So when...?

"Wow Strike sure has grown since the last I've seen him! When can he start competing (in AKC I assume)?"
"December"
"Can't wait to see you at a trial next month then!"
"...I'm not entering him in anything soon actually."
"Why not? He's old enough and he looks great to me."
...
Honestly I've thought I've choked this question to death, but others must not read my blog or Facebook posts.

Yes, Strike can start competing December 8th.
No, I am not planning on competing with him that early for a few reasons...
1. Contact training is not finished!! This may take a while...
2. He hasn't even ran a full course yet, he didn't start serious training until just the other month.
3. I'm not in a rush or race to a certain title or accomplishment, I'm just as satisfied with taking my time.
4. I'm a poor college student.

Yes, Strike did really well at Purina practice.  His weaves are phenomenal,  his teeter is great, he keeps bars up, but there is so much that goes into the training of everything that I would have had to start training obstacles at a lower age, which I am highly against, in order to compete the day of his 15 month birthday and feel completely confident. Mainly because I don't live at home during the week. I don't have the option of daily training, so that sets us back a little bit as well.
I don't plan on competing until Strike is 18 months old. Sure he could have advanced into a higher level of AKC by then, but I honestly do.not.care.
I play this game for fun and because I have a true passion for the sport.

So stop asking me why I won't compete with him next month. K thanks.

Rant over.

My 5 Rules.

Where to even begin...
    Now at a year old, I've been going back and watching videos and awing at pictures from when Strike was younger. Do I regret anything? Not one bit. Some people have asked what my plan was with Strike. How I went about "training" him his first year and what my thoughts were on everything.
This was basically my rubric, if you want to think of it that way... My five major rules in "training" a puppy.

1.) ALWAYS FUN NO MATTER WHAT!
 Training rule number one of course also. Never get mad at or scold the puppy. Never instill fear into him. Be his best friend; the one he can trust. Positive reinforcement, playing, and letting him be a puppy (in other words, let him play and have a puppy brain. Maturity will form eventually).

2.) LEARN THE BASICS FIRST.
Of course I would hope anyone would follow this rule... It would only make sense. Teach them basics while they're young. In a fun and appropriate way, of course.

3.) STIMULATE THE BRAIN.
Self explanatory... Tricks, making them think, get their brains to start functioning. Shaping is especially a great way of doing this!

4.) FOUNDATION, FOUNDATION, FOUNDATION.
Puppies have so much coordination, body awareness, and basic knowledge to learn before anything big. Running around a cone, walking through a ladder, building muscle, strength training, etc. -- all vital to building a performance dog. (Has a lot to do with #5.)

and now for the big one...

5.) BIG DOG EQUIPMENT CAN WAIT!
First of all, you can't compete until the dog is 15 months old at the earliest. Please tell me why in the world you would stress this equipment early on in a puppy's life? If it's muscle you're looking to build, putting your puppy on a full size, lets use the a-frame as an example, is not the way to do so unless you want to risk injuring the puppy. Remember, puppies, like human babies, are not fully developed. There are things called growth plates. Disrupt their growth plates or damage them and well... The outcome may be devastating later down the road. It's a scientific fact, you can't say it isn't true. I just can not bring myself to understand how one can think that performing these full-height obstacles at a young age is healthy. You know that puppies are growing and developing. How can you not see that high impact training like this can damage your growing teammate?

 Plus there is SO much more to do, why rush into things? I really stress this factor in my own training because I want my puppies to be healthy and able to form and have their growth plates close before ANY jumping, weaving, climbing, etc.
So you say that waiting too long will result in undesirable obstacle performance and difficulty for them?
Okay, so clearly my young pup will get no where in agility because he started/will start these obstacles once his growth plates are closed... This is what foundation is for. Build your muscle and drive in foundation training. I find it extremely offensive that people think that younger is better for everything, because it scientifically, is not. You may get lucky and your dog may not develop any major problems, but the risk should be scary enough. We all want our canines to last as long as possible as well as being as healthy as possible.
Strike is a powerhouse. Probably the most muscular pup I've ever met. And he didn't get this from obstacles. Oh no... He got it from **foundation** training. Living on a farm also gave him an advantage, but mainly the foundation. The learning how to run, coordinate his body, and build muscle. /end rant

So, my five rules. What I follow for training puppies. (Yes, I have more "rules" but I just wanted to share 5 of them.)

and some photos for no reason!!

