We qualified for the standard run with a 90 and finished 2nd.  I was amazed.  I thought for sure we didn’t qualify.  On the jumpers run, I thought we did a lot better – although I had the same issue on the weaves. I was really pleased with our finish.  However – we didn’t qualify becasue of a knocked bar on the 2nd jump.

I debated a lot over that lead out.  I could have handled it from the inside and it would have left me on the outside of course onside the weaves.  That’s fine, but I’d have to run all the way around the wide side for the next several jumps.  So instead, I decided to lead out on the first two jumps and do a front cross onto the 3rd jump.  That plan seemed great – until I pulled off the front cross early and she didn’t take the 2nd jump.  It was all jumbo from there.  I expected that she’d take the rest of the jumps that we missed no problem.  I’m not sure what happened later in the run.

Anyway – here are both runs.  Overall a mess – I was really disappointed in my handling.  Great learning experience.  I think the second run was an improvement over the first even though we didn’t Q.  I got to practice and experience moving past a bad first run and starting over fresh.

This is the Novice Standard Run.  We qualified with a 90 and placed second.

This is the Novice Jumpers with Weaves Run.  We didn’t qualify because of the knocked bar on the 2nd jump.

Here are our first 2 runs ever.  I’m really surprised how much leeway is given in Novice.  You can make mistakes and still qualify.  I thought for sure we had blown it in each of these runs, but it turns out we took first and scored 95 in each.  That’s just crazy.

Anyway here you go.  Please feel free to pull it apart.    Suggestions and laughter are welcome!

This is the Novice Standard run.

This is the Novice Jumpers with Weaves run.

Last week, Susan wrote on her blog about C=Continually, R= Rewarding, A=Ambiguous, P=Performances.  Since this was our first trial, there’s not a whole lot of “continually” going on, but that’s not the point.

I remember a couple months ago Susan wrote about a student of hers that sent her a video of a 1st place showing at a trial.  The student was so proud of the victory…AND Susan was there the burst the bubble.  Now personally, I believe that bubble bursting is great.  It’s messy and gross and ugly sometimes, and it’s where you find all the good stuff that makes you extraordinary.  Otherwise, we’d all just keep doing the same stuff over and over, and never care to look at why or how or what else is possible.  Also, bubble bursting isn’t always popular.  So it takes a certain love and commitment to burst someone’s bubble. 

What I got from what Susan said, that I carried with me this weekend, was it didn’t matter that she won.  It mattered what really happened on the course.  Did the dog hit her contacts?  Did she handle the way we’ve been practicing?  Did I settle on my criteria??

This weekend, in 4 runs, Lilli took 3 Q’s, 2 Firsts and 1 Second.  AND, more than anything, I saw how much work I have to do.  It’s not like I have to do the work, but I’m up to Lilli being a MACH dog and getting her Novice STD and JWW titles in 2 weekends.  I have 2 legs of STD and 1 leg of JWW.  One more weekend to go.

In another post, I’ll write about the stuff I learned this weekend specifically.  This post is about crap. Crap because we’ve been practicing for a year straight now, and I still missed simple obstacles with handling errors.  Crap because she’ll run 12 poles in practice no problem but had issue with all four of the 6-pole sets this weekend – and they were easy entries.  CRAP because we’ve been working contacts intensely – 2o2o w/nose touch – and she ran off 50% of obstacles this weekend without a stop.  On all the others, I had her stop extra long and give multiple nose touches.  I give myself a little pat for that. 

We Q’d.  For most, that’s a reason to celebrate.  For me – it’s crap.  It matters that I hold her for those nose touches.  I don’t care about the time so much.  I want her to stop – expect her to stop.  I want to see it each time without fail. I want to win, beat everyone else by a mile and look fantastic doing it.  I’m competitive.  Lilli is a very talented dog.  And I want it now!

So that’s the big lesson for me.  Perfection doesn’t just show up.  There’s a difference between a) running a course on run-through nights when you can go back and work a problem area again until you nail it and b) walking out onto a fresh course (novice or not) and having a clean, fast run.  There is a gap there.  And I’ve got work to do to close it.

