AKC trial this weekend - Novice JWW

Saturday:
No Q due to an off course tunnel and an idiot handler who COULD NOT get a front cross in where it NEEDED to be. On the up side, his start line stay was rock solid, his attention on me was good and we were able to complete the course after restarting the weaves once. It's just information at this stage of the game and more of a learning curve for me than for him. AND tomorrow is another day and another opportunity. Wow, I love this game!

Sunday:
We didn't Q again today, due to an off course tunnel suck. HOWEVER, I was able to bring him back to the correct jump AND I got THREE front crosses in (something I've never been able to do with his speed)!!!!!!!

His weaves were a sight to behold; fast, solid and single tracked.

He was 17 seconds UNDER course time including the off course. Imagine what could have been without the off course!

OT: Another handler and I were talking about the aches and pains of agility in our mid-50's. She said she uses Tiger Balm on aching joints after a trial. Never heard of the stuff but decided to give it a whirl. I picked some up on my way home and applied it to very sore knees from being the chute tender for the Open class today. Wow! Incredible stuff! Within a minute the ache was gone. (And my sinuses were opened.) The aroma fades fairly quickly but it's still working and keeping me pain free four hours after application.

Nebraska Humane Society NADAC trial

Director Judy Varner and the entire crew of volunteers put on a great trial this past weekend. Skies were overcast (with a few sprinkles) and the temperature was in the mid 60's. The dogs were loving it! Our judge Don Cuda had courses that challenged the handlers to think and he was his usual delightful self.

I totally took leave of my senses and entered all 12 classes over the two day trial. It proved to be a good choice as Cash won 6 of his classes and completed his Novice Jumpers and Touch N Go titles. His start line stays and contacts were rock solid. We do have some work to do on "Out!" and his tunnel sucking reared its ugly head when asked to discriminate between the dog walk and that enticing tunnel. Oh well, it's just information. He had never seen a hoop before but there was one in the practice area we tried a couple of times before ring time. No problem at all for him, although he probably wants a better handler as I got lost on course in two classes and he saved my butt both times. I wonder when he learned to read numbers?

Tunnelers was the last class on Sunday and those fast BC's kept dropping the time for the round with each run. A fellow GoDogs member, Mike Battaglia's Jo was last to run and smoked the course with a 16.44. She was flying! All in all a great weekend with fun competitors.

I'm looking forward to next weekend when Cash and I will compete in the Jumpers with Weaves (JWW) class at the AKC trial put on by the Bellevue Dog Obedience Club at the same location. It will be Cash's first AKC trial and first step into the "big time."