The Devil is in the Details

Belle and I traveled to Muscatine, Iowa yesterday for one day of an AKC trial hosted by the Muscatine Agility Club of Iowa.  The trial was held in a horse arena.  Usually, I bring along hiking shoes just in case the footing is too uneven for me to negotiate in my running shoes.  Unfortunately, I didn't bring them with yesterday :(  I found just walking on the surface hard, so I taped my ankle and planned for as much distance as possible.  JWW was first and it lent itself to distance handling beautifully.

I was able to take a very long lead out which enabled me to easily do a front cross between 4 and 5.  

By far the best way to handle 8 to 9 was to execute a rear cross between them.  However, I knew I'd never get back to the 12/13 gap in time for a front or blind cross.  (A rear cross at this point had the unfortunate tendency to pull the dog off #15.)  Therefore, I spent a lot of time planning a front cross.  I executed the cross well enough, but I failed to carry forward until Belle committed to #9 (red line), and we incurred a refusal.  The rest of the run went as planned.

So many of the small dog handlers wrapped their dogs right at #17,  I really thought I'd missed something on the walk-thru.  However, it just didn't make sense to me to do two extra lead changes when you don't have to.  For the 24" and 26" dogs, I think wrapping right produced a nicer line to the last jump since for the most part they turned wide around either wing and turning wide around the right wing put them directly on a line for #18.  Turning wide around the left wing did not.  Most of the 20" dogs and all of the smaller dogs were capable of wrapping left tightly enough that they were heading directly at #18 after the wrap.

Standard did not lend itself to picking a couple of spots to handle from.  However, JWW round tamped down the surface and evened it out considerably.

Nonetheless, I tried to plot as an efficient a course as possible to minimize my yardage.  Almost ever handler put in a front cross between the teeter and the panel jump.  I used a rear cross between the panel and the tire and it worked quite well.  I was able to easily get in a front cross by #7.  For 8, 9, 10, I did a post turn.  My original plan was to rear cross the weaves, but the run was going so well and I knew it was an easy push to the #12 tunnel, so I didn't bother with the rear cross.  Unfortunately, I didn't think to slow myself down and keep my right arm close as we ran from tunnel to #13 and Belle went sailing off course to the dogwalk.  Bad, bad arm.

Our final run was T2B and the surface had been leveled out even more.

I opened the same way I did in Standard, but now it was a straight shot to the tunnel if you set your dog up on an angle to #1.  I debated whether to handle the serpentine from the back side or the front and decided on the front, realizing that I would have to pace myself in order to do a nice rear cross at the weave entrance.  In my haste to get in a front cross on the landing side of #8, I finished my rotation too soon and pulled Belle into the gap.  But since refusals don't count in T2B (except for the time they suck up), I was able to fix my mistake and we earned 9 points.

I really liked the courses that Annette Narel designed for Friday, and I look forward to running under her again. 

Notes fromThursday Night Practice

This was Thursday evening’s practice course at the QCDC.

It was very cramped course which didn’t allow me to get much more than 10 feet away from Belle at any given point.  On my first run, I LO to (42,18) and ran with Belle on my right through the teeter.  I pushed her to the chute and found myself behind after she took the panel jump.  However, I was able to step backwards and call her to the table—turn was wide though.  Took a slight LO and sent her into the tunnel off my left.  I turned and started running along the DW as she exited the tunnel.  I moved with Belle on my right to TOS of 17 and sent her to 16.  I then executed a post turn to bring her over 17 on my right and RX 18 to get the wrap to the triple.

After watching the other handlers run, I decided to try and get in a FX before the teeter.  On both of my subsequent runs, I placed the FX almost on top of the teeter and had to quickly get out of the way.  (At least one other handler had the same problem.)  I don’t know if that produced a loopy path or not since I have no video.  I wish I would have tried using a BX both before and after the teeter to see if that would produce a tighter line without having to worry about tripping over the teeter.  (I did do a FX at the teeter bottom with Dusty, but it was awkward and a time killer.)

A lot of handlers managed a FX between the panel jump and the table.  I tried this on my second and third runs with Belle, and it proved to be very easy to do and very effective.

Another spot where a lot of handlers did a FX was at the right wing of 17, TOS.  I tried it on our last run, but I think our line from 16 to 17 was much tighter using a post turn.

