One hell of a weekend

Our first competition in Pärnu in 2016 (2.-3. of July) and right away we had 8 runs through two days, that is definitely our record, running so many courses in such a short period. But I have to disappoint everyone, because there is not much good to tell about this competition. On Saturday, when the judge was Inga Järv, we got all four runs DSQ. Two of those were jumping courses and two agilitycourses, but somehow I managed to lead badly and Erk twice missed the slalom entrance. For some reason Erk did not get in form one end on two courses, but got in form the other end on two other courses. I just could not figure it out why he missed it from one end. Also that was the first time when Erk completely ignored contacts and started to jump from A-frame and dog-walk. On Sunday we did a bit better and also the judge was different - Svetlana Zolotnikova. So in first jumping course we got 2. place, that was our best result that weekend. Next three runs went almost like the day before with awful leading and disastrous results. One DSQ and two pointless runs - 13. place (10 points) and 11. place (15 points). I guess the second day went a bit better because it was cloudy and slightly raining and we usually do better on days like these. On Saturday it was hot as hell and I was sluggish and Erk looked exhausted aswell. Photos by Kaisa Tsäro.

Perfect example of jumping over the contact area

Visiting Erk's offspring

After the competition in Veskimetsa I went to see Erk's and Bolt's (Maeglin Hurricane) puppies, three males and one female. They were born in 31st of May (2016) and when I visited them, they were almost three weeks old. Though the litter was quite small, only four puppies, they were quite different in personalities. Unfortunaltely only one was black and white, the others were blue merle. We all hoped that there would be more black and white colored puppies.
Their official names are:
Follow The Leader Queen of Hearts - female, blue merle
Follow The Leader Knave of Diamonds - male, blue merle
Follow The Leader Royal Flush - male, blue merle
Follow The Leader Ace of Trumps - male, black and white

Before going to their new homes. Photo by Natalja Garastsenko

Again another CACIAG competition

This time 18.06.2016 we were in Tallinn, at Veskimetsa equestrian sportcentre, just next to the Tallinn Zoo. This was our first time there and I was a little dissapointed with it. The weather wasn't supporting us, because it was constantly raining and the course field was almost covered with water and muddy. Luckily large dogs ran first and that gave us an advantage, because otherwise it would have been total mud race after minis and midis. Also all the field looked small from my point of view and I was afraid that someone will get hurt, because Anne Tammiksalu's (judge) courses are usually difficult. She likes acute angles and tightly placed obstacles, but in these conditions it would be dangerous for the dogs.
Anyway we came to compete and try to do it as securely as possible.

It started with an agilitycourse, where we almost (ALMOST!!!) won. There was one bar that Erk dropped quite at the end of the run and it was probably my fault, because I stood in front of his landing path. Though one person said that in such a weather the dogs wet tail hair might wrap around the bar and fall because of that. The video's quality is not so good, but at least it gives an overview of our run. Also I have to mention, that only 4 dogs got the time out of 19th and we were the fastest.

After that came two CACIAG courses (agility + jumping), that did not go well at all. We got DSQ in both of them. The first run was definitely my fault, because I made a bad handling solution in the second and third obstacle, where Erk took one hurdle from the wrong side, but after that he went totally crazy. Our contacts did not work, most angles were wide and in jumping course happened the same thing, except without the contacts. Erk just ran where he wanted and did not listen to me.  

CACIAG in Viljandi

On 14.-15. of May 2016 the whole weekend was filled with agility and I managed to reach to the competition on Sunday. The day before there was regular competion with three runs, but on Sunday there was again CACIAG (agility+jumping), that I thought was much more important than simple competition, and additionally one ordinary agility course. Judge was from Hungary, Veronica Herendy. She has been our judge once before in a competition at TAKO hall.
Luckily for us, the competion started with a jumping course and that is mostly our shtick, because there is no contacts from where to jump of (see-saw) or just leave without permission (A-frame, dogwalk). Also we have had problems with over excitement, especially in the first run and I hoped that Erk will let out some steam and be calmer before the second run that was more important for us (agilitycourse).
Speaking about the jumping course I would say that it went as I expected. Erk was too excited and my handling was probably not so good, but at least we were not disqualified and were last (11th) who got the time, with 10 points though.
Going to the second run and agilitycourse we were like newborn team. I tried to be calm and lead the dog correctly and not to do sudden movements, that would lead to misinterpretation for the dog and it worked. One alarming thing was the see-saw, where Erk jumped off, but late enough that we didn't get fault for it. So it was pretty close call, that we got a clean run and first place and of course the CACIAG. Happy day, happy day!!!! Also our speed was on this course very good, though we had third fastest time, the gaps between the three of us were in 0,6 seconds. Not bad at all!!!

https://www.facebook.com/stefi.praakli/videos/1074654739240283/

Third course was simple agilitycourse and we went to run it with very positive emotions that we got from previous run. I was so satisfied that I didn't understand that judge hadn't given the permission to start but I started to run anyway. When we got near to the judge she stoped us and asked what we are doing, because she didn't whistle and give the permission to start. I would swear that I heard a whistle and saw her raising an arm. Anyway, she let us start again without minus points, but actually she had the right to disqualify us, so it was really a close call.
The run itself went quite well dispite the little misunderstanding and nervous situation. We got the third place with the third speed and again clean run.

