2009 AAC Agility National Championships - Ottawa, Ontario July 30th - Aug 2nd 2009

This years Agility Association of Canada's National Championships were held at the Napean National Equestrian Park in Ottawa, Ontario. Firstly, let's all remember that it is a privilege to compete at this event. One must qualify in order to attend, and there are no second chances in agility. This is Blaze's 4th time qualifying to compete at the national level, and our 3rd time actually competing at a National Championship. It is still certainly a great thrill to be able to participate in this event. There were a total of 581 dogs entered in the National Championship, divided into 16 different height/class categories. This year was the first year that the "Double Drop Veterans" height class was introduced. Blaze competed in the 16" Double Drop Veterans class, meaning he is a veteran dog jumping 2 heights lower than his regualation height. There were 51 dogs in our division, and we finished in 17th place. I had 3 small handling errors, which in essense cost us a top 10 finish at this years Nationals. Blaze was such a good boy, he did everything I asked him to, and when he wasn't sure what I wanted because my handling wasn't clear, he really tried to figure out what it was I wanted.... I am so lucky to have such a great canine partner! We are also lucky that our dogs don't care about placements, or ribbons, or improving on last year's performance. If that were the case, I might be traded in for a better handler! All they care about is having fun. Blaze loves agility, and someday I hope to be the handler that he deserves.

Blaze in the weaves during Steeplechase 2 on the Friday.

My friend Helen also managed to get our Steeplechase 1 run on video, and has kindly posted it on YouTube, here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wM8AST3EfDY

Blaze - Masters Gamble Dog of Canada

We were at Tamsu Learning Centre for an agility trial this weekend, and Blaze earned his Masters Gamble Dog of Canada title today. Unfortunately we did not do so well otherwise, as I made some critical handling errors that cost us some "Q's". What a way to shake up my confidence with Nationals only a week away. We had some very challenging courses out there today, with some competitors feeling that judge Sue Miller's standard and jumpers courses had a bit of a "challenge" flair to them. Certainly I found them challenging, which is unusal. After training with Sarah, usually I find local trial courses not overly challenging. Sarah sets up some really challenging sequences for us in training. The side effect of this is that regular courses seem very do-able for us. I have also found recently that after having attended the Dave Munnings seminar, that I have trouble deciding how best to handle courses with the new information I have. I have not really practiced the new techniques to the point where I could use them with confidence in a trial, but they are still there in my head, influencing my decisions.... Very strange indeed!

Congrats to Blaze on his new title, and we are now only 2 Q's away from.... well, I won't say it. Don't want to jinx us.

Happy trialing everyone!

Blaze 2nd Place Finish AAC Ontario Regional Championships

Blaze and I with his Ontario Regional 2nd place ribbon, his Masters Steeplechase ribbon, and his National Qualifier ribbon. Thanks Helen for the photo!

May 29th to 31st was the Ontario Regional Championsips for the AAC. Blaze and I competed again this year, and finished in 2nd place in the 16" Double Drop Veterans class. We ran great, and had 5 clean runs, all well under the standard course time. In the Gamble event on Saturday, I made a critical handling error that caused Blaze to fault before completing the final gamble... He went on to complete the gamble successfully, after a brilliant opening of 55 points, but we did not get the 35 points for the main gamble because of my error. This error actually cost Blaze 1st place, the chance to be a regional champion. I was heartbroken, and so very angry at myself for doing that one split-second move that sent him the wrong way around a jump. I actually really couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that Blaze had the opportunity to be in first place at a regional event... and then, I was in even more disbelief that I actually messed this up! And, we were not in first place because of default, i.e., not because every other handler had bad runs that weekend, we were in first place because we were actually faster and clean.... WOW! So, he received two first place ribbons for his jumpers and standard runs on Saturday, an amazing accomplishment, and three 2nd place ribbons for all of his runs on Sunday. In addition to that, he earned 2 Steeplechase qualifying scores on Friday, one of which gave him his Masters Steeplechase Dog of Canada title, Way To Go Blaze! Overall, it was a great weekend. I somehow managed to keep my head together on Sunday to help him do 3 clean runs. I was so angry at myself for my handling error on Saturday, I was really struggling Sunday morning to keep my head "clear" for the day. All I needed was to be a mess going into the ring and subsequently messing Blaze up in his runs.... I'm not really sure how I managed to overcome that and have a great day on Sunday. Must partially be do to trial experience. You cannot teach experience.... words to live by.

