First day of our first trial! (CPE, SnoBounder's @ McCollum Park)

[joecorgi]

So I borked our first run -- nerves, jitters, first run ever...I know not to touch the dog, but I did.

But the second run?

I'll leave it for the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2i4ddOEHa8&feature=related

Edit: And day 2, where we really let it shine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1l_QnRSkuU

[CorgiMum]

Congratulations on your Q!!!+CLAPPING++GWAVE+ That was some second run!!

Loved the video, and the big smile on both of your faces.:SMILE:

Although Danny & I have been bitten by the agility bug, we aren't entering any trials yet.

[joecorgi]

CPE's a pretty awesome place to start -- no weaves and no teeter for level 1. We weren't really worried about a teeter, but those weaves still give us a bit of trouble. We'll be all set by our next trial though.

[carlycorgi]

Really great job! Makes me want to try again. Maybe we should have started with CPE instead of practicing for three years. Just get those first trials over with. You and Stephanie are doing so great!

[Bobbie]

CPE is our favorite, it offers plenty of challenge but also let's you start easy and jump low when you need to, and judges and other people are pretty friendly. Who was your judge, Joe? I can't watch the video on the iPad for some reason.

[joecorgi]

@carlycorgi: I don't know if I could have practiced for three years. Our instructor has been very encouraging with getting out there and giving things a shot. CPE level 1 seems to really embrace that approach, giving dogs some ring time before they've got everything down pat. I think that's pretty huge, because it allows for familiarization with the environment before stakes get high. And the premium's pretty cheap in comparison.

@Bobbie: Ken Perlmutter. He was a really nice guy with kind things to say while I was on bar setting duty. I think he'll be judging tomorrow.

[Bobbie]

Yeah, Ken is great. I liked most of the CPE judges we have shown under and now a few of my friends are judging, too.

[corgiland]

Really good job!

Congratulations...and thanks for sharing!

[Dillydoodle]

you guys did great! Look at Jenna GO!!! Awesome job! i love the last photo of you and Jenna with your ribbons...you two look happy!

[jcj528]

WOW! How cool are you and Jenna together! I love the last photo on the video.

CONGRATULATIONS!

[Jespah]

Wonderful!!! :NOTWORTHY:

Having fun together and making progress - and I agree that the last photo says it all! :BIGGRIN"

Deb

[Betsie]

Congratulations. Don't Corgi's look good with blue ribbons? I'll be waiting for a report on tommorrows runs.

[kathyl]

Great job, Joe and Jenna. Always knew Jenna was a natural, but you are catching on quickly, too.

[ZdogZ]

Congratulations!

[joecorgi]

@kathyl: hahaha! No kidding, I managed to stop tripping over my shoes! She's also teaching me how to listen to her, and that's something I didn't have 6 months ago. Thanks for the kind words!

As far as the day's runs, here goes:

I purchased an extra day of entry since Jenna seemed to take to the ring so well yesterday. We decided to play in snooker as well.

We first finished off our CPE Standard Level 1 title with a clean run! We also played games of colors, snooker, and jumpers. We got Q's in all, first places in everything but snooker. We got a 2nd in snooker because I ran wide on a jump and goobed up the direction over the jump for Jenna. We still had enough points to Q though, since we had an awesome opening.

I just got finished chopping together some video...although my computer's so old, I guess ~5 minutes is where it starts not wanting to edit video any more. So forgive the poor chop job:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1l_QnRSkuU

We had such a blast. It was great. She's dead asleep, and I'm about to go that way too.

[CasaCorgis]

Go Team Jenna and Joe!!

Way to go for the Q's. Loved watching the videos, and I especially appreciate the written commentary. Our boyz finished their beginning agility a few years ago, which was just for fun. Now couch potatoing are what they're inito (although both their weights are just right...) But not having pursued this with Angel and Andy, I learned a lot watching Jenna and reading the information.

Eagerly awaiting more! :SMILE:

[Bobbie]

Really nice video, and Jenna is going to be fast. Nice to have a fast handler, too!

[joecorgi]

Thanks to both of you! Jenna absolutely loves having a "job" now, and you can really tell a change in attitude over the last 6 months. We're a team both on and off-course now, and it's pretty awesome.

[sutulu]

What a haul! Look at all those ribbons!

Congratulations to you and Jenna. She sure does love to run agility, she looked like she was having a blast. And she is a really fast dog.

First, I love CPE. The judges are so nice and fair and the people seem to be having a great time.

I have done the "Snooker Walk of Shame" many a time. I have found that if I treat it as an obedience exercise (have the dogs heeling at my side) we may have a slower time but I usually get them to Q.

JackPot is my demise. Tucker has a little distance but Lulu.... no way. We are working on that.

As for a pause at the base of the contact, my instructor found it breaks my COrgis' attention. With Tucker, it lets him think about how he is starving to death and that there might be a treat somewhere on the course. Lulu.... it just gives her more opportunity to bark at me. SO we keep with running contacts.

You and Jenna look like a great team. Keep those videos coming!

Run clean, run fast!

Susan

[thebeach.corgi]

Cheers for Team Jenna!

Enjoyed watching the two of you burn through the courses. Wow, Jenna can motor.

Congratulations on your ribbons.

[joecorgi]

Thanks, Connie & sutlulu! CPE is pretty awesome for a first timer, and I have to say the judge was all kinds of helpful. I gave too much distance for Jenna on that snooker jump (baby dog), and we took our licks for it. If I had been out another 3 inches, we would have made that, no problem.

We just found out we made High in Standard for our class, and a 2nd place High in games! Hooray!

edit: As far as stops-on-contacts go, I actually asked a question here about it not too long ago. I finally decided (after much waffling) to go with stops on the dogwalk and as much as she needed on the teeter, but running contacts on the A-frame. My instructor encouraged us to try running contacts for the dogwalk as well, after much success in practice. But day 1, she completely blew a dogwalk contact...just too amped. We went back to stop-and-go to make sure we didn't pick up faults.

I think I'll probably keep to stop-and-go on the 'walk, and keep running A-frames and teeters as much as possible. We may have to go back to stop-and-go on the teeter...we'll see. And we'll keep the releases quick for the 'walk. Just enough to touch paint.