Experiences of a late-comer to the agility competition scene -- our training, trials, life-style changes/challenges, RV adventures, and observations on the sport, the people, and dogs involved in it. Begun July 17, 2010.
This is Blog Event Number 7. Read other agility bloggers' thoughts on Aging here.
Yes, I'm aging and slowing down. My dogs are aging, which at their young ages of 4 and 6 translates into "maturing", which is a good thing. We hug more and train less and do about as well as before. But what I want to talk about is dog club aging.
People start dog clubs. They get fired up, invest in it heavily, create their niches, love their jobs. It becomes an integral part of their lives. They open up and invite new members in, but the club always really belongs to them. It was their dream. They have history, loyalty, habits . . . . . and set views. And the same people with those same views do the same jobs year after year -- trial chairman, trial secretary, gate steward, chief course builder, instructors, decision makers about equipment purchases, equipment maintenance, equipment storage, where to spend the club's money, who teaches, and what methods are acceptable. The other members are allowed to scurry around hauling equipment, setting bars, running errands, cutting grass, etc., but they never really get "in". They are never actively trained to the more challenging positions. They aren't privy to the decision making process, and especially aren't encouraged to introduce anything new. Those who want to, need to, be more involved, those who thrive on giving and being creative, don't get the chance, so they tend to drift off to more rewarding, fulfilling pursuits. This goes on fine for quite awhile, but then, the older club members start aging, and the club starts aging. Without transfusions of new blood, everything ages.
I join clubs to learn, and to share what I've got to offer. It is as fulfilling to give as to receive. The motto of the computer club I belong to is "sharing the knowledge", and that motto, to me, can't be beat. To me, clubs are all about sharing knowledge. Most people, like me, join clubs to find like minded people, also to learn new skills, be useful, and to belong to something I see as culturally important. I want to improve my community. In the case of dog agility clubs putting on trials, this includes, well, putting on trials. If the more experienced people don't take on eager, younger protégés and groom them to those important positions, aging clubs are courting the very real danger that they will eventually, imperceptibly, little bit by little bit, fizzle out and die.
Thus, I recommend dog training clubs turn serious focus towards the concept of "mentorship", not just teaching people how to train their dogs an hour a week, rallying them to wash and load equipment in the truck for trials, set bars, and otherwise just be pleasant and not complain. Those in charge may not feel themselves to be responsible for passing on the important skills. I've heard more than one of them say "Nobody taught me. I just got in there and did it." And that's true. As pioneers, they had to build something from nothing, they got busy and did it, and loved it. But most of us are NOT pioneers, and can't be. The club already exists. The positions are already filled. AKC doesn't allow more than one AKC club within a certain geographical radius. You can ask the trial secretary or other top brass to mentor you, but if they won't do it, you are stuck on the outside, looking in over the fence . . . . Kilroy style.
My advice to dog clugs. Grab ahold of your younger members, and actively teach them how to run your trials and your club. Give them leaway to ask questions and challenge your methods. Breathe vitality into your clubs. Then maybe in a few years you can sit back and just show up for classes, sip your Poweraide, set a few bars, straighten a few chutes, and run your dogs around the courses trying to Q, in ignorant bliss of the heart of the sport like the rest of us.
L to R: Allison, Nathan, Me, John, the Boiling Pot
It's that time of year again, and for a 4th consecutive year I landed up being in charge of coordinating my dog club's annual picnic. Despite the work, I love the picnic because it gives dog trainers a chance to include their spouses and kids in a club event, and I especially love to eat crawfish. For the 3rd year Nedra offered her lovely home and back yard with huge covered patio and shaded yard. I did the shopping and food prep, and John took a day of vacation and was in charge of boiling up the crawfish per my recipe (below). Clubmate Ken smoked 2 pork butt roasts for the meat eaters, and everyone brought a side dish, so there was heaps of food and scrumptuous desserts. 38 people showed up, and the party lasted 4 hours.
This took place last Saturday, Mother's Day weekend, so it was also perfect for me to combine a club event with visiting my son and his wife, and my sister-in-law, leaving them free on Sunday to party with the other halves of their families. We almost aborted the party due to 2 days of torrential rain on Thursday and Friday and a forecast for Saturday of 40% rain which made a few people cancel, but we took a chance and the weather turned out beautiful. We had no choice, really, as every other weekend is scheduled with trials our members are attending. There is no perfect weekend, really, to accomodate everyone in our club. Someone is always trialing in agility, obedience, tracking, or some such.
MY BOILED CRAWFISH RECIPE:
For anyone interested in putting together a cajun (highly seasoned) crawfish boil, here's my recipe (which some say is "the best crawfish they ever had"):
I figure 3 lbs of crawfish per person (some won't eat them, others will eat 6 lbs, so it works out so there are no leftovers and everyone gets their fill.) So for every 10 people, a 30 lb sack of live crawfish. Cut up all the ingredients in advance and portion them in zip lock bags to add to each sack you boil.
1st batch: 3/4 of a 73 oz jar of Zatarans Crawfish, Shrimp and Crab Boil 4 yellow onions, cut in half 1 bunch garlic, cut off root end and separate into toes 4 lemons, cut in half and tossed into the water, squeezed.
6 ears fresh sweet corn, shucked and cut into thirds. 1.5 lbs of fresh mushrooms 1 lb. link sausage (any kind), cut into bite sizes 2 lbs. small red potatoes, skin on, cut larger potatoes into chunks the size of the small potatoes so they cook through.
Purging: Fill a large cooler with water and mix in a box of plain salt. When dissolved, dump a sack of live crawfish in to purge them of their mud, for about 20 minutes. Drain the muddy water, fill cooler again to rinse, shake to agitate, then drain again.
