need to get my act together.
Open Jumpers was first. This course was so easy..and nicely laid out. I had high hopes that this would be the one! The one to earn our first Open Q. Well it wasn't. We had a tunnel mishap..not sure what happened there. But we fixed it, and we were making up the time I thought we just might have it. But he decided to take a jump that wasn't even in his path, much less on course. Crazy dog. I am glad however that we have a little Open experience under our belts before next time.
Novice Regulars. You know how I feel about this event. We keep trying, and this time we succeeded! Again, a really great course. The weave poles we in the middle of the course this time, so I had hoped it would help him keep his focus, and it did. He was going a bit fast and you can see me try to slow him down, but he missed the entrance the first time..but he came right back around and got it on the second try! Way to go Olliedog!
It mostly went down hill from here. We had 2 chances at our Novice Tunnelers title, and we blew it both times. Not enough speed in this first round.
And an off course in this second round.
We're going to keep at it. We're going to attempt to trial in July. I'll be pretty pregnant by then, but we're going to give it a go if I'm up for it. We also might debut Coraline that weekend. It should be interesting either way.
Stay tuned.
Jessica
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Saturday, May 11, 2013
NADAC Agility Trial 5-11-13 Day #2
We were back at it for a full day of trialing.
We had high hopes since Friday night went so well, but today was more of a Barrel of Monkeys, with a few small victories thrown in.
On to the footage!!
We started our morning off with a little Touch N Go. This would have been a beautiful run. I don't know what's gotten into him lately, but he's been super fast all weekend. As we were coming towards the camera, there are three hoops, he took all 3 at lightning speed and didn't even bother to look at me. What was SUPPOSED to happen, he was supposed to take only 2 of them, then turn back for the tunnel. He did however keep the great speed through the whole course, we did miss a hoop in the final stretch, but at that point it didn't matter, he'd already gone off course. I was pleased with him that we hit all the discriminations. You can't see but we took the blue tunnel under the A-frame. And if you follow along at all, you know the A-frame is his favorite.
We do Regular rounds mostly just for kicks. We still have weaving problems..I don't know what his deal is, or how to fix it. This course had a few problem spots for us. He took a pause on the far side of the ring because I called him to me too soon. My plan was to be on top of it because the next thing in his line of sight after that hoop was the A-frame. I wanted to make sure he made the turn. He did, but after a pause. He was going so fast that he kept on running to that red jump near the end. You can see we took the weave poles way too fast and he was super amped up..and really we never have a prayer of completing them accurately..but I'm pleased with his speed..that's hard for me to get out of him.
Again if you follow along, you know that we earned our Novice Jumpers Title, meaning we can move up to the Open class, and we did. This was our very first Open run. We started off pretty good, but then you can see I forget that I wanted to cross in front of him, and in my haste to make it happen, I kicked up some dirt, well he thought it deserved investigating..after that I had trouble getting it together, and I jacked up the serpentine pattern too. You can see I push him left too soon, then I have to stop to get him over to the correct side of the jump. He finished fast though and really for a first effort we couldn't have asked for more. We were about 10 seconds over time. I like to think that if I had my handling together that we would have made it. I'm excited to give it another try tomorrow morning.
That's right, one more day in the ring. We're getting 2 chances at our Tunnelers title tomorrow..wish us luck!
Jessica
We had high hopes since Friday night went so well, but today was more of a Barrel of Monkeys, with a few small victories thrown in.
On to the footage!!
We started our morning off with a little Touch N Go. This would have been a beautiful run. I don't know what's gotten into him lately, but he's been super fast all weekend. As we were coming towards the camera, there are three hoops, he took all 3 at lightning speed and didn't even bother to look at me. What was SUPPOSED to happen, he was supposed to take only 2 of them, then turn back for the tunnel. He did however keep the great speed through the whole course, we did miss a hoop in the final stretch, but at that point it didn't matter, he'd already gone off course. I was pleased with him that we hit all the discriminations. You can't see but we took the blue tunnel under the A-frame. And if you follow along at all, you know the A-frame is his favorite.
We do Regular rounds mostly just for kicks. We still have weaving problems..I don't know what his deal is, or how to fix it. This course had a few problem spots for us. He took a pause on the far side of the ring because I called him to me too soon. My plan was to be on top of it because the next thing in his line of sight after that hoop was the A-frame. I wanted to make sure he made the turn. He did, but after a pause. He was going so fast that he kept on running to that red jump near the end. You can see we took the weave poles way too fast and he was super amped up..and really we never have a prayer of completing them accurately..but I'm pleased with his speed..that's hard for me to get out of him.
