Last weekend we went to Ridgefield for two days of barn hunting. I drove home each day - cheaper to make the drive than staying in a hotel and much nicer to sleep in my own bed, though tiring to drive.
Saturday
Crazy8 (1) - We started the day on fire. Gimme did the climb and tunnel and found 6 rats, for her personal best of 80 points. She was having a great time - as was I.
Master (1) - Gimme got 4 out of 5 rats. I called clear too soon. She actually found the 5th rat right when she came in the ring, but it was a drive-by. I noticed it, but didn't place importance on the hesitation. I should have taken her back to the spot for another check of it.
Crazy8 (2) - Gimme did the climb and tunnel and found 3 rats for 50 points. We only needed 20 points to complete her Crazy8 Gold title. Yay for us!
Unfortunately the scribe failed to record our tunnel, so in addition to not getting the 10 points from the tunnel, we lost another 20 points for the fault. Thus the record reflects we only got 20 points. Enough to still complete the title, but not what I know we earned. I didn't notice this in time to have the judge correct it, so it stands. I am choosing not to be upset since there have been other gifts in trial judging. There was one time a scribe erred and we got an extra 20 points. Another time a judge got confused and basically told me where a rat tube was - so with just seconds to spare we got another rat for 10 points. So it's a wash now.
Master (2) - I don't know why, but Gimme false alerted right away. She'd just left the start box and barely started searching. It occurs to me I need to go back to the walk-away test for every alert. That is where I walk sideways away from her when she alerts, to see if she's serious about it. If she's serious, she'll stick it or she may briefly leave it, but then go back to it. If she's just testing to see if I'll fall for a tube, she'll leave it and not go back.
Sunday
Crazy8 (3) - Gimme was slower and less focused, so in addition to the climb and tunnel, she only found 2 rats, for 40 points.
Master (3) - Gimme did a nice job and found 3 rats pretty quickly. She was still searching and not giving up, but also not finding anything. There was one hard-to-get-to spot I knew she hadn't been to. I tried to guide her to it, but she wasn't able to understand what I wanted. Finally she came over the top of the pile from another direction and then with just a tiny bit of encouragement she got right to the tube I wanted her to check. She did a lovely indication, despite having to almost stand on her head to do it. It was a very nice Q - number 7. We just need three more.
Crazy8 (4) - I'm not sure what was going on with her. She did the climb and tunnel and found two rats, but then false alerted. Then we ran out of time. So we ended the run with just 20 points.
Master (4) - Gimme found 4 out of 5 nicely and then false alerted. The actual 5th rat was directly across the ring. Judge Dan said she found the 5th rat early in her search, but I was not in a position to see it, so she left it to find me and then didn't go back. Sometimes if I don't call "rat" to her find she won't go back, as if she thinks maybe this rat is not good enough. Because this was the last search of the weekend and coming from sharing the blind with a dog and his peanut butter Kong (see below), I think Gimme was both tired and frustrated, so she just alerted on a litter tube to see if I'd fall for it, which I did. If I'd done the walk-away test, she probably would have left it and we might have found that fifth rat for another Q.
We've been to this site before. The barn hunt club shares it with an agility club. Last time we weren't very successful because Gimme was so distracted by all the agility noise. This time she didn't seem to notice the noise.
The blinds were hard for us. They were 10 x 20 canopies, open on just one side. The masters blind was open on the long side, so it didn't seem as restrictive; however, the crazy8 blind was only open on the short side. While Gimme mostly handled it well, I do think it was very tiring for her. This would at least partially explain her performance drop off on the second day.
The only times she didn't handle it well were both masters blinds. In one there was a reactive Chow that kept targeting and then barking at other dogs in the blind. Fortunately none of them ever responded to his bad behavior. He never targeted Gimme, so I think he just needs training, but it was still stressful. The second time we were in a blind with him, he was worse. Afterwards I instructed the gate steward to not put us in the blind with him again.
Unfortunately this meant our last blind of the weekend was in with the nice lady with the Irish Terriers. Apparently she liked my peanut butter GoToob idea for Gimme, so she is now bringing a Kong filled with peanut butter to entertain her own dog. This just about blew Gimme's mind. She was absolutely certain she needed to get over there and chase that beast away from her peanut butter! I wasn't having any luck convincing her there were other peanut butter sources in the world besides our private stash. Fortunately everyone was very nice and we rearranged the seating to put the two of them at opposite corners of the blind. Then I was able to get her attention and help her calm down.
One thing I've started is a review of all my blog posts about our barn hunt trials. I'm making a list of all the lessons-learned since the beginning. I think it would be helpful to put the most important ones on a 3x5 card, so I can remind myself before each class of the most successful strategies. I want to write it up like an affirmation. When I do my part Gimme is more successful, so this is my plan to up my game.
So, we ended the weekend with a new CZ8G title and 60 points toward Gimme's next Crazy8 title, the Platinum level. Just 440 points to go. We picked up one Masters B leg, so we need just 3 more to get the RATCHX. Once we have that I will stop competing in Masters and just focus on Crazy8.
