Can Ewe Herd Me Now?

I took Strummer to his first herding lesson, which actually ended up to be more like another instinct test but since it was a new instructor she wanted to evaluate him herself. After Lola's disastrous attempt at herding I'd pretty much given up on the idea but Strummer apparently has all the instinct for it so I guess I've got a new doggie activity to pursue. He was pretty crazy though, running circles around the sheep non-stop and at top speed. The instructor went in the pen without me (phew! My knees were happy for that) and used a long horse whip as an extension of her arm to stop Strum from circling (she never hit him with the whip, just used it to guide him). The idea was to get him to come up behind the sheep nice and easy rather than running around in circles like a crazy man. He has drive and speed through the roof but very little self control at the moment. Typical teenage boy.

His behavior since his lesson yesterday has been awesome, no crazy pacing around the house looking for something to do. He still had plenty of energy but didn't feel the need to expend it at every possible moment. I doubt I'll pursue competition with him because of the time and expense involved but I'm going to keep up with lessons because I think it's a good way to teach him self control and it seems to have a great effect on his mental well being.

The only downside is that he tore one of his pads. The instructor warned me it would likely happen, she's been having the same problem with her own dogs because of the extreme heat and the ground being so hot & dry. Pads usually heal quickly though so for now it's some vet wrap and a sock with some duct tape to keep it clean. Keeping him from tearing around on it is another story.

Apropos of absolutely nothing, there was a pretty cool bull snake tooling around the farm freaking out just about everybody but me. I have a certain respect for bull snakes because they kill rattlesnakes but they're fairly harmless to people.

I also managed for the first time post surgery to make it to the top of Olde Stage, a very steep road that's part of the course of our employee bike race. It took me the longest it's ever taken me (26:40 vs 18-19 minutes at my best) and it was hard but I made it and without any trouble with my knee. My hip was another matter but we'll not dwell on that for now. I think I'll be o.k. to do the race but I certainly won't be competitive. It still beats working.

Bad Naked

Sorry for the duplicate photos. I'm having trouble with blogger's photo feature. The one of the dogs goes with the post below anyway.

Went up to Winter Park today for some fun on the mountain bike trails. Jonny had a race up at the ski resort and I tagged along so I could hit the trails. I rode up to Fraser, around 15-20 minutes on the bike path, and cruised around on some of the novice trails and dirt roads. I stayed off of one of my favorite trails, Tipperary Creek, because it’s a long, steep climb and I’m not up for that yet. It was hard, but I restrained myself. I had a blast on the Flume trail, another one of my favorites that’s not as challenging but very wonderful single track nonetheless. The photo is a view of Byer’s Peak taken from a rest stop on the Flume trail. You’ll have to imagine the sound of the river flowing and the birds chirping on your own. When I pulled over for a snack and a photo at that rest stop, a couple were leaving and the guy said, ‘Am I the only guy on the trail today?’. I explained that all the guys were racing up at the ski mountain and we both agreed that our leisurely ride through the woods was much more fun. ‘This view is hypnotic’ the guy said before riding off and I agreed.

Jonny ends up winning his age group in the Sport class and is only one second behind first place in the Expert class which is one below the Pro level! A bunch of the guys/women that he regularly rides with win their age groups and divisions too.

On the drive back to Boulder Jonny convinced me that the fun match next weekend was the way to go. He didn’t even hesitate when I explained it all to him and I trust his judgment even though he doesn’t train or run the dogs in agility. Sometimes it helps to have a knowledgeable outsider’s opinion and he confirmed what I secretly wanted to do anyway.

I remembered something about a deadline for applications for the fun match so I checked when I got home and sure enough the deadline is Tuesday. I don’t have a printer at home and I didn’t want to wait until Monday because the mail is always iffy so at 4:05 I drove to the Boulder Library to use their printer. I figured the post office closed at 5:00 and I was worried about making the deadline since it seems the computers at the library are always busy and parking in downtown Boulder on a Saturday is oh so joyous. But luck was on my side, I got a parking space right outside the library door and there were 2 free computers in the lobby. Or so I thought. I went up to one of the computers and a guy on a bench in the lobby yells, ‘Excuse me miss, we’re WAITING in line’. I shrugged my shoulders at him, thinking to myself ‘Then why are you warming the bench and not using the empty machines dumbasses’ but I wasn’t going to argue. I went into the main library and there was an empty machine, no problem. Printed out the apps, wrote my check, got a parking space with 3 minutes on the meter right outside the post office door It turned out the post office shut at 4:30 and I just made it in at 4:25. Could things get any more perfect?

