After looking around the web last night I think that there are enough ASCA trials around that I can get him in at least six this year. Since I’m going to the World Dog Show 2010 in June in Denmark this year, that’s going to zap a lot of my leave at work. Or else I could probably do more ASCA Agility. But next year, 2011, Chase will just be 7, and we can get really serious about picking up the legs that we need.

This is Chase’s Elite Jumpers run from Monday. We did good! We got 4 Qs out of 14 runs, which breaks down to 28%. Much, much better success rate than we’ve ever had in AKC or USDAA. So I want to pick a Venue that we are successful in… because why set ourselves up for failure? That isn’t a good idea in any area. And maybe if I keep running him in ASCA, I’ll learn how to run him in those flowing fast courses and we’ll get even better. I can hope, anyway, right?

My other choice was DOCNA, but there are not as many DOCNA trials as there are ASCA that I can get to realistically. And I enjoy ASCA. I always have. And we have such an awesome Australian Shepherd crowd here in Utah. And I have a friend in Colorado I can stay with when I go there…. so, ASCA it is.

Chase is so fast… in that Jumpers run he ran it in 21.3 seconds, 5.95 yards per second. That is dang fast. Sometimes I think he needs an energy auditor to keep him in check! He’s hard for me to handle at that speed, but I can do it, I am learning how. And I never put turning into his foundation agility work, so we lack that skill. ASCA needs other skills. You still have to call off obstacles and turn, even at speed, which really is a whole other skill set, and not really that easy, either. So… there’s an ASCA trial in Colorado over Memorial Day Weekend. I’m going to plan on that. It’s four days, which is a huge bonus for traveling, too.

So wish us luck! Hopefully Chase will come out of this with an ASCA ATCH! We have four years before he’s 10 to accomplish it.

It’s a good run. I wish Saturday would have gone as well as Friday. I pulled him off the course a couple times on Saturday because of some mistakes. I don’t really think that does anything for him, but once I’m out of sync with him it all falls apart so going on is really kinda pointless. oh well. Maybe an auto insurance quote would help us get our thing together… hrm.. maybe not!

This is his Q run, nice huh? Clean and everything! I can’t even use malignant Mesothelioma as an excuse for not Qing… hrm… Anyway, it was a fun day.

So anyway, I’m not expecting much.. but I’d like a Q. I’m only going Friday and Saturday. Maybe we’ll get a FAST Q, but I’d prefer a standard or jumpers Q. I don’t Q with Chase much in excellent, and so some positive reinforcement for the handler would be nice!

Chase Is Not Happy

Unfortunately, Chase is unhappy with our foster dog Titus. Chase doesn’t like other dogs very much… he has space issues and doesn’t like dogs getting into his space. He gives off the weirdest signals. And Titus doesn’t know how to interpret them so he just stares at Chase. And no matter how much I tell Titus that staring is really bad dog manners, he doesn’t understand and keeps on doing it.

So we keep Chase and Titus apart. But it’s been getting worse lately. Chase took his frustration out on Lucy the other day, and even broke skin on Lucy’s nose. That is rare for Chase, he never breaks skin. So we are in need of a new foster home for Titus. We do have to put Chase’s needs first… but we’ll get Titus a great new foster home, or even a great forever home, which would be best!

I wish some sort of diet supplement would help Chase mellow out, but we’ve already tried many things. He has a low thyroid and he’s being treated for that. We just need to give Chase a good home environment too. He’s a good boy and he works so hard for me.  So, we’ll see, Titus will get another great place to stay!

Chase

His open is just about ready though, of course, once in a while he’ll pull something weird out of the air. Yesterday on the broad jump he actually went around it a couple of times, instead of over, which he has never done before. But we’d trained the retrieve over the high just before, and put the high jump off to the side, the side he went around the broad jump. When we moved that away then he seemed to be fine. We guessed he was pulling toward that jump. Goofy boy. He’s too smart for his own good.