BX-blind cross
DW-dogwalk
FX-front cross
LO-lead out
RX-rear cross
TOS-take-off side of jump

Good News; Bad News

I'll start with the good news.  Belle and I went 4 for 5 Friday and Saturday at the Scott County Kennel Club AKC trial under Judge Daniel Dege, including our very first Excellent B first place!!!!  We were the second 20" team to run, and I thought our time was pretty good.  However, I was unable to watch the rest of the 20" class run as I was busy waiting in line with Dusty for a chiropractic adjustment.  When I checked the results, I was ecstatic to find we had placed first.  Additionally, on Friday we were within a half second of the first place dog in T2B.

Now the bad news.  On Friday, I spoke briefly with Dana Pike Chamberlain to find out if she thought she could help me shave three seconds off our JWW runs.  She asked me a couple of questions, one of which was were did I think we were losing time? On the straightaways or on the turns?  I didn't have an answer for her at the time, but it occurred to me later that I had analyzed some video of Belle and Dusty jumping and Belle was consistently putting in an extra stride of two between jumps--strides that she probably wouldn't have needed if she were running faster.

However, even without that bit of insight, Dana's suggestion was that if I wanted Belle to run faster, I would have to run faster.  This is not a new concept.  I had considered it before.  However, I'm 60 pounds overweight (which is a choice as one friend put it) and 62 years old (which is not), and I already feel like I'm running as fast as I can possibly run.

When I've watched video of myself running with the dogs, I've always thought I looked like I was lumbering.  Yet when I'm running I feel like I'm running fast and smooth.  I mentioned this to my chiropractor, and he asked me to video this weekend's runs so he could see them.  When I watched the video from Friday, for the first time ever, I noticed that I was bringing my feet to the mid-line of my body when I ran--I was single-tracking!  (It is particularly noticeable in the closing of Friday's JWW run beginning at 36 seconds.)  I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do that when you run.  I thought this might be due to the ankle break, but I looked at video from four years ago, and I was definitely doing it even then.

Saturday morning, I got some advice about how to sprint from my less-than-diplomatic friend and made a conscious effort to implement a couple of his suggestions when I ran.  I also spent a lot of time watching handlers run.  I'm hoping my chiropractor will have some helpful ideas for changing my running style without over-stressing any joints or muscles.  I may not be able to run "faster," but I wouldn't be surprised if running more efficiently translated into greater ground speed.

AKC Standard Practice

Belle and I have an AKC trial coming up at the beginning of October.  The judge is Daniel Dege.  I was unable to find any of his courses on-line, but I did find out that Clean Run featured one of his courses in their "What's My Plan?" series in April, 2010. 

I ran the course with all three dogs before reading the article.  After reading the it, I decided I will place a winged jump at 7/13 tomorrow since the extra width may alter the way I have to handle the sequence from the tire to the teeter.  (09/21/00:  I placed wings by the jump and they made no difference for a rear cross on the landing side.  However, they made the double a very, very viable off-course if the handler plans to do a front cross between 6 and 7.)

Here's today's video with commentary:

Trying Different Options

Belle and I haven't run in an AKC trial since the end of January.  Since we have one coming up at the end of September, I decided it was time to start practicing some AKC skills.  I found a course on the Agility Nerd's blog and set it up Wednesday.  I ran it a couple of times and then reviewed the video and Steve's comments on handling the course.  It was hot and humid Wednesday evening when we ran, and my handling was sluggish.  Thursday morning, I went out while it was still relatively cool and re-ran the last half of the course using Steve's suggestion for handling the jump after the weaves.  Talk about mindset, it was an option that never even occurred to me.  Yet given the distance skills we have as a team, it was a very easy option to implement, and I felt it resulted in a faster and less stressful line for Belle.

When I ran the course on Wednesday, I had to send Belle to the jump after the A-frame and do a rear cross to turn her 180 degrees into the tunnel afterward.  I messed up the timing of my cross more often than not.   This morning (Sunday), it is a blessedly cool, so I was able to try several different ways of handling the first half of the course.  First, I tried running on the inside of the teeter and doing a blind cross between the tunnel and A-frame.  Not too bad, but the blind cross could be iffy in a trial setting.  Also, I used a post turn to direct Belle over the jump following the A-frame and then a rear cross to turn her to the tunnel.  (Actually, I could have done a front cross at the bottom of the A-frame, but I just didn't think of it.)

Next, I layered the teeter and did a front cross between the tunnel and the A-frame.  This worked, but was rather cumbersome.  Lastly, I took a minimal lead out and ran with Belle, keeping quite a bit of room between me and the teeter so I could step in for a push to the following jump.  Once Belle was committed to the tunnel, I ran to the bottom of the A-frame and did a blind cross which enabled me to pull Belle over the jump and do a post turn to the tunnel.  This was by far my favorite way to handle the opening.

