tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49298998977719905132024-02-18T18:27:38.844-08:00bitty brotherVP's Texas Tornado "Tractor" OA OAJ OF NAC EJ Top Gun SonicBitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-72613808883166627552010-03-11T11:15:00.001-08:002010-03-11T11:48:58.420-08:00It's Been Awhile!We've been keeping super busy with traveling for work with DockDogs, so I have been bad about updating. Tractor has got to do some demos at events, but we haven't really got to "compete" this year yet. That's okay, him and Kali are living up the life on the road. Lots of new smells, new things to do and new people. We ARE though going to trial for one day in early April, when we actually have a weekend off at HOME, so I'll be sure to update. Our last trial was in February about an hour south of Vegas, and although he didn't Q, he had a beautiful JWW run (in Excellent!). His standard run was a mess, but couldn't blame him with not training at all and it being so nice out on a spring day. I am looking forward to a couple private lessons in the next few weeks, then that trial, so I'll be sure to update.. whenever I get online after that trial!<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxdiozSaAu3gUiOYxIvwPEAcb3idYnYGp0MnQ-7TNcWiHxDjXJPRbexCmRDIN8_ZjW9GQwpSBmfdMhuNm545A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-44218653099699091522009-12-13T07:13:00.001-08:002009-12-13T07:16:13.257-08:00Finally Ready To Play With The Big Boys!Yep! This last weekend, Tractor officially moved out of Open and is now in Excellent across the board. I was only able to run him on Thursday and Friday, but he had gorgeous runs both days. Kept his focus and was just a very good boy. His handler on the other hand.. well, let's just say I'm the one who needs to get back to class/training! Yesterday, Whitney ran him in his first Excellent JWW course as well as an Excellent Std course and he Q'ed in both!!! (Thanks Whit for taking him.. I'm sure he had a blast!)<br /><br />Next up is a NADAC trial - next weekend in Kansas with our friends Cesily and Charley. After that, we'll be taking a couple weeks off at home before we hit the road again traveling for work! I'm very excited to see what 2010 has in store for us.. going to be hard to top 2009 for sure.<br /><br />I'll upload videos soon!Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-18138337814518054262009-11-30T09:18:00.000-08:002009-11-30T09:22:55.798-08:00Another Title For T!Thanksgiving weekend, we headed to Merrillville, IN to trial with some of our mid-west friends at their annual Turkey Day trial. The day started off with Open Jumpers and I was expecting some focus issues as we have not trained but one or two private lessons at all in the last few months. He had a beautiful run, nailed his weaves and kept his head together the entire time. He knocked two bars, so no Q.. but a nice run! I was hopeful for Standard after seeing how focused he was, and he rocked the entire course and came up with a Q and a first place! Such a good boy!<br /><br />We are now spending some time with our friend Whitney in downtown Chicago and then next week, we'll be back in Cleveland for a trial there. Hopefully an Open JWW Q is waiting for us there. I'll be running him Thursday and Friday and Whitney will be running him on Saturday, since I have to be in Boston for work.<br /><br />I have video uploaded, will work on the video and try to get it online this week. Hope everyone had a great Turkey Day!Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-76765570149510436532009-11-19T15:27:00.000-08:002009-11-19T15:29:56.947-08:00Hi-ho, Hi-Ho, Its Off To OHIO We Go!Sorry we haven't posted in so long! We have been busy, busy, busy. Aside from just working on at home obedience/tricks, we haven't got to do too much. BUT, last weekend, we competed in an AKC trial that was here in Vegas, and ended the day with another Open JWW Q. It was a great run, and I am so proud of him. (Video on FB) <br /><br />We head out today for Ohio for Thanksgiving.. and while we are staying out in that area, we'll be able to compete with our Chicago friends at a couple trials. I am really looking forward to it and hoping we can secure one (maybe two!) titles!<br /><br />Nothing else new to report..will update after those trials! Hope everyone is doing well! Happy Holidays!Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-13560542943332800862009-07-15T13:44:00.000-07:002009-07-15T13:47:14.628-07:004 for 4!Well... over the last week we got even more great news! Tractor was now, not only invited to the 2009 DockDogs World Championships for Speed Retrieve, but based on his rankings, was also invited for Big Air, EV and Iron Dog! We turned down EV and Big Air, because he is not particularly strong in those, but we did accept for Iron Dog - and I cannot wait for us to get there to see how he does! He hasn't had much swimming or dock time (actually only once on the dock since May) lately, but I know no matter what, he's going to have a great time.<br /><br />This week we just have four private agility lessons and then probably a swim day at my parents. We load up the truck and head out Tuesday morning for the 24 hour drive to Stillwater. <br /><br />Nothing else new to report - everyone is doing great.. will post update/video after we get home!Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-91563029293660127852009-06-27T10:47:00.001-07:002009-06-27T10:52:11.708-07:00Stopping To Take A Breath!Well.. life has been nonstop crazy since mid May, and we are just now having a chance to stop for a second to get caught up. Because of my busy schedule, I have to say since our long trip to Chicago, the dogs have not gotten to do much, except for visits to Grandma's and finally last week, a private agility lesson.<br /><br />Tractor is bouncing off the walls, so hopefully that energy and excitement carries over into Worlds, which is coming up in just a few weeks! Our trip to Chicago was a blast! Tractor got to do an AKC trial, a dock diving competition and all four dogs got to spend four days at Camp Dogwood!<br /><br />Camp was a lot of fun for the dogs.. Tractor learned a new sport, disc! He is absolutely crazy about a frisbee now, when before we went out there, I couldn't get him to retrieve one to save his life. They also all got to swim, lure course and run amuck. It was a lot of fun and I put some pictures up on our Phanfare, so take a look.<br /><br />Last week, we had our first dose of agility since May, and like last time we took a temporary hiatus, Tractor's head exploded upon arrival. All in all, it was a productive lesson, showed me that I definitely should not be taking that much time off.. its like I need to be retrained all over!