All in all it was a successful weekend
Showing posts with label Barn Hunt Trial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barn Hunt Trial. Show all posts
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Great Barn Hunt Trial
Friday
Crazy8 (1) - Gimme started with a tunnel and then false alerted on a litter tube (fault costs 20 points). She was certain it was the real deal. From there she found two rats and climbed on a bale. She went back to the tube she'd false alerted on repeatedly, wasting a lot of time trying to convince me it was a rat. Because of the fault we only got 20 points for this run.
I was concerned the pollen issue and reduced scenting ability might make it really hard for her to tell the difference between litter and rat tubes. This did not bode well for the rest of the weekend. The only thing I could do at this point was to encourage her to drink a LOT of water, hoping to keep those nasal passages moist. I stopped by Safeway on the way to the hotel and bought some hamburger so I could encourage plenty of water consumption.
Crazy8 (2) - Gimme found a rat within seconds of leaving the start box. Then she got a climb on the way to another rat. I cued her to tunnel and after she came out she hunted until she found a third rat. This gave us a nice 50 points.
Masters (2) - Gimme performed well in Masters. She found 3 rats and did climb and tunnel. Then she went to the gate. She's done it in the past and I found it an unreliable signal of whether there are more rats. I had her go around the ring with me checking any likely spots and we did find the 4th rat. Then she went to the gate twice more. Since I didn't have any other ideas where to check, I called "finish" and was right. Her run took 3:36.12 and would have been 5th place if they had ribbons for it. This is Gimme's 5th leg toward RATCHX; she's halfway there.
I came into the weekend not knowing what we were going toward in the advanced titles. Madam Barn Hunt proposed some significant changes right after we finished out RATCH in September. She asked for comments and suggestions from competitors. All the suggestions were shot down in flames, though the comments were mostly negative. It seemed pretty certain she was going to do it despite objections. Fortunately trial secretaries were also much opposed to the extra work they'd have to do, so for the time being things will stay the same. YIPPEEEEEE!!!!!
Saturday
Crazy8 (1) - Gimme was on fire to run. She found two rats quickly and did climb on the way to a third. I had her tunnel, then she found two more rats. She was going so fast and eagerly, I hoped we'd break the 5 rat barrier, but she was just a few seconds too slow. This judge waits really late to call "climb", many times not until you've done it several times, so I wasted time encouraging Gimme to get up on bales. We still came away with a nice 70 points.
NEWS FLASH: I was checking the results to confirm points and Q's and discovered the scribe for our first Crazy8 run didn't check our fault, so we get an extra 20 points. Other errors can be corrected, but if the scribe errs and the judge doesn't catch it, it stands. There have been other times when I thought we were robbed, so this kinda makes up for it.
Crazy8 (2) - Gimme did another great run. She got two rats right away, then did a climb on the way to another. Then she ran around and found a fourth rat. I had her tunnel and then she found a fifth rat. The judge said "sorry, you're out of time" and as I turned toward Gimme she was indicating another rat. Twice in a row we've been just seconds away from breaking the five rat barrier.
It occurs to me I spend a fair amount of time making sure she's committed before I call a rat. She's been solid on them for awhile now, so perhaps I can back off some.
Masters (2) - Gimme found two of two rats really quickly, with a climb on the way. She slowed down a little bit and I was just starting to walk her around pointing out things she could check. She alerted on one of the places I pointed to and she was barking and using her paws - the things I rely on and it was a false alert. She lied to me. She does this sometimes, usually when there is only one or two rats. She wants there to be more or she gets frustrated because the rats are all gone and we are still there, so she false alerts to make me happy. I've always said one or two rats is harder than five rats.
In the evening we had The Talk - which is where I remind her to only indicate tubes with rats in them, not any others. Gimme hates having talks and as soon as I start she gets up and turns her back to me. It occurs to me we should have the talk before the trial starts, or maybe a brief reminder while we are waiting in the blind.
Sunday
There was a potluck scheduled for Sunday, so I brought my crockpot and canned goods to make Taco Soup. I wedged it in when I put it in the car, but apparently not well enough. On the way to the trial, an IDIOT failed to stop and drove right in front of me, so I had to slam the brakes on. Suddenly I could really smell the soup. Half of it ended up under the driver's seat and in every little nook and cranny you can imagine. It took me an hour just to do a preliminary cleanup. On a positive note it wasn't raining and the car smells really yummy.
Crazy8 (1) - Gimme was on fire. She was racing around finding the rats. She's pretty funny the way she'll bark when she gets close to a rat - then I say "Can you be more specific?" Then she gets right in there and barks directly at the tube and paws at it. She got her usual 5 rats today. One of them was in a spot where it was hard for her to paw at it, so she just barked right at it. I said, "Are you sure?" To which she replied "Awwraaa waahr larrr awwwhhh larrrrr." Everyone was laughing. The judge was laughing so hard she could barely reply "Rat 4" when I called it. I think this is Gimme's response to our having The Talk last night, probably meaning... "You never listen! I said it's a rat!"
