Monthly Archives: August 2011

Vetchecks

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Dylan has passed his vet check, so his jumping problem is almost entirely a psychological one. He has some tightness in his back but nothing major, and is probably just from a hard summer of competition. His ground movement is good – as it always has been – and his eyesight is fine.

I say almost entirely, because Dylan is getting anxious and tense, and that means he is tightening his muscles. By locking already sore* muscles he becomes less flexible and less comfortable when jumping.

This summer has been a tough one, and Dylan has had more stressful experiences than any dog should have had. We have a very small UKA show this weekend, and I am hoping that the quiet venue will help him relax. I can also train in the ring, so that should help as well.

*“Sore” is overstating, really. Tight is a better word but I feel like I’m repeating myself.

Cannon Hall

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Portrait Fail #2Trip to Cannon Hall was in order. I wanted to go in the Maize Maze, because I’m actually 8, but we didn’t have time.

Also, my dogs hate me.

Well, maybe not. But looking at their group portrait shots, you would think so. Kim is thinking how she can maybe kill me in my sleep, Dylan is thinking bad thoughts that probably amount to “I’ll maybe hide one of my toys, that will show you” and Mollie … well, Mollie’s probably not plotting my downfall, and is actually planning to decapitate all the flowers in front of her with misplaced enthusiasm when released from her wait. Mollie’s was the only successful plan.

Too EasyGirls were very tired after playing frisbee all across the estate, and Dyl was tired because it’s exhausting being stressed. Actually, Dylan did really well. We did some basic BAT retreats from a stressed Westie who was defending his 50ft space bubble, which relaxed him enough to be able to walk past later (no option to go another way, unfortunately), and then greeted some well-mannered Labradors politely and briefly. One minor meltdown which resulted in some barking and major retreating when a Golden Retreiver with a flexi-lead attached came flying down the gravel path, being chased by two young boys, but to be honest I wasn’t awfully relaxed about that one either! Positive reactions to the two small terriers we met later anyway, by ignoring and circling away.

Training: Jumping Woes

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Dogwalk was variable. Check box on independent, because it always has been, and I really did push this to extremes this week running all over the place and in every direction. But independent doesn’t mean it’s the same speed every time. Sometimes it is fast, sometimes it is slow, and this does not seem to depend on where I am, but on the approach. If Dyl has taken a jump and only has 1/2 strides before the dogwalk, he is slower. More strides = faster.

Which leads me to jumping, sadly. Early take off almost all the time now, and the jumping just looks uncomfortable. Stride regulators correct early take off but don’t improve the way Dylan is jumping (it still looks awkward) which is part of what makes me think this is a physical issue.

It is probably worth mentioning that although I have obsessed forever about Dylan’s jumping, this is not his “usual” over-cautious jumping. Really quite worried now. Vet check booked for next week (couldn’t fit him in before).

British Flyball Championships 2011

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Summer days. Love the Champs. I don’t care that they’re not whichever competition you* think is better. I appreciate these Championships for what they are, which is a fun, competitive, and noisy tournament full with teams from every corner of the British Isles. Also, nowhere else would you get 200 people willingly dressing up in all kinds of bizarre costumes and dancing like idiots all evening, from tiny babies to 80-yr-olds. Agility just doesn’t have that kind of willingness to let go.

Kim was running in Hawk Owlers on Friday, seeded bottom of Division 31 and eventually coming 2nd. Sad that we didn’t win, but it was a good effort and Kim ran her socks off. She was tired by the last race of the day, due to the ground and the fact she was height dog and so had run every single leg, but she tried her heart out like she always does.

Pose - Barking Owlers, Div 26 Winners Dylan and Mollie were on the same team on Saturday, in Division 26. The team ran amazingly, very tough racing and coming back from 2-legs down on a couple of occasions. So proud of all of them for coming 1st, I can’t think of a bunch of dogs who deserve it more. Mollie is 12, Buffy is 10, Dylan has worked through many issues, Bailey is ever-reliable and ever-speedy and we would be lost without her, Biba has come from running into things to actually running up and down, and Ronnie has embraced his new team without batting an eyelash.

From my own perspective, this is Dylan’s first Divisional win at the Championships. He always tries and he doesn’t always get the credit for that, but he also has to overcome a lot of anxiety to flyball, so I’m very proud of him for this.

Mollie has won every time she has competed, in 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011. She will be 13 yrs old for 2012 so we don’t know if she’ll be back to defend her title, but we’ve been saying that every year since we started. Either way, she’s amazing.

Crazy JetlyGhost Owlers, our top team, ran in Division 9 on Sunday and came away with a 2nd. Proud of them as well, and really looking forward to where this team goes in the next year, especially with a handful of new dogs waiting in the wings.

Looking forward to next year already.

*Non specific “you”. Seemed to hear lots of generic grumping on this topic this year, which I just thought was a shame.