Courses, Ashville, NC - 9/18/2009

So much to write about and so little time!

First, it's great to be back in this part of the country. The last time I was in NC was about 7 years ago and before that I was in Georgia about 5 years, so it's been way too long!

It's great to see old friends and to see how their dogs have progressed. There are several folks who when I last saw them, were in Novice. Now they're the experienced Excellent to beat. How time flies...

I also got to see a ton of the Dalmatian folks with their Dals, some of whom are relatives of my young spotted girl. Lots of good relations on this trip.

OK, on to the courses.

I started with Excellent Standard and from an observer's point of view, these guys did the course justice and I really liked how 'aggressive' several handlers went in the name of fast & efficient handling.

The strength out here is definitely pushing their dogs for speed and beautiful turns where the dog landed parallel to the jump, allowing for a solid acceleration.

The one place on course that got quite a few dogs was the triple jump. I noticed that the majority of handlers cued the triple and then immediately took-off for the teeter. This caused dogs to collect and/or check-in with their handler and earned knocked bars in this area.

Next came Excellent Jumpers.

First, I really liked this course. When laid out, it looked deceptively simple, and could easily be called a bunch of straight aways. However, that's exactly what proved to be the challenge on this course!

Overall, handlers managed all the way up through #13 without incident. However, #14 - #18 proved to be the difference between the 'big dogs' & the 'puppies'. In summary, if handlers weren't able to make it down to the landing side of #16, dogs were curling for the off course jump prior to #17.

Surprisingly, most handlers drove down to the end of the weave poles and after their dogs completed the weaves, did a front cross so they were on the left side of the row of jumps AND (this is the important part) right next to their dog. Handlers then found themselves in a foot race with their dog heading down the straight line of jumps and not surprising, the dog was passing their handler by jump #15 and was well ahead going over #16. This is where the off course jump presented itself as an option and many dogs took it.

The most successful approach to this sequence was executed by handlers whose dog had independent poles so that they could break away and do a front cross on the LANDING side of #14 so that they were well ahead of their dog in the straight line of jumps.

Last, but not least was Excellent FAST. I'm not sure what to say about this course. I like the send challenge, but am not sure they were ready for it here. This is a tougher challenge that I'd like to try somewhere in the heart of USDAA country and rather than with folks who are still getting used to the FAST game. However, I will say that handlers really tried to work this one out and gave it a ton of heart!

Well, I just got my phone call for dinner and I'm starving! I'm looking forward to 2 more days of agility play with everyone here.

Have a good night ya 'all.

Courses, Monroe Louisiana 6-27-2009

Today was day 3 of judging in Monroe, LA and I can't emphasize enough how much fun Dan and I have had.

I feel like a broken record, but the people here have been so friendly and an absolute joy to be around.

We had a chance to sample some local cuisine when a club member's husband made homemade jambalaya for lunch. It had just the right spice, a tone of sausage & chicken and was so incredible. Both Dan and I went back for seconds : )

Okay, onto the courses. I judged JWW and Dan judged Standard.

I LOVED my JWW course, solely because the dogs were running and they really looked like they were having a blast.

The tunnels, taken 3 times right in the beginning seemed to really rev up the dogs and they came blasting out of each tunnel so that by the time they started the jumps, they were as high as a kite!

The things that nabbed handlers were 1) the wrong side of the #4 tunnel, 2) the #12 jump which resulted in either a dropped bar or if handlers were doing a rear cross, they executed the crossing early and pulled the dog off the jump, or 3) the #16 jump where dogs bypassed the jump in their haste to get through the closing sequence.

In terms of my favorite parts of handling, I thought folks who were able to do a timely front cross between the #3 & 4 tunnels as well as a front cross between jumps #7 & 8 and #11 & 12 were able to direct their dogs very nicely through the course.

Unlike the last several days, folks who used extreme distance were also very successful maneuvering on this course. So basically, just about any handling type worked well - my favorite type of courses!

As for Standard, Dan said he really liked how the course ran, but that he had one hell of a judge's path that required a ton of mileage on his part. Apparently he had to hoof it around the course to get from place to place in order to do the judgely deed. After taking a quick look at it, there seemed to be some definite handling sections, but I'm confident these handlers were up for the challenge - after all, from what I've seen over the last few days, they really are terrific at this specific skill.

