Blog

  • Mutts Cantina

    Interesting concept, build a restaurant in the middle of a dog park.

    We did have a widely popular indoor dog park for a year. There are a lot of apartment/condones around.

    Dulce and I are visited without the vest. So far, nice though. Lots of rules, and I get the pit bull thing.

    Real table service, a bit slow, I think they only have one waiter.

    They have Baylor sharks in the parking lot.

    Sent from my Windows Phone

  • Another New Agility Site

    We went to another new place to do agility – Teacup again – but this time, indoors and climate controlled in Goldsby, Oklahoma, just south of Oklahoma City and Norman.

    It was easier on the beagle noses – fewer distractions and they do better in A/C, even though we train in heat and it doesn’t seem to bother them.

    Macy tried really hard, but made a few small mistakes each run. Unfortunately you have to be almost perfect in Superior. I think we left Dulce’s brain back at home – but she had off night at class too, so who knows.

    She was just down right silly.

    It was the longest drive we’ve made in a while but wasn’t bad until we were about an hour away from home. We were cruising along when all of a sudden traffic was at a standstill. Very slow through Denton, then picked up again until Lewisville. Not sure what was up with that, but Lewisville actually had a wreck.

    I’m planning to go back in July and more in the future.

  • Both Beagles Qed in Teacup Agility Yesterday

    Not reading the rules is not always a good idea, but thanks to a good trial secretary, I was taken care of and Macy ended up with a Q after all.

    Here’s the deal – Macy is considered a veteran in Teacup now, which allows her to compete at a lower jump height (good for me, since running two dogs in the same class is hard), and gives her extra time. However, it doesn’t affect her titles.

    So I was entering her in a trial next weekend and a sharp eyed trial secretary caught the fact she was a veteran. It didn’t dawn on me, and I’m probably in denial anyway.

    Then it dawned on me, that we probably needed that time to Q and I emailed yesterday’s trial secretary and asked her. Sure enough! Since everyone was still on site, we were able to recover that Q.

    So now Macy has 3 games towards a Teacup Game’s title, and needs 2 more.

  • Good Teacup Day

    Dulce just finished her Teacup Game 2 title, making her: Tesoros Sweet Tempation TG2 — she also has had some Qs in AKC (Correction – Dulce still needs a Q for TBAD)

    We got up early and drove to McGregor Texas, which is south of Waco. Object Familiarization was a good thing, as Dulce did her famous dash out of the ring when I took off her leash. Everyone else panicked, but I calmly called her, picked up some cookies on the way and called her to the truck and her crate (she’d made it outside the building and was sniffing near the truck). She ran away from anyone who wanted to catch her, which I predicted, but was happy to get in her truck. I put her cage in the building later, but she didn’t take off again.

    She was quite silly all morning but was better each run. I wasn’t even sure she had gotten the last Q, but I can never remember the rules and have to rely on the judge to tell me Q or not.

    It was quite warm and Macy made one or two mistakes each run – not good since we’re in the top level (Superior or Games 3).

    All in all a productive trip and we’re going to make a run up to Norman, OK next weekend if it is still there by then.

  • DenTex–May 12–Mother’s Day

    I almost had class beagle in Excellent Standard.  She did some fabulous distance work. 

    After that, we were all exhausted and couldn’t go a full course going in time.  It’s been a long time since we’ve done a trial and it showed.

    Especially poor Dulce as she has to take care of mom AND run agility.  She stopped two lows in one day – GOOD GIRL!

    However, she didn’t run out of the ring.  I won’t count that demon completely gone yet, but I am feeling good about it.

    Q ratio 0/0 but that’s okay

  • DexTex 5/11

    It’s been awhile but we went back in the ring today. I took a break because Dulce was having problems staying in the ring, Macy is still having health issues and I was busy with the robot kids. I’ve also been uncomfortable showing since we were suspended.

    Good news – I know now which people are friends who aren’t. I will admit to being surprised by a few. One person told me that I deserved the suspension because I was too loud in the ring. Gee, I didn’t know the AKC was using a decibel meter. Don’t like my runs, leave the room. I’ve gotten a Q not because the judge remember the run but because she remembered I was loud.

    We had fun but it wore me out. If I would have had to crate in the building, we wouldn’t had made it.

    By the way, the building we were in was great. Everyone I talked to remarked on how laid back it was. I also liked that it was easier to get to.

    SO, finally the news.

    Dulce finished two runs! She took some extra obstacle in JWW, so she didn’t Q, but she DID Q in Novice Standard. Had trouble at the start line starting, and had trouble with the weaves, but we got it.