The details that made the difference:

• Taking only a modest lead out so I could run which encouraged Belle to run faster.
• Staying way lateral to the teeter so I could step in and indicate the turn to the correct jump.
• Being on the inside of the turn from the A-frame to the jump and jump to the tunnel.

Here's the video of our work with this course:

So Happy to Be Able Get Out and Practice

After being housebound by snow for several days, I was able to drive to the QCDC in Davenport for a little practice.  The course chosen was designed by Rob Kripaitis.  I really didn't think I'd enjoy running this course since it contains six turns where the dog has is forced to by-pass the plane of the obstacle he is to take next:  teeter to panel jump, triple to table, wingless jump to dogwalk, #12 jump to chute, #14 to tire, and tire to weaves.  However, I think that I managed to run this course pretty smoothly with Belle and not jerk her around.  The most obvious place where I could have improved my handling was from jump #10 to the dogwalk.  I failed to decelerate before #10 and the turn from #10 to the dogwalk was really wide.

When I walked this course, I realized that there was no way I was going to beat Belle to the #18 tunnel exit and avoid the off-course to the panel if I ran with the A-frame on my left.  I decided to use our distance skills and stay as far away as possible from the weave poles and do a front cross between #17 and #18.  Belle picked up a real head of steam once she exited the weaves, and despite the fact that I ran as fast as I could, I felt lucky to get in a blind cross at that point.  Even though I fell behind while she was running through the tunnel, Belle followed my verbal and kept running straight ahead to the finish.

On one of our other runs, I tried a rear cross, and although it worked, Belle hesitated upon exiting the tunnel and looked at me for direction.  One thing I forgot to try was blind crossing or front crossing the weave pole exit and running with #17 on my right.  Several people tried this and it worked out pretty well as long as their dogs would drive on without them for the final two jumps.  I didn't think I could run fast enough for this to be successful for us, but you never know if you don't try.

I also messed around handling the dogwalk on my right.  After the A-frame, I slowed down drastically while sending Belle over #10.  Then I pulled her back to the dogwalk.  Then I was able to rear cross #12 and #14.  However, I found that plan to be less than ideal since it cause Belle to turn too abruptly and she did some slipping.

On the first run, several dogs had way too much momentum going after the triple and were unable to stay on the table.  On subsequent runs, several handlers (including me) took the jump after the dogwalk for granted and failed to support their dog's path.

Analysis of a Standard Run - 01/06/2011

We were finally able to get to the QCDC for a Thursday evening run-through.  It was an AKC Standard course designed by Annette Narel.

This was a course with a lot of flow.  The only sequence I wasn't crazy about was #3-#5.  It just seemed a little risky for a fast dog.  However, it ran well. 

This is what I gleaned from watching the video of Belle run with me and Micky:

1.  Doing this again, I would take less of a lead out so I could do a rear cross at #4 (the jump before the A-frame)

2.  I'd hang back after doing the rear cross so I could run with Belle while she's on the A-frame and then run a line on the inside of the wingless yellow jump.  This would enable me to keep moving and get a faster A-frame.  (Belle's performance can be sticky even on a rubberized A-frame; on slats it's sure to be so unless she pumped up as she was when Micky ran her.)

3.  My timing was spot on going from the weaves to the table on this run.  On one of the others it wasn't so great, and Belle wasn't sure if we were going to the table or the chute.  By running inside the yellow jump as suggested above, it would be easier for me to get my timing on the run to the table correct.

4.  I chose to lead out to avoid having Belle take a wide looping path from the chute to jump #13.  As she approaches the chute entrance, I showed a tiny bit of movement toward #13 so there is no doubt in her mind where she is going upon exiting.  It worked as planned, but I should have moved away from the table more quickly.  My leisurely pace resulted in eight seconds on the table instead of five.  Additionally, running to my lead out position would jazz Belle up and encourage her to attack the course with more gusto.

5.  Although there was all the time in the world for me to do a front cross at the tunnel exit or after the teeter, I felt a rear cross would result in a faster line to the dogwalk.  Additionally, it put me in motion to be running for the dogwalk bottom as soon as I saw Belle make the turn for the dogwalk.

