DAPPR USDAA - Black Forest Regional Park

Since I don't have the photos from the Regionals yet, a puppy picture should suffice. This is the boy relaxing on someone's arm. Is he not the CUTEST little boy ever!

This weekend we were playing in USDAA at a beautiful park in the Black Forest area of Colorado Springs. This trial was hosted by a new club and since this was their first USDAA trial, they were only able to offer titling classes - no tournaments. But we had double games which meant two chances to get those Jumpers legs for Summit and a Snooker Super Q for Sage. Well, the opposite happened. Summit got the Super Q and Sage got the Jumpers leg.

Sage was entered in Snooker and Jumpers each day. The Snooker course had three combinations with the #6 combination consisting of jump-a-frame-tunnel. I planned a course of two #7's (weaves) and a #6. She missed her a-frame contact in the opening (but got it in the closing) so she ended up with a Q but not a SQ. Sunday's Snooker course was TIGHT and there was no room to move and since motion is how I cue Sage, well.... we did not have success getting a Super Q or a Q for that matter. She never made it to the second red before we had a wrong course.

Sage had a nice jumpers run on Sunday and that finished her Jumpers Championship title!!!!  So Sage is still needing that last SQ for her ADCH.

Summit was absolutely brilliant on Saturday. He WON Gamblers, placed 2nd in Standard, and 3rd place in Snooker for a SQ!  We had a refusal in Jumpers and I scratched him from Pairs (with the kind permission of our pairs partner) because the trial ran very late and I had to get home.

On Sunday, since the trial ran so late on Saturday, they decided to run both rings at the same time. I looked at the Gamble and it was not something I would ever attempt with my dog (dog came out of a tunnel and had to be pushed out to take the tunnel under the a-frame. The Gamble line was in front of a jump perpendicular to the a-frame/tunnel discrimination so the handler had to layer two obstacles plus expect the dog to diverge away from the handler - that was not happening with my dog) so I scratched from Gamblers so I could spend the extra time walking the Snooker course in the other ring.  Summit had a great opening in Snooker (even though the judge got in our way twice!) but then he dropped the #3 bar in the closing. He had a great Standard run but I moved to quickly from a pull from A-frame to tunnel and he spun away from the tunnel (didn't I say he was brilliant!). He had a beautiful Jumpers run on a tough technical course which would have been a 1st place but dropped the very last bar. At the end of the day, we qualified in Pairs with a 2nd place.

So it was a very successful weekend and I am very happy with both my dogs' runs. Jen got video of some of our runs so I'll post those as soon as I get them.

We have two weeks off and so will be spending that time hiking and swimming. I plan to take some time off from agility training also to give them a complete break.

Of course, I can't end this blog entry without including two more puppy pictures. Guess who they are?