Masters (1) - There were just two rats and she found them pretty fast and did a tunnel the first time I asked her. She went to the gate a couple of times. I walked her around pointing out places I hadn't seen her check. I made sure to keep myself moving the moment she went to check them. She resisted any urge to false alert - Good Girl. As hard as it is for me to call "clear" I did and we got another Q. That brings us to 6 MasterB Q's, so we just need four more to get a RATCHX.
Crazy8 (2) - Gimme did a nice clean job in our last class. She seemed to be moving a tad slower than before. It was a loooooonnnnnng weekend. She came away with another 60 points. This brings our total to 360 for the weekend and we need just 100 points to finish the next level Crazy8 title.
Here is a picture of Gimme with her ribbons and new toy.
Gimme's new rat toy sings, instead of squeaking, which I'm not sure she likes. When it starts singing she puts it down and stares at it. Then she waits awhile before she tries playing with it again. Right now it is on the floor, she's on the couch staring at it. She might be okay with letting me keep this one on the shelf. Here's a little video of it Singing.
Crazy8 (1) - Gimme started with a tunnel and then false alerted on a litter tube (fault costs 20 points). She was certain it was the real deal. From there she found two rats and climbed on a bale. She went back to the tube she'd false alerted on repeatedly, wasting a lot of time trying to convince me it was a rat. Because of the fault we only got 20 points for this run.
I was concerned the pollen issue and reduced scenting ability might make it really hard for her to tell the difference between litter and rat tubes. This did not bode well for the rest of the weekend. The only thing I could do at this point was to encourage her to drink a LOT of water, hoping to keep those nasal passages moist. I stopped by Safeway on the way to the hotel and bought some hamburger so I could encourage plenty of water consumption.
Crazy8 (2) - Gimme found a rat within seconds of leaving the start box. Then she got a climb on the way to another rat. I cued her to tunnel and after she came out she hunted until she found a third rat. This gave us a nice 50 points.
Masters (2) - Gimme performed well in Masters. She found 3 rats and did climb and tunnel. Then she went to the gate. She's done it in the past and I found it an unreliable signal of whether there are more rats. I had her go around the ring with me checking any likely spots and we did find the 4th rat. Then she went to the gate twice more. Since I didn't have any other ideas where to check, I called "finish" and was right. Her run took 3:36.12 and would have been 5th place if they had ribbons for it. This is Gimme's 5th leg toward RATCHX; she's halfway there.
I came into the weekend not knowing what we were going toward in the advanced titles. Madam Barn Hunt proposed some significant changes right after we finished out RATCH in September. She asked for comments and suggestions from competitors. All the suggestions were shot down in flames, though the comments were mostly negative. It seemed pretty certain she was going to do it despite objections. Fortunately trial secretaries were also much opposed to the extra work they'd have to do, so for the time being things will stay the same. YIPPEEEEEE!!!!!
Saturday
Crazy8 (1) - Gimme was on fire to run. She found two rats quickly and did climb on the way to a third. I had her tunnel, then she found two more rats. She was going so fast and eagerly, I hoped we'd break the 5 rat barrier, but she was just a few seconds too slow. This judge waits really late to call "climb", many times not until you've done it several times, so I wasted time encouraging Gimme to get up on bales. We still came away with a nice 70 points.
NEWS FLASH: I was checking the results to confirm points and Q's and discovered the scribe for our first Crazy8 run didn't check our fault, so we get an extra 20 points. Other errors can be corrected, but if the scribe errs and the judge doesn't catch it, it stands. There have been other times when I thought we were robbed, so this kinda makes up for it.
Crazy8 (2) - Gimme did another great run. She got two rats right away, then did a climb on the way to another. Then she ran around and found a fourth rat. I had her tunnel and then she found a fifth rat. The judge said "sorry, you're out of time" and as I turned toward Gimme she was indicating another rat. Twice in a row we've been just seconds away from breaking the five rat barrier.
It occurs to me I spend a fair amount of time making sure she's committed before I call a rat. She's been solid on them for awhile now, so perhaps I can back off some.
Masters (2) - Gimme found two of two rats really quickly, with a climb on the way. She slowed down a little bit and I was just starting to walk her around pointing out things she could check. She alerted on one of the places I pointed to and she was barking and using her paws - the things I rely on and it was a false alert. She lied to me. She does this sometimes, usually when there is only one or two rats. She wants there to be more or she gets frustrated because the rats are all gone and we are still there, so she false alerts to make me happy. I've always said one or two rats is harder than five rats.
In the evening we had The Talk - which is where I remind her to only indicate tubes with rats in them, not any others. Gimme hates having talks and as soon as I start she gets up and turns her back to me. It occurs to me we should have the talk before the trial starts, or maybe a brief reminder while we are waiting in the blind.