<br /><br />Anyway, for now, I am traveling, so aside from a few private lessons, the dogs are sitting tight until the end of July. Becky, Steph and I will be making the trek cross country once again, to Minnesota, to compete in the World Championships for Speed Retrieve. I'll try to be better about posting, but if nothing else, will definitely post an update after that.<br /><br />New video from the private lesson is up on youtube, so take a look! Hope everyone is doing well!Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-75440522908827861152009-04-12T17:44:00.000-07:002009-04-12T18:33:17.653-07:00Busy, Busy, BusyWell, we've been nonstop since Del Mar - including another DockDog competition the weekend after in Phoenix, and then a 3 day AKC trial this past weekend here in Vegas. Its been nonstop - but at least now we'll have a few weeks off - until we pack up and make our annual long trip to Chicago to visit our good friends!<br /><br />First, our weekend in Phoenix - it was a BLAST and well worth the trip down. Tractor not only came in 1st again in Speed Retrieve finals, every single score he had was under 6 seconds - and his new personal best 5.67!!!! We also worked on his EV issue, and he managed to grab 6'10'' and come in 3rd! His big air was great for him too - so we ended up coming in 4th in Pro finals and then 2nd in Iron Dog! For as much DockDogs as he did in March/April - I figured he'd be slowing down, but he put up a great performance all weekend. :)<br /><br />This last weekend was an AKC trial here in Vegas, and it was again SO nice to do some agility in our hometown. I can't even begin to describe how awesome he was. He ran SO beautifully all three days, all three runs - I could not be prouder of him. The couple runs we didn't Q in, were completely my fault (of course). He pulled off 6/9 Qs, all first places - a new title (for his Open FAST) and even got to compete in his very first Excellent level class. <br /><br />Next up is a month off! Yep.. we won't be doing any trialing/competitions until middle of May when we get out to Chicago. We'll be out there for 5 weeks and plan on trialing and dockdogging as much as we can while we are out there!Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-86502363880747662752009-03-31T16:53:00.001-07:002009-04-01T15:49:02.206-07:00Heading To Worlds 2009!Yep, that's right! After a L-O-N-G and exhausting weekend in Del Mar, CA... Tractor walked away with not only two HUGE personal bests... but also an invitation to the DockDogs World Championships 2009!<br /><br />We started off the weekend with Speed Retrieve on Thursday afternoon - where he somehow managed to pull off a 5.868 score - earning himself 2nd place for that wave! Friday, was all rest for T-man. I was testing out a new theory, and overall I think I was right. I rested him the entire day - and brought him out Saturday morning - and he was beyond ready to go, go, go! <br /><br />Saturday was very exciting as he SQUASHED his previous personal best in Big Air of 22'10'' - and came up with not only ONE 24' jump, but two! 24'8'' and 24'2'' - he kept up his big jumps with several jumps in the 21'-23' range as well. Last up was EV, where he had some extremely tough competition, but managed to come in 4th (tie) with a last successful jump of 6'8''. The EV competition in Del Mar, was by far the most exciting one I have ever seen, even more exciting than Worlds. Two of our very own Las Vegas DockDog club members duked it out - coming in 1st and 2nd - both are now officially invited to the Worlds for EV!<br /><br />Sunday was just finals for us.. starting with him earning a place in the top 8 biggest jumping dogs of the weekend. He ended up coming in 5th place in the Pro Finals, with a jump of 22'11''! Last up for the weekend was Speed Retrieve finals... even though Tractor had squashed his personal best of that this weekend as well (it was 6.215 before this weekend) - there were some amazing dogs here - breaking the 6 second mark left and right. I knew just placing in the top dogs of this group would be a huge honor.<br /><br />Well, first up.. I was revving him up with a duck by our tent and ran directly to the dock for our turn... he pulled out an amazing 5.952 score.. I was THRILLED - as usually by the end of the weekend, he slows down from being tired.. and/or bored. We went and celebrated while waiting for our next turn - and again, revved him up with the duck. Our 2nd time up on the dock, I think we were sitting in 2nd place, of which I was already celebrating! Well... Tractor wanted to prove me wrong.. and pulled out a 5.772 score!!!!!! I could NOT believe it - and screamed and yelled to prove it.. We IMMEDIATELY ran to the tent for a bunch of premade raw food.<br /><br />That amazing performance landed him 1st place in Speed Retrieve and since this was a World Qualifier, HE EARNED HIMSELF AN INVITE for Speed Retrieve! One of 18 dogs in the world to be invited for this, and he won it! He also, once again, came in 3rd overall for Iron Dog - bettering his score by almost 30pts!<br /><br />He has no idea how proud of him I am.. after his food settled, he also got to go down to an inlet of beach water and run his heart out with his two girlfriends, Maeve and Dakarai.. and then got even more food. The next day, he got to go to a dog beach and play fetch until he passed out. <br /><br />It was such an AMAZING weekend, and I could not be prouder of him and all of his accomplishments.<br /><br />This week he is taking it easy, doing a little bit of agility work in the back yard, but then we are back to Phoenix this weekend for our last DockDogs event until June! After that, its all agility - so we can work on some of those titles.<br /><br />Lianne is making a video for us, so I'll get that up on Youtube hopefully within a few days.. so stay tuned!Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-3457977934264617412009-03-11T19:50:00.000-07:002009-03-11T20:00:34.679-07:00Weekend Of Personal Bests...Well, Tractor and I are home from a long and exhausting weekend of DockDogs in Long Beach, CA. It was well worth the lack of sleep and drive though, as he walked away with quite a few accomplishments!<br /><br />Friday was a bit chilly and the water was COLD (for this desert dog anyway) and so I was nervous about how he would do, as the last time we were at a cold event (Shot Show, in Vegas in February 08) he refused to jump and actually went off the side of the dock to avoid the water. That was not the case this weekend! Friday, we were entered in Speed Retrieve and a Big Air wave. Well, he not only came in 1st for speed retrieve, but he also bettered his time by 2/100's of a second! His new PB is now 6.215 seconds! He also secured his final master jumper leg with a 21'10'' jump, also earning him first place in the master division that wave.