    Macy got the send but was two points short of the Q. That was interesting, because she did the send differently than how the judge intended, but was legal according to the map, so he had to correct her score. I still wanted it in the record books. I think she is still having some issues with her stress fracture as she still isn’t running as well as I would like, but she had some good moments.

    I learned something I didn’t understand about the new weave rules and I am glad I asked – the dog can stop and eat something, sniff something during the weaves as long as they stay moving in the same motion. I thought you had to start over. Which I started Macy over when she stopped today and didn’t need to <pout> She did do good weaves the second time though.

    Q Rate: 1:5

  • Ended the year right

    For the first time in I don’t know how long, Macy ran both the Standard and JWW courses. She’s been refusing to run the second course, and we usually walk out of the ring. Today, she did both rings.

    We had a lovely judge in Novice Standard who let me work with Dulce. She ran out of the ring before the run but came back in and he allowed her to run, taking a couple of obstacles before going nuts again. We had two more opportunities before I had her go to the table and picked her up and walk her out.

    We can’t decide what is going on. Some people think she is having fun. There was a time she was looking for food but I think she is over that now. I think my friend Roberta was closer – that it has something to do with being stressed by being asked to do tasks away from me. However, she enjoys agility class. I think having a decent blood sugar today helped somewhat.

    We’ll try again next year (January).

  • We got send!

    Between the plastic bag outside the ring and my brain failure we most too many time faults for the Q

    Sent from my Windows Phone

  • We’re Back…

    Macy and I are competing together for the first time since we were suspended. Our first run was in JWW, and she had trouble getting her head out of the dirt, but ran fast. Had bobble in the weaves, wasn’t real sure I wanted her in the tunnel and then we disconnected in the pinwheel.

    FAST better but Macy got distracted by a piece of plastic outside the ring. She did get the Send, but I forgot my plan in the confusion. We lost too many points getting out of the ring.

    Standard was best, she got everything but didn’t get into the tunnel, I sent her, she went towards it but didn’t commit. Got everything else though.

    Dulce even got in a few obstacles before she left the ring. I’m not sure why she left this time. She wasn’t headed for the treats.

  • Why you don’t touch your dog in dog agility and how I got suspended from AKC.

    On August 10, 2012 Macy and I were competing in AKC Excellent Standard at Watt's Arena in Fort Worth.  The reason I mention where, is because this is a very crowded site, and people are very terroritial about their space.  We had already been treated very badly by some competitors and just weren't clicking together.

    Before and as we went into the ring, I was scratching her.  I was also scratching her as we waited our turn.  She had flipped over on her back and I was even scratching her tummy.  When the timer said to go, we went, but she was obviously still unhappy. 

    She missed jumped I reached down and scratched her again.  That made her happy and she started running much faster.  That was our downfall.  Of course, we were excused off the course by the judge and he wasn't very happy with me.  Neither were several of the exhibitors who were waiting their turn.  I wasn't sure why.  However, Macy was happy with me and that was all that counted.

    We went back upstairs after we celebrated and celebrated some more upstairs.  Then one of the club members came up and told me I couldn't leave, that a complaint had been lodged against me.  She didn't tell me how and why and at that point I assumed it was someone who was grumbling over crating space.

    This was about 10:30.

    At about 12:30, I was told a charge of conduct prejudicial to the sport of dogs was made against me in relation to my last run and the hearing would be held at 2:00 pm.  I was told I was allowed to gather witnesses.   At that point, most of the spectators and exhibitors had left that saw the run.  The ones that did, didn't see anything wrong and didn't feel like they could be witnesses.  At most, we all know I had touched my dog and the penalty was being excused from the ring.

    Well, I was actually accused of hitting my dog!  There were three different descriptions assigned to my action, from hitting to throwing.  They couldn't agree on whether or not she crashed the next jump but the all agreed she didn't act like I had hurt her. 

    I was suspended on the spot.  They had scheduled the hearing at a time that I couldn't run my second dog, and the suspension meant that I couldn't run the next day, nor could I even hold a dog for another exhibitor.  I think it even meant I couldn't bring my own dogs, and I'm not sure what that would mean for the Diabetes Alert Dog and I think I'll ask that once the dust dies down.

    It also meant that if I had any entries out and the closing date had passed, I lost those entry fees.  I had to email the trial secretaries and ask for my entries back. 

    The end result, once they got clarification from the club was that a public reprimand will be published in the October issue of the AKC Gazette and I had to pay $100 fine.  I can now enter AKC dog events again.

    Moral:  don't touch your dog.

    Oh, and I won't be entering trials at that particular site OR will be entering any event put on by that club.  Not sure about the judge.