2011 in a Nutshell

Here it is, almost the winter solstice -- another year flown by. A pretty good year too, in terms of agility anyway.

Firstly (drumroll, please!): Moxie got his PDCH (USDAA Performance championship, used to be called APD) in June. The trial was held at Nunes Agility Field in Turlock.

He'd been finished with everything but his Performance Versatility Pairs Tournament leg since February, but we had to fight for that last one. PVP consists of 5 classes, combining the scores of the 2 dogs that make up the pair. It's a full day's competition, and only offered a few times a year in each region -- maybe 4 times w/in a reasonable drive from Oakland. We tried for it in March and didn't get it; the NAF trial was our next opportunity. Our partners were Patti Poindexter and her BC Gus. They were rock-solid all day, and after a rough start Mox and I settled down too. We not only got the elusive PVP Q and Moxie's title, our little team finished 3rd overall, and won a medal!

With his PDCH under his belt, I decided to move Moxie from Performance to the Championship division. This meant he would jump 22" instead of 16", there would be spread jumps, and the A-frame would be higher -- none of which presented a problem. He would also have to start over in the "babydog" ring and work his way back up to Masters level. (You move laterally from Champs to Perf at whatever level you're in at the time of the move; I guess the reasoning is that since Perf is less demanding, the dogs need to prove themselves at the lower levels.) Not a problem either, except for the additional time and expense. I weighed my options and decided that since he was just turning 6 this fall, if I wanted to run him with the "big boys" for awhile, this was the time to do it.

He got his Starters title in August and his Advanced title at the BayTeam trial 12/11, and will run in Masters classes at least until he gets his MAD title (3 Masters Standards, 1 each in Gamblers, Jumpers, Pairs Relay and Snooker; no Super Q required). After that, I may move him back to Performance. Or, I may not!

Secondly (another drumroll, please!): Miko got his CT-ATCH at the FunPaws trial in October. He actually got the last leg he needed at BayTeam back in July, but I hadn't told anybody beforehand. It was going to come down to the last class of the last day, and I wanted there to be lots of people on hand to cheer for my handsome boy. It took him a long time to get that title because he enters so few classes. His Q rate is well above 90%... In USDAA he got his Performance MAD in September. I don't intend to try for a PDCH with him -- Super Q's would be difficult, to say the least. But that's okay. He can go for titles in jumpers and standard. And since he'll be 8 next year I can run him as a veteran at 16" if I want -- though I must say he bounces over the 22" jumps almost as if they weren't there.

Thirdly: 2011 was the year I discovered ASCA trials, and they are now my favorite venue. The courses are like "old NADAC," I'm told -- open and flowing, but with enough kinks and jinks to keep your attention. Several of my Aussie-owning agility friends have been insisting for several years that Mox is actually an Aussie, and I should get him registered with ASCA. I resisted for awhile, but finally had my friend Susan Bender take the required side and head-on photos, which I sent off to ASCA. And yep, they think he's an Aussie and sent me a piece of paper that says so! Fact is, he does look a lot like the "working" or "stock-dog" Aussies -- google stock-dog Aussie and you get lots of pix of my dog! I still think he's part Border Collie, but I've pretty much shut up about it.




Both dogs love ASCA. Fast Moxie can stretch out and run, and careful Miko can relax and gallop along without me constantly in his face telling him to turn this way or that.

Of the 4 ASCA trials we went to this year, Mox was High In Trial dog at 3 of them! PASA, the local club, gives Silver Buckle awards (tooled leather collar with a fancy silver badge/plaque thing) for highest points accumulated over their 4 shows. Mox got one of them. It's so heavy he could never wear it -- think prizefighter's championship belt! -- but it's really pretty.

End of report.

Here's an ASCA gambler's run

And here's a USDAA Performance Speed Jumping run in which i prove that an old broad can still bounce!

How time flies...

... when you're havin' fun. It's been over a year since my last post. More like a year and a half. In that time, Moxie finished his C-ATCH, at Bay Team in early November, '09. He earned the equivalent of his C-ATCH 2 in May 2010 ... but we are going for C-ATE points, so no actual new pole and ribbon. We have largely transitioned over to USDAA, which is considerably more of a challenge.

Because of his slightly funky conformation, and a history of injuries early on, I have opted to run Moxie in the Performance division in USDAA, where he only has to jump 16". His Championship division jump height would be 22", and while he doesn't seem stressed at that height, I'm afraid that long-term it wouldn't be good for him. He is now closing in on his Performance championship title, which used to be called APD, but which by the time he gets it will be PADCH.