Meanwhile, fill an 80 quart crawfish pot 2/3 with water, add the Crab Boil, onions, garlic, and lemons, and heat to a rolling boil.
Add the purged crawfish and return to a rolling boil. The water should just cover the ingredients.
Add the corn, mushrooms, sausage and potatoes. Boil for 2 minutes, then cut off the flame. Soak for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally with a big wooden paddle. Drain and serve.
Nathan and John bring batch 2 to the table.
2nd batch: Same as above, but add only 2/3rds Crab Boil, as the first batch leaves plenty of seasoning in the water.
3rd batch:
Same as above, but add only 1/2 jar of Crab Boil or it could be too spicy.
Try it! It's great! But you will need at least 2 strong men to lift the straining basket and drain the crawfish. I'm mighty glad to have my two fellas.
When I got home exhausted, to my great surprise, Nathan had sneaked in and left me a beautiful Mothers Day card, a gorgeous vase and 10 gladiola stems which opened in the next few days to look like this. On Sunday I slept in til noon while poor John had to work, then we called my Mom when John got home and found out she had a nice day too, well remembered by all her grandkids. John presented me with 2 lovely cards on Sunday, also displayed here. It was thus a most satisfying weekend.
Next week is my wedding anniversary, so there's going to be another party and more flowers right around the corner. Pant! Pant! Time is flying by and I still haven't signed up for my next agility trial. I feel the need to practice and I have to get a better handle on training Pepper! Yikes, he's 18 months old already and while he is lots of fun, behaves at home, and does all the full height equipment at speed, he still can't weave, is easily distracted, and is lousy at sequencing. I have a lot of work to do to get him in the game.
I'm behind in my posting! Been busy fighting off the stinging caterpillars, spring roundup in my huge yard and my neighbor's, and our club's agility trial in Port Allen, which I haven't even begun to analyze except we did terrible. Not wanting to go there has made me more willing to take care of my yard! Even defeat has its advantages!
This trial two weeks later ended up much better, but started out with me nursing the flu my husband brought home a few days earlier – packing the RV was such a drag I almost didn't go. But I got to thinking about all that wasted trial entry money. I sprayed Zicam Cold Remedy in my mouth and cheeks at 3 hour intervals 24 hours before hitting the road, and by the time I made it to Brandon (a 3.5 hour drive), I was feeling better. Used it all weekend and made it through.
Thursday night it poured down rain, I got wet setting up camp, and wind rocked the RV half the night. An ominous start. A shot of Zicam before bed and first thing Friday morning I was on the line at 8 a.m. Running an 8" and a 24" in MS and MJ, I'm almost always bound to be one of the first on the line! Maxie’s first run was one of his fastest and best runs EVER, with 25 seconds to spare and a full 8 seconds ahead of any other 8" dog, except the very last obstacle he took the wrong end of the tunnel!!! ACK! It seemed downhill from there for Maxie, with no Q's until Sunday, which was a QQ but neither run was fast. I left worried about his health and my handling skills, then got home and watching the videos, realized we actually ran pretty well. A few wide turns, he walked his weaves 4 times out of 6, popped out twice, and took the wrong end of the tunnel twice. Other than that, good runs. What's with the sudden tunnel sucking, I don't know. Only one error per NQ, though, all of them "nearly Q's", which I still find encouraging. His stride seems to be getting shorter, which I will address in my Port Allen post where we saw a doggie chiropractor.
Lucky, I felt, was slow and sluggish and Bonnie McDonald, the judge, even remarked to me "Some dogs do agility because they want to, others because we want them to", implying that Lucky is the latter. I left the trial discouraged for Lucky, dreaming of finding her a more suitable venue. She came home, and next day jumped the 5' fence and with boisterous enthusiasm chased down and killed an enormous armadillo in the woods, exhibiting all kinds of stamina and focus, and despite a fierce 10 minute battle with a wild animal, got not a scratch on her. Her skill amazes me. Then, reviewing her videos, Lucky actually looked pretty good and even enthusiastic on some portions of her runs. Came home with 4 Q's out of 6 runs, 1 QQ, running under course time 5 out of 6 runs, and being the only 24” dog to qualify in both XS and XJ on Friday, got two 1st places! A wonderful change from our last trial where she never Q’d once, plodded through her weaves, and exceeded course time three out of 6 runs. How can I make the "armadillo connection" with agility? Do they sell armidallo juice?
Maxie and Lucky's composite videos, with my commentary, are posted at the end of this story!
Ring conditions on Friday
ODDITIES:
Ring conditions on Friday were HORRIBLE, with huge rutts and cross hatches across the entire arena left by the tractor tines and tires. We all ran fearing twisted ankles. Friday night, though, the course was cleared and BARK, the hosting club, hired a private firm to come plow and level, as the horse arena staff obviously had no idea what was needed for a dog trial. By Saturday morning the ring was in great shape, though the crate area remained rutted all weekend and we had to walk around very carefully.
A weird thing happened to Lucky after her 2nd run on Saturday. Within a minute after leaving the ring her whole back became covered with what looked like white snowflakes that I couldn’t rub off. I've never seen anything like it. Alarmed, perplexed, I had Rosey, a vet, look at it and she said sometimes when dogs get stressed they blow a bunch of dandruff! Maybe ring stress, or she got into some poison grass or something. She recommended 25 mg of benydrill per 25# of dog. I gave it with her supper and the next day the dandruff was gone, and no reoccurrance since then. I don’t think it was ring stress because on the way home we pulled into the La. Welcome Center for a pottie break. Just as I was about to let the dogs out the door this huge 18 wheeler pulls up and parks right alongside me, rumbling loudly and never shut down. Lucky went into a fit of trembling that lasted 5 minutes, definitely stressed out, but didn't blow any dandruff.