Of course the cosmos must always balance itself out. I turned the corner from the post office and was greeted by much screaming and commotion coming from the Pearl Street Mall which is the main pedestrian mall downtown. I was on the street that marks the start of the mall so I had crazy, yelling crowds on one side and the vehicular side of Pearl St. on the other. I had a green light and figured they were yelling at some street performer or something so I drove at a crawl past the scene lest some drunken college student or touroid end up under my wheels. When I hit Pearl St. though I realized that the commotion was over a huge parade of naked people on bikes heading straight for the Pearl St. Mall and my car. Horrified, I tried to drive away as quickly as I safely could but I got stuck waiting for pedestrians at a crosswalk so they ended up passing right next to my car. The lead guy had ‘No Blood For Oil’ painted on his ass and many of the others were carrying signs & banners. Now I agree 100% with your cause but dude I do NOT want to see your package. Seriously, it’s going to take a loooong time and maybe another serious blow to the head to erase that lovely image. To add insult to injury there was a photographer right at the crosswalk taking pictures so it’ll be just my luck I’ll end up on the front page of the Sunday Daily Camera with a naked guy next to me and a mortified expression on my face. Just the thing to proudly send home to grandma. Well, she’s been asking me for photos.

Make up your mind crazy person

I fixed that link to the Pueblo agility pictures below. Too many http's.

The next couple weeks are crazy busy as I get ready for Regionals on 4th of July weekend. I have a NADAC trial down in Penrose (Canon City, about 2 1/4 hours away) next weekend but just found out about a fun match that same weekend to be held at the same place Regionals will take place. This is an incredible opportunity to build of a reward history at that venue since I can take treats & toys into the ring (obviously can't do that at a real trial). How much would it help? Hard to say. It might help with the table issues I've been having since both Cody & Lola have lovely tables at practice where they know they get rewarded. If I could reward in a different location in a trial like setting it would help a lot. But there's no table in the Grand Prix so it's not a priority at the moment. Plenty of time to deal with it after Regionals. Logically, it would be more helpful to my Regionals performance than the NADAC trial but often logic flies right out the window when dealing with dogs.

NADAC is a low priority for me at the moment, I signed up for the trial as a tune up for Regionals but still I hate eating those expensive entry fees (they're non-refundable at this point). I could go to the fun match Sat. morning, it's on the way, then drive to Penrose and do my afternoon runs. I'd probably miss my standard runs. On the plus side, I wouldn't have to wake up at 4 am. The downside is that this sounds like an awfully hectic day for both me and the dogs. Or I could blow off the whole day, save the $72 hotel room fee and just do Sunday. I'd still have to wake up at 4 am and I'd have the long drive there & back in the same day but still less burnout for all involved a week before Regionals. At the moment I'm leaning toward just doing the whole NADAC trial as originally planned because that seems the easiest solution but I need to change my mind 12 more times before reaching a final decision.

On the tri front, I'm almost to the point of being able to make it through a whole master's workout. Wednesday's workout was around 1 hour, 1900 yards and I was swimming my 50's at around an average of 55 seconds (not including rest), slow but not awful.

The employee bike race will be on July 14 so I've started back on the bike. I went on my first steepy steep hills last weekend and my knee was great. The ride was around 1 1/2 hours up Boulder Canyon to Poorman then over the Sunshine Canyon and back home. Poorman is a very steep dirt road but it's not a long climb, took me around 1/2 hour to creep up it. Went out for my 15 mile loop on my lunch hour in the 98 degree heat on Tuesday-NOT FUN. It took me 1:11 and it used to take me around 57 minutes or so. Wasn't sure if it was because of the heat, my lack of fitness or both. After several weeks of mid 90's the weather finally broke on Thursday (low 80's, woohoo!) and I did the same ride in 1:02 so I guess the heat was a pretty significant factor.