I haven't abandoned CPE altogether. Miko is only a few Q's away from his C-ATCH. He also does a little USDAA and has graduated from the starters/advanced classes to the Masters ring. Thank goodness -- no more ring conflicts! And especially, no more having to learn 2 separate sets of courses.

Here's a YouTube link.

More catch-up, more video

I've fallen behind again! Since Bay Team Santa Rosa in March, we've been to WAG twice (Fun Paws and Haute Dawgs CPE trials), and Dixon once for another foray into USDAA. Last weekend we came full circle, with another Bay Team CPE trial, this time in Palo Alto.

Last things first. In Palo Alto, Moxie finally, FINALLY, got his last Level 4 Snooker leg! After who knows how many tries (I think at one point we were 0 for 9!) This finishes his Level 4 title at long last. He also got his final Level 5 Jackpot (with a gi-normous 67 point score) and Wildcard. This leaves him needing 5 L5 Snookers, 5 L5 Standards, and 2 L5 Colors ... a grand total of just 12 legs for his C-ATCH title. I can taste it :-P

Miko has almost completed the re-do of his L3 classes, necessitated by my switching him from the Regular to Enthusiast category. I had assumed that they would combine legs toward his title, but they don't, so we had to repeat about 50% of his classes he'd already qualified in. He's been marching steadily along in his unspectacular way since last fall, and now needs only 1 Standard leg to get back to Go.

Here's a link to video of a couple of Moxie's Snooker runs -- one (Fun Paws) godawful, one (Bay Team) pretty good.

Our second USDAA trial, in April, was pretty successful. Mox ran in Performance Level 1 (for babydogs) -- needed 1 Standard to move up, and got it; 1 Gambler (Jackpot) to move up and got it; needed 2 Jumpers and got 1, 3 Snookers and got 2. We entered the pairs relay with Tammy Damon and her Aussie, Simon Says. Neither dog was at his best and we NQ'd ... but we're trying again in Prudedale this weekend. Tammy and her partner, Elena, are also Ace students.

I still haven't made up my mind whether to switch to USDAA as my primary venue after Moxie gets his C-ATCH. CPE is much more casual and laid back. Also, Miko doesn't have the drive to do well in USDAA, so it would be pointless to enter him. Not that he'd care one way or the other. As long as he gets to go tracking, he's happy!

Finally, some video!

But unfortunately, blogspot isn't allowing even the low-res ones to upload. They're on my Facebook page, so friend me if you want to see them!

Or, see low-res versions here.

Catch-up

Moxie at VAST CPE trial, Turlock CA 3/7-8

Mox and Miko have been to several trial since I last posted anything here.  I've been sucked into the Facebook morass, and am trying to figure out if I want to keep this blog going or not.  Meanwhile, here's what's been happening:

The Haute Dawgs CPE trial at WAG, 1/17-18, was another teeter-free trial for Mox.  He Q'd in L4 Colors and Fullhouse, and got 2 more L5 Jumpers legs -- he only needs one more! Yet again I managed to blow our Snooker run :-(.  It's all in my mind, I know ... but it's really stuck there, but good!  You Suck At Snooker With This Dog!  Emphasis on "with this dog," since Miko Q's regularly in Snooker.  He's slower and less impetuous, and perhaps more forgiving of certain types of handler errors :-)  Meex also got his final L3 and first L4 Jackpot Q's, going 4/4 again.

Oh, and I won a very cool prize in the workers' raffle: a $50 gift certificate toward my entries at my next Haute Dawgs trial (in May, I believe).

WAG CPE, 1/31-2/1: Moxie's return to Standard runs and the dreaded teeter obstacle.  Huzzah! Huzzah! He had 4 teeter "opportunities," and all went pretty well.  Twice he kind of shied away on the approach, but when I called him he scampered on up the board and rode it down without excessive crouching. He looked a little uncertain, but not scared. The other 2 times he didn't hesitate at all.  Those Standard Qs finished his L4-R category title.  He also got his last L4 Jackpot Q, plus L5 Qs in Fullhouse and Wildcard. 

Miko entered only 2 classes.  He Q'd in Moxie's nemesis, Snooker, which finished off his L3-S category title.  (Snooker and Jackpot go together in the Strategy category.)

