4 for 6

So an update on Dally's debut in 4" Preferred. I showed Dally all three days at the Hoosier Kennel Club trial in Novice Preferred 4-inches. She went 6-for-6, earning her Nov P title! Yay...one level down, at least one more to go to be back where we were in Excellent.

The question is, did Dally like jumping 4-inches better? Well, it means she really doesn't have to hike up her compact body up and over 8" jumps. With 4" she doesn't seem to have to put forth a lot effort--which I think she likes. Now, the weather was horrendously hot! I'm talking lower 90s and high humidity. We're talking brutal! I was lucky that the fairgrounds where the trial was being held is only 10 minutes from my parents' farm, so when the Open started, I could call my mom and have her bring Dally (along with Mesa and her Vallhund, Smoke) and she'd be fresh and ready to run. (The show is a 2-ring, 1-judge trial, so it was a long day.)

Last weekend I ran Dally one day at the Queen City agility trial, but I kept her in Exc B 8" (Regular) due to the format of the trial. This was indoors on padded rubber flooring--N-I-C-E footing! Now here, she ran fast!! We didn't Q in either class, but she was fast! I was very happy to see her running and looking like she was having fun. In standard she ran past the A-frame (she came out of the jump and was in an odd position, and I probably didn't support the A-frame like I should have), but everything else was clean. In jumpers again she ran clean, but she popped out of the weaves and ran past a tunnel (again, I might not have supported it as well as I should have), but she was still clean.

That was it for agility trials entered so far. I haven't done any planning for the remaining summer, but we'll probably take July off. I'm not sure when I'll permanently keep Dally in preferred.

As far as Mesa's training goes, I started her on some more groundwork tonight. I set out one of my stake-in-the-ground weave poles to start teaching her (and Dally) some distance work. She took to it easily going from right to left, but going right to left seems to be a difficult concept for her. Same with Dally, which is strange...but once they both got it without me really pushing them (I was standing just a couple of feet away), we ended with a game of tennie and then dinner.