Trial: BRAG, Lexi

The first weekend in June was our first trial in Columbus, only a week after moving in. In retrospect, I think the dogs were a little overwhelmed by so many new things in a short time, but I was proud of the focus that they showed (some of the time!) Even I must have been tired because I actually forgot the course in Masters Pairs, costing us a Q (sorry partner!)

Originally, I didn't upload several of the videos because they were so bad...but I guess I better share the good AND the ugly. This time, I created different videos for different runs. Enjoy.

Lexi: Starters Jumpers Q

Jumpers is one of the toughest events for Lexi and me. I actually had another competitor tell me that that is normal for a dog like her (fast and obstacle focused). I am constantly "managing" her, and I think that can be frustrating. That being said, this was her best run all weekend. She listened!

Lexi: Steeplechase
If it weren't for the trouble at the weaves, she would have Qd! She handled nicely for Jonathan. We are going to retrain weaves using 2x2 to teach her to slow for her entries. She also dropped a bar at the end. The bar drop added 5 seconds to her time, and if I remember correctly, she


Lexi: Starters Jumpers
The beginning was ugly, but there was some nice parts (her getting out to those pinwheels).


Lexi: Advanced Gamblers
I'm proud of my girl for this run. It was her first Advanced level run, and she did well. In fact, if it hadn't been for the dogwalk mishaps, it would have been a Q! This was her first time on rubberized contacts, and I think the grip was different from what she was expecting, and she couldn't hang on. She was a brave girl and tried a couple times until I stopped asking her. She got the gamble (which I thought was hard--the far end of the tunnel) just didn't have the points.


Lexi: Starters Standard
Started off on a bad note when she dropped the first bar. Jonathan babysat the entrance to the dogwalk because of her issues in gamblers, and it caused her to drop the bar. Then he was late on the RC, and it just didn't go well! I'm not too upset about the teeter because this teeter is really heavy, so it takes a long time to fall. Lexi has been trained to run down the teeter until it falls...which she did! She just ended up all the way at the end before it started to fall.


Lexi: Starters Standard Q
Thank goodness for loooong course times in starters! This was a bad run as well, but because she somehow made it under time, it was enough for a Q and her AD title. Notice she has another issue with the dogwalk here. The slats are under the rubber coating, which I think made her think it was the teeter (especially after what happened on the teeter the day before). I think she slowed at the top, expecting it to drop.


Lexi: Starters Snooker
After Lexi got her AD title, any starters events were moot (just for fun) since she would be moving up afterwards. For some reason my husband decided it would be fun to try something more difficult. Didn't go so well! Our obstacle focused girl proved true to form and just picked the closest obstacles each time.


Lexi: Starters Pairs Q
Another issue with the weave entries, but other than that she did fine. I forgot the course for a brief second, so was lucky that we didn't get an off course.