LESSONS LEARNED:
Keeping Lucky in the RV instead of in the arena all day, running her to the start line without loitering around the ring gate, is making a difference in her speed and enthusiasm. She gets nervous standing around at the gate. As opposed to Maxie, who doesn't mind the ring gate at all because it means more treats. He wants his turn to last as long as possible.
Reviewing the videos, it's clear Maxie reads hand motions far more than shoulder pulls and where my feet are pointing.
Maxie and Lucky will both nail this sport when they consistently RUN their dog walks and weaves, and will place higher when they learn tighter turns and I learn better placed front crosses. That's pretty much all I have to concentrate on to raise our Q rates considerably. They both handle pretty well.
The puppy, Pepper, is another matter! We are still working on him not bolting out of the crate, pulling on his leash so hard he chokes himself, and rear crossing the other dogs every 5 seconds on our leash walks. He is an adorable but tangled up mess. On the positive side, he follows me everywhere and is increasingly loyal to me, not just to food. He is developing a very good recall. He's fast and strong and loves to jump. My tactic, I believe, is to love on him more, not show so much favoritism. I'm becoming more aware, I've spoiled Maxie rotten and he has spoiled me rotten. He is a hard act for anyone to follow. With Pepper, I'm going to have to fake it til we make it.
Definitely can't let Maxie jump off the bed in the middle of the night as he's been doing the last 4 months or so. Chiropractor says his spine was misaligned and shoulders may be injured, (will be covered in a post about the previous Port Allen trial, still not written).
GOALS MET/GOALS SET:
I actually had no goals coming into this trial except to survive it as best I could with a bad cold and to observe how Maxie runs. My mind was mush, too, because I've been mulling over how to scale back my commitments in my dog club. Too much angst, not enough reward. I like to contribute my talents to whatever I do and enjoy team work. Without that, I grow bored. Overhearing other agility folks talk at trials, it seems to be a common problem in many clubs for the old timers to hold the reins tight, i.e., exclude newer members' ideas. Marsha Jones, the brand new Trial Chairman at this BARK trial was a breath of fresh air, though, sharing herself, listening intently, bouncing ideas off of others, greeting everyone (especially the newbies) like a gracious hostess does, gathering opinions, encouraging input. Nothing done by rote . . . . . yet. She's a newcomer on the rise with a rapidly growing club, and my what a difference her effusive attitude and slathering of "thank yous" makes. It was a delightful trial!
MILESTONES:
My stride is getting a wee big longer
and I'm leaning forward some.
I'm running better now that I have shoes with cleats, my ankles and calves are stronger and my stride a few inches longer with my leg exercises, and I didn't get lost or confused on course once, (without even looking at the course maps). I still run way too slow for my liking, but the trend is definitely UP! I didn't get nervous either.
Lucky bounced through (not walked) her weaves twice. YEAH!!!!! She got 2 jumpers Q’s with seconds to spare, leaving only three to go for her Master Jumper title. I no longer despair of her getting that title, maybe this year, and that's a heap of encouragement for me to keep her in the game.
I have some direction to improving Maxie's performance. First and foremost, keep him from jumping off the bed and couch and doing further injury to his shoulders. Second, pay more attention to my arm cues.
There is agility life beyond club involvement. I've been noticing club members at this and other trials who don't invest much in their club, and attend trials without necessity of "hanging out" with other club members, putting in so many volunteer hours, nor concerning themselves with whether the club thrives or grows. Their agility training and competition doesn't seem to suffer in the least!
Upwards and onwards!
One notices a lot analyzing and comparing one's videos, things you just simply don't notice when running the course.
For example, Maxie doesn't respond to shoulder pulls and foot placement nearly as much as hand motions. His stride appears to be getting shorter, which appears to be due to less propulsion with his back legs, explaining his slower YPS averages.
Maxie's composite video - with commentary.
Lucky walks through tunnels instead of running. I had not made sufficient note of that before. Her stride over jumps is inconsistent, and her jump height is inconsistent, sometimes way higher than necessary. When walking the weaves, she does so with inconsistent footwork. When she runs well, she runs really well.
Agility bloggers are submitting their opinions on March 6th about the "internationalization" of dog agility, all articles linked to here, which means the effect of the European influence on our sport. Clearly agility is taught and practiced differently in different countries.
NOTE: I originally put comments in this post more suited to an upcoming Blog Event about improving our sport, so I removed them and will repost later. My apologies for being too broad on the subject of Internationalization, which apparently refers only to handling and course design . . . . . not anomalies in classes, jump height, judging, trial situations and growing the sport.
That apology said, I'll reveal that competing on the international or even the national plane is not my game -- yet. But challenging and improving myself as much as possible and exploring the limits of what dogs and handlers can do, is my game. So I'm interested. I have no way to compare systems except to listen to the voices of others thru articles, blogs and podcasts, and watch videos of the FCI worlds and other YouTube videos.
My observations are thus:
The Internet: With the advent of the internet, (YouTube, Facebook, search engines, key words, cloud storage, free blog space and podcasts where individuals can share what they know for free, and without the necessity for "position" or "credentials"), and with a universal language most people can speak (lets thank the English for something) the world is opening up to allow humans to display their inately generous spirit. We all want to share what we know, and learn what others know. We are no longer trapped by our locale. We are less provincial. Education has exploded as we watch a wider world explore and interpret their experiences. It's a Yahoo time to be alive, and this flows into our sport! Let's keep it Yahoo.
Things I've learned recently:
Running Contacts are elegant, beautiful, and efficient. Watching dogs creep down the boards or stick the bottom of the A-frame and Dog Walk, or worse, back up and stretch a back leg backwards to touch the board, looks stupid. So I've quit training 2O2O, though I still don't know how to train Running Contacts. I'm looking for an online teacher because nobody locally teaches it yet, and I hope Running Contacts becoming the standard way we train those obstacles. Whoever came up with it, it's a great advance.