The bike race will be on very steep roads so I'm hoping my knee will be able to handle it in 4 weeks. I'm going to Winter Park tomorrow for some biking fun so I'll be able to see how much I can push it on the hills.

I've been going easy on the running since that doesn't feel so great. The knee is o.k. but I'm still having problems with that stupid soft tissue damage from the accident. It's in such a weird place, I'm not even sure what muscles these are, I just know they hurt in an icky, sharp pain sort of way. Biking and swimming freestyle don't seem to bother them but running and swimming backstroke-yowch. So I'm focusing on biking, swimming and my stupid strength exercises until my bike race.

Finally this Sunday I'm taking Strummer to his first proper herding lesson. He went for an instinct test and did really well but I didn't like the trainer because she was using a choke collar on him and, um, no thanks, I don't train that way. And besides, the woman was a little bats, even for a dog lady. I'm going back to the teacher that gave Lola her infamous instinct test (you know, the one where she was scared of the sheep). She doesn't use violent training methods and she's a better teacher anyway. Now if only I can convince myself that I'M not scared of the sheep.

Mountain Biking on the Agility Course

First off, here's a link to some photos from the USDAA trial down in Pueblo: http://www.photoreflect.com/scripts/prsm.dll?myphotos?a=288333
The big thing for me to note is how high both dogs are overjumping. This is hardly headline news but it's low on my list of training priorities at the moment even though teaching them to jump more efficiently would certainly make us faster. Our big time suck right now is the A-frame and dogwalk for Lola so that's where I'm concentrating my efforts in the next month. She's easily losing a whopping 5-10 seconds on these obstacles and her contacts still aren't anywhere near solid.

I've started taking handling lessons with Sandy at Biscuit Eaters and she's been a huge help. She's a cyclist and knows I ride too so she's been using cycling metaphors to help me. Turns out I have many of the same problems with mountain biking that I have with agility, mainly staying smooth and relaxed through the technical parts of the course/trail. When I'm not sure how to handle something I tend to tense up and start handling the bike/dog in a jerky manner, focusing on the rock I don't want to run into or the off course tunnel I don't want to take rather than focusing on where I really want to go and what I need to do to get there. I can handle things smoothly when I'm confident with what I'm doing so I do have it in me, I just need to learn how to keep my head and transfer it over to the difficult parts. This holds true for both sports. I think the only way to get through it is more practice. There are a couple of excellent teachers/world team members (Elicia Calhoun & Steve Frick) coming through town and I've signed up for lessons with both of them. They're not cheap but it's not often that such great instructors come through town offering private lessons. It's usually all day seminars and I've found that I don't learn as much that way.

I finally managed to get some rare pictures of all 3 dogs together. Strummer seems so grown up now compared to the picures we took when we first got him.

Blog Envy

I found a few cool agility blogs and added them to my list. Agility Vision is a great place to go to see actual agility runs if you've never seen it. Elite Forces of Fuzzy Destruction has video too. I like it all but where do these people get the time? Well, the 'Elite..' person doesn't work as far as I can tell which probably helps, but still. I guess I'm just jealous, I wish I didn't have to work yet had all the money I wanted to do what I want. And I've been trying forever to figure out how to put music to video of my agility runs, how did she do that? Well, o.k., I haven't actually been trying to figure it out, I spent about a 1/2 hour going through manuals one day, gave it up as impossible yet at the same time convinced myself I'd figure it out one day. And how to actually post video? I have no idea how they do that but I imagine it involves paying for your own website as opposed to slumming it over here on Blogger. Heck, I barely have time for lame ass posts let alone jacking around with video and soundtracks. I can't even seem to get the pictures I take uploaded off the freakin' camera let alone entered into the blog. And my complete incompetence with using the camera, let's not even go there.