On Friday we were working Utility exercises. He is so good. We worked the Go-Out where he has to go to the other end of the ring and spin and sit. He has a gorgeous Go-Out thanks to flyball. LOL And he has good distance control too so his spin and sit are also really nice! Even without a treat.

So yesterday we were working scent articles (we still have some cheese on there so he knows, for sure, which one to pick up). One time he went to the pile, picked up the correct article, then spun and sat, looking all proud of himself. LOL he is way too smart! So we have to tell him that the article pile and the go out are different, and let him know what the right things are. He understands so fast and he is such a good smart boy. We use lots of treats and praise and tugs and he is really starting to understand a lot.

In March he’ll go into AKC Open A, which I really need to enter… okay I printed the premium so I can do that tomorrow.

Anyway, Chase needs more physical activity, but the weather just sucks. Maybe he could work an elliptical… or maybe I need one instead. Or a treadmill. Many dogs use treadmills in the winter! I should jog but the pollution outside just makes me sick to look at, much less breathe. :p

We are still training open and we’ll get the title. This is ASCA. There are a lot of ASCA Obedience shows around here so I’m not worried about it. On the first day he went down on his sit stay… he just had to smell something in the dirt! But otherwise he did good then too.

Now I need to find the opposite of the best hair loss products for Chase, since he’s loosing coat this winter again. Hopefully it’ll come back in the spring!

Chase

So this weekend is it, Chase’s first try at Open Obedience. I have him entered in ASCA Obedience, Open A, and I sure hope it goes well. I’m pretty darn nervous. But in lessons he’s been doing great. So as long as all the training holds, and he remembers what he’s doing, we should be okay.

They are having a USDAA agility trial on the same weekend in the same arena, so I think that will make it hard for Chase. So I worry about his heeling and his out of sight stays. And his retrieve over the high isn’t all that solid, sometimes he goes around the jump on the way back. But if I throw to the right, hopefully he’ll be okay.

So as long as the drive up and back is okay and we don’t need any roadside assistance, all should go okay… no guarantees on Qs, but that’s okay. It’ll be a very good way to see where we are. And then from there… Utility!

Levi and Chase

I went on Friday and took Levi and Chase. On Saturday I took Tatum and Chase. Tatum thought that was great fun, too. Since Levi is 10 years old now I won’t be taking him every time. I want to keep him in good shape though. And I don’t really go that far. Just a couple of miles for about a half an our. So I don’t think that’s really too much for Levi. A couple of times a week. He’s a good boy and he doesn’t really show his age.

Sunday I took Tatum and Jet on a nice long walk. About 45 minutes, also a couple of miles. They both loved it. I strapped on my disposable shoe covers and off we went. Jet has so much energy… I do make sure we take it easy because he is so young and I don’t want to stress his bones. But at the same time he does have a lot of energy and so I want him to get the exercise he needs.

So I’m going to try to switch off between going on walks with Jet and going running with Chase and Tatum and Levi. Chase will get to go on all the runs. Tatum and Levi some of the runs. And Jet will get to go on walks.

My husband takes care of the rest of the dogs’ exercising so I only have to do the four. Thank goodness because I don’t have time for the other three dogs! I love them all, though!

Handsome Jet

Anyway so Chase got 2 Qs this weekend out of 12 runs. I’ve been told (since my math is horrible) that’s about 15%. For a fast, long strided dog, in ASCA, I think that’s too low. It’s too low for my tastes, anyway. We almost got a gamblers Q but he didn’t do what I wanted on the A-Frame so I left the course early. Ugh.

Chase is awesome, and I need to pick it up. It’s not him, it’s me. Well except the A-Frame. He usually has a stellar A-Frame contact and he was blowing it last weekend. Only going in one direction, though. I don’t know what it was about that direction. Bleh. Maybe it was because it was a slatless A-Frame but I don’t think so. He knows how to control himself on those too.

Anyway I’m working on my handling skills a lot and I am getting a lot better. Maybe I need to get away from the dog stuff for a bit, look for some term life insurance instead, and just relax!