The Moves: All the various crosses, (front, rear, blind, blended, reverse flow, ketchker, etc.) and the other moves (reverse flow pivot, backy uppy, etc) are very cool, fun to practice, important to know. Bring them on. Add new ones. Just don't include them in the novice level courses. And don't forget the newbies. One of the problems I've seen with "experts" is they get bored with teaching the simpler moves and rules.
Distance Handling vs. Close Handling - Europeans seem to favor close handling and fast running, whereas in the US we have been in love with distance handling. I have spent hours teaching my dogs to "go out" so as not to be chided for "babysitting" my dogs. I love DH because as an older, less atheletic person I need my dogs to work away. And it's thrilling to watch when done correctly, especially by handlers with infirmities who can't move well. I love to review a course map and draw a line of what I call the "handler's corridor", the minimum space a handler might traverse to efficiently direct his dog over all the obstacles. But DH can also be an excuse not to learn to move your carcass! I love that we are beginning to realize we need to train handlers to move and developing exercise strategies for our human atheletes! It's not just about the dogs' agility and atheleticism. It's awe inspiring to see young people getting into the sport who can run fast.
Commentators: For our sport to grow, we will need commentators building interest and educating viewers like every football game has. I believe the challenges introduced by European-style courses and handling maneuvers builds far more excitement into the sport for spectators. They are far more amazing to watch.
Well, now I'm going to hang back and listen to what everyone else has to say. I expect to have my eyes opened wide.
Several months back our club's newsletter editor quit. There being no other volunteers, I took on the job. Temporarily at first, but here I am still doing it. It's not much different than writing this blog, which I enjoy and I had made contributions to the newsletter already. I don't mind it. Since then, I have tried to get other members to contribute write-ups and photos on club news but found that is close akin to dentistry, prying and pulling things out of people. Club members don't seem to want to report on their activities, brag on their achievements, share in building our club's history. I think sharing what we go through is helpful to all. But it seems I'm alone in that sentiment.
Despite all this, I proceed forward. I feel confident. This issue I ran into a new problem. The club's biggest news is about our two big publicity events of the year, and since I'm the Publicity Chair and ran both events, I'm basically reporting on myself. That feels weird. I run the risk someone will say I'm patting myself on the back. Well, I am. But I interview myself and compliment my efforts the same as I would if someone else had done the job. That's the only way I know to cover the events.
I often wear multiple hats. It reminds me how in college I sometimes used to play all 4 hands at bridge, and actually bid and played each hand as if I didn't know what was in the other hands. It's compartmentalized thinking, a peculiar mind set that I'm oddly good at, and this feels much like that.
Last Saturday night was our dog club's annual Christmas Party, now re-christened "Holiday Party" because there are so few open dates on our calendar (weekends that don't conflict with trials around here), that last year our party wasn't until mid-January. This year it was on the 15th of December, though, and held at a club member's beautiful 2 story mansion on the Mississippi levee. I really enjoy visiting other people's houses, large or small, and seeing how they decorate and how they situate their dogs! Even her separate dog kennel/building, which houses 6 giant schnauzers each in a separate run, was decorated with wreathes for Christmas! This was my 5th LCCOC holiday party in a row. I haven't missed one yet since becoming involved with the club. It was the first one where the host's dogs were not in the thick of things. How would a giant schnauzer do at a party with food all over the place?
Everyone brings side dishes or desserts, wine and beverages, the club provides the meats. People dress up and bring their spouses for a change. No dogs. We use this event to present members with their annual awards (a wall or crate plaque) for titles earned during the year, MACH and OTCH necklaces, too, then we play the "stealing game" with dog related items people bring in unmarked bags or wrapped packages. Supposedly around $10 in value, but some are worth much more!
I usually take lots of pictures -- I forgot to this year.
Some of the gifts were disappointing to those who got stuck with them, but I think John and I wound up with the best presents of all, as pictured. Of course we had to have a bit of luck and do a bit of stealing to get them. I kept the coveted Nylabone DuraToy Happy Moppy toy by virtue of being a late number, as well as the third and last one who could steal it. It was very popular -- a fantastically sturdy tug toy the likes of which no one had ever seen, with no stuffing, no squeaker, strong fabric, where all 3 of my tugging dogs can tug at once.
John drew the last number, so was able to steal and keep a pair of Auto Cool Solar Powered Auto Window Ventilation units. I looked them up on the internet and they run about $15 apiece. Here's what it says:
The AutoCool uses sunlight to keep your car cool while you're away. When you come back to your car, you'll find it comfortable and cool.
How it works -- AutoCool is a solar powered fan that keeps the interior of your car cool and fresh.
No batteries are needed. Just roll down your window, place the Auto Cool on it, and roll it back up.
The solar panels on the outside collect and use the sunlight to run the fan that's on the inside.
The fan in the AutoCool circulates the air that's inside and outside of your car.
It sucks out the hot air that's inside your car and replaces it with the cooler outside air
Great Environment-friendly Product Save!
Design to blow the hot air out of your parked car
Keep your car cool no matter how long it is left in the sun
It can reduce the use of air-condition
Solar-powered and no batteries neededIf
Fit any car windows
If they do what they're supposed to, they will solve my hot car problem and I can bring multiple dogs to class in summer. I can also try them in the motor home.
Altogether a real fun time! I'm in the Christmas spirit now.
Me (foreground) and Sheryl working
side by side makiig jam, i-photo taken
blind by my missing arm..
Gosh, golly, it's good to be home from the Hattiesburg trial where life is safe and easy, close friends and strong walls on a sturdy base surround me, with fenced yards the dogs can run around in, my own bed, and space and supplies aplenty.