<br /><br />Saturday was another long day with more Big Air, more Speed Retrieve and finally, EV. His BA was also amazing - with him getting a couple more 20' jumps, but also securing his new personal best with DockDogs.... 22'5''! I couldn't believe it.. guess the off season has paid off! :) His Speed Retrieve for that day was still strong for him - both times in the 6.3 range... and then finally up for the day was EV. He came in 4th with his last successful grab at 6'8''! <br /><br />Sunday was finals, and because of that new personal best, he had his first chance to compete in the PRO finals. Of course, we were up against the absolute biggest jumpers of the weekend, so we did end up in 8th place, but I could not be prouder of him. <br /><br />Lastly, this was our first event competing in Iron Dog. Iron Dog is where they take your best scores of all three sports and average them out - and you get one grand total. Well, we had some tough competition there and I am beyond happy to report that he walked away with a 3rd place win! <br /><br />He had an absolutely amazing weekend, competed his butt off and I could not be happier with him. He had a blast all weekend, but was definitely ready to come home and return to agility. He had group class on Tuesday night and was a little nutty. This weekend we'll be getting our weaves/jumps we ordered so we'll have stuff at home to work on.. I can't wait!<br /><br />Nothing coming up before Del Mar- except maybe one or two practice times on our new, very own, Las Vegas Dock Dog club pool/dock which will be done this weekend!<br /><br />Del Mar is the next stop on our DockDogs list - then after that it'll be agility here in Vegas! Once Lianne has a chance to work on Tractor's video from this weekend, I'll get it up on our Youtube, so stay tuned!Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-18631487736952911232009-02-21T20:52:00.000-08:002009-02-21T21:21:50.008-08:00Officially Open!Yep... for AKC, Tractor is now officially out of Novice and all in Open! We drove to LA this weekend and spent one day at a trial in the area. His weekend didn't just start with agility either.. we got to my Aunt's house Friday night - and the very first thing he got to do was go swimming! He played fetch and swam till his heart was content (or not) and then he went inside and got dinner. <br /><br />Saturday morning, we got up and headed to the trial. We got there and set up - close to the end of Excellent - and because I suck and wasn't paying attention, I totally missed walking his very first Open JWW course. Actually, I ran over to the board literally 3 dogs before he was up - so I had time to run across the field, grab him and head to the course. I will say, for not walking it, we didn't do too bad! He only knocked one bar, which was 100% my fault, because I missed a front cross at the end of the weaves I wanted to do, so I crowded him and it snowballed after that. The last few jumps were hideous on my part, but he was a very good boy! I was very happy with his focus/attention on me - I barely had to talk!<br /><br />Next up was Novice Standard. This time, I glued myself to the course and waited for walk through - after walking it a couple times, I had a pretty good feeling. We were the last dog of the day (pretty typical for us), so I got to watch the rest of Novice go - and finally we were up. Aside from a little mis step after jump 2 - he again, did so well! He kept all of his bars up, hit his contacts, got his weaves on the first try - and I even was able to layer! He was a VERY good boy. Let me just tell you how much I HATE the broad jump. It is so stupid! That was T's only other mistake, but looking at video, it was completely my fault, the line I gave him, its no wonder he cut the jump. BUT, he went back and did it again - and secured his final Q for his Novice Standard title!<br /><br />After we were done, he got a little snack and then we got to play fetch for a good hour or so. He absolutely ADORES kids, so my cousins played nonstop with him - and he soaked up every minute of it.<br /><br />After that, he got his meal for the day and we loaded up the car and headed home. It was a quick trip down, but well worth it.. as he is now officially 100% in OPEN for AKC. Can't wait for our next trial!<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxKXWf7xPigV5TxYnM1zviZkjxFizNnOCRwwYvzo1kJBoqNctKOigErezpZG-T9FO2NP2eB0RlcArYtUmlj-Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-7057851077022744922009-02-08T17:56:00.001-08:002009-02-08T19:08:45.561-08:00AKC Las Vegas!Well, we just got done competing in our first AKC trial at home! What a nice change of pace - we got to sleep in our own beds and not have to drive 5 hours to compete! The weather was a bit icky Friday and Saturday, but the weekend turned out to be a success!<br /><br />Friday was chilly and windy, but no rain, so it was the PERFECT day for Tractor to be outdoors... to sniff. Yeah, he had little focus and I was a bit frazzled so none of our runs that day were pretty at all, but somehow managed a Q in FAST and finished his Novice title for that. We didn't connect at all, he was knocking bars (by both my fault and his own), coming off contacts before release.. it was just an icky day, but at least we got that out of our system the first day! ha!<br /><br />Saturday was pouring rain. We actually got up, got ready and then decided to stay home. Our friend Jess called us around noon and said "Its stopped raining, get out here!" - so we hustled as fast as we could, got to the trial site, I jumped out of the car - they were ready to start running Standard, and of course, this day they chose to go tall to small. T was the first dog up, and luckily the judge let me walk the course real quick. About 60 seconds later, we were on the line ready to go. Talk about frantic.<br /><br />Well, it actually wasn't that bad! It was still really rainy though, so I was nervous on the contacts - but aside from one knocked bar, he didn't do bad at all! No Q.. but still a lot better focus than the day before.. so it was a step in the right direction!