(I mean really, he can fly... and run extremely fast. Some say it's the freckles) ;)

My Puppy is already ONE?!

I am just mind blown by the fact that my sweet little innocent Strike is already 12 months old (as of September 8th). Honestly I thought he would be a little taller. He just seems so small to me, but I'm probably just so used to seeing and being around monster collies.
 So...What now? What are our plans?
Well, I am living in the city during the week to go to college, and I come home Friday afternoon- Sunday afternoon, so my training time and availability is literally cut in half, plus it also depends on the weather.

I STILL need to get the rubber on my contact equipment (I know, I'll get it done soon).
So where is he in terms of contact training?
1.) Dog Walk - On an elevated plank on the ground. About a 90% Jackpot rate right now. Wanting to get that higher before we raise it (or get him on a short dog walk, because I am adjusting my current to do so).
2.) Aframe - Waiting to rubberize my aframe before we get any further in to training with it. Thinking about adding a box, because he's kind of a maniac and likes to two stride the aframe. We'll see when the rubber gets put on!
3.) Teeter - We've been playing the bang game for a long time now. He loves it. I'm very pleased with how he is driving to the end of the plank also (not at full height, obviously).

I raised his jump bar to 14" recently. We're going to start working more on grids, wraps, and all that fun stuff as we build the height of the jumps. So far he is doing excellent!

I have him on channel weave poles that are still almost completely open. My stick-in-the-ground poles are pissing me off and it doesn't help that the ground is hard as a rock right now. So I'm not sure when we'll be able to actually get real weave pole training done soon. Oh well, it can wait!

Mostly we've just been working on handling and reading my body language better. He's a crazy pup, that's for sure.

Trialing? I don't even want to bring that up! Sure, he COULD debut the weekend he turns 15 months, but I'm going to work on taking my time with him and molding and shaping him into a great, prepared dog before I throw him on course. (Not to mention my contact training will most likely NOT be done, and I won't be able to get much practice in during the colder months!) It's NOT a race. Many people sure do act like it is, but screw that. I'm taking my good ol' time and will debut him when he and I are both ready to start our agility journey together. I think we may just debut in ASCA first if there is a near-by trial when he turns 18 months. Ah, I love ASCA.

Can't wait to see what the future has in store for us!
And here is a picture I took of him, drooling from excitement, on his first birthday!
Happy birthday, you crazy little ball of insanity!

Contact Entries

This past weekend I was at an ASCA trial competing with Ace, one of my border collies at Purina Farms.
Friday we made it through our first standard run and got ready to run the second. In ASCA, your second run is typically the first course, only backwards.

Walking the course, I didn't see anything as much of an issue, I felt confident in where I was going and how I was going to handle things. The teeter did feel awkward to me, as it's entry was on a 90° turn from a jump, it just sat back further from the jump. I just thought, "oh, I can just push him out".

The run was going great... Until the teeter, the third to last obstacle. I pushed him out as far as I could before I had to run ahead (I was going to front cross after the teeter), until I looked back as Ace was getting onto the teeter. The extreme angle for his size made it difficult for him to get the right side of his body onto the obstacle.

He started to fall at the pivot point, but somehow grabbed the pivot bar and was trying to hang on to pull himself up (yes, he was upside down!), I start to run back to him, but by that time he let go and fell onto his back and laid there for a second.

Terrified of injury I quickly sat him up and had him walk a few steps to see if he hurt anything. He appeared fine, the judge came over to pet him (Ace loved that), and we had him go back over the teeter, which he luckily had no fear of. Needless to say he got a very long message and stretching after that along with Traumeel.

So I got to thinking and looking at course maps. This was not the first time a weird entry was placed, it was only the first that actually got to us.

The judge seemed concerned and looked back at the angle and luckily the rest of the weekend was friendly with entries.

Today I was watching Youtube videos of friends running agility and I noticed awkward dogwalk entries. (please see drawings below to see what I'm talking about, as I do not have a copy of course maps).

