Retirement ? Not Us !

Since Atilla turned 9 late last year I have occasionally been thinking about how much longer we will have in the ring together before it comes time to retire him from competition.  Even though I hope that day is a long way off, I have to be realistic considering his major injury as a youngster and the fact that he runs agility with minimal flexion in one wrist.

This can't have been 9 years ago - it seems like yesterday.

At least the ears finally sorted themseles out !

After having most of last year off from trialling due to several unrelated injuries that just seemed to keep on flaring up (we had the huge amount of 3 runs - not trials - for the entire year) I decided to try and equal that in his first trial back for the year a couple of weeks back and entered him in 3 runs.

I honestly had visions of pulling him out after his first run for some reason.  He has been fine for months now and is actually looking fitter than ever, but ever since we resumed training late last year I haven't felt the same connection that we had before.  He runs just fine and usually goes around most courses pretty well, but it has felt like we were just going through the motions together... even the last run of the year where he qualified felt like that.   So I lined up at the start line for Masters agility first run - after some very lukewarm tugging and focus outside the ring - and thought that I would most likely get a pretty lukewarm run to match ...... Boy, did he prove me wrong !

Good focus right off the start line, with a fairly technical lead out that he hasn't seen in over a year and then a nice consistent qualifying run to boot.  The next Masters agility course was a lot more difficult, with a killer weave entry that many dogs missed and a lot more potential off courses as well.  This time he ran even faster, nailed the weave entry, went clear again,   and was so pumped up when he came out of the ring that he wouldn't let go of the tug toy - which of course I have no problem with.   His results were : 4th place on the first run, behind 3 of the fastest dogs in the state and .....  I can't believe it.......... 2nd place on the next run (1st place 500).  Go my funny little red and tan boy !  He even fired up for Masters Gamblers which was the last event of the day and he had been sitting around for a long time as I didn't enter him in jumping.  Very difficult gamble that most dogs didn't get but Atilla did - albeit with a lot of threadle arms and changes of direction to try and stay true to my handling system and not handle it with the biggest motherflickers of all time.  Unfortunately we just ran out of time on the gamble (probably due to the aforementioned arm changes and pulling back and forwards over the line) but I was rapt with his efforts nonetheless.

And last weekend, just to prove that the first 2 agility runs were not a fluke, he also qualified once more in Masters agility on one of the most technically difficult runs I have had in a long, long time.  4th place again (3rd place 500) out of 8 quallies overall.   So I am very proud of his efforts and may have to rethink the retirement thing for a bit after all. 

We even made a comeback to Masters Jumping after 18 months away from that event, and although we had an offcourse due to me not getting where I needed to be in time, it is the runs like this where he actually puts on a turn of speed that I love.

Go Tilz - luv ya !

Cruz also had a couple of runs, a nice run in Excellent agility with a missed weave entry the only bobble (same killer weave entry that Atilla copped in Masters) and last week a Masters Jumping run with an off course - not in the same place as Atilla though, LOL, but also caused by him speeding up and getting away from me on a section of the course where I needed to be there for him. 
I have decided that one run is enough for Cruz - he is usually a lot more confident and motivated when he first comes out and then for some reason loses it a bit as the day goes on.  Fine by me - I would rather have one good run, where qualifying is not the goal but just icing on the cake if it happens - than put him out for 3 or 4 mediocre runs that are not doing much to convince him that this game is fun anyway.

I can't say that I have missed Masters jumping though.  I had forgotten just how crowded the course walking is, just how rude some people are when they stand around talking on the tight bits of the course where you really need to pay attention to how you want to handle but can't get through the crowds who are too busy analysing how they want to handle that section and telling everyone else what they should be doing.  And just how competitive some people are when they hang around and watch anyone they consider to be a threat to them and are all listening intently to those times, but then turn their backs and walk off when all those who arent' considered a threat to them run...... only to all come running back if the next dog happens to be a speedy one. 