<br /><br />Next up was JWW - apparently he has to pay more attention to his footing when we are in the rain, because he kept every single bar up! It was a pretty clean run - having to redo the weaves once and my front cross SUCKING- but overall an okay run. <br /><br />Last of the day was our first ever attempt at any open class, it was Open FAST. The send was a jump, tunnel and back over same jump - and I carefully plotted and planned my strategy, and it paid off! We had a very nice run, coming in first and getting a Q! He was well under course time and over the points needed - it was finally starting to come together! :)<br /><br />Sunday was by far the best day - the weather was nicer (still cool, but at least it was not raining!) and his focus was there. Aside from him nailing the tire good on takeoff, he had a very nice standard run. Next up was JWW, and he was still clean from knocking bars that day, so I was hopeful. For good reason too.. because he had a nice run again! Kept all of his bars up, went on (like we worked in class recently) and got his weaves on our weaker side.. very good boy!<br /><br />Last class of the day was Open FAST. This time, the send was an A-frame to a jump, to a double - and he NAILED it - perfectly. I was ESPECIALLY proud of this run, because he was well under course time and came up with 69 points!!! He hit his 12 uprights perfectly and on the first try (seems he's better on 12!) and kept all of his bars up. This was by far my favorite run of the weekend.<br /><br />All in all, a VERY good weekend for the T-man! He walked away with two new titles (NF and NAJ) and aced through his first two tries at Open FAST. I might be going to Chicago, but if not, the next trial is an AKC one in 2 weeks - no FAST, but he'll have the opportunity to get out of Novice Std - and be in Open across the board.. so we'll see what happens!<br /><br />Thanks for all the texts and supports (both Whits, Katie and Beck!) - we had a great time!!<br /><br />(for video, see our Youtube!)Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-81286415216952307302009-01-27T22:55:00.000-08:002009-01-27T23:12:15.045-08:00Just An Update!Tonight we had a pretty good group class, so I wanted to share some video from it. We are really working on learning distance/layering with Tractor. His contacts are getting a LOT better without me having to babysit them - and now we are starting to put obstacles like tunnels or the dogwalk - in between us to help the handling. He is really catching on!<br /><br />He was having a weird night with the weaves, took him a try or two to get them right, but he did get them, so that's good. We have a 3 day AKC trial next weekend, so next week, he has a couple private lessons and group class to prepare. It will be Standard, FAST and JWW all three days.. we can't wait!<br /><br />(Thanks to my uncle for this video footage!)<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dywTe5wJiHBeUrD9ANtLAGLQE5sepgjGSmeg5PJlC00iyhlFGJCPFZLVJHB_voOXQnqEUL7R0J1eMIA4ngZLA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-75274545405589404802009-01-19T07:56:00.000-08:002009-01-19T08:02:16.477-08:00Tractor's Officially A Bird Dog!Well, because of some things that happened on Thursday of last week, we were unable to get to LA for that AKC trial we were so excited about. Fortunately for Tractor, that meant we were able to go with Lianne and Fred out to a place with the Las Vegas Retriever Hunt Club to see how Tractor would respond to live birds and gun shots.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hxTlts8wP9wZioQOYxKXfBtLR7zpRJdKU7Foyb0dak5q4D7AIcPgFYyrSBED0qer5HEx3Z8-pHa7_BMwUgqlCrrUs5vPMhfrHXGUcKllwXWrmR13wzefdqGnHfvJE_m2h2P6rjFWEu0-/s1600-h/resized_IMG_5864.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6hxTlts8wP9wZioQOYxKXfBtLR7zpRJdKU7Foyb0dak5q4D7AIcPgFYyrSBED0qer5HEx3Z8-pHa7_BMwUgqlCrrUs5vPMhfrHXGUcKllwXWrmR13wzefdqGnHfvJE_m2h2P6rjFWEu0-/s320/resized_IMG_5864.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293035483907456162" /></a><br /><br />It was a pretty exciting day - I was having fun watching all the dogs do some really hard retrieves. Tractor took to the birds right away, but as they moved in his mouth he would fling them a little bit, but by the end of the morning, he was soft mouthing them perfectly! I had more of an issue with touching them (thank goodness for Lianne!) - and we have to work on getting him to put them IN my hand.. but it was an awesome first experience. Lianne was great enough to video the footage and put together a little video of our adventure.<br /><br /><object width="480" height="295"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PHHu4bjR8ec&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PHHu4bjR8ec&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="295"></embed></object><br /><br />Next up is just group class and a couple private lessons. Our next trial is the first weekend in February but it is a 3 day trial IN Las Vegas. That's right.. no driving 3-5 hours to a trial.. its in our own town! He is entered in JWW, Standard and FAST for all three days, so we'll be sure to have lots of agility fun!Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-82279927780216588172009-01-11T12:18:00.000-08:002009-01-11T13:35:11.636-08:00Starting The Year Off Right!Tractor and I went down to Phoenix for a NADAC trial this weekend and left with high hopes of what 2009 will bring for us! It had been 6 months since we have done any trialing - but his focus in class is always so serious and great, that I didn't even think that he might be a little stir crazy!<br /><br />We started off after the 5 hour ride down on Friday with his first ever attempt at a weavers course. We have just recently gotten him more reliable on his weaves, so I was really excited to give this one a try. Well, I set him up - first obstacle is a tunnel of course.. and lead out just to the end of the tunnel. We have practiced REALLY difficult lead outs in class, requiring him to do multiple jumps in a funky order and other things - and he has had NO issue with lead outs. WELL.. my fault for assuming.. because I led out to the end of that tunnel and said "Let's go" - he bolted right for me.. completely by passing the tunnel! Oops.. so I take him back and send him through and the chaos began. Not only did that frazzle me because I wasn't expecting it - my nerves played in as well, so the rest of the run was a combo of frantic arm movements (my trainer is going to love watching that video!), horrible front crosses and zero focus. I will say, his last two obstacles were beautiful, as he read/responded to his newly learned "turn" command and had a nice finish. Somehow, we managed to pull of a Q and a first place!