Two posts ago we discussed and showed how we tried to teach Scraps how to do the teeter. While we eventually got him to go over the apparatus, it apparently wasn’t the St Hubert’s endorsed teaching style for long term success. Kathy enrolled in a 4-week teeter class for Scraps and it quickly turned into 2 4- week teeter classes as progress in this class technique can be agonizingly slow.
Sherri is our teacher and she is a pip who is happy and has fun with the dogs. There are actually a lot of people in this class working their way through the inch by inch progress of Sherri’s technique. Enjoy the couple of videos I posted and let us hope it all pays off in the agility ring.
Scraps and Rags love each other at the dog park walk.
The bee was accepting donations.
On Sunday, October 19, 2007 Scraps and Rags, as well as Kathy and I, joined about 50 other people and dogs in a walk to support and find out information about Morris County’s newly proposed dog park. The Park Started at the Lutheran Trinity Church, just north of Franklin Street in Morris Plains. The plan was to meet at the church and walk about 0.7 miles through bucolic Morris Plains to the location of the new dog park in the new Morris County Central Park. This is the park that is being established at the new property Morris county obtained from the closed Greystone Psychiatric Campus. It is pretty exciting and that is why Kathy and I want to support it.
Scraps and Rags walking to the new dog park.
It was a beautiful autumn morning in Morris Plains. The trees were about a week past prime but due to the recent gorgeous weather, most of the colorful leaves were on the trees and not on the ground; and we do know that in Morris Plains the leaves inevitably fall to the ground. In parts of western Morris County some are trying to stop this inevitability.
The sheriff has some big a$s dogs
The dog park will be the responsibility and owned by the Morris County Park Commission but they still have to get the park raised up on their budgetary hierarchy so it is still some time away from opening but they have a site which is 90% of the battle. Dignitaries at the walk who I would like to thank for supporting the effort included Morris Plains, Mayor Frank Druetzler, Morris County Sheriff Ed Rochford, Morris County Freeholder John Murphy. Also there from the Morris County Family were Dave Helmer and Denise Lanza of the Park Commission and and the Park Commission’s chairman Judy Schliecher. Then let us not forget Morris County’s Recycling and Solid Waste Coordinators Kathleen Hourihan and your humble narrator Larry Gindoff. There were probably some others that I am forgetting but let us not forget the real stars of the show. The dogs and the beautiful setting for the park.
Build it and they will come. Come Rags. Come Scraps.
The walk started at the church and there must have been 40 dogs in all. Usually I would be embarrassed by Rags in that situation but Rags was on her best behavior and so were most of the dogs. I was impressed. It wasn’t until we sat down to listen to the speakers that Rags misbehaved when a dog or two came over to sniff where we were sitting. And even then, it wasn’t all that bad. I think it really helped that we walked at a fast pace from home to the dog walk and that probably tired out Rags a bit. I was even able to let Frank Druetzler walk Rags for a while and she handled that great. Scraps was on his usual best behavior.
Morris Plains Mayor Frank Druetzler walks Rags during the walk.
In the end kathy and I both donated money to the Morris County Park Alliance which is a non-porofit established to funnel money to the Morris County park system from some donners that cannot donate money directly to a governmental orginazation. It seems that the Park Commisson needs to generate some donated money to help fund the dog park and that will give them the ability to push it over the edge. Hey whatever it takes, thanks to all who are involved.
Scraps the Dog competes in another local SCOR agility trial. This one was held at the field next to our St Hubert’s sports club training field on Woodland Avenue in Madison. Maybe it is Morris Township but the SCOR people state it is Madison. What I love about this location, as well as competingat Lewis Morris Park, is that I can ride my bike to the trial what could be cooler than that. It also means it is an easy stop at the Swiss Chalet Bakery by bicycle on the way to the trial location. A couple of buttered rolls, apricot cigar and more was a nice sweet beginning to the day.
Home base at the 9-27-2008 SCOR agility trial.
We haven’t practiced a lot this summer but Scaps and Kathy are an incredible team so hopefully they can pull off a few good runs. As we compete more and more and as Scraps keeps racking up qualifying run we keep rising in the ranks of SCRO competitions. This means harder courses and harder and more experienced competition.
