So the useful thing about having your dog freak out at the third jump in Steeplechase and run away and try to escape out the fence to the conveniently located adjacent freeway is that you don't have to get up early the next day to run in the final round. We woke up to the dawn and enjoyed a leisurely walk around the motel grass patch with the sun creeping up, breathing in the cow shit and listening to the chickens crow. And crow. And crow. Turns out those weren't chickens greeting the new day, they were screaming for their lives from the back of a semi parked out back of the roadside diner where you can get a $5 margarita with your veggie burger and choice of 5 flavors of cream pie for desert.
Gustavo did go on to win both his Masters Jumpers runs after that. And I didn't eat a piece of pie. Because I have impulse control. Not much. But enough to know don't get the pie when you ordered the fries. And margaritas on the rocks. Gustavo made it around a few other runs with no other freeway escape attempt meltdowns. He had some awesome running dogwalks and lots of good listening. A few teeter fly-off bail-offs, some weave pole entries missed. Maybe not amazing agility all the time, but I think he was trying hard, and having a good time doing so.
He didn't do that many runs. When he runs good, he runs great. Those jumpers runs, amazing. He likes to do jumpers, it's his thing. I think not too many runs is a good thing for Gustavo, and that table, on his one attempt, was still a sore spot. When he didn't lie down right away, I pulled him off and asked again. He laid down the second time, waited for the count, then moved on like a normal dog. I'll take that over a crazy ass weirdo meltdown any day.
Why did he meltdown at the third jump in Steeplechase so badly? With a tunnel just up ahead? I have no idea. That's just what he did.
Otterpop won Performance Grand Prix and Standard and picked up some Pairs Q's. She was running great for the most part. Go figure. She ran 2 gamblers classes and didn't get either of them, so much for the Gamble Queen. Her crown is tarnished and shelved until her next binge. And there was some suspicious judge sniper-staring from the top of the a-frame and dogwalk. I didn't run her in many classes, and that seemed to suit her. I think it made her mad that she had to sit out so many turns in her pen. Mad Otterpop wanted to go out there and run. Maybe. Who knows.
I can't figure out my dogs. Not sure what it is they're looking for. For sure they all liked staying in the motel for 2 nights. Me too. We don't get out much. The $42 a night motel is the luxury on a budget way to do agility. No worries about making that o'dark o'clock walk-thru, and Starbucks right around the corner. With carpets so clean bare feet were safe and no visible bedbugs on the pillows. The dogs have turned into good motel dogs, no barking or tearing around the room. Maybe some walking on the nightstands.
This might have been our last trial for a while. Winter is coming and days off and extra monies are sparse this time of year. We will just have to do a lot more practicing and try to get better for next year. Tables and teeters and fast running for all.
2 comments:
Gustavo is A. Maze. Ing. when he runs around a course. His whole little body looks like it was built to fly like the wind, and he does indeed look so happy, too. And amazingly cute at the same time. He sure is special. Saw one of otterpop's runs and it was fabulous, maybe the GP. With all the runs I saw, you looked like a fabulous handler with almost-perfect dogs (well, I did see G's weave pole miss, but he recovered very nicely). Funny about the chickens--that might've been the same hotel where I woke to the sound of grunts and snorts and occasional shrieks and it was a truck full of pigs. Hmmm, I know I posted a photo and video *somewhere*--
Hmm, interesting, apparently that weekend's photos and videos ended up just sitting on my computer and not getting actually used. I should post them sometime soon. Since that was back in June.
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