Again if you follow along, you know that we earned our Novice Jumpers Title, meaning we can move up to the Open class, and we did. This was our very first Open run. We started off pretty good, but then you can see I forget that I wanted to cross in front of him, and in my haste to make it happen, I kicked up some dirt, well he thought it deserved investigating..after that I had trouble getting it together, and I jacked up the serpentine pattern too. You can see I push him left too soon, then I have to stop to get him over to the correct side of the jump. He finished fast though and really for a first effort we couldn't have asked for more. We were about 10 seconds over time. I like to think that if I had my handling together that we would have made it. I'm excited to give it another try tomorrow morning.
That's right, one more day in the ring. We're getting 2 chances at our Tunnelers title tomorrow..wish us luck!
Jessica
Friday, May 10, 2013
NADAC Agility Trial 5-10-13 Day #1
I didn't fall off the wagon, we've just been really busy.
But I'm back now, and I've got some agility footage for you. We're currently participating in a trial this weekend.
Friday night, the usual suspects, Hoopers and Touch N Go. We were up for a TnG title so I was pretty excited when we got to the trial site. But they threw a wrench in my plans! As we were walking in, they were making an announcement about a new obstacle..the barrel. It's just that, a barrel, and you go around it. All that is fine and good, except we have never practiced it, or even seen one before.. what is this..some kind of pony show?
We did however have a great Friday night...I'll prove it with the footage.
Hoopers was first up, as always. The course seemed like it would flow very well and that we wouldn't have any trouble. I was slightly concerned because Oliver had been particularly fired up all afternoon, so I was afraid that perhaps he would bolt. But he didn't. He did take off at high speed..you can see me lagging behind, I'm not as fast as I once was. He only had one tiny pause on the course, but nailed everything else perfectly. He kept up his speed which makes me so happy. We finished in 2nd place and got the Q! We were almost a full 5 seconds under the course time!
Now for the pressure. Touch N Go. All we need is one more Q to earn our Novice Title. This is where the barrel comes into play. The dog can go around it in either direction, and apparently if you need to go around it with them, you can. This course also seemed pretty great, except for the barrel, I wasn't sure how he'd handle it. We had a few practice tries that he did fairly well, so I was crossing my fingers. He NAILED it! He had zero trouble out there. The course played to our strengths, having him take the contacts instead of the tunnels. We took 1st place, and a Q! This of course earned us our Title! We spanked the course time by almost 12 seconds. Way to go Oliver!
We're in it for a full day tomorrow, so be ready!
Jessica
But I'm back now, and I've got some agility footage for you. We're currently participating in a trial this weekend.
Friday night, the usual suspects, Hoopers and Touch N Go. We were up for a TnG title so I was pretty excited when we got to the trial site. But they threw a wrench in my plans! As we were walking in, they were making an announcement about a new obstacle..the barrel. It's just that, a barrel, and you go around it. All that is fine and good, except we have never practiced it, or even seen one before.. what is this..some kind of pony show?
We did however have a great Friday night...I'll prove it with the footage.
Hoopers was first up, as always. The course seemed like it would flow very well and that we wouldn't have any trouble. I was slightly concerned because Oliver had been particularly fired up all afternoon, so I was afraid that perhaps he would bolt. But he didn't. He did take off at high speed..you can see me lagging behind, I'm not as fast as I once was. He only had one tiny pause on the course, but nailed everything else perfectly. He kept up his speed which makes me so happy. We finished in 2nd place and got the Q! We were almost a full 5 seconds under the course time!
Now for the pressure. Touch N Go. All we need is one more Q to earn our Novice Title. This is where the barrel comes into play. The dog can go around it in either direction, and apparently if you need to go around it with them, you can. This course also seemed pretty great, except for the barrel, I wasn't sure how he'd handle it. We had a few practice tries that he did fairly well, so I was crossing my fingers. He NAILED it! He had zero trouble out there. The course played to our strengths, having him take the contacts instead of the tunnels. We took 1st place, and a Q! This of course earned us our Title! We spanked the course time by almost 12 seconds. Way to go Oliver!
We're in it for a full day tomorrow, so be ready!
Jessica
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
NADAC Agility Trial 3-17-13 Day 3
Sorry for the delay on the final day of the trial..but Team Rodgers was wiped out after we got home.
Our last day wasn't a total bust, but I had been hoping for a little better.