There was a nor’easter hitting the east coast just prior to the event and it appeared as if the entire trial may be a wet washout. We were fortunate and it petered out by Saturday morning and the weather was foggy, cloud, never sunny and often misting, but it never really rained. This was great news because Scraps doesn’t like the wet stuff and it wouldn’ t have been fun for anyone. Though it was moist outside, it wasn’t windy or cold. It turned out to be a pretty comfortable day.
The first run is always tough but since it is jumpers we thought we may be in luck since Scraps is usually pretty good at jumpers. The run started off good but Scraps just would go through the tire and got distracted by one of the sandbags holding down a tunnel. Scraps ended up off course and received an NQ from Judge Carol Thom.
Full House – Level 2 – 8″
Qualifying – 3rd Place – 23 Points – 28.90 seconds
Scraps did well for this event. he got distracted by me on the sidelines filming the run, but he and Kathy recovered to get the qualifying time.
Jackpot – Level 2 – 8″ Game Time 58 Seconds
Qualifying – 3rd Place – 45 Points – 49.05 Seconds
Kathy and Scraps ran a real good beginning of the run but then Scraps didn’t want to do some weave poles at the rear of the ring. Neverthelss, they improvised and recovered and ended up with the 3rd place but most importantly, qualifying score.
Standard – Level 2 – 8″ – 128 yards
NQ – 1st Place – 35.94 seconds – 15 faults
Knowing Scraps jumped off the teeter the last time he ran standard in a trial, Kathy intended on having Scarps bypass the teeter and relinquish the “Q.” Scraps had his own intentions and said, “I ani’t no pussy.” He decided to go for the teater on his own and flew off the end like last time resulting in oohs and aahhhs but more importantly an “NQ” Ironically and not as importantly, he received a 1st place. Rich offered to he us with some teater training. That’s very cool of him.
The last event of a long day one was Wildcard. This is a very short run and bang boom, Kathy and Scraps flew through the course and whiel at this moment we dont have the standings we botht think it was a very good run that should be a qualifying runa nd hopefully an 1st place.
Now for the results of Day Two.
Full House – Level 2 – 8″ – Game Time 40 Seconds
Qualifying – 2nd Place – 36.70 seconds – 28 points
A fast run that ended nicely right after the buzzer rang. Kathy and Scraps looked a bit confused at the intro not gathering too many points but they pulled through and got the “Q.”
Snooker – Level 2 – 8″ – Game Time 55 seconds
NQ – 3rd Place – 20.45 seconds – 9 points
It was raining so it was amazing we did anything at all. I think it all stopped quickly when Scraps decided to go to to the table and called it quit. We all have to learn to work in all weather and this was a learning experience.
Colors – Level 2 – 8 ” – 71 yards
Qualifying – 1st place – 13.06 seconds – 0 faults
This was the last run I would see as I had to go man the MCMUA booth at the Morristown Festival on the Green. It was almost perfect. Fast and accurate made for a super 13 second time. It’s tought to do too many courses that fast. Good Job Scraps and Kathy!!!!
Well Scraps hasn’t been well trained in teeter and it proved once agin to be his achilles heal. He went flying off of it like he did the day before and was disqualified. Thanks to Rich for video taping this run for me.
Scraps studying the course and relaxing before his event.
Larry's bicycle in the background. It's geat to have a trial in your home town!
This trail is run by SCOR which is part of CPE Agility. After running several good trials in the innovative and fun CPE format, Scraps is for the first time stepping up to level 2 for all but one event. It’s a beatiful location for an agility trial from my perspective. I am able to ride my bicycle from home to the trial and then take advatage of Lewis Morris Park’s mountain bBiking trails when I get bored. In additon, being a 10 minute drive from home means we were able to leave Rags at home so not to get the Judge to scream at us about shutting that mutt up. By the way, for the record the judge was Ray Wheeler who did a great job in keeping the trial moving and I have to say he was effective.
YouTube Video To view a quick video compilation of the 10 runs activate the link YouTube video link below.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
It's gonna rain one way or another.
It was a cool morning but Jeff Mendelsohn from Channel 12 news on channel 61 showed us some radar that indicated strong chances of thunder storms all day long. It was okay in the early morning but two storms hit us resulting in two rain delays. The first storm sent us scurrying to the Toyota Matrix for shelter. Scraps not being a wet weather dog at all made Jeff Mendolsohn’s predictions all that more ominous. We got lucky lucky for each time it was Scraps turn to run the rain came to a complete stop.
