Meltdowns... and where to go from here...

This is the second weekend that Gem has had a major meltdown doing agility. It happened a few weeks ago at a USDAA trial and it happened again today at an ASCA trial. My goals have been simple for her... keep her happy, in the ring and do a few things she know how to do in a competition environment. Her debut in a few weeks ago in CPE was awesome. She was happy, even qualified a few runs in Level 1 and seemed to really enjoy herself. It encouraged me enough to put her in a few classes at a local USDAA trial. She had a meltdown in the gamblers ring, startled at the bar setters and judge, tucked her tail and laid back her ears. She didn't get much better the next day.

We are still in class and she seems to be fine there, working happily and enjoying herself. Today, I put her into an ASCA trial in Novice. She completely fell apart. She was stressed and worried. I wanted her to just get some mileage and have some fun as I can train in ASCA, unlike other venues. In gamblers, she was worried, disconnected and left me. I ran to the back of the ring and she chased me. She did do a few obstacles and then we left. She repeated this in the 2nd round. When it was time for her next turn, she completely freaked out. I am still at a loss as to why. She wouldn't come to me, left the ring and even tried to get out of the facility. This is devastating to me. She didn't trust me enough to come to me when she was worried and scared. She just about got out of the door and in my opinion, she would have been gone. It makes me sick thinking about it.

I packed up and brought her home. She was happy and relaxed once at home. So now what happens? Well, I'm just not sure. I have decided to remove her from class for now. I started teaching her some nosework today.  She seemed to have a good time with that. For now, it will be something fun for her to do with me. I don't want her to be unhappy. I want her to LOVE whatever she does with me. If it means not doing agility, then so be it. Only time will tell...

Gem's progress 2...

     I started seriously training Gem in agility a few months ago. I needed to wait for her to be ready. It has taken time, lots of time. She is still immature, but I see flashes of what the grown-up Gem will look like every now and then. Gem is in no hurry. I have learned to step back and wait her out. This has not been easy for me. She isn't one to be pushed. She is a thinker. She needs to know how things work and tick before she commits. She isn't impulsive and she isn't one to be drilled. Early on, I tried to push her too hard too fast and I paid the price. She shut down and disconnected. Lesson learned. When I signed her up for a 2 hour workshop and she stayed focused and happy, I knew she was ready for real training again.

     So, I began again, only slowly and methodically and allowed her to set the pace. For some things, she likes to learn them quickly, for others, not so much. When I first tried to teach her weave poles, I tried the 2x2 method. I became frustrated with the lack of progress and her unwillingness to offer behaviors. I then tried the channel method, which was an epic failure as well. I stopped teaching her weaves again. What I realized was that she wasn't ready for this particular skill yet. So I focused on other skills and behaviors instead. Eventually, I went back to the 2x2 method, using Mary Ellen Barry's twist on it, which made more sense to me. With the guidance of Gem's instructor Donna Rohaus, we dove back into this method. It has taken several months, but she is finally doing 12 weaves with speed and drive.

     Her jumping foundations are coming along too. She easily gets bored with too much repetition, so I break it up with tugging and retrieving sessions. The lessons she has taught me have been hard won. She isn't like the boys. She is thoughtful, soft and sensitive. The boys are not any of these things, at least in agility. I can see her joy in jumping now, no longer tentative, but joyful and driven. I love that.

     Gem is being taught a running A-frame. At times, I think I'm crazy. I'm about to be 50 years old and a triathlete I am not. Her zest for learning this is infectious. She IS getting it and hits it more times now than not. As I have never taught this before, her missing it really doesn't bother me. She is figuring this out and I am so enjoying the process. I just hope I can keep up with her.

     I recently entered her into a few classes in Level 1 in a CPE trial. We still have lots of things to work on, but this showed me that I was on the right track in her training. She did qualify in several classes and got some ribbons, but that really wasn't the important part. The best was that she was happy, not stressed and having a great time playing the game with me.

     For now, it is back to training. I plan on running her in November in a few more CPE trials and maybe launching her into USDAA and ASCA too. More than anything, I want to enjoy the ride with her. I want her to stay happy. Titles don't really mean anything right now. Her enjoyment and confidence are my goals. The other stuff will come in time. I know that now. Gem is on her own timetable and I'm along for the ride. I plan on enjoying the journey with her...

A smiling, happy Gem

Gem's progress...

I only seriously started training Gem for agility within the last several months. When she was younger, I pushed too hard, too soon and she shut down on me. Lesson learned. I have had to wait until Gem is ready to be trained. She is soft and a real thinker. She needs to analyze everything for the most part until she commits to doing it. This is very different from the boys.