Oh, on a side note, we've picked a name for our new puppy. We've decided to keep the name his Grandma gave him, which is Zulu. Since Zulu is one of the crews who are a part of the Mardi Gras parade (more specifically, it is a group who paint their faces black with a white outline, just like the coloring of our little pup), we've decided his fancy AKC name will be "Keeva's Mardi Gras Adventure" with a call name of Zulu.

Zulu is such a wonderful puppy. He was hesitant yesterday when we took him back to stay with us, but as of this morning Zulu was very warm and welcoming toward us and he really seems to have figured out we adore him. As I type this note, he's sleeping between the two of us on the bed up by the pillows. Yeap, he's going to be spoiled, just like the rest of our pups.

Courses, Monroe, Louisiana June 25, 2009

This weekend Dan and I are judging in Monroe, Louisiana...in the middle of a heatwave. Luckily, we're indoor in a horse arena that has very lovely air conditioning and are missing the repressive 101+ degree weather outside, plus the incredible humidity.

When asked what I thought of the weather, I said "Two words come to mind, Holy Hell!" The reply "Darlin' there ain't nothin' Holy about it!" Gotta love the south! : )

The exhibitors and people we've come across have been absolutely lovely down here. After judging, we took some time to go back to the hotel and jump in the swimming pool. It was quite warm, like a hot tub, but still fun.

OK, onto the courses from today.

Today I judged Jumpers and my Excellent JWW course is attached. It was pretty to watch the dogs run this course and so I have to first thank everyone for doing such a great job and for making the course look like fun.

I was especially impressed with the weave pole entries. It's clear that folks in this area train them very, very well. A few other things I noticed is that the rear-cross is king here (very few front crosses were done) and they love their distance work!

My favorite sequence was from jump #4 to #5. I just loved how these dogs sliced the #4 jump and landed in such a way that they were able to dig in and take off for the next jump. (Note to self, this was another item folks down here have done a spectacular job training.)

A few surprises on the Jumpers course. First, from jump #7-8, quite a few dogs either headed or took the #13 tunnel. When designing this course, this obstacle was NOT considered one of the off-course options since it's a good 28' away from #7. Handlers who were behind their dog and had not yet gotten around the weave poles (either due to timing or utilizing extreme distance handling) as their dogs were clearing #7 were more likely to head for the off-course option. Those that were ahead of their dogs or closer to their dogs for their rear cross before #8 were less likely to have the dog head toward the tunnel.

Again, very few folks did front crosses and just 4 people out of 200 did a front cross for this sequence. Those that did a front cross did so between #6 & #7 and had terrific results.

#18

Second, the off course entrance for #13 also got quite a few dogs. Most handlers had their dogs on their left as they were doing the poles and opted to pull their dog toward the correct entrance with mixed results. About 7 people did a front cross after the poles to ensure their dog went to the correct entrance and all were successful.

In the closing sequence, only 2 dogs took the off-course dummy jump after #15. Continuing on, most handlers 'pulled' their dog over the #18 jump and several did a rear cross - both options generally worked very well. Those that rushed the #18 jump on their way to the triple risked having their dog completely bypass #18 and head directly to the last jump.

As for Excellent Standard, this was Dan's course and although it looks like a fun and fast course on paper, unfortunately I can't comment too much on it since I was in the other ring judging. One exhibitor said "That was a wicked a-frame to the dog walk, but it was fun!" I did see a few dogs running that sequence and I was very impressed with the rear handling from #9 and especially over #10. This seemed like a place where you had to be patient and maneuver the dog's path to set them up successfully. I think this is a skill that has long since been lost (or never had) in the Pacific Northwest - it's just different handling styles throughout the country.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's courses!

Courses, Gem City, Dayton, OH Sun, May 31, 2009

Attached is the Excellent & Open Standard course and Dan's Excellent JWW course.

We're sitting in a restaurant waiting for our first flight back home, so I'll try to get a few words of wisdom from Dan on his Exc JWW course.

As for my Exc Standard, I really liked the flow of this course.  There were a few unexpected surprises that caught handlers by surprise.  Specifically, handlers didn't support jump #11 and jump #17 which incurred refusals for several dogs.