I'm also way over hearing about 'top dog points',(ridiculous elitist competition here where only the top 10 qualify, and there are certainly more than 10 awesome dogs competing at the moment)  'agility champion points' and people getting pissed if they don't come 1st or at least 2nd - not to mention if they happen to get beaten by a dog they think is not 'worthy' ... Go the brilliant 300 poodle running here who beat all comers last week to win Masters Jumping overall - and would totally kick the kelpie's butt any day. (Sorry Atilla, LOL)   Not to mention being totally over listening to people bagging everyone else who isn't part of their social set ( and most likely those who are behind their backs)  And as for those who make fun of Novice competitors, I'm not even going to go there - shame !  Too many people competing here who have forgotten why they got into this sport in the first place and don't think about what a privilege it is to be able to step up to the line with a dog that is willing to give their all week after week.  For some strange reason (strange to me as I prefer agility) jumping seems to have become the premiere event here that brings out the worst in people time after time.  18 months away from that environment was good and I won't be in too much of a hurry to repeat the experience, well not until next month at least, LOL. Learning to ignore the distractions is a good mental exercise anyway and something that I obviously need more work with.

Guess Who's Back ?

After a very long break from trialling, Atilla finally hit the ring again in October.
I entered him in one Masters Agility run at Sale and one at Warrnambool, just to see how he pulled up - and he has pulled up just fine, so hopefully  next year will be a much better one injury wise.  At 9 years of age, it will most likely be his last full year at Masters level which makes me sad to think about - where did the time go?
It only seems like yesterday that we lined up for our first ever trial run (Knox 2004 and he qualified in Novice Agility and won the ring)

Novice Agility October 2004 - Our very first trial.
Clear run and 1st Place - still remember how proud I was !

He was very happy to be out trialling again - so happy at Sale that he left the ring to jump on L. after I released him at the start line (naughty pants!) and then ran past a jump half way through to visit the judge (his favourite!) After that he decided that it was all business and finished the last half of the course like he had never been away from trialling at all.  Luckily Warrnambool was back to being all business for him and he even managed to qualify ...... so we took away one pass for the year !
I no longer care about whether he qualifies or not to tell the truth - all I want is that he is still happy running - but I could do without the' visiting judges' part- as a Masters level dog he should show a bit of decorum, LOL.

Cruz had a couple of good runs at Warrnambool - we got an offcourse tunnel part way through one (which I was actually happy about as he was confidently and consistently running ahead of me which is something I have been working on with him for quite some time) and a refusal at the dogwalk on another (which had a straight tunnel sticking right out under it and is not something that is generally seen at Excellent level and is also something that I haven't trained with him, my bad !)

And since I'm indulging myself with nostalgia on this post, here is Cruz following his very first trial - December 2008.
Clear run and 1st Place in Novice Jumping, just to prove anything Atilla can do he can as well !

My goal is to get to run with them more than I did in 2011 - and as I can count their runs on the fingers of one hand, hopefully that shouldn't be too hard.  Clear runs and ribbons and trophies are all very nice but are nowhere near as good as being able to run the course with your dog in good health and I know which I would prefer. 
Atilla has been a wonderful agility partner for me over the last few years and I think he deserves a year where he can goof off a little if he wants and just have fun.  Cruz is Cruz and we will take whatever his little brain decides to do at the time, LOL.  Never a dull moment with Cruz.

Not much training at the moment as it's so damn hot - I hate Summer with a passion and am hanging out for the cooler weather to come. We are getting in a quick 5 mins or so in the evenings after it has cooled down and during the day (if I am home) we have been having fun with our new egg fitness ball.  Cruz is an absolute star on it - I'm sure he thinks he is backing sheep.

Not sure when their first trial for the year will be - but for Atilla it will most likely be the Strategic Pairs trial in March where he will make his big 'comeback' with his best buddy Jack.  Due to one or the other of them being injured (and of course they can't get it in sync. ) we only have one pass at Masters level so it would be nice to finish off that title before they both retire .......... and at least they always have fun trying !