Like a good student, all runs are recorded.  So we”ll review them over and over (and share them here on the blog so you all can see us) – like Tiger does, like Jordan did – maybe he still does…  These past 2 weekends, we got lots of awards and acknowledgment.  Ribbons, medals and even bidding to have litters with our dog. At the end of the day, I realized how far off I am from where I thought I was.

So back to work for us.  I’m generally not a “final thought” person.  This time though, I’ll end with something like that.  None of what we did this weekend in that trial had anything to do with Lilli’s anything.  She knows her stuff just fine.  It was all me – my nerves, changes from my usual body posture, my speed, energy, everything.  Jason said it earlier today and I think he’s right; Getting that it’s all me, that’s where being extraordinary comes from – that’s how I get to the next level, and the next.

So here are a few things that I learned this weekend – first hand experience with agility trials.

10. 6 month cut off – Only a couple people mentioned it to us…(and none of them mattered because they weren’t the judge) but no dogs under 6 months old are allowed.  Leilani was there – she just turned 10 weeks, so just a little under 6 months…

9.  Lots of leeway in Novice - Man, there is a lot of leeway in Novice.  You can jump over the wrong jump, go through the wrong end of the tunnel, then reset and go back on course and it’s only a 5 point fault!  Don’t know who did that this weekend…

8.  Meeting before the start - Not really shocking, but cool to know.  The judge meets with the handlers before each run and goes over the rules and answers any questions. 

7.  Don’t line up too early - Several people this weekend that we were chatting with shared that we shouldn’t line up for our run too early.  There is a lot of tension in the starting area, barking and people riling up their dogs in preparation.  Wait until you see your buddy set up (see Pick a Buddy below) and then head into line about 5 minutes before your run.

6.  Pick a buddy - We ran next to the same dogs/handlers both days this weekend.  So while I was waiting to run, we chatted and I said that I’d keep an eye out for her when she went up to line up that way I knew I was coming up soon.  We ended up chatting all weekend and “being buddies” the next day too.  Turns out we were also competing for 1st and 2nd spots all weekend too. 

5.  Take Videos - If you have a friend or partner with you, ask them to video each of your runs.  It’s amazing to look back at what “actually happened” versus “what I think happened” in each run.  I can go back slowly and over and over and see exactly what happened in each problem area.  We use the Flip Mino Series Camcorder as an inexpensive and really portable option.

4.  85 is Q – You need 85 points to Qualify in AKC Novice.  This article is really simply written and explains the differences between AKC and USDAA points and qualifications.  I definitely need to read it a few more times!

3.  Weaves are freebies – This detail is covered in the above article but it’s a super cool point to know so it deserves its own number in the countdown.  You don’t get marked off for missing or messing up on your weave attempts.  As long as you complete them, there is no penalty.  You just lose time from having to do them over and over, and over…(wonder who had to do that this weekend…)

2.  Don’t stick both stickers…- When you check in to a 2 day trial, or a 3 or 4 day trial for that matter, each day that you’re registered for runs, you get a sticker to put on with your number on it.  Don’t stick all the stickers to yourself the same day.  I know that sounds funny, but really.  I saw 2 stickers and put one on my hat and one on my pants thinking that – Wow I just got an extra one… – yah, no.  Thankfully I could just wear the same hat on Sunday!

1.  Knocked Bars are auto NQ – On our last run, the Novice JWW, we knocked the second jump bar.  Someone came and told us that knocking a bar was an automatic no qualify.  I had no idea.  I also didn’t find this on the above article, but a couple blogs referenced this rule.  If anyone has something more “official” or any more detail on this, please post it in the comments, I’d love to read it!  I chose this one as the #1 thing to know this weekend since it was the only reason I didn’t get 2 double Q’s this weekend and run the tables – even though it was C.R.A.P.

If anyone has any more cool rules or tips the newbies could use, please share!  I’ll read over them and make a new list of the best tips.  Lilli and I had a blast this weekend – Jason mostly avoided being bored out of his mind.    I look forward to our next trial in a few weeks.  Hopefully we’ll be a little more seasoned and prepared by then…