I have had to step back and examine how Gem learns and what the best ways are to plan training sessions with her. After months of training alone and with the occasional private lesson from Donna Rohaus, we finally got into a class taught by Donna. This has done her a world of good, for the most part. Also, being able to take her to other spaces to train has helped her confidence level. I don't expect her to be perfect, because Lord knows I certainly am not. I do expect her to try. This has been a problem in the past. She had a difficult time offering behaviors, but she seems to be more willing to do just that as she matures and becomes more confident.

Gem is learning a running A-frame, which is a blast to teach her. She is only getting better and better each time I train it. She is also learning 4 on for her teeter behavior and 2 on 2 off for her dogwalk. That may change as time goes on, but for now, these are my goals. She is also doing 12 weave poles as 6 and 6, separated by about 6 feet via the 2x2 method and Mary Ellen Barry's great Clean Run article. She is still rather Velcro when it comes to jumping, but her foundation is becoming more and more solid as we work it. Gem is sequencing only 3-4 obstacles, but it is a start.

My goal is to have her ready to trial in February or March 2014. I am planning on putting her in level 1 CPE jumpers in 2 trials at the end of this year to get her used to ring conditions. My goals are simple... to make sure she has fun, is stress free and that she stays in the ring with me. We have a long way to go for sure, but now I am positive we will get there...

Baby Gem at 8 weeks, April 2011

Gearing up...

We will be attending the USDAA Cynosport World Games in October. It will be Piper's last National competition. He is entered as a veteran and I am hoping to make the Veterans Showcase with him. They take the top 3 dogs in each veteran jump height. We get to compete in the team events of snooker, gamblers, standard and jumpers. We compete for ourselves and not with a team. This takes a great deal of pressure off of us both, well mainly me.

Piper by M. Nicole Fischer

Quite honestly, unless I let the pressure get to me, Piper could care less. It is up to me to keep my cool and make sure he has the best time EVER!

 

For Seeker, my goals are a bit different. He IS on a team, a fun and even possibly, competitive team. "Bordering On Golden" is the team name and consists of a Golden Retriever (Canon & Sally Peters), another Border Collie (Kilo & Helen Kurz) and Seeker & me. He is also entered in Bialthlon, Grand Prix and Steeplechase quarterfinals. I would really like to make at least semifinals in those and I would really like to make a good showing in Biathlon with him. My goal in our team classes are to not get an E. We aren't the fastest team, but we are consistent.

Seeker by David Rice

Training is taking precedence right now for Seeker, with some for Piper. At 10 1/2, Piper's skills are what they are, for good or bad. As long as I am where I need to be, when I need to be there, we can't go wrong. I have been working on tricky weave entrances for them both and backsides, threadles and serpentine jumps combos. I love training the boys. They are like comfy jeans and a sweatshirt, always right and always comfortable.

 

This will be our first RV adventure, but hopefully not our last. We are fortunate enough to have a good friend that is allowing us to borrow hers for the trip to Tennessee. It isn't big, but I am hoping it is far better than commuting back and forth the entire time from a motel. Everything is right there, including showers and restrooms. I'm just hoping we aren't stuck WAY in the back, miles from everything. I, for one, am looking forward to the trip with the hubby and the dogs.

 

The girls will be going too and they will also get to have some fun. The National Canine Cancer Foundation will be there with their Lure-For-A-Cure, so the girls can blow off some steam chasing the bunny a couple times a day. Ceilidh loved this in 2010 when we went to Kentucky and she slept like a log every night. I think her and Gem will have a blast!

 

In preparation, I am getting the boys on dirt for a couple of CPE trials. Since they only get to run mostly on turf, this will be good for them. Especially since it is a low key venue for us, I am looking to get some good work out of them both. Seeker is also entered in a DAM tournament in September, another good warm-up for us.

 

As it is Piper's last national event, it may be Seeker's as well, depending on logistics. Next year's Cynosport will be in California, definitely not doable, so we will just have to see where they are in 2015. I did not try to qualify Seeker for AKC Nationals, even though they are relatively close. While I like AKC, I have to travel to do CPE and USDAA, so a decision had to be made. Finances won't allow doing it all. Plus, I really wanted to have money to spend at Cynosport! Eye on the prize!!!

 

I love going to these types of competition because I get to see the best of the best. It is truly an education. Back to work for me and the boys so we can do our very best too...



Wonderings...

Piper turned 10 in April. At the beginning of 2013, I decided to drop him into the 16" class for all of his venues. He has had many medical challenges over the last 2+ years, luckily none of them involving injuries. But I know his body has had to deal with a great many issues so continuing to jump him at a higher height no longer seemed to be an option.

