Cheetah and the Baby Deer Gang!

And what to her wondering eyes should appear,

but a rock full of birdseed and six baby deer.

They ate and they ate and they climbed on the rock,

they were having a party until they heard her bark!

Run bambi, run bucky, run billy and vinny.

Go buddy, go Flower - now don't they look silly?

thru the middle of the agility field,

To the the cedar's they flew

Now dash away, dash away, dash away all

BRRR..MAD CO Trial 12 6 & 7, 2008

Last weekend we went to the MAD CO, USDAA Trail in Charlottesville, VA. It is inside ( if you call a freezing horse area inside) but after many years of trailling, you learn how to dress for just such an occasion. I had on 3 bottom layers which inlcluded polar fleece and lined windpants. 3 top layers + a coat, gloves, hot hands, Turtle fur ( like a big turtle neck - just the neck), and one of those ski head band/ear muff things.

Cheetah and Deva stayed in the van, where we used the principle of the greenhouse effect to our advantage. We covered both of there crates in one of those fuzzy velor-like blankets, so their heat would stay in their crates. I also had Cheetah's foggy mountain coat on. Every time we went back to the car to get them they were nice and toasty.

We had 11 runs over the weekend, because it was double games.

We Q'd in 8 of them getting 3 1sts, 3 2nds, a 3rd and a5th. We won the Grand Prix and got a bye to the second round of regionals, and we got a Super Q in snooker. It was a very good weekend for the girls ( Deva was 7 for 11 and also got several placements I can't remember right now, and a Super Q too!) The video from this trial is up!

Next....MADNESS Team Trial in Jessup, MD. (Christmas weekend!)

Chatham Trial Nov. 22 & 23, 2008

Cheetah and I went to Chatham KC's agility trail last weekend. It was a little risky going to an outdoor trail the weekend before Thanksgiving. The weather on Saturday morning was pretty chilly, but luckily I had many layers on. Cheetah wore her fuzzy Foggy Mountain Coat and stayed snuggled up in her crate in the van until her runs.

There were 3 runs/day Fast, Std, JWW.

Sat - Fast class - 1st place.
This send was fairly challenging, they went from a tunnel out to the chute, but there was a jump next to it that was closer to you, so if you didn't keep them on their same path, they would go in on you. After the chute they took the triple, but most dogs that had problems had it with the chute/jump discrimination. Only 5 dogs in excellent got this send. four of them were from Love on a leash ( go us!)

Sat - JWW class - She took an off course - can you guess which one? "Carpe Weavum"

Sat - Std class - bad Aframe, and some other wild stuff. Once we NQ'd she got a little crazy. Very nice DW though. and a good Teeter.

Sun- Fast class- 1st place
This send was had potential to be challenging b/c of the contact performance. I planned to cross behind after the chute and sent her over the a-frame. Because I was behind a little bit, she took the extra stride she needed to go all the way through the yellow and also turned her head to check with me a little bit. That lined her up good for the correct end of the tunnel. The jump afterwards was easy.

Sun- JWW class - 1 place
She handled this well, and saved my butt. I had planned to do a rear cross on the takeoff side of the #4 jump, but I was too worried that she might see one of the side jumps down the line so I used motion to cue her to stay with me, but I rushed it and actually got almost ahead of her. I knew if I decelerated to keep on the take off side, that we would have a "failure to communicate" so I went to the landing side of 4, which was dangerously close to the off course tunnel, so I am crossing behind her at her heels and yelling right, RIGHT, RIGHT! and she did....good girlie! the rest was very nice.

Sun - Std class - oops I did it again!
I pulled her off of the teeter too soon and to a wrong course jump. The rest of the course was very nice, She actually paused at the bottom of the a-frame and hit a hard 3 o'clock weave entry that I thought I would be up with her to "help" her, but I was not up there, but she got it anyway! I needed to go forward on the teeter a step or two so that she would stay longer and I would do my front cross in the correct spot. then we kinda faked our way out of the ring.

The weather was much better on Sunday - I actually took off my coat when I wasn't running.

Next week, we go to MAD CO in Charlottesville so until then.....See ya!

P.S. - Oh yeah check out the videos!

I forgot to post Halloween!

I still forget that I need to post things to this blog sometimes - (quite Debbie!) So anyway, here we are at the building's last minute Halloween party! I had gone to school in pj's and just didn't feel like taking them off, so she got to wear some too!

Cocker Club Trail, Woodbridge, VA

Cheetah had a pretty good weekend last weekend at the Cocker Trail. She picked up her 27th QQ and 92 MACH points. She got 2 1sts and a 3rd. Check out her video of this weekend under my videos. I finally figured out how to string clips together!! Now if I could just get them embedded in the post itself. UPDATE - Here is the clip!

Miss Cheetah's dancing debut

Cheetah and I danced on Sat. night for an SPCA fundraiser. It was called Valley's Pet Idol and was complete with the three judges. We were told that we would have a 35 x 25 stage, as you can see, we didn't. It was a little crowded up there. Some one with a little terrier mix had went by earlier in the week and said - you'll have plenty of room!

Cheetah did pretty well considering the following:

1. I had only agreed to do this 2 weeks ago. ( I did not have a routine - I did have 1 move and the song.)
2. It was about 1/2 of the size I thought it would be (and I was wishing that the larger size was larger)
3. the stage was hardwood and even though we put down rugs, she still slipped.
4. there were about 50 kids under 10. ( and she loves kids because they give up cookies easily!)
5. There were hot dogs in the audience
6. There was popcorn in the audience
7. Did I mention that there was hot dog AND popcorn AND kids in the audience!!

Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiK-xRDTGv8

The quest for running contacts!

I have been working on Cheetah's contacts for almost 2 months. I decided to change her class setting only 2o/2o to a running. I have mixed up a few of the common methods out there, trying to find the one that seems to make the most sense to both of us.

I have done some with Silvia Trkman's method, which is basically just run across a plank on the ground and slowly build up the height, marking for running to the edge and not jumping.

I have done some of Rachel Sander's pvc Box method, where there is a large 30x36 pvc box, attached to the contact zone of the the aframe and after some ground work, they gain understanding that 4 feet in the box is good, so that when you put it on the a-frame, it focuses them on that area.

I have put stride regulators on just above the contact zone

I have placed a hoop at the bottom of the a-frame so that she doesn't get to practice jumping off of the end.

I even has started to use a laser light to have her chase it down the yellow area.

In this clip, I have the hoop infront of a 5'3" a-frame and she is chasing the laser light. That is why the room is a little dark.