<br /><br />Second run, it was completely DARK by the time Novice got to run - and it was Touch N Go. I was bummed, because he only needed one more Q in this class - and combining the dark with about 5 hoops (which he NEVER gets to see.. and I think are the most ridiculous piece of equipment EVER).. I figured we were in for another ugly run. Well, prove me wrong! He had a beautiful run - but towards the end, I didn't pull back enough to pull him off a tunnel (it was a tunnel/dogwalk discrimination) - and he took that instead of the dogwalk. The rest of the run was gorgeous, he had amazing contacts and had no issue with the hoops.. good boy!<br /><br />We went back to hotel, each had a big dinner and went to bed by 9:30.. ha! The next morning.. we started off with a Novice Tunnelers run. This was another course brand new for him - and while his focus wasn't 100% where it normally is, he did a lot better with only one or two mis-steps/misreads - which probably were my fault, watching back the videos. He did Q though!<br /><br />Next up was Jumpers. He had two runs, basically back to back. The first course was a really nice, open course - and after my lead out disaster, I was scared to go more than two jumps out, so I stayed a bit closer with him. Again, aside from him not collecting enough (therefore passing) two jumps, he had a nice run, read his rear crosses and managed to get a Q. That made his second novice jumpers Q for NADAC. The 2nd course was a little bit tighter, but still a nice course. About halfway through, he overshot a jump because I was crowding him, so I had to bring him back and when I did, I didn't give him enough room to take it, so he knocked the bar, but otherwise had a clean run!<br /><br />After Jumpers, we had a bit of a break to walk around, play a little fetch and just relax. Next runs were standard, and again they were basically back to back (on different rings). First course scared me.. I watched Open and then as they built Novice.. (in my mind) the novice was WAY more difficult, as they had three really hard discriminations. I was the only one in the class to block the tunnel (very first thing up was a tunnel/dogwalk (needing the dogwalk) discrimination - so I was thinking people would think I was weird to do that, but I'm glad I trusted my instinct on knowing how Tractor would take it. He sailed on the dogwalk and held a beautiful contact, giving me time to catch up from blocking it. Seeing as it was now our 5th run of the weekend, I was starting to calm my nerves, so I was focusing/breathing and taking my time, like we do in class. I made him hold his contact, led out quite a bit so I was able to push out (it was an A-frame/tunnel (needing the tunnel) and he nailed it perfectly. He then came out and we had a series of jumps including an "across the feet" move which we had worked in class - and he read everything so well! Then it was back to the A-frame/tunnel and I pulled back just a little and he flew up the A-frame! The ending was nice as well, with only having to re-attempt the weaves once, and overall a VERY nice run. That was his 2nd Q in Standard.<br /><br />Last run of the day was another Standard course, and this one had no discriminations, so I right off the bat felt a little better. This was another great run for us - with me only messing him up once, not connecting with him after a front cross before taking off, but we came back, he took the jump and nailed his weaves on the first try! This Q was what earned Tractor his very first agility title.. his NAC title!<br /><br />All in all, it was a GREAT weekend, as always, I learned a lot from him - and am looking even more forward to the next trial. We go to LA next weekend for an AKC trial (jumpers and standard only) - so hopefully the more we show, the less nutty he will get and the less nervous I will be when we actually get to a trial.<br /><br />Way to go Bitty Boy... I'm so proud of you!<br /><br />Here's a video of our weekend! (Thanks Becky for shooting the footage!!!)<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx90Muvnf5wlTICCXZ-xBZu-7RmsES0eaiZy02qNWOhEzIGUuhCdtYZXEZCFXUt9qnm-J0T-k9HHoIpn9qiDg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-17522389573625944162009-01-07T15:36:00.000-08:002009-01-07T16:51:47.099-08:00Hum A Few Lines...(to the tune of Wizard of Oz)<br /><br />We're off to do agility, wonderful wonderful agility! hehe<br /><br />Yep.. we leave Friday morning for Phoenix to do some NADAC agility. We are entered in Touch'N'Go and Weavers on Friday afternoon and then two standard runs, two jumpers runs and a tunnelers run on Saturday. We are very excited - this is the first agility trial for Tractor since JUNE! After our last one, we concentrated on dock dogs until he unfortunately got hurt. So while he has done some classes, he had to miss both fall trials we were planning on do. BUT, all that's gonna change, because our winter/spring calendar is just busting at the seams with trials. <br /><br />Our private lessons are going amazingly well and we are slowly working in more difficult handling and longer courses. T's aunt Becky is coming with this weekend to watch/support and of course take videos of our runs. I'll update when we are home!Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-68149325688164798062008-12-30T20:43:00.000-08:002008-12-30T20:57:24.501-08:00Lots Of Agility To Be Done!... yep! We just signed up for two new agility trials in January - one not this weekend but next, and another the following weekend! We didn't have one scheduled until it came to Vegas in February, but I didn't want to wait, so we signed for up two more. We are doing a NADAC trial in Phoenix the 9th-10th, and then an AKC trial in Van Nuys, CA the 17th. <br /><br />For the NADAC one, we are going to do Weavers and TnGo on Friday, and then two rounds of Standard and two rounds of Jumpers and a Chances run on Saturday. If he Qs in his TnGo, he will have his very first agility title! I am very excited about all of the runs we have to do in those two days.<br /><br />For the AKC one, I only entered one day, because they aren't even offering FAST, so we're just going to go down for the day, stay at my aunts overnight, then head home the next morning. We are doing a JWW and Standard. He only has 1 leg in each of those, so even on our best day, he won't get any AKC titles, but at least he'll be closer to it. We have a few more AKC trials coming up - I'd like us to be in OPEN everything by the time we make it to Chicago this summer.. so fingers crossed!