Tuesday, March 21, 2017

First Rally-FrEe Advanced leg

Scored 163, which was a bit higher than I was expecting. Obviously Cai hadn't fully learned the Back Thru x3 or the Turn Back Thru yet, but I went ahead with the run because I wanted to support the video event.


Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Agility match

Our first agility match in a long, long time! Chimera was SO happy to be running again! He was zooming! In fact, at one point he did a quick zoom around the ring because he was so happy to be running. I stopped and held my hand out, and he ran back to me with a strong nose touch. We then continued our practice.

My focus was on getting tight turns (which has always been a weak point for us), particularly by giving Cai plenty of heads up without pulling him off a jump. I saw progress but we'll need lots more repetition on this front. I also worked on setting clear lines and using an "open" shoulder to direct Cai to jumps at a distance. This went fairly well. Our rear crosses were worse than usual.

I skipped the weaves, dog walk, and a-frame. We did the teeter once and he did okay, though he stopped at the tipping point rather than going all the way to the end. We had managed that in training at one point, but this is another area that needs plenty of review.

I'd like to get back into classes at ACE but I'm moving to a new area in mid-April. On the bright side, I'll have a giant grassy pasture in which to practice with my mini-equipment, and one of my friends will be setting up a full-size ring later this year. So for the first time, I'll be able to practice outside of class!