There are a lot of ways of making courses challenging, but perhaps entries to contacts should remain in a definite safe zone, especially for those like me who have large but fast dogs.

Although the dogwalk and teeters' 12" wide planks are obviously more at risk for entries, the aframe can still have risky entries. For example, over my years of trialing I have seen aframes on strange angles. The dogs run to it and have to scramble to the center after almost flying off the other side due to the approach.

Thank God Ace's incident didn't happen on the dogwalk. The pivot point on the teeter is no where near as high as the top of the dogwalk. However, I've sadly seen dogs fall off the side of the top of the up ramp on the dogwalk and land on their backs or side. Yes, these were a result of bad approaches to the entry of the obstacle!

I'm not a judge, I do not know the regulations for how entries to contacts should be set (if there are any), all I know is that giving an usafe approach can and will result in an unsafe performance and may cause injury.

Rushed, Uneducated, or Oblivious?

Traditions throughout dog training have evolved in such a way that some people are stuck in the day of age where things have to be done this way and preformed that way.

Having an open mind is something everyone should have or try to have.

Sadly, one old fashioned way of thinking seems to stick around for some and that is negative reinforcement... Sad, right?

Scolding, grabbing the scruff and punishing, and negative physical contact are just some things I've witnessed people doing while training in various sports, including agility.  

Science has brought us a long way in understanding our dogs better by studying their emotions and especially the research regarding the growth and development of dogs.

Growth plates in most dogs close at around a year, give or take depending on the size.  So why are trainers still, with this knowledge available to them,  teaching full closed sets of 12 weave poles around 4-5 months old? What about jumps at competition heights or full size contact equipment at that age? 

It could be because that's how they've always done it or perhaps they want to impress others...(more like call negative attention to themselves). 

You may argue that training this full size equipment gives your puppy an edge, but are you really doing so? 

Like babies and children, puppies are constantly growing, developing and forming. Drilling activities such as weave poles or high impact jumping can lead to an injury, whether it be obvious or appears later in life because the growth plates were disturbed as a pup. 

Think about the impact of what you're asking your 5-month-old puppy to do. Think of some of the areas affected. Aframe: shoulders, wrists. Jumping: legs in general. Weaving: spine, hips, shoulders. All of these areas and more are taking a toll from this impact training.

Building drive, coordination, basic training, tricks, etc is a lot of what goes in to foundation training... What you should be doing with that pup instead of that full AKC course you set up at your club to show off your "prize puppy". Newsflash - you can't compete until 15 months anyway...

So what are they? 

Rushed?  Racing against someone else mentally to finish or begin training before them. One-upping. Must get everything trained to be a better competitor.

Uneducated? New to the sport or not knowing what is actually going on. Usually in need of a positive mentor to get them started.

Oblivious? Knowing the science behind how impact training too young is bad, but continue anyway because they've always done it that way or have seen others do it that way. 

Keep an open mind and do what you feel is safe for your pup . Don't let oblivious trainers tell you to start this impact training at 3-4 months(Yes, they exist!). 

Go out and have fun with your puppies and remember: foundation,  foundation,  foundation! 

Being seriously fun.

Something we see too often... The competitor in the ring at a local trial stressing and pushing their dogs to the limits in order for a chance to place (or whatever).

Recently the serious type of competitors have been raising some questions from me so naturally I  observed.

Being serious is not necessarily a bad thing, but it comes to a point where you're bringing your team down rather than up when taken too far.

Pushing limits. Pushing for speed. Who doesn't want to place or do well? Everyone wants to try their best to accomplish goals with their beloved dogs, but how far is too far?

Agility is a fun sport... FUN sport. Not cut throat, life-or-death runs. If you're too serious and pushing your dog, chances are you're just building stress. Stress in the ring may not lead to your "expected outcome" and usually doesn't. Learn to have FUN. The more fun you're having, the more fun your dog is having. The more energy you have, the more energy your dog has. Use that positive energy to enhance your run and avoid the cut throat feelings. Your fastest, most rewarding run will be the run that was the most fun for you and your dog (regardless of result, because we love our dogs and do our best to avoid handler errors, right?)