<br /><br />Pebbles and him both start group classes the 2nd week in January, so maybe by the time the NADAC trial in March comes to Vegas, I can enter her in a tunnelers run or maybe a TnGo - I doubt she'll have her weaves by then.. so any class w/o weaves, we may give a go, depending on how class goes. :) <br /><br />I made a video from Tractor's birthday agility lesson, so here it is:<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwXrZDuJ5SmUMnHMYl4pPQT81oobfia8izHYchO3ubEGxFVwL10HqAk7g4ieeFOnLxJn_M-6dBpvbvn75yfEw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-47254596945537132212008-12-24T12:16:00.000-08:002008-12-24T12:26:25.296-08:00Happy 4th Birthday Bitty!... yep, today is Tractor's FOURTH birthday! I cannot even believe how fast the last four years have flown by. He is getting the best birthday present he could ask for.. a whole 45 minutes of private agility time with our wonderful trainer! Nobody is off today to take video of his birthday fun, but hopefully we'll have some new ones soon - as class starts in a few weeks.<br /><br />Today is all about Tractor, and I can only hope I can show him a hundredth of the love he has shown me over the last four years. He and I have a bond like none other and I cannot imagine my family without him. Happy Birthday Bitty boy.. Mom loves you!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguz1Ic2EY853fbpzP8rRbGnhs8WQxdZi-DTwikiAqmYw_AaBgh5GI_PuzT7YVgTmBJxKtbL3ZL9-tpbrbJQS-v6qnMlREHYAsx-PRdAt9TFs4GwHGZ8Df7CpKmhTgzAOG4-Cux_eU_3PI5/s1600-h/IMG_1168.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguz1Ic2EY853fbpzP8rRbGnhs8WQxdZi-DTwikiAqmYw_AaBgh5GI_PuzT7YVgTmBJxKtbL3ZL9-tpbrbJQS-v6qnMlREHYAsx-PRdAt9TFs4GwHGZ8Df7CpKmhTgzAOG4-Cux_eU_3PI5/s320/IMG_1168.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283455559361294082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxP37uPTZGSt0PDFY1MneBl-PTvNggcP_riwGQwt5DS6cd1fvS5uC4mGDFxY211bZ9KWOO6BdHJaJ7UxQbDQWSEOQ8xJr9iTcPmcSs50dR-n5dti1ct1MT_pPj9gpHEAdfSTRpHv_-u05c/s1600-h/Thanksgiving+08+249.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxP37uPTZGSt0PDFY1MneBl-PTvNggcP_riwGQwt5DS6cd1fvS5uC4mGDFxY211bZ9KWOO6BdHJaJ7UxQbDQWSEOQ8xJr9iTcPmcSs50dR-n5dti1ct1MT_pPj9gpHEAdfSTRpHv_-u05c/s320/Thanksgiving+08+249.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283455549212967282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBuAgkN-swaYLdklVzCDBqeDQhZvpEHVKZn-I_g19TEC6E5EmuysNPS5Jf0WPpnX3BSgdq284p3Z-05rWWc8oigc_sZ1S8-RvjzW8l0ppT9OyLN_Y_9nnKMYsqaVjm1hPiaz3L_Tkym9T/s1600-h/Thanksgiving+08+130.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBuAgkN-swaYLdklVzCDBqeDQhZvpEHVKZn-I_g19TEC6E5EmuysNPS5Jf0WPpnX3BSgdq284p3Z-05rWWc8oigc_sZ1S8-RvjzW8l0ppT9OyLN_Y_9nnKMYsqaVjm1hPiaz3L_Tkym9T/s320/Thanksgiving+08+130.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283455541133782450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqlQibz7c58iDPfwnHsvGBF2nt9D_fLCeSeNHTe0jn7eXo0-7gW1lx4369rUQ2cogfnD93-bJw5bgYHCema0q-nyYN3ZdkEYUiwWGykn126GkAye-WTk8jnJ4tmLJpEPp7mXUksd4dV2i/s1600-h/IMG_5156.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimqlQibz7c58iDPfwnHsvGBF2nt9D_fLCeSeNHTe0jn7eXo0-7gW1lx4369rUQ2cogfnD93-bJw5bgYHCema0q-nyYN3ZdkEYUiwWGykn126GkAye-WTk8jnJ4tmLJpEPp7mXUksd4dV2i/s320/IMG_5156.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283455537459803986" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYlunszQUDb1W9dpLZst8CKheCQuHBDdttWDV7kijk-KzNS6geBZXYffv2GTNIklfyLBtdrpvgv0k9QxgmEljb9-q2bc6Uo80WCkwKpTA5SCXgBYbBbpp_RdoC6fpfeFxXD_bmop2HaeyS/s1600-h/resized_IMG_0753.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYlunszQUDb1W9dpLZst8CKheCQuHBDdttWDV7kijk-KzNS6geBZXYffv2GTNIklfyLBtdrpvgv0k9QxgmEljb9-q2bc6Uo80WCkwKpTA5SCXgBYbBbpp_RdoC6fpfeFxXD_bmop2HaeyS/s320/resized_IMG_0753.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283454159081250050" /></a>Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-7261871897515546892008-12-10T12:58:00.001-08:002008-12-10T13:01:46.609-08:00Clear For Take Off!(well, "gradual" takeoff, but takeoff none the less.. hehe)<br /><br />Today, Tractor saw a specialist for his leg. He reviewed the X-rays and did a pretty in depth physical exam. He said that the Xrays showed a very tiny amount of fluid around his right knee - but nothing that he was too concerned about. During the physical, he couldn't feel any fluid at all, so he thinks because the Xrays were done right at the time of the injury, that could be what it was.<br /><br />Of course, he said to gradually ease back into training and just keep a close eye on him - to see if he is stiff or showing any signs of lameness afterwards - if so, we'll take him back in, but if not, then just continue with our normal activity!<br /><br />I am SO excited for this, even more that he can play at home and not listen to me yelling "easy!" or "tractor, no!" or "calm down!!!!!" - lol.<br /><br />Next Tuesday is Pebbles first agility class/lesson, so I'll bring Tractor along and let them split the half hour lesson. I will get to evaluate Pebbles as well as let Tractor get 10-15 minutes of play time.. to see how he does.<br /><br />Today we are off to do some studio photos of the VP, for Christmas! I'll be sure to post the new pics on my Phanfare. :-)<br /><br />Agility....... here we come! :-)Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-63998001253157457332008-11-30T21:28:00.000-08:002008-11-30T21:31:29.820-08:00Snow Day!Well, despite Tractor being on a break until after the holidays, I let him play a little bit in the snow over Thanksgiving weekend. Poor guy is on such limited play time, that he had a hard time containing it.. and I had to put him away a few times because he was getting out of control. :(<br /><br />Nothing really new to report, except that his leg seems to be doing a bit better, not favoring it - and I am keeping him on some holistic anti-inflammatories and doing nightly stretches to keep trying to work it out. I really hope he is back to normal by New Years, so we can spend January training for a few Spring trials coming to Vegas.<br /><br />Hope everyone had a nice holiday!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPey2ctvNapskQOpt8INRk14f3R2K8THVNMvEy2g2n5JbFdfUUpxWmlbbLGLvmaxC3YfAXZVrEpgI6McFsDyB4ldEXqDux8WLCaL7lJzr-lyc6pyE3e-RnWU5r-wV1_D6ZtWVRCBphYVC/s1600-h/Thanksgiving+08+024.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUPey2ctvNapskQOpt8INRk14f3R2K8THVNMvEy2g2n5JbFdfUUpxWmlbbLGLvmaxC3YfAXZVrEpgI6McFsDyB4ldEXqDux8WLCaL7lJzr-lyc6pyE3e-RnWU5r-wV1_D6ZtWVRCBphYVC/s320/Thanksgiving+08+024.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274690046202573202" /></a>Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-54582343160835719172008-11-13T19:31:00.001-08:002008-11-13T19:42:15.923-08:00Clean Bill Of Health! (sorta)Well, ready to finally update! On Monday, Tractor got to meet a new Chiropractor - who we both absolutely LOVE. He did a very thorough adjustment on Tractor - and we could both see a HUGE improvement in his attitude and movement immediately after. I had him take a look at his injury and he said he thought it was either a tendon or a muscle, neither of which he could help us with.