Tag Archives: dog agility

Booker at the Boston Terrier Specialty Show

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Fran on Friday

Booker the Boston Terrier at the Boston Terrier National Performance SpecialtyI did it again. I subjected myself to embarrassment and ridicule and entered a dog show. Not just any show – no. I entered the Boston Terrier National Performance Specialty shows. 9 trials in 3 days. 3 agility, 3 obedience and 3 rally. In the agility trials, I entered 3 runs each. So that’s a total of 15 runs. I knew it was a lot when I sent in my entries, but I wanted to support the Boston Terrier Club of America. I would have been happy with one ribbon, because I know that my Booker is a wild man.

The first day was all agility – 2 trials, 6 runs. Booker did really well! He qualified in both novice standard runs (with contact obstacles), one open jumpers run (a more advanced class – don’t ask me how we got past novice jumpers with weaves!) and 1 Time to Beat run! Time to Beat is a modest course showcasing speed. All levels compete on the same course.

The second day was everything! 1 agility trial, an obedience trial and a rally trial. Again Booker qualified in standard and Time to Beat. I honestly don’t know what happened on the jumpers run. It felt good, but I must have missed something. The obedience trial was interesting. Let’s just say that Booker and I have had better moments. But we qualified in Rally!

The third day was obedience and rally (2 trials of each). I was happy that Booker’s performance in obedience improved with each trial! And Booker got his Novice Rally title!

As good as Booker was, and I’m so proud of him, I have to say that the best part of going to the Nationals was getting to meet other people who love this breed.

Crazy time dog training time again

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Fran on Friday

Booker the Boston Terrier jumping at an agility trialI must be crazy. After taking the entire winter off from class and trials, I’ve entered Booker in more trials than I have fingers on both hands! One was last weekend, and Booker was so excited he could not contain himself. It was an agility trial, and I really thought that, since we’d been working so hard on the contact obstacles (teeter, dog walk and A-frame) during training that we wouldn’t have a problem. We were at a fun match a few weeks ago and he did so well… He didn’t balk at taking the obstacles like he did at the previous trial we were at, months ago. But he didn’t stick his 2-on, 2-off landing on the teeter and dog walk, and he flew off the A-frame above the yellow. He’s supposed to run all the way down the frame.

So, back to the drawing board. We’re in class again every Thursday night. So hopefully that will calm down his excited energy a little bit, being around lots of other dogs. And we’re in another trial next weekend, so maybe he’ll start to get more used to the trial environment. All this in preparation for the Boston Terrier Performance Specialty show in three weeks. He’s entered in agility, obedience and rally. Please pray for us…

The perils of agility class

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Fran on Friday

Tango jumping

Tango jumping

As on most Thursdays, last night was Agility class. We spent the entire hour working on serpentine skills. I love serpentines – that’s a sequence of 3 obstacles, where you change direction for each one. If the three obstacles are in a straight line, or close to it, then much of the time the handler can stay on the same side for all three. Alternatively, it’s correct to cross (change the side the dog is on) between each obstacle. And that’s what we were working on last night. Too many fast turns in a short period of time, and I tweaked my knee. Not badly, just enough so that it reminds me that I’m no longer 25 years old (OK, not even 35 or 45, or – well, let’s just stop there).

His sitter is busted!

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Fran on Friday

Booker

Booker

At agility class last night, Booker refused to hold a sit! At our class, the instructor lays out a course for the class to do, and we students have an opportunity to walk the course without our dogs to familiarize ourselves with the course. I had been leaving Booker in a “sit-stay” out of the way while I walked the course, and he had been really good staying for the entire time. I would come back once in a while to reward such a nice sit, of course. But last night, Booker was “running amok!” Breaking his sit-stay after only a few seconds.

Our instructor says that dog training is like that circus act with a performer balancing a dozen or more plates on sticks. Each behavior is a plate. Obviously, the sit behavior plate is wobbling. It will get extra attention today!