Bud
was our judge, and the games were all new to us...
As Narrated by Missy...
We are off to ADCQ at Ipswich tonight for some games to be judged by Bud Houston from the US. I met him when I was just a pup aspiring to be an agility dog last time he was out, so this time I'm ready to show off how much I've learned. Dad was late home from work, so already we are off to a slow start. Thursday night agility competitions are something very different, but hey, lot's of fun. Only three classes tonight, Strategic Pairs, Joker's Wild and Pole Jacks. Strategic Pairs we'd played before, but since Dad was running Billy tonight for fun, we were a pair for the game. Well that was heaps of fun, not only did I do my bits on t he course but then I chased Bill around his bits too. It was WILD! I just jumped everything and rounded up Dad and Bill and well, needless to say we were well over time but provided much entertainment for everyone. Poor Bud, he'd just finished telling us how this was a deadly serious game in the US where the competition is high, so we went on to show how we think it is heaps of fun and anything but deadly serious....
The next game was Joker's Wild, much like gamblers without the gamble but with a number of joker's on course which were worth double the points. There was also this neat bit where you take a hoop and if your handler keeps one foot in the hoop and sends you over obstacles you get double points, and if it is a joker you complete, it is quadruple points. Cool. We had 60 seconds and had to accumulate 80 points for a qualification card. The jumps were worth one point, tunnels and tyres worth three points, A-Frame, Weaves and Scramble worth five points. Well one of the distance gambles was jump, tunnel (under A-Frame), jump, worth 10 points if you kept out of the containment zone, Mum sent me through once to make sure I understood, then put her foot in the hoop and we did it three times, then we did the A-Frame and the other gamble, jump/tunnel (under dog walk)/weaves (6), and we managed our 80 points. It was a hoot! Bud told us about how they make this even more fun in the States by having the audience yell out Boring if it was getting repetitive (which it can do when your handler has their foot stuck in the hoop and is sending you around the joker a few times!). When this happens the judge will deduct the points instead of adding them. We really took to this idea, and yelled encouragement (Boring!!!) at everyone who was clocking up too many points. It was all in good fun, and everyone had a really great time. Lots of laughs.
The final game was another new one called Pole Jacks. It is based on the children's game of Jacks. We needed to do a set of six poles, then an obstacle worth one point, back through the poles, then obstacles worth two points, through the poles, obstacles worth three points, poles, obstacles worth four, poles and so on up to seven. The jumps were worth one point, tunnels and tyres worth three points, Scramble and See-Saw worth five points, Dog-Walk worth seven points. We needed to complete the six point sequence to get a quali. Mum and I managed it, even though she lost count a bit at five. Dad and Billy went sooo close as well, on the sixth one, Billy accidently took an extra jump on the way to the poles which meant he missed out. We had three dogs get all the way through the seven, Wendy and Murray, Steve and Tommy and Wendy again with Dillon. Also a fun game- trying to remember where we were up to was a bit tricky for Mum though...
So a top night, though we got home late and Mum and Dad had work the next morning. But I also got two qualis towards my Games title. So I'm 2/7ths of the way there LOL. Dad also had lots of fun with Billy, maybe he will start running him some more. And Mum learned that I should never be allowed to do Strategic Pairs with Billy....