The week before the trial I had picked 24 lbs of muscadine grapes and 50 cooking pears from a fellow clubmate's vinyard, and they were all in the fridge calling my name to make jellies and jams. Sheryl (another clubmate who also picked the fruit) and I got together on Tuesday and Wednesday after the trial to process and make 74 jars of jam (thanks Georgie for providing the cooking pears and muscadines). We scrounged up, washed and sterilized every jar we could find around our houses, bought all the Sure-Jell we could find from 3 different stores, and had a blast in my kitchen doing our sweet bubbly alchemy together, making 4 different recipes on 2 different days.
Muscadine Jelly
Elderberry/Muscadine Jelly
Pear/Muscadine Preserves
Pear Sauce
We also re-boiled 6 jars of loquat jam that hadn't set from our Spring jelly making session. One thing I love about making my own jams and jellies is I use a lot less sugar than the Sure-Jell recipes call for and less than store-bought brands, AND I only make up exotic recipes you can't really find in stores -- like the Loquat Jams we made last spring. It's way too much trouble and too costly to make jelly and jams at home if you can buy the same thing at the store. I've posted some jelly making tips below.
Sheryl and I both enjoy picking fruit and making jelly. We like recycling jars rather than going out to buy new ones every time. It makes us feel rich, plus we get to discuss other subjects besides dogs. I sorely needed the side-by-side with a pleasant friend to get over my stormy Hattiesburg weekend, and it was a fulfilling way to celebrate Sheryl's birthday.
A recycled Smuckers Jelly jar,
Smuckers label removed.
For finishing touches, I used my PTouch 2700 desktop labeler (a gift last year from my husband) to make laminated water-proof labels for our jars . . . . . which added about 25 cents to the cost of each jar but made them look pretty and . . . . . our Christmas gifts are ready! Man, Brothers is making a killing on their label casettes! When I visited their website today I learned I can hook this unit up to my computer. I didn't know that, so it's one more thing I will have to try and learn.
This friendly experience made me remember a revelation about clubs I had years ago. Growing up, my parents always seemed to be going to banquets, balls and parties, my mother was always sewing a new coctail dress for this or that event, their house a turnstile of visitors, secret friends, gift swapping, etc. Perplexed that my adult social life hadn't unfolded so richly, I once asked my mother why I never got invited to balls and banquets and didn't have a bunch of friends. She set me straight immediately with a simple question:
What clubs do you belong to?
"None", I replied. "Well", she said, "Where do you think we meet people, and who do you think puts on these events? They are mostly fundraisers for various causes, and you purchase tickets to them and/or work as a volunteer." This blew me away. It became obvious (once it was pointed out), that my parents friends and acquaintances, the ones who showed up at the door with casseroles, soup and pies when tragedy struck, were almost entirely from their neighborhood association, church, Optimist Club, Dad's WWII Bomb Group, the Kiwanees Club, their sailing club, Mom's craft club, bridge club, and so forth. They had no more intimate friends than I did, just a richer social life.
So, in my later years I've joined a few clubs and gotten invites to a fair number of parties and events, and I've also found a few compadres with whom I have more in common than the club's purpose. We help each other in lots of different ways, and it's enriched my life quite a bit. Once you're out of school, turns out clubs are one of the best ways to meet people.
Upwards and onward!
JELLY MAKING TIPS:
To use 25% less sugar, use 50% more Sure-Jell.
Add a dash of salt per recipe. "A little bit of salt makes sweet taste sweeter."
Mixing two or more fruits together makes for more exotic tastes.
Glass jars with rubber gaskets built into the lids can be re-sealed over and over. Examples: Jelly, Bean Dips, Grey Poupon Mustard, Pickles, Salsa, Classico Spaghetti Sauce. Now that a 1 cup mason jar costs $1 and larger ones even more, and since you rarely ever again see the jars you give away, saving your glass jars can save you a lot of money.
This is our first trial this year. We've been on break from trialing for 10 weeks, and when we practice, I'm concentrating on specific skills rather than running full courses. I've been less interested in pursuing titles, more interested in feeling "connected and in sync" with my dogs (from whence I suspect all titles flow.)
Goals for this trial:
Maxie: At least 1 QQ, some placement ribbons. (QQ goal not met, but 2 Q's and both with placement ribbons)
Lucky: Every run under course time, whether a Q or not. Enthusiastic participation. (goals not quite met, but the trend is up. 2 Q's, 13 MACH POINTS, with 3 more clean runs that exceeded course time by only 1-4 seconds)
Me: Confidence in the ring, faster running, better handling, don't get lost on course. Relax. (my goals were met)
I wrote an extensive summary of the weekend only to have Blogger disappear it. Big mystery. Big bummer. Can't repeat it. So instead, I just made composite videos of each dog's runs, with commentary, and post them below.
What's not in the videos, I report below. Weather: It was bitterly cold and windy on Saturday and Sunday. I didn't bring enough warm clothes, no gloves and no ear muffs. I managed to borrow those, and wore 2 pairs of leggings under my baggiest pants, which were still too thin a material to keep out the cold. I had to wear my pajama top under my 3 upper garments to have enough layers on to keep from shivering. The wind was fierce. Poor planning! My nose ran all weekend and sometimes I had to wipe the drip on my sweatshirt sleeves both days. Disgusting, but I didn't let it distract me. Volunteering: The food provided by the Mobile Bay Dog Training Club (MBDTC) trial committee was delicious two days: 5 huge crock pots filled with various types of piping hot chili on Friday, various types of beans and rice on Saturday. Of course, with sides of bread, salad, desserts, chips. Sunday was just sandwiches. Volunteers were asked to donate some cash for the meals. Instead, volunteers got a raffle ticket for every segment they worked, and each evening several were selected. First night, I won a huge knuckle bone, which Lucky chewed on all weekend back at the hotel. They also had a "Whiners" raffle, for every NQ you put a raffle ticket in a jar. At the end of the weekend several tickets were drawn for bottles of wine. Cute! No toys were given for Q's, but every entrant got either a satchel or a collapsable water bowl. I forgot to participate in the raffle, mostly because the baskets were all wrapped and I couldn't tell what was in there.
