01 September 2013

USDAA Western Regional, Day 3 Reportage-Carnage pile driver pile up.


Carlos and Kooza

We didn't make it into the Steeplechase Final. That was very sad. This is always our favorite part of Regionals. But we did get to watch most of our friends run. This made me happy. Some of them did great, some of them had shit happen. All of them were running to win, so shit happening is disappointing to everyone.


Wendy and Zuma (who won 12")

Me and Gustavo had a pretty bad day. He did have a nice Grand Prix run, in the first round. He did this just for fun, since he already had a bye to the Final. It was a ok run actually, except he selected a tunnel over the teeter totter and I couldn't even get him near me to do his little pre-teeter trick. So much for that idea.

Not  a good sign when his best run is a non qualifying run with no teeter totter.


Jim and Sweep

Our masters challenge runs were a disaster. This made me very sad, because I love masters challenge and usually, so does Gustavo.  The carnage was due not so much to poor handling as just Gustavo being Gustavo, which I guess is due to poor training. And Gustavo being Gustavo. I'm not sure if there's a line between the 2. I know I can train Gustavo better, there's always more to do, but he is who he is.


Laura and one of her dogs but not sure which one. Also her left arm isn't really a stump.

And I did exhibit some poor handling once the run went to hell in a hairball when Gustavo freaked out in the weave poles. It's humbling to be around so many good dog trainers and handlers. I am sure they've all had dogs that confound them the way Gustavo confounds me. The difference is, they somehow figure out how to make it work, and I have Gustavo out there doing donuts. still. After all these years.


Denice and Rumor

Or running out of the ring to eat a poodle lady's meat. At jump 3 on one course, which was located right near her meat feeding spot. That was a low point of the day.


Kathleen and JB, with a smile on her face even though some bars went flying. She always has a smile when she runs.

Day 3 of this show is where everyone starts to get weary. Well, at least where I started to get weary. So much garbage to take out, dogs are cooped up and want some walking, and I had some weariness. There wasn't a lot of the buoyancy of brilliance to keep me afloat. I was just trying to not sink.


Stacy and Roo

Monday is one more day. A few more runs, that might go better, might go worse. I sure am going to try to get them to go better, and I hope Gustavo does too. I have a thick skin now, so at least I don't have to worry about what anyone thinks when I take him out there and we have a complete disaster of a run. I'm trying my best. My best just happens to come in irregular size, with some flaws and a couple of holes. Wearing thin on one side. Stuck at the very bottom of the best bin. With an expiration date. That expired sometime last year.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Laura, it was really, really good to finally meet you and I hope today went as you had wished for.

Thank you for all of your efforts with the trial and the shirts and all of the other little details you and the rest of the club attended to. It was my first Regional, and I have a feeling, will always be my favorite, regardless of what happens from here on forward.

You work your heart out with your dogs and that is all that matters, trials/regionals be damned. The stars will align for you, undoubtedly. You just don't know when.

I hope to cross paths again soon--maybe I'll have to do a flashback Santa Cruz-art school-with dash of hunt seat-ish-ness trip. Plus mutt agility, of course.

- liz and the brown dogs

team small dog said...

Liz we had so much fun meeting you and I hope to see you soon!!! Yes come visit! I am so glad you had fun at the regional, you guys did awesome too!

Today, not so good for us...kind of bad! Deterioration. But we survived. And moving on.

Laura

Jodi,eh? said...

I don't know where you unearthed the idea that Gustavo's performances are a result of poor training, hopefully not from agility propaganda commercialism disguised as buddha wisdom proverbs. Some dogs don't get off on agility as much as other dogs.Try to be as kind and sweet to yourself as you are to your dogs...