VAST CPE, Turlock, 3/7-8: Finally, Mox and I get a Snooker!!!  Whoopeee! Will wonders never cease??!!  He was 6 for 8 on the weekend, and got his last L5 Jumpers leg, with the fastest time out of 90+ dogs in the class!  That was one of the best runs we've ever had -- I wasn't late a single time with my commands, and consequently I was able to get really tight turns and cut corners to shave off fractions of seconds.  It felt good!!

What didn't feel so good was my butt when I slipped on frosty grass in Sunday's L5 Standard, and sat down, hard.  That of course resulted in an NQ, but I was pleased that throughout the weekend the teeter was simply a non-issue.  I found myself able to begin to relax, and actually send him to it instead of feeling like i had to babysit the approach.  

Miko was 1 for 2, with a win in L4 Colors. The high point of his weekend was the horses in the paddock next to the dogs' exercise area.  He didn't seem to want to chase them, exactly, but he was definitely interested.  There was a big handsome quarter horse that at one point was galloping around, kicking up its heels.  Meex ran along the fenceline beside it, not barking, just keeping an eye on it.  I have no idea what he would have done if he'd found a gap in the fence.

Mini-post: Teeter success!

It appears that Moxie's teeter fears are behind him.  He's performed flawlessly in practice and in class, not to mention here at home, with the board at full height.  Elsa went to Shamrock with me last weekend while her car was getting an oil change, and took some videos.  I've got them on my computer but haven't had a spare second to edit them and put them online.

We're off to Elk Grove in a couple of hours for the HauteDawgz CPE trial.  Both dogs will be running; with luck Miko can finish his Level 3 title.  He needs 2 Snooker legs and 1 Jackpot; like I say, "with luck"!  With equal luck Mox can finish his L4 Jackpot and L4 Fullhouse categories.  Nothing he's entered in should require a teeter.  He'd probably do it just fine, but I figure another couple of weeks just to get things rock-solid won't hurt.

(Note, 3/24) It also appears that I neglected to note results from the WAG trial, 1/03-04.  No teeters for Mox, but plenty else for him to do.  He Q'd in L4 Fullhouse, Jackpot and Wildcard, and got 2 L5 Jumpers Qs, for an almost-perfect 5 for 6 weekend.  Miko got 2 L3 Jackpot Q's, plus L3 Snooker and L4 Colors - 4 for 4 for him!  Good boys!

Skunked again

Another slightly tweaked email...

So last Thursday night, or rather very early that morning, I'm deep in the land of zzzzzzzz's when all of a sudden the dogs started going crazy, and then somehow they were outside on the patio. It had been hot that day, and I had left the bedroom sliding door open, but the screen was supposed to be locked. Anyway. The screen was open and the dogs were outside. I got them back in, closed the screen, lay back down, and then realized that a dense, oily cloud of stink was rolling in thru the screen door and the windows. Not to mention that Miko was making this weird yurking noise and sort of scraping his tongue
with his front teeth, and part of the dense, oily cloud of stink in the room was rising up off of him. Uh-oh, thought I -- I'm not the sharpest tack in the wall when I've just woken up -- uh-oh, I think we just might have a Skunk Issue here. By this time, Miko was blowing frothy bubbles. Stinky frothy bubbles. He looked like he'd eaten a tube of skunk toothpaste! I guess he got sprayed in the face.

I don't know why he didn't just invite the critter into the house so it could stench up the last few corners that weren't already reeking. And I can't imagine how Moxie managed to avoid getting sprayed. I am grateful for favors, small and not-so!

Fortunately I had kept an old email from a friend with the Kansas State vet college recipe of peroxide and baking soda. This is the 2nd time I've had to use it on Miko, and it does work quite well. Unfortunately, the back of the house was full of Pepe le Pew's "perfume" so nothing to do but set our fans in the window facing out, and turn them to high. We slept in the living room. :-(

Friday there was a strong breeze, which helped to clear things out. So did the baths I gave both dogs. I threw away the old dog bed that Miko rolled and blew bubbles on, likewise his leather collar, which apparently received a direct hit. The house really doesn't smell too bad now (she said hopefully). I'm supposed to have an editorial meeting here on Sunday....

