[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Yes, I needed something else at 10; the “DIG” should have done it but obviously didn’t. I was aware he would probably be wide and was prepared for it (basically serp’ing the #2). 😊

For the third double whammy course, the wideness will be valuable at #10 because it is a backside at #2.

So, once again I went through it twice. On the first time, I didn’t get the turn at the end of the first 10 and messed up the backside at #2 (11). Second time it went well.

Last time I ran this course, I didn’t get very nice turns at 6, this time I added a spin and got better turns.

https://youtu.be/rv8vZ56-ZAY

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Thanks for the review – I agree he looked great on the 5 jump grid. The backside is an issue because I need to be near him to get the backside – it doesn’t seem to make sense otherwise. Remember that he will do the grid backwards if he doesn’t catch the backside. 😉

I will try to do more reading next week.

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Denise,

Welcome to the zigzags! Enzo is only just two years old, so we are working on jump skills. That is one of the big issues. We are looking for lovely, rhythmic jumping. The backside starts (on three jumps) are part of learning and committing to backsides.

(Tracy will surely add more. )

Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Here is this week’s zigzag – a day late. Just a review, not a reading.

I didn’t think it was THAT hot, but Enzo clearly did. We did 3 passes with 5 jumps at 14”. Then rest while I reset to 3 jumps. Then 2 passes with a backside and then he was finished.

I am familiar with the concern about dogs, particularly BC’s, who will work until they drop. Obviously, Enzo is more sensible than that. Of course, I’d prefer that I was the one that decided when to stop but, if I’m not aware, it is nice that he is. 😊

https://youtu.be/b7F47WDIFGw

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Oh dear, you are right about how I use “go on”. It has two meanings, the most correct one is “take the straight line in front of you and finish up”. The other one is more like “stay out there on the line you are on and don’t cut in to me”. The second use is a hang on from Patt, who was always going to cut in, if he possibly could. I feel like I will need some kind of cue to keep Enzo from dashing in to my side. Of course, I don’t need any cue at all for that. But it feels to me like I should have one. Probably should just be silent (although that is really hard for me). I’ll try. 😊

Here is Double Whammy #2. It went ok, I thought. At least there are no extra “go on” s.

https://youtu.be/QWC5Gws-izE

Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Here is our first Double Whammy. We ran it twice. On the first run, he dropped the #7 bar, I think because he didn’t realize that I was going in for the FC until he was in the air. I tried to be more timely for the next run. The second run was fine. 😊

https://youtu.be/_TZe6QyrFQo

Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

I think: “Good dog, Enzo!”. Thanks for all the detailed review! I’m off to play on the Double Whammys! Hopefully tomorrow.

Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

On course #2 – I hope in real life that I would have put in more time studying the map. That would make an 8-minute walk-through feasible. I haven’t had time to study your response but I will later tonight.

Moving right along…

Wow – look at the Michigan weather. It’s damp, rainy and cool. How extremely nice especially after our July in H##L.

Run #3 was a blend; not quite as nice as the first one but not the train wreck (goat rodeo) of run #2. 😊

I was concerned about getting the correct tunnel entrance at #5 but I figured I would just run hard and show the line. That worked brilliantly. In fact, I was very happy with our run through the teeter (and it was an “ok” teeter). However, the blind at 13 was late and that basically carried through until the crash at 16, et cetera.

I did not walk a RC at 13 on the original walk-through because I wanted to be aggressive and commit to the BC. Well, it just wasn’t there, so I rewalked it with the RC and it went just fine (except the teeter which sucked – however we are still at baby stages with all the contacts).

I was determined not to “over walk” the course this time. One thing I did was study the map and have a good tentative plan before I walked. Since I didn’t have a watch, I just guessed. Turns out to have been about 6:40 which is a dramatic improvement over 9+.

Walk: https://youtu.be/bdLWnJypyts

Run: https://youtu.be/XJ4r97eFP68

Thanks,
Barb

ps:

I was able to make a bit of time to do a real review of your comments on Master’s run #2.

Your first comment is contrasting the throwback/spin on #3 versus a threadle forward exit. Or, I could even have done a simple forced front without the Jaako exit. I agree that my choice was too tight; not sure why I didn’t consider either of the others.

I’m sorry I didn’t setup 7-8 correctly. I saw approximately what the course was and got all excited to do the thing I did. Oops.

I think the comment about the way I did the BC through 12-13 is giving me more credit for planning than I can do. Just getting there on time was the goal (fail).

And another course build mistake at 17! Yikes. <sigh>

For the runs, yes, I was THRILLED with how well he took the tunnel verbals; both of them, both times.

Well, we all know about 13. The handling on 14 was kind of a shot in the dark. My friend, Andrea’s dog does this really well and I thought I’d try it. Worked much better than I expected.

And once you are in the bumpy water, it is really hard to recover!

Thanks for the detailed review!