In less than 2 months time, we are off to the Natioanal Championships in Ottawa. It is a great honour to have qualified again this year to be a national competitor. This year's theme for the Ontario Regionals was "Enjoy the Ride".... Well, that we certainly did.

SUSSEX BOUND!!!!!

A picture of the 2008 Regionals at the Ilderton Fairgrounds. This is the Standard course on the Sunday.


Blaze, with his Steeplechase "Q" ribbon, and his 9th place Jumpers ribbon. Blaze competed in the Steeplechase run on the Friday and qualified and placed 10th out of 24 dogs. He placed 9th in the Jumpers run on the Saturday, out of a group of 48 dogs.



Blaze, and I, and his 2008 Nationals Qualifier ribbon.


AAC 2008 ONTARIO REGIONAL AGILITY CHAMPIONSHIP
ILDERTON FAIRGROUNDS, MAY 23RD TO 25TH

Blaze competed at the Ontario Regionals this past weekend. We competed in the Steeplechase run on the Friday. I use the Steeplechase as an opportunity to warm up and set the tone for the weekend's events. Blaze ran fast, clean, and was motivated. It was a great run.

At regionals, you must complete 6 runs, 2 Standard, 2 Jumpers, and 2 Gamblers. You participate in 3 runs per day. This was our third regional event, and these were the most challenging regionals courses I have seen. Blaze did great in both Jumpers events, running clean and under time. The Jumpers course on the Sunday was particularly challenging, with many seasoned competitors getting lost on course. Our first Standard run had a minor error, with Blaze running wide around a jump, giving us a refusal. We had an incident with a couple other dogs just seconds before we were due to set up on the start line, so I was not sure how much this affected his ability to focus. Normally he does not miss cues from me to take a jump. The rest of the run was good, with Blaze getting his weave entry with no difficulty. That made me very happy! Our course time was great for that run, but because of the refusal, no bonus points for us. Our second Standard run was just awesome, with Blaze running 27 seconds under the standard course time. Unfortunately, I messed up his approach to the weaves (it was an ugly weave entry, no matter how you did it!), and caused him to get a refusal. This was a disappointment, as the error was not his, but mine. So, once again, no bonus points for that run.

Now, what happened in the Gamble rings is a bit of a mystery to me! It was as if someone replaced my happy, driven, motivated dog with another one who did not know what agility equipment is... During our Saturday run, Blaze actually left the ring, to go and get his toy... there was no getting him back at that point. I was devastated. He has never, ever done that before. What a sad thing to happen... I really couldn't explain it. On Sunday, he would not stay with me, and acted as though I was speaking another language and he did not understand one single word or body movement from me.. What a stark contrast to how he ran in the Jumpers and Standard rings!!! After many conversations with fellow competitors, it is now clear to me that there is something I am doing in the Gamble event that Blaze does not like, and hence he does not want to work for me. The challenge I face now, is to try and figure out what I am doing, and to stop doing it! We have some work to do. I know he is capable of fast, confident runs, so I must try and keep that consistent.

We will soon be off to Sussex, New Brunswick for the 2008 AAC Agility National Championships in August. This will be a fun time for all, and a chance to compete along side the best agility handlers and dogs in Canada. I was not certain that Blaze would qualify this year for Nationals, as the number of points needed to qualify was increased, and we had 8 months off in the fall and winter due to my demanding school schedule. Even once we were at the event, I was not certain until we ran our last run that we were going to Sussex. I always keep the words of one of my fellow Schutzhund club mates in my head... "Anything can happen in trial..". And it is true, it is so true.