Sunday
There was a potluck scheduled for Sunday, so I brought my crockpot and canned goods to make Taco Soup. I wedged it in when I put it in the car, but apparently not well enough. On the way to the trial, an IDIOT failed to stop and drove right in front of me, so I had to slam the brakes on. Suddenly I could really smell the soup. Half of it ended up under the driver's seat and in every little nook and cranny you can imagine. It took me an hour just to do a preliminary cleanup. On a positive note it wasn't raining and the car smells really yummy.
Crazy8 (1) - Gimme was on fire. She was racing around finding the rats. She's pretty funny the way she'll bark when she gets close to a rat - then I say "Can you be more specific?" Then she gets right in there and barks directly at the tube and paws at it. She got her usual 5 rats today. One of them was in a spot where it was hard for her to paw at it, so she just barked right at it. I said, "Are you sure?" To which she replied "Awwraaa waahr larrr awwwhhh larrrrr." Everyone was laughing. The judge was laughing so hard she could barely reply "Rat 4" when I called it. I think this is Gimme's response to our having The Talk last night, probably meaning... "You never listen! I said it's a rat!"
Masters (1) - There were just two rats and she found them pretty fast and did a tunnel the first time I asked her. She went to the gate a couple of times. I walked her around pointing out places I hadn't seen her check. I made sure to keep myself moving the moment she went to check them. She resisted any urge to false alert - Good Girl. As hard as it is for me to call "clear" I did and we got another Q. That brings us to 6 MasterB Q's, so we just need four more to get a RATCHX.
Crazy8 (2) - Gimme did a nice clean job in our last class. She seemed to be moving a tad slower than before. It was a loooooonnnnnng weekend. She came away with another 60 points. This brings our total to 360 for the weekend and we need just 100 points to finish the next level Crazy8 title.
Gimme's new rat toy sings, instead of squeaking, which I'm not sure she likes. When it starts singing she puts it down and stares at it. Then she waits awhile before she tries playing with it again. Right now it is on the floor, she's on the couch staring at it. She might be okay with letting me keep this one on the shelf. Here's a little video of it Singing.
Saturday, September 8, 2018
New Barn Hunt Title
Sunday --
Crazy 8 (1) - Gimme did well again. There was a bit more extraneous barking and I had to remind her twice to do more than stand in the middle of the ring yelling, "There's rats here!" She got three rats for 50 points, bringing us up to 880 total, so we are still on track to get another title this weekend.
Masters (1) - Gimme found a rat tube, then a tunnel, another rat, a tunnel, a tunnel again, and then found another rat. Then she started her walk-n-bark routine, so I called it and was correct. We had 3 rats. She ended with just under a minute to spare for Fourth Place. This is our first Q toward a RATCHX.
Crazy 8 (2) - Gimme was fired up to run Crazy 8, she is really getting into this class. She picked up another 60 points. We needed just 60 more for the next title, which I was sure would be doable during Monday's two runs.
I took this picture of Gimme resting in the back of the van between classes. Her special place is 40x40 inches and yet she lays with her face all smushed up against the front for affect. I think the message is about showing how put-upon she is.
Masters (2) - In order to move things along quickly, they had us "pre-blind" in another part of the attached building near the other 2 dogs in the blind before us, which means they didn't have to completely reset the ring just for us. Gimme did a great job finding all 5 rats. I am getting to where I have a sense of when there are 5 rats. For one thing her energy level is higher and she starts finding rats much faster. She finished with 2 minutes to spare (a full minute faster than for 3 rats) and got Second place. This is her second leg toward a RATCHX.
Gimme had a great day, qualifying in all four runs. It's a "quadfecta"! Yay Gimme...
Monday --
Crazy 8 (1) - Gimme was raring to go, she thinks this whole waiting thing is unacceptable. She found a rat right away, then climb, volunteered a tunnel and another two rats. Then she indicated another rat and the judge asked me where and I pointed under the leaner bale where Gimme had pawed and the judge said "no". We got to continue searching and she found another rat just in time. The judge explained to me about the false alert. Gimme alerted under the leaner and the rat tube was actually against the base bale on the far side.
From the top, it looked like this. The gray background square is the first layer of bales, which Gimme was standing on. The tan rectangles are the second layers of bales and the burlap-textured rectangle is the leaner. Gimme indicated under the leaner (blue arrow) and the rat tube (red) was on the far side. Close, but not close enough. Obviously I'd prefer she had called it acceptable, but I understand the distinction and it would have looked pretty foolish trying to remove an invisible tube.
Masters (1) - Q again. 5 of 5 rats and Gimme did a really good job. It really suits her to have a blind all to herself. I think she was getting a little tired, but there was no doubt she'd be ready to do it some more. Go girl!
Crazy 8 (2) - Gimme ran around like a little maniac finding rats. She also did another extra tunnel. She earned 60 points new title CZ8S.
Masters (2) - Gimme was very solid here, finding 4 of 4 rats with two extra tunnels. She had a great time.
We ended the weekend with two new titles: RATCH and CZ8S (53 total titles now). Gimme picked up four MasterB Q's (needs ten total) toward a RATCHX. I wasn't planning to go beyond a RATCH, but she's doing so well, it seems silly to stop. Gimme Q'd 11 out of 12 runs, and the last 10 Q's were in-a-row.