On the second run, Belle is running with Micky of the QCDC.  Belle is just absolutely pumped to be running with her.  She is even barking while she runs, which is something she almost never does running with me :(  Micky does the rear cross at #4 that I talked about above.  Belle missed the A-frame on the first attempt because Micky was standing closer to it than Belle  expects her handler to stand.  The second time, Micky does her turn and makes sure to call Belle to the A-frame.

You can see what a difference it makes in Belle's A-frame performance that Micky doesn't have to slow down since she is running on the inside of the off-course yellow jump.

From the table on, Micky manages the course in a way that I'm just physically not able to do.  It worked for them, and that part of the run was a second or two faster than my run with Belle.  But two other factors come into play.  First, Belle now knows the course; second, she is totally hyped to be running with  Micky.  Obviously, knowing the course before she runs is not an option at a trial.  Getting her a little more revved certainly is, and that is one of the reasons I have begun running away from her when I lead out at the start line.

Notice that when Micky does a front cross after the teeter, it takes her a fraction of a second to change direction to run for the finish line.  By using a rear cross, my natural momentum was already heading that way.

David and Dusty's run went pretty well until the dogwalk.  By running close to the dogwalk, David inadvertently pushed Dusty away from it.  Dusty then falls back into his old habits of spinning and barking as they go back to the tunnel, but David insists that he calm himself before starting again.  The rest of the run is smooth and quiet.

Dusty's contact performance is starting to erode a bit, so I ran him on his last run.  This gave me an opportunity to do a rear cross at #4, and I really liked the result.  Dusty failed to wait for a release on the A-frame and teeter, so we redid both of them, and I was impressed by how well he handled redoing them.  No Aussie meltdown; no horrible, whirling dervish.

AKC Trial - Muscatine, Iowa

Yesterday, Belle and I went to Muscatine, Iowa for an AKC trial.  We don't do many AKC trials because there are only two runs a day, and if I'm going to get up before the sun, I really want it to be worth my while.  Currently, I normally am only willing to travel to Davenport (70 miles) for an AKC trial, but the trial in Muscatine didn't start until noon, and it's only 100 miles, so what the heck.

The judge was Lisa Potts.  I worked as a bar setter in both Standard and JWW and had a real opportunity to watch the little dogs run.  I was really surprised to see how many of the 8" handlers didn't really handle.  Instead they ran with their dogs and pointed.  It was really a contrast when an energetic woman with an eager and fast Bichon took the line.  They attacked the course with gusto and it was a joy to watch.


Even with the 12" and 16" dogs, a lot of handlers had a tendency to run as close as possible to manage the contacts and weaves.  With the A frame, this was somewhat unfortunate as the course took an 80 degree turn to the left.  A few dogs had a straight ahead off-course after the A-frame, but most just had a real big loop in their path as they realized they were turning and not going straight ahead.


When walking the course, I pegged the teeter as being the default obstacle after the tunnel.  I opted to layer the wingless jump while Belle took the teeter, and when it was time to go tunnel to the weaves, I opted to run close to the weaves yo avoid pushing her out to the dogwalk and also so I could hang back and handle the serpentine from the take-off side.

I did not expect the tunnel to the teeter to be a problem, but for quite a few of the large dogs it was.  Like Belle, they came shooting out of the tunnel locked on the weaves.  It was such a shock because in walking the course, I made sure to check out what the dog would see emerging from the tunnel.  Guess I forgot to take into account the angle of the last section of the tunnel.  

Our jumpers run was much smoother, but unfortunately, my videographer got caught up in the moment and forgot to press "record."  The JWW course left me even more impressed with Lisa's ability to embed challenges (without harsh angles) in a deceptively easy-looking course.  When there are 100-200 runs on a given course, it so much more interesting if there are many different strategies used in solving the puzzle the judge has created.  And I can truthfully say, I was not bored watching the runs yesterday.

Thursday Night Run-Thru

Thursday night's course was an Excellent Standard course designed by Siong Black.  I was really surprised when I walked it how flowing it was for an AKC course.  The only part that was iffy was the angle of approach to the dogwalk.  Either your dog's performance of the dogwalk included squaring himself up for the approach, or you managed it to make sure they didn't fall off.  Most of the handlers managed the approach to some degree (including me).  However, there were several dogs that had been trained very well and needed no help squaring up to the ramp.

I was able to run the first time through, but then my back muscles started to spasm, so I lead out and walked slowly through the course keeping as much lateral distance between Belle and me as possible.  It seemed like she was running so slow, but her run was only 4.5 or so seconds slower, and a lot of that was sucked up by slow contacts.