 

I truly love this dog and want to see him play agility for as long as he and his body would like to do so. It seemed logical to make this progression with him. Was it because he hit 10 and that was a magical number for me? No... it wasn't. It was because his body has taken lots of medical hits over the last couple of years. Anal sac ruptures, anal fistula, chronic constipation, immune and gastrointestinal issues, uveitis and food allergies have all left their mark on him. While most people don't see a 10 year old dog, I do and at time, I see one older than his years.

 

I still see dogs that are his age and older still competing in the higher heights. I wonder if and when these handlers will make this transition for their dogs. I'm sure I could have pushed Piper to continue jumping 20" or 22", but to what end? Everybody has to make a decision as to what is best for their own canine partner. For me and Piper, it was dropping him to 16" and going out and having fun for the rest of his career. We still have some goals to be met, like his CPE C-ATCH and I hope a trip to the Veterans Showcase at Cynosport this October. Dropping down doesn't mean giving up competition. For me, it means letting Piper be comfortable and competitive while having all the fun that he wants. THAT is the most important goal to be met. FUN!!!

 

Hug your dogs and have some fun!!!

 

Life is all about decisions...

It's true. Life is all about decisions we have to make every day of our lives. There are easy ones and difficult ones, but it is never just that black and white. I've had to make some decisions lately that have left me questioning myself and the validity of those decisions. One of them is ending the boys' AKC agility careers when that is the most prominent venue in the area. I have to travel to do anything else. I didn't realize just how much I would miss trial weekends until I haven't gotten to do very many. In truth, it is a financial decision as much as anything else. I can no longer afford to trial every weekend and since I must travel for USDAA and CPE, something had to give.

Decisions are in every part of our life. From what to have for breakfast each day, to how much money to put away for a rainy day. Another of my decisions has been to wait to have a puppy out of Seeker. My house is in balance now and adding a puppy with having 2 senior dogs with medical issues that don't have a tolerance for puppies is just a bad idea. But it doesn't stop me from continuing my search for the right bitch to either buy or lease to breed him to for my eventual pick.

 

Seeker is an exceptional example of the breed, in my opinion. He has everything I want in a working bred Border Collie. Yes, I am rather biased, but having lived with this dog for over 6 years, and after seeing his puppies born and grow, I have every reason in the world to be enamored of him. He is exactly what I want and SOMEDAY, I will have a son from him to carry on his wonderful legacy. So I wait until the time is right. Patience is not one of my strengths. I am not the only one that needs patience as I have a waiting list of people wanting one of Seeker's puppies. We all have to be patient. It isn't easy.

 

Decisions are never easy when they are really about something you want, but it is a necessary part of our lives. Until the right time comes, it is back to my existing life and making all those day to day decisions necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Switching gears...

It has been quite awhile since I did any formal obedience with the boys. I recently decided to enter them in an obedience and rally trial weekend held locally. Seeker had LOTS of obedience training when he was younger. Then we delved into the wonderful world of agility. The last time he did any rally was at the 2009 BCSA Nationals where he finished his Rally Novice (RN) title. Piper got to do rally over 2 years ago with a friend as I had been injured the day before the trial. He managed to squeak through for RAE leg #3 with her. So, it has been a long time for them both.

I entered them both in the rally trial on Friday and only Seeker in obedience the entire 3 days. Piper earned RAE leg #4 with respectable scores of 95 in Excellent B and 94 in Advanced B. Seeker surprised the heck out of me and won the Advanced A class with a 98! Whoa!!

Putting Seeker into the obedience ring in Novice B was a trial by fire. I had no idea if he would remember the training I did with him when he was younger. Never fear, he did. His scores were okay, not placement worthy, but for a dog I hadn't really trained in several years, I was pleased. Seeker is a character. His personality shines through no matter what he does. Being in the obedience ring was no different than any other activity we do. His personality jumps at you and his enthusiasm is infectious. I truly love this dog. He reminds me of our late, great Kastle... He too was a shining star even when our performance was less than stellar.

He missed some sits, lost focus from time to time, raced me on the fast and bounced me on the recall, but it didn't matter. Seeker had fun and that was all that mattered. It is interesting how much I have grown and changed as a trainer in the 25 years I have had Border Collies. With Kastle and Duncan, I was all about perfection. Questing for that perfect score of 200 was my primary goal. This weekend, I was more concerned that the boys had fun and the scores didn't really matter. Ribbons are nice, but green is a just as pretty a color as blue, red, gold or white. It is still about the journey and not the destination...

 

MACH ADCH ATCH Applegarth's Quest For The Grail CD, RN, PT, CGC, MXB, MJB, MXF,  TDInc, and then some...  "Seeker"