I did find time to make it to the pool. Started at master's last Friday, a whopping 800 meters before I cried Uncle. Went back on my own on Sunday for an easy 1000 meter straight swim with some backstroke thrown in. Then masters again on Wednesday-1700 meters, 45 minutes or so of the workout and it felt great. My times on the 50 m intervals we were doing weren't bad either considering I haven't been to the pool since Feb. I hate the outdoor 50 m pool, it's really shallow (around 5' at it's deepest in the center) so there's lots of drag. Next week the 25 yard, regular pool opens so I can go there, yay.

I'm doing 8 minute of total running with 2 mins. running/2 mins. walking as part of my morning dog walks. It's not going well and I think part of the reason is the chaos of running with 2 dogs. I'm going to have to figure something else out.

Haven't been biking much, no good reason other than the blast furnace heat we've been having. Days and days of hot, sunny record breaking 90's, yuck. It's too early. It's not even officially summer and I'm already sick of it. I guess I shouldn't whine, at least it's not humid.

I started working Strummy on the weaves poles. I'm trying Susan Garrett's 2 x 2 weave pole method. I've never used it before so it's an experiment. First step, stand parallel to 2 weave poles and wait Strummy out until he looks at the poles, then click and treat by turning and running forward so he goes through the 'gate' to get his cookie. Also trying to reward while he's facing & moving forward so he doesn't start pausing and looking up at me for his cookie. That's the hardest part so far. He caught on pretty quickly after 2 sessions and now he runs right through the gate, no problem.

I've also been working on hand signals-mostly 'turn away from me' for rear crosses and 'get out' for distance work. I've started sending him around jump standards with no bars up and he's doing great, such a clever boy. I need to make a decision about how I want to train contacts-2 on 2 off or 1 rear toe on. Running contacts are out of the question, his stride is too long.

I have no plans this weekend and I'm staring at those 2 days like a deer in the headlights. So much to do, where do I start?

Mad Dogs and Englishmen

I'm finally somewhat out of my post agility haze after 3 straight weeks of trialing. The weekend before last was in Pueblo, 2 1/4 hours away, and that one knocked me out the most partly because I was up at 4 am Sat. & Sun. morning and partly because it was in the mid to upper 90's both days. Poor Cody had a meltdown, not a single Q and I excused us from the ring after the 6th obstacle on Sunday during his standard run because it was clear he was completely unfocused and not having any fun. He hates the heat in general and doing agility was too much for him. Lola ran fairly well in the heat, barely missing Q's (and her titles) in snooker (popped out of the weaves at the last pole, missed a Q by one pt.-ARGH!) and Gamblers (did the gamble but blew her dogwalk contact-ARGH!). Had a nice standard run but refused to lay down on the table. She already has table issues and the dog right before us peed on the table. She stood there sniffing the wet spot and flat out refused to get on the table. Might have been the chemicals they used to clean the mess that were putting her off, who knows. She gleefully rolls around in dead frogs for crying out loud.

I took last Monday off to spend the day with an old friend who I haven't seen in 10 years or so. I had a 1 1/2 mile walk with Cody & Lola first thing in the morning then a 4 hour, 7-8 mile hike on the Mesa trail with my friend & Strummer. This was pretty stupid, esp. after a full weekend of running agility and considering the farthest I'd been walking since my surgery was around 1 1/4 hours in my neighborhood. I haven't been hiking on hills at all and the trail was fairly steep in some places. But it was such a nice day, I was so thrilled to be back on the trails and I sort of lost track of time/distance. We had a few rest stops, one when came across 2 border collies playing in the creek and I let Strummy loose to have a romp with them. Then we stopped at the turnaround point for a bit. Still, it was a lot and I had some fun with the ice packs when I got home. But a week later I'm not only fine, I went for my first 'run' yesterday and it went great. It was only 2 minutes running, 2 minutes walking for 8 minutes total but still, it was wonderful to be starting up again. Tomorrow I go again, same thing, yeeha! At this rate I should be up to a mile by, oh, September.