<br /><br />So.. we scheduled an appt with our regular vet, who we also love. We went there today - and she did a very basic exam/look over, and because he was tensing up while we were trying to feel around, I left him there for a couple hours. She put him on a mild sedative, just enough to relax his muscles and let her really feel around and get a good, in depth exam in. Since he was sedated, we also did X-rays on his hips and knees to be sure everything looked okay. <br /><br />She called me back about an hour later and told me that absolutely everything checked out perfect. His hips/knees looked picture perfect, that she couldn't feel any fluid at all in his joints, no popping/clicking of any sorts - no tears or partial tears, nothing. She said he looked/felt just fine. <br /><br />To be safe, we are still keeping him on rest for the next month or two - probably until after the holidays. His group class just started - so we'll sit this round out and probably start up at the next sign up. He is not on crate rest or anything crazy, but I just need to keep him rested and not a pyscho crazy dog - so he doesn't reinjure himself. It really saddens me that we won't be able to do the two AKC trials coming here this fall - but I'd rather him rest up and take these next couple months off - and not have his career come to a stop because he re injures himself.<br /><br />The "sorta" comes from the fact that two days ago, his eye started gunking up - I didn't know if it was allergies or what, but knew we had this appt, so we had her look at it - and yep, he's got conjunctivitis. Also, remember that horrible ear infection he had back from Rockford? Yep, still there. His poor ear drum is starting to scar and there was an ulcer on it from him scratching at it - so he got a good cleanse and is on antibiotics for both that and his eye.<br /><br />Thanks to everyone for the good thoughts for Bitty - seems like all will be okay, he just needs some time for him (and his body!) to recoup from the very vigorous season he has just had.<br /><br />Next up is a promotion at a local convention - for the Raw lady that sponsors us. Luckily, that's not involving any physical activity, so he will get to go show off for that. :-)<br /><br />Here's a picture from the other night - how he'll be spending the "off season". hehe<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-KCgdbyxIed_My5d2A3FK41MOkei6MgWYzLGQf8k0THMcjdvhX7q0ZT4gDPQp67QAdjecu3AHzuyGTdyzOknimtRE5emZbCBBsGaTw_90pQxMPX6VZZlc2D4XGOQ1RnwQsi5IFkC_VEh/s1600-h/resized_111208+001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-KCgdbyxIed_My5d2A3FK41MOkei6MgWYzLGQf8k0THMcjdvhX7q0ZT4gDPQp67QAdjecu3AHzuyGTdyzOknimtRE5emZbCBBsGaTw_90pQxMPX6VZZlc2D4XGOQ1RnwQsi5IFkC_VEh/s320/resized_111208+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5268353342706343042" /></a>Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-23044377848308440192008-11-09T23:17:00.000-08:002008-11-09T23:26:38.713-08:00Not Such A Great Update..We sure could use your good thoughts for Tractor. As most of you know, this weekend was our Strutt Your Mutt event - the first official Las Vegas Dock Dogs club event and while that went off fabulously.. Tractor's on a (hopefully temporary!) break for a bit.<br /><br />Last week at agility, he came out of a tunnel yelping - so needless to say, class was cut short. We felt around his leg, had him walk - and after we paid attention to it, he tensed up - and wasn't showing us where he was hurt. In fact, he kept trying to run and even took a jump, while we were standing around watching him.<br /><br />I took him home, iced it, gave him some anti-inflammatory and he did nothing but rest for the rest of the week. He seemed completely back to normal the next day, not a limp, nothing at all wrong.<br /><br />So, Saturday - was our event. He wasn't jumping great in Big Air - but he did AWESOME in his EV Demo for the crowd. He started at 6'4'' and jumped all the way to 7'! After the EV demo, was another big air wave, and Tractor and I were warming up behind the dock.. he was hopping around like a goofball, and all of the sudden he yelped and then wouldn't put weight on his rear right leg. I walked it off with him and he still was favoring it. Obviously his fun ended for the day, but even today I can see its a little more difficult for him to hop on the bed, because he is favoring it.<br /><br />By the time we left the event, his entire inner thigh was swollen and there is a small lump/knot in his muscle. We iced a little bit more today, another anti-inflammatory.. and he is moving a little better, but I'm still worried. Tomorrow afternoon he is going to be seen by a chiro - who will adjust him and take a look at his leg. After that, he'll be going to see my vet (if we can get in) - to see what she thinks it might be.<br /><br />I'm hoping its nothing serious, just a pulled muscle, because while that will stink because it means no training this week and no AKC trial this weekend - it will devastate both of us if its something that will prevent him from doing agility or dock diving for good.<br /><br />Anyway, keep your fingers crossed for him, please! Hope everyone is doing well!Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-22456904121765674152008-11-03T09:14:00.001-08:002008-11-03T09:25:34.832-08:00Air Tractor!Well, we are back from sunny (and HOT!) Phoenix, Arizona. We had a great weekend down at Cynosports. We got there Thursday afternoon and were entered in the last wave of the day. I knew Tractor was itching to jump - and he was hot, so I only practiced him once. We got up on the dock.. I set him up - and the energy he was letting off was really intense. Well, he came barrelling off the end of the dock and pulled off a 23'10'' jump!!! His personal best with Splash Dogs was 21'11'' before this weekend, so almost a whole TWO FEET better! I could not contain my excitement, so him and I went and ran amuck in the little field while we waited for his second turn.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkwiOQTCHSO_i1E-AZzZtu7qkmwcd7btNCBBtnikiXs7ofm8F6XB5-DqVhOOJE3bYcEk4QLqejBBzvqwYe8uXau_TPMCigH1J1kTcwuhEos4JYno_3sN_FFTD_ciLVJiy2B7FGVI6tKRr/s1600-h/resized_IMG_9397.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKkwiOQTCHSO_i1E-AZzZtu7qkmwcd7btNCBBtnikiXs7ofm8F6XB5-DqVhOOJE3bYcEk4QLqejBBzvqwYe8uXau_TPMCigH1J1kTcwuhEos4JYno_3sN_FFTD_ciLVJiy2B7FGVI6tKRr/s320/resized_IMG_9397.