We got some really nice compliments from the judge and Janet. Janet runs these trials and always has nice sized blinds. She's been there for our whole barn hunt career and all it's ups and downs. Another person who has been there for the whole journey is Jeanette. She always works as gate steward and/or volunteer coordinator, so we know her well. She told me that Gimme and I could easily be voted Most Improved Team. So sweet.
I know Gimme and I have an unusual ring pattern, but it really works. She runs around barking and settles on a general area. I tell her either, "stop yelling at me", "I know there are rats here" or "you can't just bark in the middle", then "I need more information". Then she gets closer and barks toward a more limited area, to which I say, "can you be more specific". This usually results in her getting her face right next to the tube to bark at it, often pawing the tube. I point at it and say, "is this the rat", so she yells louder and paws more vigorously - then I call it. We are getting to the point where she is starting to skip some of these steps, which I've been expecting.
In theory you aren't supposed to talk to dogs in sentences when you are training or performing. I do with Gimme more than any other dog I've known and she certainly seems to understand what it all means.
Here are two pictures of Gimme with all her loot. You can see two new toys on the ground (on the right) and her new beaver toy on the bale next to her. All the ribbons are for me.
Crazy 8 (1) - Gimme did well again. There was a bit more extraneous barking and I had to remind her twice to do more than stand in the middle of the ring yelling, "There's rats here!" She got three rats for 50 points, bringing us up to 880 total, so we are still on track to get another title this weekend.
Masters (1) - Gimme found a rat tube, then a tunnel, another rat, a tunnel, a tunnel again, and then found another rat. Then she started her walk-n-bark routine, so I called it and was correct. We had 3 rats. She ended with just under a minute to spare for Fourth Place. This is our first Q toward a RATCHX.
Crazy 8 (2) - Gimme was fired up to run Crazy 8, she is really getting into this class. She picked up another 60 points. We needed just 60 more for the next title, which I was sure would be doable during Monday's two runs.
I took this picture of Gimme resting in the back of the van between classes. Her special place is 40x40 inches and yet she lays with her face all smushed up against the front for affect. I think the message is about showing how put-upon she is.Masters (2) - In order to move things along quickly, they had us "pre-blind" in another part of the attached building near the other 2 dogs in the blind before us, which means they didn't have to completely reset the ring just for us. Gimme did a great job finding all 5 rats. I am getting to where I have a sense of when there are 5 rats. For one thing her energy level is higher and she starts finding rats much faster. She finished with 2 minutes to spare (a full minute faster than for 3 rats) and got Second place. This is her second leg toward a RATCHX.
Gimme had a great day, qualifying in all four runs. It's a "quadfecta"! Yay Gimme...
Monday --
Crazy 8 (1) - Gimme was raring to go, she thinks this whole waiting thing is unacceptable. She found a rat right away, then climb, volunteered a tunnel and another two rats. Then she indicated another rat and the judge asked me where and I pointed under the leaner bale where Gimme had pawed and the judge said "no". We got to continue searching and she found another rat just in time. The judge explained to me about the false alert. Gimme alerted under the leaner and the rat tube was actually against the base bale on the far side.
From the top, it looked like this. The gray background square is the first layer of bales, which Gimme was standing on. The tan rectangles are the second layers of bales and the burlap-textured rectangle is the leaner. Gimme indicated under the leaner (blue arrow) and the rat tube (red) was on the far side. Close, but not close enough. Obviously I'd prefer she had called it acceptable, but I understand the distinction and it would have looked pretty foolish trying to remove an invisible tube.Masters (1) - Q again. 5 of 5 rats and Gimme did a really good job. It really suits her to have a blind all to herself. I think she was getting a little tired, but there was no doubt she'd be ready to do it some more. Go girl!
Crazy 8 (2) - Gimme ran around like a little maniac finding rats. She also did another extra tunnel. She earned 60 points new title CZ8S.
Masters (2) - Gimme was very solid here, finding 4 of 4 rats with two extra tunnels. She had a great time.
We ended the weekend with two new titles: RATCH and CZ8S (53 total titles now). Gimme picked up four MasterB Q's (needs ten total) toward a RATCHX. I wasn't planning to go beyond a RATCH, but she's doing so well, it seems silly to stop. Gimme Q'd 11 out of 12 runs, and the last 10 Q's were in-a-row.
We got some really nice compliments from the judge and Janet. Janet runs these trials and always has nice sized blinds. She's been there for our whole barn hunt career and all it's ups and downs. Another person who has been there for the whole journey is Jeanette. She always works as gate steward and/or volunteer coordinator, so we know her well. She told me that Gimme and I could easily be voted Most Improved Team. So sweet.