Maxie hits the front edge of
the table like a pro.
Photographer: The photographer was not selling digital copies of her photos, so I didn't purchase any. I don't ever purchase prints since I like to crop, size, and print my own. I managed to snip a few thumbnails off her website to illustrate this page, none of which I would have purchased anyway. Crating: It was so darn cold, the dogs spent all 3 days "crated" in my car! A first! I parked in the sun, and sometimes ran the heater when I went out to check on them.
Lucky Lucy: To start, I ran her in a 2 minute match late on Thursday. We ignored the numbered course, just ran willy-nilly around the ring interspursing jumps in between the weaves, A-frame, tunnels and dog walk several times, with a tug toy in my hand and tossing it if she ran fast. She was amazing! Fast weaves! Fast dog walk! Fast across the flat! Accurate! Tight turns! No mistakes. No hesitation. Total focus. Full of joy. It is clear to me that when motivated, she has what it takes to excel in this sport. I watched her do better than several other dogs who have much more experience and higher achievements. I think the match is what improved her speed all weekend, alas, not yet enough for consistent Q's. My goal/challenge remains building up her enthusiasm for agility itself, not just for chasing her toys around. Or . . . . . . . finding ways to trick her into thinking I have a toy in my pocket!
She came home with 2 XS Q's (making 4 total to date), 13 MACH points, and 5 clean runs, 3 of which sadly were over course time by 1-4 seconds. Here's a composite video of her 6 runs, with my commentary.
Maxie: Maxie's first run on Friday was a Q 1st place with 20 MACH points. 2nd place was 5 seconds slower, and 3rd place was 20 seconds slower. Maxie was smokin! Saturday he Q'd with 2nd place in Jumpers. All 6 runs were well under course time, 2 were nearly Q's, 2 were just ugly. Video with commentary is here:
Standard Course Times: Studying the score sheets from last year I noticed the SCT (Standard Course Time) set for 20" XB dogs is shorter than SCT for 8" XB dogs. Same course. Different times. XJ is almost always a 6-7 second difference, XS between 9-11 seconds difference. I suspect this because larger dogs are presumed to be able to cover more ground more quickly with their longer strides.
Videos: I was glad I got to witness and video clubmate Loralie's first MACH run with her little Parson Russell Terrier, Jenny. I was proud that several of our clubmates were gathered in the stands together to honor the achievement, and made quite a racket, stomping on the aluminum bleachers, shouting, and clapping. It's the first time I've been to a trial where one of our own achieved MACH. She said later that her heart was beating so fast she thought her chest would burst! I finally resolved the mystery of how MACH cakes magically appear at trials, like, how do they know when the last QQ will happen? Turns out, we'll provide both Loralie and Noel a cake at our own trial over Easter weekend, and sign their MACH bars then! That was easy.
Nobody complained that I videoed a few folks' runs from my chair while serving as bar setter in both Open and Novice classes both days. I was still able to set bars between runs.
So many club mates bring their own video cameras nowadays, I don't really need to video them, though occasionally someone asks me to, which I'm pleased to do. Someone mentioned they didn't bother viewing the ones I post online since they have their own, upload their own to YouTube, and "besides which, it's too much trouble trying to find them." Still, I like to review some of them myself, so I keep doing it on a "catch as catch can" basis. I wish we were so rich a club we had a designated "videographer", but that won't happen any time soon. Someone suggested I offer a video service: $5/video and send them a disk, and that someone else used to offer that.
So that's it until Monroe the first weekend in March. Two more weeks to practice, if it ever quits raining.
Sometimes just when I feel beat down and underappreciated, in this case underfunded by those I'm trying to help the most and unnecessarily overworked by that woeful underfunding, the Goddess rewards me with a fabulous gift - in this case a brand new laminating machine!
Here's how it happened:
Doing my very best to weather'n'wear proof everything in the new Publicity Booth I'm building for my dog club, I found it essential to laminate every single piece of signage, protecting many color photos and newsletters that would otherwise be subject to staining and water damage and almost worthless within a use or two.
I started laminating everything at Kinkos, but even at just $2 a sheet for 8.5"x11", and $4 a sheet for 11"x17", and arranging everything as close together as possible for maximum value per sheet, I quickly ran up an $80 bill! Almost half my allotted budget! And I wasn't even finished. An impossible situation! Very discouraging!
Has put me way over budget, and out of pocket.
Mercifully, a clubmate came over to see the booth-in-progress and offered to laminate the last 15 pieces for free, using her employer's machine. I hate mooching off of employers, but I need them QUICK, so last Tuesday I headed across town to her office to get this job finished. Alas, the first sheet we fed into her barely used, still under warranty laminator got jammed in there and never came out. Project aborted.
Next day she called the company, they said throw the unit away and they'd send her a new one. Not worth fixing, they said! So, she tossed it off to me. John took it apart, removed the jammed paper, and now it works perfectly fine. So I have a $220 GBC Heat Seal H-4325 Laminator, practically brand new, for free!
Of course, I still don't have any laminating paper, so I shopped around this entire morning and discovered Office Depot prices are outrageous! Amazon.com has the best prices, so I spent $55 with them and now must wait 5 days for a lifetime supply to arrive (have to order in quantities of 100 sheets/box). Meanwhile, I need about 15 sheets TODAY if I want to complete my project in time for the booth's debut on September 24th, but my friend is out of the office. Waiting for mine to come in, I'll be cutting things mighty close.