The thing about skunk stink is once it gets inside your nose it stays there -- takes up residence in your sinuses, or nose-hairs or something. I kept smelling it all day Friday, even at the gym. I even asked someone in the locker room if she smelled it too (what I meant, of course, was "do I smell like skunk?"). She said no. And then she launched into a story about the time her dog had gotten sprayed a few weeks ago.

Once was enough, i told Miko. "You're supposed to learn from your mistakes!"

He gave me a pained look. Didn't I realize that he had protected the house from a vicious predator?!?

At the dacha

Several times recently we've spent weekends at our friends' "dacha" (friends are Russian) in the wine country. This entry is a slightly-tweaked version of an email I sent to other friends after the first visit, with Moxie's misadventures on the 2nd tacked on at the end.

Our dogs and our friends' dog get along just fine, and ours pretty much ignored the 2 cats, tho I did catch Miko standing at the foot of the stairs a few times, looking up and wagging his tail at a grumpy little grey face scowling down at him from a ledge on the landing :-)

We had a thoroughly relaxing 2 days doing nothing much (I recommend it!). Elsa and her friend Helen drove out to a nearby fruit stand where the strawberries were in full season and came home with a flat of the most delicious berries I ever put in my mouth. They were minutes off the plant, still warm from the sun.

The dacha is a rambling, much-added-onto house that started out long ago as a little 2 story box and expanded to accommodate family and visiting friends. There are now about 5 bedrooms and at least 3 baths, on 5 fenced acres of fruit trees, scrub oak and garden. Helen is a serious Rose Person -- has about 40 different varieties, from pure white to deep purple, palest lemon yellow to rich orange and of course red, redder and reddest. I helped her for a couple of hours on Sunday, deadheading blossoms and cutting back suckers, and she sent us home with a wastebasket filled with blooms. No, not thrown away -- a plastic wastebasket was all we could find to put water in that would hold all those flowers!



Perhaps the thing I enjoyed most, other than having a chance to hang out in a relaxed setting away from home, was watching the dogs do their doggie thing. not surprisingly, Miko's and Moxie's doggie things turn out to be quite different. Of course they both had to tear around for awhile, after being cooped up in the car for nearly 2 hours, and they had to get sorted out with Reggie, Helen's dog. Then Miko went on patrol. He checked the fenceline. He checked the brushpile where the groundsquirrels live. He checked the fenceline some more and dug under a fallen tree to get at whatever was under there. Then he checked the fenceline yet again. Then he checked the entire orchard, nose down, "quartering" the field the way i've seen hounds and pointers do. Then he re-checked the brushpile. etc etc etc. Even when he came in the house, he sat or lay in the doorway, facing out, keeping an eye on things.

Moxie, meanwhile, did a lot of plain ol' running around. He found things to play with -- a pinecone, a big stick -- and when I wouldn't throw them for him he figured out how to do it himself. He followed Miko on some of his (Miko's) forays, but he seemed to be along more just to be in on the action than because he was really looking for anything. From time to time he'd approach Elsa or me, offering a toy or a paw, wanting human interaction. The difference between them was fascinating.





We had to bring the dogs in at dusk, because there are a lot of deer in the area and both Miko and Helen's dog are confirmed deer-chasers. Also, there are coyotes. That night we slept so soundly, dogs included, that we didn't hear the coyote chorus that Helen told us the next morning had gone on just under the windows for quite some time. I'm astonished the dogs didn't wake up, but they didn't.

Our 2nd visit was more of the same, except that poor Moxie got a foxtail up his nose and spent Sunday afternoon at the emergency vet clinic in Santa Rosa. Foxtail removal involves a general anesthetic and set us back $270, but those things are nasty! The vet showed me what he took out of Mox's nose -- 3 hard, sharp, barbed-shaft little spears, each close to 3/4 inch long. Good riddance.

Foxtails seem to be unusually bad this year. A friend's dog got one embedded between 2 toes; it worked its way in and then got infected. Several trips to the vet and many hundreds of dollars later, he's okay again. Our beloved park, Pt. Isabel, is undergoing serious renovation, a project that will take until the end of the year, at least. Meanwhile, big sections are fenced off and unavailable to the dogs while work is being done. The largest field that is still open is, unfortunately, overgrown with foxtails. It'll be great when the work is finished, but meanwhile some of the pleasure has gone out of the park. I took Miko and Mox there yesterday evening. It was lovely and warm; the water was high in the channel so they got to go swimming. But Miko prefers the gopher population on the far side of the bridge, AKA Foxtail City, and I had to keep calling him back.