A summary of the 10 runs over 2 days is provided below. In the end, Scraps and Kathy qualified in 6 of the 10 events and “NQed” in the other 4. Each time they qualifie they came in 1st place. The lesson to be learned is that care and qualifying is everything and speed just gets you disqualified that much faster.
It was little buggy, or may I say a big buggy.
Jumpers Level 2 – 8″
1st Place – Qualified
32.65 seconds – 0 faults
Scraps started the 2-day decathlon impressively with 1st place excellent run except . He just missed a jump at the start but still did well enough to pull off a 1st place.
Colors Level 2 – 8″ 4th Place – Not Qualified -
25.37 seconds – 20 faults
We were all over the place and NQed.
Standard Level 2 – 8″ 3rd Place – Not Qualified -
60.23 seconds – 21 faults
Flying off the teeter and not liking the A-Frame.
Kathys says it's time for a plum.
Full House Level 2 – 8″ 4th Place – Not Qualified
43.04 seconds - 11 Points
Not enough points before the buzzer. Scraps was pre occupied. Missed the A-frame and by the time he got to the plank the buzzer buzzed. DQ
Snooker Level 2 – 8″ 1st Place – Qualified
38.86 seconds - 36 points
Last event of the day and we didn’t want to go home 1 for 5. It was colors and Kathy and Scraps ran a great exercise. Scraps was a little distracted by me, but got over it and hesitated going into a tunnel but other than those minor flaws, the run was smooth, methodical and enough for a first place and qualifying run.
Sunday, August 3, 2008.
It was a nicer day on Sunday
Today was much nicer than Saturday. It was cool as I arrived on my bicycle with the morning dew glistening across the field. By the end of the day there we some clouds and some hot points but it would be tough to complain about the weather. A woman from PetSide.com, a website somehow affiliated with NBC Television, was there filming some of the runs for her website to check out PetSide.com
Jackpot Level 1 – 8″ 1st Place – Qualified
47.20 seconds - 50 points
Well it’s Jackpot, the first event of the second day. Today small dogs go last giving us more opportunity to get set for each event. This was a very good exercise. Scraps ran past the set of weaves to start but then hit them nicely and went on the complete the course in good fashion. Another first place showing. This was the only exercise that we competed at level one, but now that we qualified we will be able to move up a level.
Standard Level 2 – 8″ 1st Place – Qualified
45.15seconds - 2 faults
This is standard and due to Scraps leaping off the teeter on the day before Kathy decided to run the event while intentionally bypassing the teeter. With that game plan in mind it was and impressive run, even the judge like our style commenting “good exercise.” We had one miss queue into the weaves but then successfully pulled it off. Somehow we qualified but Kathy isn’t sure if our missed teeter is enough to DQ us.
Scraps takes his bones seriously
Colors Level 2 – 8″ 4th Place – Not Qualified -
33.69 seconds – 27 faults
This was another running of colors. We were going well and Scraps missed a jump and then we running off for one of the ring crew women and Kathy wasn’t able to get him over the jump and she proceeded to completed the remaining few obstacles but it was a DQ in colors.
Wildcard Level 2 – 8″ 1st Place – Qualified
19.40 seconds – 0 faults
It’s wild card and the second to last event of the decathlon and Kathy and Scraps pulled off a flawless run and just beat out the competition by about 2 seconds. One little additional distraction would have turned our prized first place to second.
Jumpers Level 2 – 8″ 1st Place – Qualified
27.12 seconds – 0 faults
Last event of the trail and scraps was second to last dog of the trial. It was along hot weekend and ho knew if Scraps would have enough energy to pull off his best event in the decathlon. Scraps knew being the tough little mutt that he is. It started with a tire, had a few tunnels and lots of jumps. Just a little spin around toward the home stretch but short of that ever so minor flaw, it was a tremendous run. It seemed as if Kathy and Scraps were getting better as the weekend grew long.
Two posts ago we discussed and showed how we tried to teach Scraps how to do the teeter. While we eventually got him to go over the apparatus, it apparently wasn’t the St Hubert’s endorsed teaching style for long term success. Kathy enrolled in a 4-week teeter class for Scraps and it quickly turned into 2 4- week teeter classes as progress in this class technique can be agonizingly slow.
