Fitness for Agility

SUMMARY: How we're all doing, and preparing for the UKI judging weekend.

I'm gone this weekend to the UKI trial in Turlock. Judging on Sunday (but I also get to run my dogs on a couple of my courses to try them out--Laura says that the judges in England do that all the time).

Competing a little on Saturday mainly to support the club and my fellow Bay Teamer Dustin who is also a newish judge. So I'll "judge" him while he runs his dogs on his courses and he'll return the favor on Sunday. (We can't compete on our own courses, but even Not For Competition runs must have a judge on the field.)

Wednesday on the Stairs From Heck (some days they feel much worse and are obviously From Hell), the second time up I did them in close to 3 minutes, give or take a few seconds. I think I did them more slowly than the first time up. Wish I'd timed them the first week I was doing them to see whether there's been an improvement. Off to do my Friday attack shortly.

Last night in class, Boost could NOT get a weave pole entrance approaching with the slightest turn to the left--ALWAYS skipped the first pole. Jeeeeeezzzzz! Before class, I was just doing a little warm-up and she couldn't get it, so I softened the angle, softened, softened, softened--and as soon as it was straight on, fine, but one step to my left and she skipped the first pole again. This flashes me back to wayyyy back when i first couldn't figure out why so often she couldn't make her weave entries and other times she got even really hard ones--and realized in another flash of insight that it was always the approach to the left. The approach that's supposed to be easier because the dog can wrap around the first pole. Nope, couldn't do it in practice, couldn't do that entry in class, either.

Back to square 2 again.

Tika looked fine, eager to go. She sure does loaf around the house more these days--although, must say, when the leash comes out for a W-A-L-K, she still catches some air leaping straight up in the hallway for joy.

This weekend I'm hoping we'll be done by, maybe, noon both days. Wouldn't that be a treat! And looking forward to the experience of judging. Have to remember some differences from other venues:

• In Gamblers, teeters are 3 pts, Aframes are 4 pts, and only the dogwalk and 12 weaves are 5.
• In Snooker, there can be 4 reds but dogs may *attempt* only 3 of them.
• No up contacts judged.
• In Gamblers and Snooker, you MUST stop the clock or you lose all your points!
• In Gamblers, whether there is a "no loitering" rule is at the judge's discretion!

Hope you all have a lovely weekend.