As for Open Standard, I felt like this was one of the nicest courses I've designed for this level.

In Open, courses will either more closely resemble Excellent or Novice in terms of the degree of handling & challenges. I liked this one because it more closely resembled Novice and while it had the appropriate amount of side-switches and challenges, it was a straight forward course, just like Novice generally is.

Okay, I asked Dan for words of wisdom about his Excellent JWW course and he stared at me with a blank look. He's tired/jet lagged from the weekend so I'm going to go with thoughts aren't going to happen right now. That often happens with judging...you give so much at the trial that afterward you're just beat.

Wait, Dan just mentioned that on jump #5, dogs were by-passing due to handlers not working that specific jump or just taking it for granted. He mentioned that Yvonne Mancino with Flare, the Dobe, was the only person who handled this sequence on the inside and that it worked really nice for her. Dan also mentioned this is how he thought most folks would have handled this section.

I did see Yvonne's run and it was BEAUTIFUL!

Courses - Gem City, Dayton, OH

It's been awhile since I've posted and I have so much to share! It's been a very busy time and lots of fun & positive things have been happening.

First, let me share today's courses from our judging assignment in Dayton, OH. I say 'our' because my husband Dan is along and co-judging, which is a TON of fun! The club has been spectacular and has been feeding us very well. Last night we had fall-off-the-bone BBQ pork ribs and tonight we had German Food - one of my personal favorites.

Ah, but back to the courses. 

First is Open Standard. I liked this course because it kept the challenge and flow from Excellent Standard, but was 'dummied' down to fit this level without being a 'gimme' course.

Next is Excellent Standard. After #3, the off course tunnel sucked a couple of dogs. Also, the #18 off-course tire was alluring as well.

My favorite part of this course was #8-#11. The flow was very nice and the dogs made this sequence look like fun.

Below are Dan's Excellent & Open JWW courses as well as his Excellent FAST courses. Since I was judging I wasn't able to see how the dogs did, but I'll see if I can get some feed back from him. 

Agility Judging & Who Our Customers Are

As an AKC Agility Judge, I have the pleasure of traveling around the country and judging dogs of all shapes and sizes. Since I've been doing this for a decade now, I took a moment to share some of my thoughts on the AKC Judge's List. Here they are:
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Over the last several years, I've heard and seen quite a few "stories" from judges that made me proud to be a part of this group. I've also heard a few that had me shaking my head in disbelief too.

I know I'm from the old school where I see judging as a profession while others see judging as a hobby - that's okay. I think that we can all agree that the impact we have on a trial can either ease or add to the stress of those volunteers/clubs putting on the show. With that said, I would like to encourage all of us to take a moment to remember who our customers are (the one's who pay our fees, expenses & compensate us for our time) and that would be not only the exhibitors, but also the Club.

One example is that like it or not, we find ourselves in the role of helping Clubs keep costs down. Some of the things we can do is:

• Make our air reservations in a timely fashion. Presenting the club with a $1,200 airfare bill for a flight within the US is generally over the top (even for today's standards).
• Be realistic on rental cars. Sure you may drive a $45,000+ vehicle at home, but you can find reasonable cars/prices without having to revert to a Geo Metro. Folks, a $500 car rental bill for a 3 or 4-day show is excessive (unless it's Hawaii or Alaska which can reach the $175 a day range).

Also, Club members/volunteers are not our servants. Sure, they kindly help us out to keep the show going and most of us are very appreciative of the little things (like when they have lunch at our table at a specific time, get snacks we like, etc.), however, unless it's specifically written in your contract, all "extras" are above and beyond the call of duty. If your lunch or soda doesn't show up at exactly the time you specified or if your empty hotel-provided papercup ends up in the garbage by 2:00 p.m. - don't yell at those kind folks around you. Also, those putting on events are not our chauffers, laundry maidens, tourist guides or other service providers like we might expect on a personal vacation. Again, if they provide these items to you and it's not in your contract, it's an EXTRA, not a right. Lot's of people/clubs, love to do this and I've had some of the best times/experiences thanks to them. Rather, I'm talking about the expectation that this type of item be provided when the Club/volunteer hadn't planned on it or worse yet, volunteer it.

I truly believe the vast majority of us are reading this and thinking "Dah!" but I did want to throw it out there as a reminder.