All this running around, scrimping, saving, canniving, begging, repairing damaged discounted items, just to save my club a few bucks they can well afford to spend, takes much of the fun out of the project and makes me question why I put myself in this situation?
Which is why I think the divine hand graced me with my free laminator -- to lift my spirits and remind me to be ever-joyful. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! And I just found out, my friend has mailed me the 15 sheets I need. I should receive them tomorrow by Priority Mail . . . . . another unexpected gift, and I feel so much better!
. . . . . . . Now, dear Goddess, can you also please send me a servicable professional copy machine that enlarges, reduces, does legal size, and multiple pages? Mine has been broken for months and is unfixable, I can't find another one I can afford that does all I want, and not having it handy really cramps my style. I've made so many free copies for all my friends and clubs for so many years, surely I deserve a free copy machine by now!
After 3 years of coaxing, I've finally convinced my dog club we need to promote, i.e., create a public presence beyond our website (which I built 3 years ago). What actually turned the tables, I think, is the Baton Rouge Recreation and Parks Commission's (BREC) new Obedience classes, their plans to create an agility course at their Burbank dog park, and some new teachers in town who are advertising their classes.
So last April the club officially activated a Publicity Committee and named me Chairman. But it took until August to announce it to the membership and approve $200 toward the creation of a Publicity Booth we can take to parades, dog park openings, and other public events. I asked for $300 but got less, so the club is borrowing my canopy and many other items until I can submit a budget next year. The wheels of progress grind exceedingly slow, and apparently my enthusiasm isn't shared by all.
I've been working on the booth (pictured above in my back yard) for a month now, trying to make it attractive, informative, interesting, weather impervious, easy to set up and take down, comfortable, and fun. The whole thing (canopy, 2 tables, 2 bins, ring gates, display board, 2 posts) has to fit in one car (a large car). With the weather turning cooler, I pretty much live in the booth these days, tweaking its features every day.
The biggest task has been the tri-fold display board, with collages depicting our club's activities, a few of our best newsletters, signage, etc. I've taken so many photos of our club's activities over the years, I had plenty to draw from - trials, matches, seminars, classes, demos, and of course, dogs. The problem is, photo paper and color ink aren't cheap, and laminating adds up quickly and for now, all this is out of my own pocket! I'm not real happy about that, but what else can I do? The point of the booth is to show what our club does, attract new students to our classes and members to our club! Can't do that without props.
In the past few days some club members have come by to see the booth (Polly, Nedra, Linda, Joy, Sheryl, Noel), and their reactions have been favorable. Now I've got to call more members, one at a time, and invite them to see it. John and I don't mind working the booth, we think it's fun, but we won't always be available. For instance, the first event coming up is September 24th for AKC's Responsible Dog Ownership Day, but I'll be in Kiln at an agility trial, and so will many of my club mates. A perfect time to tap into LCCOC's newer members, who are looking for volunteer hours. They'll need training in booth setup, take down, how to run it, what to say, etc.
Burbank Dog Park Entrance - side view,
possible booth location
I met with BREC's events planner last week and mapped out a schedule of dog-related events we can participate in thru next March. They are investing heavily in their dog parks and seeking ways to promote them. Last Friday, John and I drove out to the Zachary Park, then the Burbank Park. Both have beautiful new dog parks with expansive lawns, wrought iron fencing all around, double gates, separate small and large dog yards, lots of green grass, water fountains, wading pools, poop bag dispensaries along expansive sidewalks, new shrubs planted here and there. Unfortunately, neither one has a single tree . . . . . so there is no shade. It's so hot, only a few dogs were out there and they didn't stay long. We had to leave quickly not to faint! Trees all around the perimeter, but none in the dog parks! What were they thinking?????
Also unfortunate, no night lighting, and no electricity. No place to take your dog at night, and no fan in our booth! Bummer!
Willow and Lucky at Zachary Dog Park
One thing I discovered -- Willow loves water! We don't have a pool at home so how could I know, but she jumped right in and started snapping at the bubbles she made when prancing around. She got in over and over. I coaxed Lucky in as well for a few minutes, but Maxie wanted nothing to do with the pool.
Also, my dogs went crazy barking at the other dog running loose in the big dog yard. Lucky was growling and lunging at the fence, Max and Willow barking their heads off, while the Siberian Husky just stood around quietly. Not sure I could let my dogs loose at a dog park. I presume they would settle down after awhile.
A new "Creole Coursing Club of Louisiana" is starting up, with a huge practice field at the home of Deborah Bahm in Bush, LA, about 1.5 hours out of Baton Rouge, near Covington. They are having their first AKC sanctioned CAT (Coursing Ability Test) on June 18th, and are holding several practice sessions before hand, free of charge, to prepare dogs for the test.
I've decided to involve Lucky in this activity, first to see how she courses, but mostly to give her a chance to run flat out for 600 yards or so. I have no idea if she can do that. I agreed to join the club, as there is no fee for the first year.
Our first practice was yesterday, Sunday 5/16, from 10-1. There were no trees in the field and the sun was hot. I was unprepared for that, having no sun block, no canopy, no hat, no crate for Lucky. I did have our water, treats, chairs, and an x-pen which I used to create a shaded spot for her. There was no shade for me. I managed to borrow some strong Sun Block for myself or I'd have burnt to a crisp. Need to get some of that, and carry my 10' x 10' canopy with me next time.
Idea: An umbrella attachment for my Ozark Trail chair!
Further, I had no idea what to expect. Lucky was first carted 400 yards away from me in a golf cart, and when released was not at all interested in chasing a kitchen trash bag tied to a string. She wasn't upset, but she made it her first priority to locate and lope right back to me. Several dogs did this. She didn't chase the lure, so didn't run flat out as I was hoping she would.