Pushing training. Training doesn't happen overnight. Agility training is complex and can take months to train. PUPPIES - Want to do AKC? Cool, you still have over a year to prepare before you debut at 15 months (if you are into debuting ASAP). Don't rush training in the most critical time of their little lives. Puppies have far more important things to learn before agility obstacles. Basic obedience, foundation, playing and HOW TO BE A PUPPY. Not to mention their bodies need to have time to grow and develop without damage for future injury. COMPETITION AGE ADULT DOGS - Say you adopt a 15-month-old dog, agility is not a training race. Take your time. Consistant, steady training will result in the best outcome, not obstacle preformances that were slopped together in order to trial quickly. Take the time to train a nice dog. Slow and steady (training) wins the race.

If you're rushing outcomes, you're setting yourself up for possible failure and disappointment. Take your time and have fun with it.

Try being serious...ly fun. No matter what the outcome. Your dog will love you for it, and your attitude with lift your spirits with every run you have... Because nothing is better than the bond and team work between man and dog.

Journey to ATCH

It's been two years of competing in ASCA with Ace.
May 4th, 2013, we accomplished something I couldn't even dream of when I was younger and getting into the sport. Putting an agility champion title on a dog. And under a great judge: Pamela Bryant-Meeks.

We needed a gambler Q and two standard Qs for our very first ATCH. Knocked out the gambler requirement in the first run of the day. Then our round 1 standard run. Heart racing, nerves shaking, and eyes tired from the two hour drive and 4am wake-up, we entered the ring for our round 2 standard run. The run we needed. Somewhat of a tight course for a dog of Ace's size, I took it slow. Making sure he had good approaches to each jump and stopped on his contacts. At the end of the run, we found that we made it... Cheers and congratulations came our way. Support and joy from those I didn't even know. It was a great feeling. It was a memorable day for sure.

I got involved with ASCA when Sara Swanson told me about it. A few months before our first trial, I took classes with Joan Meyer, who also did some ASCA.

My first trial was at the Columbia Canine Sports Center in Columbia, MO. The same location we got our ATCH.
Judge Mike Willis judged my first trial, where Ace took High in Trial Novice dog and earned all three novice titles.
We then moved up to open. That weekend we earned all three open titles and High in Trial Open dog.
Then we got to run with the big dogs in Elite. We earned all three elite titles quickly, earning High in Trial Elite dog and High in Trial Overall multiple times.

So I'd like to take this time to thank a  few people.
First, Ace. My heart dog. Thanks for putting up with me while I learned and evolved my training when we were younger... You're a rockstar and I couldn't imagine life without you.

My family, especially Mom. Thank you for supporting me 110% and driving me to trials and being there for me.

Sara Swanson. Thank you for introducing me to ASCA and helping me out at my first trial. You're a great friend.

Joan Meyer. Thank you for having Ace and I in your classes. We learned a lot, you inspired me, and helped build my confidence in agility.

Judge Pamela Bryant-Meeks. Thank you for being one of the most fun judges I've shown under and designing such fun courses for the trial I got my ATCH at.

All of the judges I've shown under and friends and trial secretaries I've met throughout the years. Thank you for being there for me. Your support means a lot and I couldn't have done it without you.

It was a great journey and I look forward to what else Ace and I can accomplish together.

-Kelsey & ATCH KK's Flyin Ace

Strike's 8 Month Progress

Let's see... 8 months old and not doing a whole lot more than playing!

Lets start out with his flat progress. Measured out yardage, had him run through being timed, and clocked in at 10+ YPS on the flat ground. (He was almost 7 months, so I need to run that test again.)

Learning channel weaves, wide channels of course. Going to separately work entries with a 2x2.

Still practicing tight turns, left/right. Still doing great! Bar is at about 10" in our wrap exercises for tight turns.

Learning running contacts (dogwalk); doing a phenominal job!!

Doing short sequences, mainly to learn body language better and directions. He literally drools from the excitement while running. He's so intense!

Next on the agenda? Continue weaves, jumps, and running contacts still.

He's so fast that it's actually challenging to keep up. Luckily we did distance foundation a while back - woohoo!

He's such a kickass little dog.

PURPOSE CONFUSED?

I apologize for the angry capitals... but what do I even mean?

We (Border Collie folk) know that there are basically three types of BC breeders: Herding, sporting, and conformation breeders.