CACIAG in Tartu

Going forward from the previous post, on the competition day 30.04.16 we had at first Jaanika Lillenberg's course and after that our first CACIAG competition (AG + JUMP combined), where Peter was the judge.
I was pretty amazed when I saw the course field. It was about 1,5 times bigger than are our usual course fields. I thought that Peter was training us rather than judging our runs, because they were pure running courses and in this case I mean for the handler. The dogs were very happy with the courses, because they could run more and have fun. 
In the first course I was a bit negligent and we were disqualified, because I did front cross, at the wrong time and led Erk to tunnel, instead we should have taken a hurdle. From there on we just took it easy and tried to run without any mistake. Second run was CACIAG agilityrun and in the beginning it was OK for us, but in some point I lost Erk in a tunnel, because it took him very long time to get out of there. He probably did a spin and tried to get up and run as fast as he could after me. But I had gone already too far and when he reached to slalom, that was the next obsticle, he missed one gap, because he had speeded up so much. Unfortunately I did not notice that and ran forward as hell. Peter whistled, but I did not understand at that time that we were disqualified. After we finished, one competitor told me, that Erk missed one post in slalom. That was really a disappointment, but I have to blame myself for not slowing Erk down before the slalom. Anyway, the rest of the run was quite good and I do not remember any mistakes. Third run was CACIAG jumping course and in there we were really good and got third place with a clean run. I saw some things, that would have made us faster, but I was satisfied enough.
On the same day, after the main competition, there was a side event. Small donation competition for the team, who was going to Agility European Open. We ran two OPEN courses, but it did not look like proper running, because I was either negligent with handling or Erk was just crazy and ran all over the place without noticing what I said to him. At least in the first run we got ourselves a time with 10 points, but in the second run we were disqualified.
I think Erk and I were just too tired in the end and we were not concentrating enough for thouse OPEN courses.

Peter Holmberg visiting Tartu

Last year when Peter was a referee in Tartu, it went really well for us and we got in to A3 level. So I hoped that it will go as well this year during the competition.

Additionally we had a simple classroom seminar two days before the competition and a day before a training seminar with a quite difficult course. Last year he only did the training seminar, but I didn't take part in it with Erk. I only watched how they trained and listened what he said. To me, I think he probably explained the best how the handler and dog cooperate in the course. How the handler should move, use his/hers body position and so in every individual case. In his classroom seminar he showed different crosses and how to solve them in the course for clean and quick run.
I add a video of the run of the whole training course here. There was a small mistake at the end, but overall it went really well. Also there are some additional videos of our training in my Youtube channel (Marko Visse). I add the links below.



Video 1
Video 2
Video 3
Video 4
Video 5
Video 6
Video 7

Back in our usual routine

We have jogged and trained quite regularly, but Erk is still acting like crazy when we go to competitions. And to prove my point, I give two examples. We had one "Säde"-cup again at the beginning of April, where we got DSQ twice out of three runs and a week later at official competition in Maardu we got DSQ once and the other two runs 15 points and 10 points. It was like a disaster. So we waited for the end of the April, when Säde organized a bigger competition where the judge was Peter Holmberg (NOR) and that was our first international competition, where they give the CACIAG sertificate. But that went like all the previous April competitions. Two DSQ's and one third place, that was not very satisfying.
For a better overview I write a little about the competitions.
At "Säde"-cup our judge was Keida Tirmaste and all the courses were A1-A2 level OPEN courses. First one was jumping course, that went quite good until the final hurdle, where we dropped a bar. And because of that 4th place with 5 points, but our speed was one of the fastest. Only Erk's sister Edha was about 0,4 sek faster and she also dropped the same final bar. Next came two agility courses where we were disqualified. Unfortunately I do not remember exactly for what, but in one run there might have been a problem with see-saw, that I let Erk to do twice or more, because he forgot 2on2off and jumped off of it. But in general, there was probably bad handling from my side.
A week later, dogclub TAKO organized a competition at Maardu, where the judge was Monika Põld. It did not go so well there and our three courses went down the drain. In the first run, jumping course, we took down whole lot of bars and got 17th place with 15 points. Dispite of that our speed was second fastest after Marje and Süsi. My main mistake running this course was that I was standing in Erk's way (obstacles 3-5) or not in time with a frontcross (obstacles 8 and 14). I should have done two rearcrosses in obstacles 3-5, but instead I ran on the right side of the obstacles and got in Erk's way and took down the bar of hurdle nr 4.

In second run, that was agilitycourse, we got DSQ right at the beginning where there was dog-walk and tunnel choice. Of course I managed to choose wrong solution for the first three obstacles and led Erk to tunnel. But going on that dog-walk was really dangerous because of the sharp corner from obstacle nr 2. Dogs trajectory with its speed that it has gained is not going to the dog-walk but straight over the tunnel and many dogs just ran exactly like that. They stepped once on the beginning of the dog-walk and then jumped straight over the tunnel or some stepped on the tunnel and then jumped to the other side of the tunnel. That part of the course was very dangerous for the dogs and fortunately noone got hurt.

Final run, second agility course, went a bit better than the two previous runs, but we still dropped two bars and lost lot of places with the 10 points and we came 12th. Our speed 5.18 m/s was almost the best, only one dog was faster with 5.19 m/s and we lost to that dog only with 0.05 sek. I think that is good enough.

I try to write about the Säde competition where Peter Holmberg was the judge in a new blog entry.