I know Gimme and I have an unusual ring pattern, but it really works. She runs around barking and settles on a general area. I tell her either, "stop yelling at me", "I know there are rats here" or "you can't just bark in the middle", then "I need more information". Then she gets closer and barks toward a more limited area, to which I say, "can you be more specific". This usually results in her getting her face right next to the tube to bark at it, often pawing the tube. I point at it and say, "is this the rat", so she yells louder and paws more vigorously - then I call it. We are getting to the point where she is starting to skip some of these steps, which I've been expecting.
In theory you aren't supposed to talk to dogs in sentences when you are training or performing. I do with Gimme more than any other dog I've known and she certainly seems to understand what it all means.
Here are two pictures of Gimme with all her loot. You can see two new toys on the ground (on the right) and her new beaver toy on the bale next to her. All the ribbons are for me.
Friday, September 7, 2018
New Barn Hunt Champion
I entered Gimme in 12 classes for a 3-day trial, equally split between Crazy8 and Masters. My main goal was to get a Masters Q, which would finish her barn hunt championship. Naturally she came in season the day before the trial started. This works out well for us, since she is in a blind of 1-2 dogs, which means much less waiting around and no real stress from the presence of other dogs. The dog who blinding with her is small and owner-carried, so Gimme doesn't count her as a dog. On the other hand, she is more distractible when she's in her special condition. Another advantage is that I can remove her harness when we are up next, so it makes it faster and smoother to get in the ring and start quickly. By the end of the weekend I dispensed with the harness altogether.
Saturday --
Crazy 8 (1) - Indeed she started out distracted, but once she got the first rat, then she was really into it. She did climb, tunnel and found 5 rats for 70 points. This is her personal best and brings her Crazy 8 point total to 780. She is already more than halfway to the next level title.
Masters (1) video - Gimme did a good job here, getting 3 out of 4 rats. The course had a large distance challenge and she went into it twice. The second time I was looking in from a different angle and I saw her vigorously scratching at a spot near a bale, but what she was scratching at was obscured from where I was. Ordinarily I move a little away to test her commitment, but I didn't feel like I could do that when she was already so far away. I called alert and was wrong. As she was coming toward me she found the rat tube close to where I was, in a spot she hadn't been yet. I suspect the scratching was probably just her checking a pee spot from a rat tube location for a prior blind. My bad. Note to self: As she was scratching, I only saw shavings flying, no straw.
The comment about her panties refers to her little hop as she came out of the tunnel. Each time, all weekend, she'd hop her butt up as she exited the tunnel, rubbing her panties against the edge cover. Most times the edge cover (gray pipe insulation) came off and ended up away from the tunnel. She never got the panties off, but she did manage to slip the waistband down a bit - which I'd pull up again each time she found a rat (the time when I'm allowed to touch her while we're in the ring). BTW for this class she never did do the tunnel, which is odd for her.
Crazy 8 (2) - Gimme came in raring to go and I hoped she'd have another stellar effort. Unfortunately some rude, stupid, inconsiderate handler walked her dog too close to the ring and then stood there letting the little booger pee on a nearby post (less than 6', rules require them to keep 10' away). I told her to move along, but by then Gimme was distracted and it took her a bit to refocus on finding rats. We still came away with 50 points, but it could have been more. This brings us to 830, so it's possible Gimme could finish another title this weekend. We'll see.
Masters RATCH win video - Gimme did a great job. She found two rats, then she found the rat in the distance challenge. I couldn't see what she was alerting on, so I started to move to the end of the challenge area to see what I could see. Gimme started to come with me, then turned and went back to bark some more, so I called it. She was right. I have to say I wasn't sure where it was she was alerting to, but quickly figured it out. After removing the rat, Gimme came out with me and after a little bit found another. Then did the tunnel on her own. She searched around a bit and not finding anything did another tunnel. She got around to the back of the big pile where she'd shown interest before and didn't come away when I delayed following her (not wanting to sell her on something that wasn't there). When I got there she was persistent in that spot and I called "rat-finished" on the fifth rat. The judge commented how nice it was to have a dog like Gimme for the last run of the day, since she cleared the course, saving the ring crew time.
Gimme is now a barn hunt champion, having gotten her 10th Q in Masters. I was so proud of her. We were the very last dog in the trial today because of her special condition, so there were very few people there. There were a couple friends and ring crew. The ribbon for her RATCH is huge. I may have to move things to display it at home. So I got a huge ribbon and a chocolate milkshake to celebrate our accomplishment. I stopped at Safeway to get Gimme a new toy. She has most of the toys they sell. Of the ones she didn't have, I couldn't make up my mind which to get - so I bought all three. This made her happy for a short while. Like most kids, she quickly lost interest and says "I don't have a thing to play with..."
Saturday --
Crazy 8 (1) - Indeed she started out distracted, but once she got the first rat, then she was really into it. She did climb, tunnel and found 5 rats for 70 points. This is her personal best and brings her Crazy 8 point total to 780. She is already more than halfway to the next level title.