Realizing the bag held no value for her, I took her off to the side and put her rubber dumb bell into a Wal-Mart grocery bag and began tugging with her, then throwing the toy (wrapped in the bag). After a few tries she got the idea of fetching her bagged toy and bringing it back to me, and the bag's crinkly sound plus it flapping around her face didn't bother her any more. Then we tried running her again, and she chased the bag for 100 yards or so. But she didn't run fast.
On the curved course she showed little interest, so I tried running after the bag with her. She ran happily along beside me, but not after the bag. By comparison, Amanda's 11 month old Whippet chased the bag at rapid speed all around the circle on her first try. 2 of 3 boxers seemed keen on chasing the bag, and ran pretty fast, as did a few others, but several other dogs besides Lucky didn't seem to catch on. So now I'm tasked with how to build value in the bag. Noel advised to fill a bag with chicken gizzards, throw it and let Lucky discover the prize inside. Guess I'll try that next.
All I really want to do is condition her to run fast and build her stamina with longer runs that agility provides. The CA title would be nice, but isn't my main interest.
Directions to the site: Take I-12 to Covington/Mandeville exit (Hwy 190). Go North into Covington (4.5 miles). At the Y (near the Walgreens, just before the overpass), bear right, then slight right, then slight left onto LA 21 (Military Road). This road is unmarked. Go several miles to LA 1083, turn left. Go 2.4 miles to Fauntleroy Road. Go .3 miles, turn left onto Chat Blanc Lane .3 miles to the end, which is 23456 Chat Blanc Road. You'll see a gate with a greyhound and a rabbit cutout on it. Open the gate and close behind you. Follow the driveway left to the back side of the house, turn right and park under the shade trees near the whippet runs. There is a bathroom in the trailer behind the brown picket fence, but bring your own toilet paper.
My dog club held its Annual Crawfish Boil/Family Picnic on Mothers Day Saturday, and this worked out perfect for me in every way.
40 people attended, the weather was awesome, I got to eat my favorite food -- boiled crawfish -- and everyone seemed to have a good time.
Thankfully, it was in Nedra's back yard, so I didn't have to spiff up my house or yard ahead of time, nor clean it up afterwards. How did I love this day? Let me count the ways.
John
First, John's Mother's Day gift to me was to take Saturday off from work and help me put the event together, and to boil 100 lbs of crawfish (3 sacks) in our 60 quart pot while the rest of us ate and socialized. It was a gift only he could give, and my favorite kind of present in this world. What a guy!
Second, I got to eat all the crawfish I wanted, seasoned to my own taste (not too salty nor so highly seasoned they singe your fingertips).
Third, I got to spend some quality time with Nathan and Allison (my son and his wife) on Saturday, partaking of good food together, then freeing them up to spend time with Allison's Mom on Sunday without rushing around. This worked out perfect for us all.
Fourth, I got to spend some quality time with Audrey (my sister-in-law) so we could celebrate our Mothers Day together (she works on Sundays), and we got to eat crawfish together (our favorite food).
Fifth, the weather was gorgeous and I prefer being outdoors whenever possible.
Allison, Nathan and Winston
Sixth, I was dog sitting for the weekend with Winston, one of the Papillon pups I recently sold, and got to show him off to everyone. He was passed around, kissed often, kissed back, and seemed to have a blast.
Seventh, I invited Laura to serve as our DJ with her iTunes playlist all worked out for parties, and her daughter Portia to watch over the puppy. Portia is a natural with dogs and I wanted to introduce both of them to our club. Another mission accomplished.
Everyone seemed to have a grand time, and I've posted the party pix here.
Winston and Portia
Next, I'll blog about Winston's surprise Mother's Day weekend visit and the videos I took of him. What a joy! I spent Mother's Day, while John was at work, fiddling with Winston and my new video editing program. Another spoonful of joy!
The new Monday night Competitive Handling agility class started last night. As usual I brought Maxie for his 7 p.m. "small dog" class, and Lucky tagged along. If I get there half an hour early I can usually take Lucky for a practice run on the Excellent course, and staying late after class, I can usually work her on some equipment off the main course. As I've mentioned elsewhere, she's only had 4 formal lessons, way back in Beginners. Whether she runs or not, it's educational to watch the more seasoned "big dog" teams run, because big dogs pose a different set of handling problems than small dogs like Maxie.
Surprise! Last night, Nedra invited Lucky to join the 8 p.m. class as a substitute if any of the other 5 enrolled students don't show up. Since only 3 showed up, Lucky got a spot and ran the course about as well as the more advanced dogs. I even attempted layering the A-frame and weaves, and she did it. I was thrilled. We must work on her wide turns, though. She's not much at "collecting" on course, though she can turn on a dime at full speed at home.
Since we're in our first AKC trial this weekend, in Mobile, then Amite two weeks later, then Port Allen the weekend after that, we need all the practice we can get. I figure, if she's practicing on Excellent courses, she should be able to nail the Novice courses, which as I recall are pretty straightforward figure 8's. Can't wait to see if she matches Maxie's novice record of 6 for 6 for NA and NAJ. I believe she can exceed it (Maxie got one 90), because I'm so much more experienced now and comfortable in the ring. Actually, she could conceivably earn her OA and OAJ titles within a months' time if she just Q's 6 out of 9 times in each venue. On the other hand, as Kay advises, "never assume!"
So, without assuming, I can still dream, and my heart races when I think of it.
Now, on to the Agility field this morning to tackle the burrs (they are back with a vengeance this Spring) and help Nedra set up a course for the Wednesday night class. Busy, busy, busy. This agility stuff is filling my days with activity. Good! Less time to eat, or think about the Tsunami that just hit Japan, killing thousands. John and I make our monthly donation to Doctors Without Borders and know they are over there representing us. There is not much more we can do except hold them in our hearts, pray, and be grateful we live inland.
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