AKC Agility Trial

Friday I left work early to pick up Carol and Skyler and head to an AKC agility trial in Vancouver Washington about a 1 ¼ hours drive. Friday was for Excellent level dogs only. Kant had a lovely Standard run with no knocked bars but we got a refusal on the third obstacle from the end and in AKC you must be perfect. Jumpers we managed to knock one bar in each run Friday and Saturday but both runs were fast and beautiful. We did get a Q and 1st in Excellent A FAST finishing our XF title. Thank goodness for FAST and a distance dog since that was our only Q for the weekend. FAST is a class that does not have a numbered course but all the obstacles are given a point value and there is a distance challenge that usually includes at least 3 obstacles at about 20 feet from a line the handler can not cross. So you make up your own course and you need to earn 63 points in 35 seconds to Q, Kant got 78 points in 38 seconds so we lost 3 points for each second over time and ended up with 75 points. Carol had a funeral on Saturday so she drove herself and wanted me to run Skyler in her Jumpers run. I did not watch Carol’s Standard run because I did not want to know if she got a Q and a double QQ was on the line that would be too much pressure. But a mutual friend of ours came up to me right before the Jumpers run and said did I see that Skyler Q’d in Standard now the pressure was on. I was worried about Skyler making the weave pole entry and taking an off-course tunnel but none of that happened and with each obstacle I was thinking Double Q on the line. We ended up with a Q and 8 MACH points giving Carol and Skyler their third Double Q. Qing in one class is hard enough but to Q in both classes seems near impossible to me. I did not enter on Sunday I needed a day at home but Carol and Skyler went on to Double Q again, two Double Qs in a weekend is amazing only 16 more to go. Saturday during our standard run I made the biggest and worst handler’s error and pulled Kant off a wonderful run when I was sure she had made a mistake. It was the most frustrating and embarrassing mistake I have ever made. I really wanted a pity party on what a horrible handler I was but I called Lora instead and she told be to GET OVER IT. It really bothered me because what I strive for it complete constancy in my training and trialing with honest corrections and that was NOT an honest corrections. I really needed to find something positive in a very negative situation so I vowed to myself to lighten up and NEVER pull Kant from a course unless there is blood involved. I am a better handler then that and Kant is a BETTER dog then that and needed my complete trust in her. I did pull it back together and our next two runs were near perfect. Why are dogs so forgiving? I promise to strive to become the handler my dog deserves!! Do I know it all, not even close but I will continue to learn and become the best handler I can. Lora went to a herding trial in Tulelake California which is about a 5 hour drive so she had lots of time to think. We talked on her way home and she said something to me that I will always remember the difference between a great athlete/performer/handler and a mediocre one is their recovery time. Everyone makes mistakes but it is how they respond to it and recovers from it that puts them a head of most and makes them the best. I want to be the BEST.
Agility photos provided by Joe Camp.

With Lora gone on Sunday I went out and fed the sheep. Here is Kant looking over the pregnant sheep grazing on the way back to their field. And of course after everyone was fed and happy it was time to play. Kant is the only one that ever gets the ball so everyone chases her and then gets back before her. I am still making them sit so I can pick up the ball. I love going home with happy and tired dogs. Another great weekend!!!