Everyone had no idea I was in the market for another BC before I got Strike, but I did receive comments from people suggesting where to get my next BC (who was planned a few years away).

I got this : "Why would you want a dog from a working breeder?"
"I guess you don't want a fast agility dog?"
"Good luck without a sporter collie."
"You won't have a chance with a working bred dog in agility."

These quotes carried in my mind and have been bugging me lately.

Ace was bred for herding and is a wonderfully consistant agility dog, but lacks the speed he could have. (probably because I trained him when I was 15 and clueless...)
And now I'm training Strike, who is a half brother to Ace and also from wonderful herding lines. He's turning out to be very promising. Honestly, he's also one of the fastest pups I've ever seen!
Though now that I know what I'm doing, how to train efficiently, and how to build drive, I'm quite insulted that the people who had been talking to me and giving me "tips" constantly said to go to a sport breeder if I ever wanted to make it in the agility world.

I'd like to point out a few things I've seen personally.
*It's the trainer. Dogs aren't born pre-programmed.
*Dogs bred for conformation or herding can stand a chance against sporters; I see it often at local shows.
*Not all sporters are ~perfect~ like they are claimed to be.
*There is no such thing as a certain type being automatically better at agility. Now do the breedings give advantages? Sure; but when it really comes down to it, it's the trainer, the bond, and the hard work and persistence.

Just had to rant a little as I'm tired of hearing "don't get a dog from them; they're slow."

A companion and friend first; an agility dog second.

Equality.

I don't usually post things that don't have anything to do with dogs, but when I do, it's something that has been bugging me.

Huge debate currently going on:
Gay marriage.

There are a few things I picked out in particular that people are complaining about;
1.) Tradition
2.) Religion
3.) Morals

I'd just like to first point out that everyone is different...
YOU are straight? Doesn't mean everyone is.
YOU don't like gay marriage? Cool, then don't marry someone of the same sex.
How does a gay couple affect YOU?
YOU don't like seeing them in public? Then ignore it. Don't acknowledge it and act like an asshole; YOU don't know them.
It goes against YOUR religion? Please tell me more about how only one religion exists.
YOU believe that a man and a woman should be the only couple eligible for marriage? That's YOUR opinion. Again, YOU'RE not the one getting a same sex marriage, right?
How will they properly raise their children? YOU'VE got to be kidding me. So I'm guessing single parents can't raise kids properly either? Who gave YOU the right to judge someone on that topic, let alone someone/those YOU don't know.
Being against gay marriage isn't going to keep the gays hidden or get rid of them. It isn't illegal to date of the same sex.
Marriage is a unity. What do YOU care if they're married or not? YOU'RE going to see them together anyway. They dont judge and hate YOU for being straight.
What is freedom if you can't even marry who YOU love?
How would YOU feel if the world as we know it was opposite... If gay was traditional and the government and whatnot was keeping YOU from marrying YOUR opposite sex partner?
Not everyone is straight.
Everyone is entitled to love and freedom, regardless of the fine details.

I'm not gay, but I do believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but YOUR morals, traditions, and religion can differ from anyone else.
Think about others, think of their struggles with this situation and take a look at yourself. Is it worth it to keep lovers from getting married? You live once... Everyone lives once (unless you believe in reincarnation of course!) Let them live, love, and prosper and do the same yourself.

/end rant.
Sorry. Equality is just fair... Hence the word "equal"...
Which is true?
2 > 2
2 = 2
Just something to think about...

/ Okay, I'm done. Thank you. :)

Bothering Sayings

I just had to. I hear it too often from average non-dog people. (or technically I hear and see people ask/say these annoying things.)

1.) "Oh, you race dogs?"
2.) "My dog can jump through a hoop too!"
3.) "My dog could do that."
4.) "Why can't you bring treats or toys in the ring?"
5.) "So you do this on leash?"
6.) "Why can't you touch the dog to help it?"
7.) "Why are you running around with the dog? I thought they were trained!"
8.) "Did you win your trial?"
9.) "How much money do you get?"
10.) "Why do you tell your dog to hit that yellow part?"
11.) "This isn't a sport."
12.) "Do you have to have a Border Collie?"
13.) "That looks easy."
14.) "Why does the dog jump that high/low?"
15.) "Are you following a path?"
16.) "I bet my dog could kick your dogs butt."
17.) "How does the dog not fall off that ramp thing?"
18.) "What is the point?"
19.) "Why don't you do a real sport?"
20.) "My dog did this when he was 8 weeks old."
21.) "Yeah, my dog is a champion agility dog. He is great in my backyard jumping over broomsticks."