Masters (1) video - Gimme did a good job here, getting 3 out of 4 rats. The course had a large distance challenge and she went into it twice. The second time I was looking in from a different angle and I saw her vigorously scratching at a spot near a bale, but what she was scratching at was obscured from where I was. Ordinarily I move a little away to test her commitment, but I didn't feel like I could do that when she was already so far away. I called alert and was wrong. As she was coming toward me she found the rat tube close to where I was, in a spot she hadn't been yet. I suspect the scratching was probably just her checking a pee spot from a rat tube location for a prior blind. My bad. Note to self: As she was scratching, I only saw shavings flying, no straw.
The comment about her panties refers to her little hop as she came out of the tunnel. Each time, all weekend, she'd hop her butt up as she exited the tunnel, rubbing her panties against the edge cover. Most times the edge cover (gray pipe insulation) came off and ended up away from the tunnel. She never got the panties off, but she did manage to slip the waistband down a bit - which I'd pull up again each time she found a rat (the time when I'm allowed to touch her while we're in the ring). BTW for this class she never did do the tunnel, which is odd for her.
Crazy 8 (2) - Gimme came in raring to go and I hoped she'd have another stellar effort. Unfortunately some rude, stupid, inconsiderate handler walked her dog too close to the ring and then stood there letting the little booger pee on a nearby post (less than 6', rules require them to keep 10' away). I told her to move along, but by then Gimme was distracted and it took her a bit to refocus on finding rats. We still came away with 50 points, but it could have been more. This brings us to 830, so it's possible Gimme could finish another title this weekend. We'll see.
Masters RATCH win video - Gimme did a great job. She found two rats, then she found the rat in the distance challenge. I couldn't see what she was alerting on, so I started to move to the end of the challenge area to see what I could see. Gimme started to come with me, then turned and went back to bark some more, so I called it. She was right. I have to say I wasn't sure where it was she was alerting to, but quickly figured it out. After removing the rat, Gimme came out with me and after a little bit found another. Then did the tunnel on her own. She searched around a bit and not finding anything did another tunnel. She got around to the back of the big pile where she'd shown interest before and didn't come away when I delayed following her (not wanting to sell her on something that wasn't there). When I got there she was persistent in that spot and I called "rat-finished" on the fifth rat. The judge commented how nice it was to have a dog like Gimme for the last run of the day, since she cleared the course, saving the ring crew time.
Gimme is now a barn hunt champion, having gotten her 10th Q in Masters. I was so proud of her. We were the very last dog in the trial today because of her special condition, so there were very few people there. There were a couple friends and ring crew. The ribbon for her RATCH is huge. I may have to move things to display it at home. So I got a huge ribbon and a chocolate milkshake to celebrate our accomplishment. I stopped at Safeway to get Gimme a new toy. She has most of the toys they sell. Of the ones she didn't have, I couldn't make up my mind which to get - so I bought all three. This made her happy for a short while. Like most kids, she quickly lost interest and says "I don't have a thing to play with..."
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Barn Hunt Weekend
On Friday we had just two classes, Crazy8 and Master, and then two of each on Saturday. We are working on the next level of Crazy8, 430 points to go, and still need 3 legs to complete Gimme's Barn Hunt Championship.
Friday Crazy8 - The blind was 10x20, but enclosed on 3 sides, so it wasn't as spacious as it could have been. Gimme was supposed to be the fourth dog, but we actually ran third. Despite her condition and the confines of the blind, Gimme did well. She was happy and focused during her run. She got 3 rats, tunnel (twice) and climb, for 50 points. Just 380 points to go. She doesn't get extra points for a second tunnel, but I always whoop it up with a cheery "Yaaaayyyyay" when she does the tunnel, so she likes to do an extra.
Friday Masters - The blind was the same, but with all five dogs and it takes much longer for Masters. This course had a huge distance challenge in the middle of the ring and an easy tunnel at the end of the ring, which Gimme did twice again. She found two rats on the edge of the distance challenge and then went around sniffing and such. I had a sense there might not be any more rats and said, "C'mon let's check the back side of this", heading toward the back of the tunnel pile. She'd been back there two times, but hadn't really stopped anywhere, so I wanted to give it a check before calling clear. I should've gone with my gut. As I started to move, Gimme stopped to bark at a tube. I did the whole routine of stepping away to see if she'll leave it. She didn't leave it, so I called "alert" and it wasn't. The judge said the two rats were all we had. I'm still trying to convey to Gimme that lying about tubes doesn't make me happy. The best Q we ever got was a time when she was running around barking and sniffing and barking more, but not sticking anywhere. It was really clear.
I'm very pleased with how Gimme is progressing with her ability to deal with being so close to strange dogs. I'd been noticing it at nosework trials, but they are easy compared to barn hunt. Now I'm noticing progress in barn hunt too. It's hard for her, but she's motivated to work through it. I think with our long history of never having an incident at a trial, now she feels safe and is confident in that environment.
Saturday a.m. Masters - The course was nice, but a little tight for handlers in some places. Gimme trotted around scanning and then did the tunnel. She found three rats in rapid succession, then started the walk-n-bark. I said to her, let's check these other areas and she came with me, but then went off and found two more rats. Since 5 is the maximum, I called "Finish" and we were done. Gimme got a Second Place for this run. This makes our 8th leg toward a RATCH. It's starting to feel like it's really going to happen.