Barb

• This reply was modified 5 years ago by Barb VanEseltine.

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Yes, so happy with run #1. 😊 I actually expected 9-10-11 to go very much as they did: he exited the tunnel in time to see me moving across the #10 bar. I thought that would/did work better than if I had already been in place calling him. At the very end, I was so happy with how the wrap at #15 worked (I don’t have much confidence in our wraps) that I lost concentration and couldn’t find the teeter. The verbal saved me since I didn’t show him the line to the teeter. Good dog!

Here is master’s course #2. Not quite as well done as #1. One thing I learned is he needs some training in following my hand. If I drop my hand and look at it, I expect him to come in to my hand and follow it. He doesn’t appear to know that (6-7-8). Easy enough to work on.

There is an enormous long walk, mostly while I figured out 13-18. Then 2 runs. He was totally brilliant on 9-10-11: so proud!

Walk: https://youtu.be/6eYVViFd8Co

Run: https://youtu.be/UrWCTAk5oG8

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

“…when you are planning a FC or BC, strategizing how to get there so he sees you in position and slowing down, rather than accelerating to get to the position for the cross…”

Well, yes – that would be true! And I really should know that. 😊

Moving along to the course work. I waited and waited for the ground to dry up a bit. Then, of course, the sun came out and it got quite hot.

I studied this course on the map for quite a while and had most of my decisions made (or mostly made) before the run.
– For #3, I knew both dog path and handling and had only to confirm it.
– For #10, I knew which dog path I wanted but had to work through to get the correct handling.
– For #15, I wanted the slice and it would have been correct for an older, more experienced dog but, as I walked, I became quite confident that I couldn’t make it happen for the “Barb and Enzo” team. So I put in the wrap.
– At the #11-#12 threadle, I thought about your advice to collect him before the threadle but couldn’t really think of any appropriate handling to make that happen, so, again, I depended on the verbal cue.

Then he nailed it on the first run. I was delighted.

Look, here is a fun idea:

Walk: https://youtu.be/a39G-O3FpRI

Run: https://youtu.be/JqsnewLBDNk

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

And here is #3.

With 2 choices (#2 and #9), I actually used up slightly more than 8 minutes on the walk.
Run #1 was okay but not smooth on the 8-9-10 line. I rewalked it and run #2 was lovely.

And, BTW, the sun is NOT out, the temperature is only 79 and it was very pleasant playing outside with the dogs today. 😊

https://youtu.be/RML3zZDr8BI

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Again,

Here is #2, it went much better. I remembered to “pre-cue” the #4 backside and that went very well. Actually, I was happy with the whole thing. Added the weaves (which just happened to be there) as a reward. 😉

https://youtu.be/rmxJ8eUWEcg

Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

Here is our first try on master’s sequence #1. I walked it for 3 minutes and then warmed Enzo up and ran it. I think the issue here is not so much that I didn’t walk it “properly” but that I don’t yet know how to walk it for Enzo. The way I walked it would have been fine for Lollie or Patt but it turned out not to be what Enzo needed.

1. Basically a disaster. He blasted out of the tunnel, over the jump and into the next county, trying to call him over #5 was just silly; then he saw his beloved weaves and ran off; eventually we finished up. (play/praise cut out of video)

2. Using the same handling (as run #1 NOT as walked, see below), I managed to get him through the course. He was still wide at 4 and that made him wide at 5. (play/praise cut out of video)

Then I walked to the mic to describe the new handling idea.

3. This went much, much better through the problem area (4-5-6) but I forgot that the course didn’t end it at 9 (so that turn was the worst turn 9-10 of the 3).

https://youtu.be/YWyKF84CMd0

But, wait, things are not going well in the VanEseltine household today. The internet is crawling, so slow! And I’m waiting and my mail isn’t coming through and I had to toto (turn off / turn on). At any rate, I watched my original walkthrough for the 100th time and realized I hadn’t executed it even once. When Enzo came blasting out of the tunnel, I didn’t “catch” him on the FC; I immediately switched to a post turn and a disaster. Then I changed the handling but never actually ran my original handling plan. So, here that is. It worked ok. Surprise, surprise.

https://youtu.be/wMC48kygyk0

I guess I should say that I do not generally “commit” to my handling plan. I often change it in the heat of the moment. Of course, I would prefer to have my runs look more like my walkthroughs. 😊

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

So here is the “real” zigzag session (the Friday session). We did do a bit of “reading” as well as the regular 5 and backside 3.

Although it is outside, I don’t know how “good” a surface we have. Michigan is desperate for rain and the ground is dry and very hard.

https://youtu.be/TDuJn8Coigs

Thanks,
Barb

[Barb VanEseltine]

Hi Tracy,

This is from Tuesday. We wanted to move it outside as much as possible. Looks pretty nice. I’ll do another one tomorrow (Friday).

https://youtu.be/N96I3_b27s0

Thanks,
Barb

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