Like really?... ;___;

Just thought I'd share.

Having a Mind of Greatness

Success, accomplishment, winning.
Great things can lead to not-so great attitudes towards others.

From my own observation at agility trials and within the agility community, I have picked out two very opposite attitudes from those who are considered "great", "the best" and "elite".

Type 1: The Humble Winner
The humble winners are the ones who don't drown others in their own successes. They congratulate everybody, reguardless of how their runs really played out. The also are good advice givers. They don't speak a rude word to anyone and try to prove to everyone that we're all great somewhere and we can all get there. They have respect. I call this a "mind of greatness".

Type 2: The Wrong Direction Winner
Why did I choose that name? Well, these are the competitors who tend to push down on others (whether it be inside and/or outside of their friend group). From observation, these people tend to think that they're basically the God/Goddess of agility. The main thing I've seen is that they tend to talk down those who may not have a dog as fast as theirs, may be slower handling wise, and I've even seen them take it publically to a personal level. It's like they're trying to keep everyone below them in a rude and insensitive way; whether it be with insults or embarrassment.

Sadly, I can admit that I see type 2 more than type 1. What's wrong with this picture?
Think to yourself;
Which type gets more/all respect?
How can you improve on your own attitude?
Do you have any goals to becoming a type 1 winner?

Agility is a fun sport and we're all winners in some way. Don't let others get you down; be the better person and set an example for them.

Stay strong. Be positive. Have the mind of greatness.

Goals for 2013?

Well, I never expect much going in to trials, but my goals for 2013 are as follows...

Ace ;
* Get Ace his ATCH.
* Get into all master classes in USDAA.
* Get more involved with AKC and get into "masters" (fka excellent b).

Strike ;
* Continue foundation work.
* Begin equipment training.
*Train at Purina more.
* Have fun!

Bree/Moose ;
* Keep happy and active!

Me ;
*Attend my fall semester at Maryville University for pre-optometry.
* Finish high school strong.
* More scholarships.
* Get an ACT score higher, and that isn't the exact freaking same as my previous too.
* Get a new job @ the hospital.
* Make people happy.
* Stay positive.
* Shadow my optometrist.
* Enjoy summer (maybe go on vacation for the first time in years).
* Remember that no matter what happens, life goes on.

Achievement vs. Expectation

Two words I've seen used interchangeable far too often.

Achievement (n) : A result gained by effort.
Expectation (n) : The act or state of anticipation.

"She met my expectation."
Expressing that your dog met your expecation usually can mean very opposite things. Did you expect success or failure? Why did you expect this outcome? Is it fair to expect it? You expected your dog to Q, but have you considered the variables that home into play on an agility course?

"We achieved our goal."
Expressing that you did in fact set a goal. Goals may not be acquired quickly, as many of us are familiar with. Say you set your goal to be getting a MACH on your 4-year-old dog before the dog retires; you aren't committing yourself to the mindset that you have to get it because you expect it to happen.

Now look back at the quotes. What do you see?

In the expectation quote, it uses words such as "She" and "my". Referring to one or the other teammate. Handler and dog are seperate parts. It'd be silly to say, "we met our expectation", because did your dog expect this? Did she tell you this?

In the achievement quote, you instantly see "we" and "our". Referring to the dog and handler team as a whole.

So...
Is it okay to expect outcomes? That's completely up to you and what you believe. I'm not going to tell you that an opinion is incorrect, but looking further in depth to the word "expectation", is it really fair to use?

I think we should all step back and look at what we're really in this sport for. You're never guaranteed to Q and/or place, therefore if that was you're expectation, you just let yourself down and most likely, you're going to be upset like I see too often at trials.
However, if you set goals to achieve, you can gradually work towards them staying positive and happy with your dog.

Just my random late-night mini rant.