She Was a Showgirl

We managed only one Q this weekend at the USDAA trial in Golden but it was a big one. Miss Lola and I managed to pull a first place Q out of our ass in the Performance Grand Prix, earning us a bye into the finals at Regionals (if you win the finals at Regionals, you get a bye into the finals at Nationals) AND qualifying us for Nationals. I was stunned and amazed at this, especially since Lo's been having such ring stress issues lately. But she was nice and solid at this trial and though we had no other Q's she was running really nicely. The Advanced courses were pretty tough this weekend and there were no Q's in my standard or gamblers classes so I didn't feel too bad about it. Lola managed to smoothly pull off a hard weave pole entry in the standard class and I was over the moon about that. She had a really nice standard run but refused to lie down on the table, an ongoing problem we're having. She laid down on the ground next to the table but refused to do it on the table, much to the amusement of the judge (needless to say, I was NOT amused). She also blew her A-frame contact in the Snooker closing, costing the Q there but had an otherwise nice run. So now I'm thinking I might go to USDAA Nationals in Phoenix this fall. Cody still has plenty of chances to qualify but even if he doesn't it might be worth it to go for just one dog.

Cody seemed a bit unhinged this weekend, running out of the ring during the Grand Prix and standard run, taking an off course obstacle on his way back in. He didn't seem all that stressed out outside of the ring so who knows what was going on in his fuzzy little brain. I took him to handling class with Sandy last night and he did great once Sandy taught me a few things. I'm a little worried he might be injured but so far he's showing no signs of lameness. That doesn't mean he's not injured but I can't justify using sedatives to knock him out for an ortho exam unless I have some more compelling evidence that he's physically injured. He's such a freaky dog I don't know what to do about him sometimes and I'm a terrible doggie hypochondriac.

Next week I'm going back to the pool. Really, I am. Seriously, no foolin'. I'm also going to do the test the PT gave me to see if I can start running. I had no problems at all at the trial so hopefully things are healed up. My knee is still stiff and sore when I try to straighten it all the way but it's doing well with walking and the agility running. I'm still getting some weird popping and cracking but it doesn't hurt like it did before the surgery and it's in a different place. Don't think I'll do any tri's this summer, I'm too out of shape and I'm too nervous about rushing the running once I start back up. If things go well I might consider a sprint in the fall, we'll see, but for now I think I'll devote the time to the dogs.

Too Much Fun

and not enough time. Had a NADAC trial last weekend, a USDAA trial tomorrow and another USDAA trial next weekend. Phew! Here's a link to some pictures from last weekend:

http://www.photoreflect.com/scripts/prsm.dll?myphotos?a=284143

The trial went o.k., I was hoping for a few more Q's, those stupid NADAC courses are so easy yet somehow we managed to screw up every single standard run. Cody had some nice runs in Elite Jumpers, placing 2nd by a hair and 3rd with Q's. He also picked up a Q in Elite Tunnelers. Lola picked up 2 Q's in Novice Weavers, one of them blazing fast and good enough for 2nd place in a huge class of 26 dogs. She also picked up an Open Tunnelers Q but missed the second one at the last tunnel. Seems I got a little overexcited, rushed the entrance and sent her in the wrong end, doh. It would have been her title and qualified her for nationals in Tunnelers. Have to try to pick up that last Q somehow before the deadline.

I have a lot of contempt for the NADAC organization but the courses are fun for the dogs and in the end it's all agility so I continue to sign up for them. But I wonder if my bad attitude carries into the ring a bit and causes me to make silly mistakes. Must try to put aside my lack of respect for the venue and focus on the course.

On a completely unrelated note, when I was in Chicago driving past the Chicago Historical Society I was reminded of an old friend of mine who took me on a tour of odd places in Chicago before I left 15 years ago. This friend moved to Thailand and I haven't been in contact for nearly 10 years. I meant to try to look him up when I got home but got too busy. A week later I came into work and found an email from him. He'd somehow found me and is in Colorado for a few weeks! Too weird but very cool, we'll meet up in a week or so. In the meantime, blog entries might be sparse. Those agility trials knock me out and make me play catch up all week long. Oh well, who wants to be on their death bed looking back on their life and seeing only a clean house and nice yard anyway?