This was our first run on Sunday morning. We had the opportunity to bump up to the Open class since we got a title on Saturday, but we decided to stay in Novice just to help build some confidence for both of us. He did really well, he had nice speed and stayed with me the whole time. You can see at the end he looks off, he was checking out the bar setter. It seems to bother him when other people are out on the field. Oh well, he came right back to it and we finished 1st place and got the Q!
We keep entering Regulars..and we keep hoping it will go well..but it keeps not happening. This course looked pretty straight forward. I thought it was going to be fairly easy until we got to the weave poles at the end. We started off strong and I had high hopes since there were no discriminations. But, you can see as we come back around, he's supposed to take the tunnel under the A-frame..he swings wide and takes the frame instead...twice. And the weaves at the end were terrible...they're always terrible in the ring. I'll have you know that Sunday morning before we left the house..he did them perfectly in the yard. We've still got a lot of work to do.
The first Tunnelers run. Our first chance at the title. He had a nice run, and I felt good about it, but it turned out to be too slow. We were 5 seconds over time. So no Q for us here.
This run was nice too, until I blew it. You can see me look around like a retard..I lost Oliver. I thought he missed the yellow tunnel..he didn't, but I couldn't get it back together after that. He stalled at the blue tunnel, which cost us the 4 seconds we were over time.
Next trial we're up for a Touch N Go title, and a Tunnelers title.
It's in May, so we've got a little bit of time, and hopefully some nice weather to get some practice time in.
Jessica
Our last day wasn't a total bust, but I had been hoping for a little better.
This was our first run on Sunday morning. We had the opportunity to bump up to the Open class since we got a title on Saturday, but we decided to stay in Novice just to help build some confidence for both of us. He did really well, he had nice speed and stayed with me the whole time. You can see at the end he looks off, he was checking out the bar setter. It seems to bother him when other people are out on the field. Oh well, he came right back to it and we finished 1st place and got the Q!
We keep entering Regulars..and we keep hoping it will go well..but it keeps not happening. This course looked pretty straight forward. I thought it was going to be fairly easy until we got to the weave poles at the end. We started off strong and I had high hopes since there were no discriminations. But, you can see as we come back around, he's supposed to take the tunnel under the A-frame..he swings wide and takes the frame instead...twice. And the weaves at the end were terrible...they're always terrible in the ring. I'll have you know that Sunday morning before we left the house..he did them perfectly in the yard. We've still got a lot of work to do.
The first Tunnelers run. Our first chance at the title. He had a nice run, and I felt good about it, but it turned out to be too slow. We were 5 seconds over time. So no Q for us here.
This run was nice too, until I blew it. You can see me look around like a retard..I lost Oliver. I thought he missed the yellow tunnel..he didn't, but I couldn't get it back together after that. He stalled at the blue tunnel, which cost us the 4 seconds we were over time.
Next trial we're up for a Touch N Go title, and a Tunnelers title.
It's in May, so we've got a little bit of time, and hopefully some nice weather to get some practice time in.
Jessica
Saturday, March 16, 2013
NADAC Agility Trial 3-16-13 Day 2
We were back for more action today.
It was a down right grueling day. The first event is the same course for everyone so we had to be there early to make sure I got a chance to walk it. We had to get up at 630. If you know Team Rodgers, you know that we don't function well at that particular hour. Even the dogs were upset. We also had a lot of down time since we only did 3 events today. It was down right freezing in the building. Oh the hardships of being an agility handler.
On to more bellyaching, I mean footage...
Another go at Touch N Go. It was basically the same course but technically easier..Oliver was supposed to take the tunnels this time. He didn't like that idea. You can see right out of the gate he steps on the dog walk instead of taking the green tunnel. Turd. Then you can see that I push him out to the yellow tunnel under the A-frame, which he takes, and I am pleased..so I continue on...that little turd turned around, came back out and went up the frame. Are you kidding me? It gets better. You can't see him but we're having a misunderstanding about him taking that second yellow tunnel. He was busy sniffing the sandbags that was holding it in place. He finally did take it and we were able to finish the course. Seeing as how he earned us all sorts of deductions, we didn't get the Q here. Damn.