I was looking at the blind tent and realized it just couldn't possibly be 20' long. I paced it off and it's only 13' long x 10' wide. So I'm even more proud of her ability to deal with the close confines.
After our Masters run we hiked to the car and I turned around to go back and see where we were in the line-up for Crazy8. When I was just 50 yards from the arena, I heard them calling for us. I turned around and hustled as fast as I could, but we are parked a substantial distance from the ring so it took awhile. I timed the walk earlier in the day and it was 3:15 one-way. I was making sure I had everything set so I only had to grab my treat bag and put a leash on Gimme.
Saturday a.m. Crazy8 - We were third to run, but this time Gimme was bothered a little more by the close confines. I think she really needs more time in the car to decompress. Anyway, she scanned the ring and then did the tunnel, followed by the climb. Then she got two rats. When I called the second rat, the judge said, "Yes - time", so it was close. With 40 points we have just 340 more to go.
Saturday p.m. Masters - Gimme was eager to get hunting. She did the tunnel, then found three rats in rapid succession. There was a bit of a lull, but she still looked like she was searching, so I called her to come with me to an area she hadn't checked. She started with me and then veered off to indicate a rat. She rapidly found a fifth one and I called "clear". This makes our 9th Master's Q, just one more to get her RATCH. I wished I could have done a day-of entry for Sunday, but I had Mommy duty and needed to get home for it.
Friday Crazy8 - The blind was 10x20, but enclosed on 3 sides, so it wasn't as spacious as it could have been. Gimme was supposed to be the fourth dog, but we actually ran third. Despite her condition and the confines of the blind, Gimme did well. She was happy and focused during her run. She got 3 rats, tunnel (twice) and climb, for 50 points. Just 380 points to go. She doesn't get extra points for a second tunnel, but I always whoop it up with a cheery "Yaaaayyyyay" when she does the tunnel, so she likes to do an extra.
Friday Masters - The blind was the same, but with all five dogs and it takes much longer for Masters. This course had a huge distance challenge in the middle of the ring and an easy tunnel at the end of the ring, which Gimme did twice again. She found two rats on the edge of the distance challenge and then went around sniffing and such. I had a sense there might not be any more rats and said, "C'mon let's check the back side of this", heading toward the back of the tunnel pile. She'd been back there two times, but hadn't really stopped anywhere, so I wanted to give it a check before calling clear. I should've gone with my gut. As I started to move, Gimme stopped to bark at a tube. I did the whole routine of stepping away to see if she'll leave it. She didn't leave it, so I called "alert" and it wasn't. The judge said the two rats were all we had. I'm still trying to convey to Gimme that lying about tubes doesn't make me happy. The best Q we ever got was a time when she was running around barking and sniffing and barking more, but not sticking anywhere. It was really clear.
I'm very pleased with how Gimme is progressing with her ability to deal with being so close to strange dogs. I'd been noticing it at nosework trials, but they are easy compared to barn hunt. Now I'm noticing progress in barn hunt too. It's hard for her, but she's motivated to work through it. I think with our long history of never having an incident at a trial, now she feels safe and is confident in that environment.
Saturday a.m. Masters - The course was nice, but a little tight for handlers in some places. Gimme trotted around scanning and then did the tunnel. She found three rats in rapid succession, then started the walk-n-bark. I said to her, let's check these other areas and she came with me, but then went off and found two more rats. Since 5 is the maximum, I called "Finish" and we were done. Gimme got a Second Place for this run. This makes our 8th leg toward a RATCH. It's starting to feel like it's really going to happen.
I was looking at the blind tent and realized it just couldn't possibly be 20' long. I paced it off and it's only 13' long x 10' wide. So I'm even more proud of her ability to deal with the close confines.
After our Masters run we hiked to the car and I turned around to go back and see where we were in the line-up for Crazy8. When I was just 50 yards from the arena, I heard them calling for us. I turned around and hustled as fast as I could, but we are parked a substantial distance from the ring so it took awhile. I timed the walk earlier in the day and it was 3:15 one-way. I was making sure I had everything set so I only had to grab my treat bag and put a leash on Gimme.
Saturday a.m. Crazy8 - We were third to run, but this time Gimme was bothered a little more by the close confines. I think she really needs more time in the car to decompress. Anyway, she scanned the ring and then did the tunnel, followed by the climb. Then she got two rats. When I called the second rat, the judge said, "Yes - time", so it was close. With 40 points we have just 340 more to go.
Saturday p.m. Masters - Gimme was eager to get hunting. She did the tunnel, then found three rats in rapid succession. There was a bit of a lull, but she still looked like she was searching, so I called her to come with me to an area she hadn't checked. She started with me and then veered off to indicate a rat. She rapidly found a fifth one and I called "clear". This makes our 9th Master's Q, just one more to get her RATCH. I wished I could have done a day-of entry for Sunday, but I had Mommy duty and needed to get home for it.