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264483102782427378" /></a><br />Next turn, he gets up there - held his sit/stay I might add - and pulled off a 23'11'' jump!!! I could NOT believe it.. so it wasn't just a fluke, he was really jumping that far! I couldn't believe it. He came in 1st in the Extreme division - and has a pretty blue ribbon to show for it. :-)<br /><br />The next day - he was entered in another wave - where he yet again, pulled off another 23'er! I couldn't believe it. (Video should be up on our youtube soon) Saturday was Super Vertical and one big air wave. He wasn't having a good day, at all.. because he fell out at 6'6'' for Super Vertical - and only jumped in the 19' range for Big Air. Sunday, same thing.. he did pull off a 21'er - but just wasn't into it. I know he had to have been exhausted.. four days of dock diving can wear a dog out!<br /><br />So.. the weekend was a HUGE success - and I couldn't be happier with his performance all weekend. We even got to watch some AMAZING agility Saturday night - so the trip was well worth it. <br /><br />This weekend is our Las Vegas Dock Dogs event, and it will be our final DD event of the season. He gets to do an EV demo - with another LVDD dog, Rex, so that will be exciting. After this weekend.. its ALL about agility. Next weekend is an AKC trial, and will be our first trial since June. I am VERY excited to see how he does - and I would LOVE to finish at least our Novice FAST title. (fingers crossed)<br /><br />Pictures will be up on our Phanfare, and videos on our youtube, within a few days.Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-25590284693807976802008-10-20T21:34:00.001-07:002008-10-20T21:38:27.808-07:00He's Itching To Jump....most definitely! Yesterday, was a LVDD practice and I only let him jump a few times, but I could see a HUGE difference in his big air. He could barely (and only did like once) hold his start line! I'm going to just do agility with him until we leave for Cynosports, that way when he sees the pool, he goes REALLY nuts for it. We are doing a few more big air waves than originally thought, because we are going to get there Thursday instead of Friday. He will do a few big air waves, but then will do Super Vertical while down there. We are really looking forward to hanging out with some of our club members down there and just enjoying some laid back dock time.<br /><br />This week, he just has his group class and one agility lesson, then next week, he'll have two private lessons and his group class (I think its our last week! :( ) .. then we'll head out to Arizona! After that.. the next weekend is our Las Vegas event, where he will do a few big air waves.. but also.. he gets to do an EV demo for the crowd! We are very excited, because my family has never got to see Tractor do EV at a competition, so it will be neat for them to see. :-)<br /><br />After that event, we are done dock diving for the winter - and will spend all of our energy (and money) on agility. I would love to get him out of Novice - but with this newfound love for the sport.. its going to be pretty difficult to reign him in.. but we'll try our best!!<br /><br />That's all for now! We might get some video of class tomorrow and if we do .. I'll post those!Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-20082923338237077412008-09-29T01:14:00.001-07:002008-09-29T01:21:27.831-07:00He's Obsessed.Yep.. he is officially NUTS about agility. We started our group class last week and our 2x per week private lessons. He is completely addicted to it and the excitement he shows during class, is almost intimidating.<br /><br />He is doing great in his group agility class, didn't seem to have an issue going from all private lessons to having to "share" his agility time. It's really beneficial for me to see other handlers and their dogs, so I can fix mistakes that I make.<br /><br />Right now, the next thing on the calendar is Nationals in Wisconsin. We are nonstop busy, so I am not even 100% sure if we are going to go.. especially since I really do not know if he'll jump... with the cold weather.<br /><br />However, we do have Splash Dogs Cynosports in Phoenix, AZ coming up the end of October, that not only Tractor will be attending, but also Kali! Yep, that's right, I took her to her first practice this last weekend and she had no issues going off the edge of the pool! (more on that later!) So the three of us will be making the road trip - and will also get to see Amy and family while we are down there!<br /><br />After that, we have our first LVDD event here in town.. its going to be great to be able to not have to travel so far to go to events! After that event in November, we'll hang up the dock jumping hat for the winter and do nothing but focus on agility! :-)Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4929899897771990513.post-18134481692853926832008-09-21T21:14:00.000-07:002008-09-21T21:20:53.179-07:00Fun Run!Today, Tractor and I went to a little mock trial our training facility (www.smartypaws.com) and made it just in time for a novice JWW course. Aside from our two classes last week, this was his first time back on an actual "course" in over two months. I am so glad Becky was able to come and video him, because if you go back and check out his videos from when he started earlier this year.. you can see how kind of "blah" he is about it. I mean, he likes it.. but he's just pretty ho-hum with it all.<br /><br />Not the case anymore.. this dog is so intense, so fast, so wild.. that I'm having a hard time controlling the energy! I really need to work on my handling, because I'm not having the time like I used to, to fix my mistakes, by the time I realize my arm isn't up, he's already taken two off courses and knocked a bar. I am NOT used to this!<br /><br />Here's the video from the event, like I said, go back and check out his old videos.. and see the difference in focus/intensity in him. He is NUTS for agility. I am so glad.. as we only have two DD events left for this season, then its nothing but agility for at least 4-6 months. I am determined to finish his AKC Novice titles by the first of the year. (cross your fingers for us! :-) )<br /><br />Here is a video Becky got of us, she also is coming to our Tuesday group class (we start this Tuesday!), so she'll get more videos then. :)<br /><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GlpCbQjQSBs&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GlpCbQjQSBs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Bitty Brotherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01624206340658965224noreply@blogger.com1