In mid-October we did our 5th fun match.
We arrived early in the morning to the barn.
The wind was in full force and carried with it strong chill.
A blurry shot of our camp for the day (oh hi Miles).
As usual, I sat close to the front so I could enjoy watching others run.
Miles did his job of focusing on me.
Miles’ desire for it finally to be our turn to run is so strong! He looks at me with begging eyes: “Can we please go now? This is so unfair! Isn’t it our turn yet?” Note that I don’t normally let him go to the barrier, especially not to touch it. I caught him doing this during course-building while I was distracted setting up someone’s video camera. Unfortunately, the barn was too dark to capture any clear pictures of us running:
This fun Match was devoted to
- Gamblers: For a timed period, you direct your dog to as many obstacles as you can, each for points. The judge gets to pick certain obstacles to be worth more points. While spontaneity isn’t a bad thing in a gamble (you will still get points from a crazy run!) it helps to start with a plan, so in the opening you can rack up as many points as possible. After the opening time is up, you do the actual gamble, which is a short course that you must direct your dog to do from a distance.
- Snooker: In the opening, your dog must clear 3 red jumps, with a regular obstacle after each one. So basically, you must do 3 sets of red-jump/obstacle. If your dog touches an extra obstacle in between red jumps, you are disqualified. After completing 3-4 sets like this, you then do a numbered finish sequence. Oh, and to make this game even harder, some of the “obstacles” are actually sets of 2-3 obstacles: like 1A, 1B, 1C that you must complete in order and in entirety. A lot of us newbies find Snooker intimidating.
- Jumpers: A numbered course consisting of jumps and tunnels. Score is determined by time and faults.
{ Miles }
{ Kohl }
{ Jackson }
{ Cappuccino }
A few of us let our dogs run and play after such a long day of games.
Farewell countryside, until the next time…
This was our 5th fun match (see all funmatch posts or our first trial post) and it was our best agility day yet. Our jumpers times were some of the fastest, closely following the fastest border collies. Our instructor Nicole was so proud of us, she gave Miles a bag of turkey guts for his celebratory treat. He chowed down on the way home, and then immediately fell into a deep victory sleep, complete with sighs of contentment and.. poots.
The outcome? We placed 1st + Q’d FOUR times! Miles was on fire!!! We got to take home a new backpack and a stainless steel water bucket as prizes. Best of all, my instructor Nicole was there and was able to watch us. She said we are noticeably improving a lot at each match that we go to. That was the happiest part of my day. I am grateful for fun matches. My first trial was so nerve-wracking, that it was inspiring to be able to follow it up with a fun match. It is a good reminder for me for our next trial: I should relax and enjoy it.
wow that is so great!
Congratulations to you and Miles.
Bende
Hooray Miles!!!! He looks pleased!!!
Jumping up and down and cheering! Dylan is proud of you! Me too!
Thank you Bende, Danielle, and Peg! Hugs to all of you for your support 🙂
Peg, how did things in Camrose go? I bet Dylan ROCKED our good luck dust right off the "stage" and kicked butt. When's Reggie's CKC match?
Congratulations! So impressed with Miles' self-control in such a stimulating environment, you guys rock.
Thank you Cassie!! That means a lot to me!