One of my dogs got Eliminated from a run this weekend… and it wasn’t Syrio.
One of my dogs made a new dog friend this weekend… and it was Syrio.
It was a fun (and surprising!) weekend at Breakaway Action Dogs in Frederick, MD at the World Cynosport Rally Limited (WCRL) trial.
Our Goals for the Trial
- Have fun!
- Finish Syrio’s Level 3 title (needed one more 3A Q).
- Pick up a few QQs toward his ARCHEX title.
- See how much rally Jadzia could do even though we hardly ever train any rally. (See goal #1.)
Why Did I Bring Jadzia?
Jadzia is my agility dog, but she had surgery to correct a luxating patella (loose kneecap) in December 2021. At the moment, she is cleared for leash walking, sits, and downs, but not for the more strenuous work of agility.
And since my husband was out of town this weekend, I didn’t want her to be left home alone and bored (or come with us and be bored at the trial). So I entered her! She earned her Intro title about two years ago but she hasn’t any rally trials since.
Jadzia Earned Her Level 1 Title (maybe)
She also peed in the ring and got eliminated from one of her four runs.
D’oh! I totally take the blame for that one. I still haven’t gotten the hang of juggling multiple dogs at a trial and I should have taken her outside for a quick pee before our run. Was I embarrassed? Eh, a little. But dogs are dogs and I grabbed the spray and paper towels and cleaned up her little puddle.
Her other three runs were beautiful, all scoring over 200 pts (out of a possible 210 including the bonus). Technically, this would have finished her Level 1 title.
However, the rules state that the three Qs must come from at least two different judges. Due to a last-minute change, we had the same judge for all three runs. The club is contacting WCRL to see if they’ll make an exception (since one run was on a different judge’s course map at least!) for Jadzia and a couple other dogs who were in the same boat.
No worries. If we need one more Q, we’ll pick it up at BAD in May.
Jadzia’s Scores:
- Level 1A – 206 – 2nd place
- Level 1A – E – party foul!
- Level 1A – 206 – 3rd place
- Level 1A – 204 – 1st place
Syrio Finished His Level 3 Title
Luckily, Syrio did not have the same judge predicament as Jadzia. He only needed one more Q for Level 3A and knocked that out of the way with a score of 200.
He had eight runs (4 in 2B, 1 in 3A, and 3 in 3B) and qualified in all of them. I was especially happy that he was staying focused and not getting distracted by his nose, especially near the walls. (He did, however, have to leave me to investigate some spots on the ground that could have been food but were just dirt.)
His distance Down and his Down on Recall were PERFECT every time and he nailed all the jumps, including the weird Directed Jump where I couldn’t move my feet like I would to cue it properly in agility.
This was probably the best trial he’s had in a long time – not necessarily by overall scores, but by his engagement in heel. We felt like a much more connected team this weekend and that makes me very happy!
He has earned 3 QQs out of the 10 QQs he needs for his ARCHEX title.
Syrio’s Scores:
- 2B – 203 – 5th place
- 2B – 209 – 1st place
- 2B – 203
- 2B – 207 – 4th place
- 3A – 200 – 3rd place
- 3B – 206 – 4th place
- 3B – 202
- 3B – 202
Fun & Friends
We were next-crate neighbors with Hodge the German Shepherd Dog who was a big sweet boy who enjoys heeling while bouncing in the air. And despite Syrio’s history of being an asshole sometimes, he decided Hodge was pretty cool and they exchanged some sniffs and hellos in the parking lot.
Training Goals
Of course, no trial wrap-up would be complete without training goals!
Jadzia
No rally-specific goals. We’re working on our strength exercises for rehab so she can be agility ready as soon as her surgeon gives her the all-clear.
Syrio
Keeping building heeling engagement
I have some plans to use his favorite thing ever – the Magical Beeping Treat Machine (aka Treat n’ Train)
Straighten up sloppy sits
We’ll be hitting the pivot bucket and other rear foot targeting work!
Re-learn reverse heel
Syrio has a really good “beep beep beep” (heel backwards) pre-COVID but it has deteriorated a bit due to lack of practice. Luckily that fits right in with the rear foot targeting work we’ll be doing for his crooked sits.
Next Trial
Syrio’s next rally trial is April 8-9 (Friday/Saturday) at Bella Vista Training Center in PA.