We decided to give Regulars a try..this event includes every obstacle possible. This means weaves. We had other problems before we even got there. I hope you enjoy all the people that are going to make an appearance in the video. So, you can't see, but we have a small disagreement about him taking that green tunnel again. He finally does it, and I think we're good to go...you can see as we come around that I look around...as if I was lost. That would be true. I totally forgot where obstacle #6 was. I found it though, and we continued on our way. After that light blue tunnel there is a tricky pattern that I really hate. Oliver is supposed to make an S pattern with the jumps. I never know how to handle this, and we usually fail. Well we failed in a whole new way. That little contact loving turd shot right up that A-frame, despite my best efforts. When we were out there...I could see the moment he decided that was what he was going to do. We do finally make it to the weaves, which we fail miserably at. I can't figure out what his deal is. We definitely need some serious work.
I did save the best for last. If you follow along you know that we just need one more qualifying run to complete our Novice Jumpers Title. Each title requires 3 qualifying (read: perfect) runs. We've been needing this run for a few competitions now..and it's been eluding us. Not this time my friends! Oliver pulled out all the stops and gave me a great run! He had pretty good speed and his focus was great. Most of all he had his listening ears on, which he hadn't had up until then. At the end of the run you can see him look around, he was looking at our home base area, looking for his dad I'm sure. So, we took a 1st place and got the Q! And a shiny new title ribbon to boot!
We've got one final day on the field, and we're up for another title...we'll see if we can get that one too.
Jessica
It was a down right grueling day. The first event is the same course for everyone so we had to be there early to make sure I got a chance to walk it. We had to get up at 630. If you know Team Rodgers, you know that we don't function well at that particular hour. Even the dogs were upset. We also had a lot of down time since we only did 3 events today. It was down right freezing in the building. Oh the hardships of being an agility handler.
On to more bellyaching, I mean footage...
Another go at Touch N Go. It was basically the same course but technically easier..Oliver was supposed to take the tunnels this time. He didn't like that idea. You can see right out of the gate he steps on the dog walk instead of taking the green tunnel. Turd. Then you can see that I push him out to the yellow tunnel under the A-frame, which he takes, and I am pleased..so I continue on...that little turd turned around, came back out and went up the frame. Are you kidding me? It gets better. You can't see him but we're having a misunderstanding about him taking that second yellow tunnel. He was busy sniffing the sandbags that was holding it in place. He finally did take it and we were able to finish the course. Seeing as how he earned us all sorts of deductions, we didn't get the Q here. Damn.
We decided to give Regulars a try..this event includes every obstacle possible. This means weaves. We had other problems before we even got there. I hope you enjoy all the people that are going to make an appearance in the video. So, you can't see, but we have a small disagreement about him taking that green tunnel again. He finally does it, and I think we're good to go...you can see as we come around that I look around...as if I was lost. That would be true. I totally forgot where obstacle #6 was. I found it though, and we continued on our way. After that light blue tunnel there is a tricky pattern that I really hate. Oliver is supposed to make an S pattern with the jumps. I never know how to handle this, and we usually fail. Well we failed in a whole new way. That little contact loving turd shot right up that A-frame, despite my best efforts. When we were out there...I could see the moment he decided that was what he was going to do. We do finally make it to the weaves, which we fail miserably at. I can't figure out what his deal is. We definitely need some serious work.
I did save the best for last. If you follow along you know that we just need one more qualifying run to complete our Novice Jumpers Title. Each title requires 3 qualifying (read: perfect) runs. We've been needing this run for a few competitions now..and it's been eluding us. Not this time my friends! Oliver pulled out all the stops and gave me a great run! He had pretty good speed and his focus was great. Most of all he had his listening ears on, which he hadn't had up until then. At the end of the run you can see him look around, he was looking at our home base area, looking for his dad I'm sure. So, we took a 1st place and got the Q! And a shiny new title ribbon to boot!
We've got one final day on the field, and we're up for another title...we'll see if we can get that one too.
Jessica
Friday, March 15, 2013
NADAC Agility Trial 3-15-13 Day 1
So, it's been a while since Team Rodgers has hit the agility field.
But we're back, and we're here to win!
I had high hopes of getting some good practice in this season before this trial, but the snow gods decided that wasn't going to happen. So I was, and still am a little concerned about Oliver's performance this weekend.
Friday night at the local trials, as you know, if you follow along, I know you all follow along, consists of just 3 events. Hoopers, TouchNGo and Weavers. Well if you follow along you know that last time we tried weaving events we were shamed..they were down right pathetic. And since I haven't had a chance to really work on them, we only entered 2 events tonight.
That's right, time for the footage.
First up, as always is Hoopers. It consists of all hoops. I mentioned last time we entered this event he ran off like a retard..sadly there was no footage of this. So I was slightly concerned...but he pulled through like a champ. His speed was a little down, but we finished cleanly. The speed thing is partly my fault..you can see me waiting for him..we're just not confident in those pinwheel patterns (you know, where you go around in a circle). I was pleased with his focus and really pleased it was a clean run. Alas, no Q for us, we were 0.85 seconds over the Standard Course Time (SCT) Boo!!
Our final attempt for the night was Touch N Go. I should start holding quizzes...this event is all about the contacts. Oliver loves contacts. Last time we competed he surprised me with a TnG qualifying run..so I had high hopes..that was until I walked this dreadful course. There are 3 tunnel/contact discriminations. The point in this particular course is to not take the tunnels. Oliver also loves tunnels. Dogs succumb to what is affectionately called "tunnel suck" and they just can't help themselves. For Oliver, the worst is the dog-walk/tunnel scenario. The opening to the tunnel is actually a little bigger than the plank of the dog-walk, so really, who could blame him. BUT, he's such a good boy, we ACED this run! He hit every obstacle with no problems what so ever! You can see me twice in the video raise my arms up in sweet sweet victory as he takes the proper obstacle. The speed felt good during the run, and it turns out, it was good. We spanked the SCT and beat it by 12 seconds. Earning us a 1st place and a big fat Q. Way to go Oliver.
We're up for a full day of it tomorrow, as well as Sunday. We'll be calling on the Luck 'o the Irish to help us have the best weekend possible.
Jessica
But we're back, and we're here to win!
I had high hopes of getting some good practice in this season before this trial, but the snow gods decided that wasn't going to happen. So I was, and still am a little concerned about Oliver's performance this weekend.
Friday night at the local trials, as you know, if you follow along, I know you all follow along, consists of just 3 events. Hoopers, TouchNGo and Weavers. Well if you follow along you know that last time we tried weaving events we were shamed..they were down right pathetic. And since I haven't had a chance to really work on them, we only entered 2 events tonight.
That's right, time for the footage.
First up, as always is Hoopers. It consists of all hoops. I mentioned last time we entered this event he ran off like a retard..sadly there was no footage of this. So I was slightly concerned...but he pulled through like a champ. His speed was a little down, but we finished cleanly. The speed thing is partly my fault..you can see me waiting for him..we're just not confident in those pinwheel patterns (you know, where you go around in a circle). I was pleased with his focus and really pleased it was a clean run. Alas, no Q for us, we were 0.85 seconds over the Standard Course Time (SCT) Boo!!
Our final attempt for the night was Touch N Go. I should start holding quizzes...this event is all about the contacts. Oliver loves contacts. Last time we competed he surprised me with a TnG qualifying run..so I had high hopes..that was until I walked this dreadful course. There are 3 tunnel/contact discriminations. The point in this particular course is to not take the tunnels. Oliver also loves tunnels. Dogs succumb to what is affectionately called "tunnel suck" and they just can't help themselves. For Oliver, the worst is the dog-walk/tunnel scenario. The opening to the tunnel is actually a little bigger than the plank of the dog-walk, so really, who could blame him. BUT, he's such a good boy, we ACED this run! He hit every obstacle with no problems what so ever! You can see me twice in the video raise my arms up in sweet sweet victory as he takes the proper obstacle. The speed felt good during the run, and it turns out, it was good. We spanked the SCT and beat it by 12 seconds. Earning us a 1st place and a big fat Q. Way to go Oliver.
We're up for a full day of it tomorrow, as well as Sunday. We'll be calling on the Luck 'o the Irish to help us have the best weekend possible.
Jessica
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
New Year's Birthdays
I'm not late yet...it's still January..for a few more days.
My sister and my mother-in-law have birthdays that are very close together, so I thought we'd have a little 2 for 1 special.
My sister turned 20 this year..which is ridiculous.
She likes the outdoors, so I made flowers. I made the leaves pop up, mostly because I thought it was cute.
It's sparkly, I got a new product, so I've been using it a lot...Perfect Pearls are fun!
I filled the card with a bunch of confetti with the numbers 1 to 20 stamped on them.
My mother-in-law had a birthday recently as well. This tea set stamp is one of my favorites.
And Perfect Pearls makes it so much better!
I kept the inside pretty simple.
Team Rodgers went on vacation over the new year break...that will be next.
My coworker had her very adorable baby, so I made a very adorable card for that baby, but of course, you'll have to wait until it reaches its recipient before it gets put here on the blog.
Happy Tuesday.
Jessica
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