I am thrilled that Blaze qualified and that we are going to Sussex. I am so happy and thankful that I have a great dog who wants to play agility with me. Congrats Blaze, you did an awesome job!

Blaze - Masters Agility Dog of Canada

Blaze went 4 for 4 today at the Rat Pack trial in Orangeville. This was our first competition since AAC Nationals last August. Also, we were not able to secure agility lessons in the fall and winter due to my extremely busy school schedule. Because of this, I figured that our first time out in 8 months with no practice time in between would have been a bit ugly... Nothing could be further from the truth! Blaze was happy, driven, motivated, and he had so much fun. What a joy to run with a dog who is truly loving what he is doing and staying with me on course. We've had so many training issues along with my own bad handling maneuvers, I had gotten used to having disappointing results at agility trials. Knowing all along that Blaze was capable of doing so much better made it all the more frustrating for me. Now, it finally feels like we are working as a team, and he is "on his game" all of the time, instead of a few moments here and there that get lost. It's hard to describe in words really, the feeling of being out in the ring, on course, with a dog that is working in unison with it's handler. I'm literally on cloud nine.

Blaze received his VMAD title today, his Veteran Masters Agility Dog of Canada title. What an accomplishment for us. I'm so proud of him. He received qualifying scores in Steeplechase, 2 Master Standard runs, and a Master Gamble. We have been struggling with the Gamble event for some time now, so to finally get a Q in Gamble was so exciting for us. And, I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked at the score sheet and saw that Blaze placed first in Master Gamble today!!!!!! This is an amazing accomplishment. We are now competing in the very competitive 16 inch veterans class, and Blaze beat 8 other qualifying dogs in this division to take first place. He also received a first place in one of our Master Standard runs.... again, an accomplishment I never would have even dreamed could be possible.

At the end of the day, it is not the titles or ribbons that matter. What matters is the bond you have with your dog, and the incredible working relationship you have developed over the years. What matters is the joy and happiness in your dog's eyes when he sees you are taking him to the agility ring, where he knows he will have fun with you, where he knows good times will happen. What matters is that you have taken the time to teach your canine friend skills that are truly amazing. What matters is that you are spending time with your dog, his greatest joy, and that he loves you enough to want to be with you. At the end of the day, he is just my dog, my little buddy, my companion, my best friend. At the end of the day, that is all that matters. Here's to Blaze, the little puppy that was abandoned on the streets of Toronto..... if those people only knew what they were missing.


Myself, Blaze with his VMAD ribbon, and AAC Judge Francine Lalonde.



All of Blaze's ribbons from the Trial today.



Blaze with his ribbons.



Sleepy boy on the way home.

Even the daffodils were happy for us.

Blaze: Masters Jumpers Dog of Canada

Blaze and his ribbons from the Tamsu Trial, Aug 11th, 2007
Blaze received his Masters Jumpers title today from the AAC. What a way to celebrate his 5th birthday! We did very well at the Tamsu trial, with Blaze receiving a qualifying score in one of his Standard runs, a Jumpers run, and his first Steeplechase "Q". He received 2 first place finishes and a 3rd place finish in the competitive 16 inch veterans class. He would have had a second Standard "Q" ( and his MAD title!) had it not been for handler error on the third last jump.....poor Blaze! Blaze seems to be enjoying his new jump height of 16 inches and the extra time a veteran dog gets. He worked very nice for me, I was very pleased. Things seem to be looking up for us. It's our first trial in 9 months, we took some time off to try and work on our training issues. Nationals are next week! Way to go Blaze!

BLAZE QUALIFIES FOR THE AAC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!

Here is Blaze and Me with his National Championships Qualifier Ribbon and his 4th place Jumpers Ribbon.June 1st to the 3rd, Blaze and I competed in the AAC Ontario Regional Championships. Blaze qualified to compete at the AAC National Championships in Halton Hills Ontario in August. It was a great weekend, with the best dogs in Ontario competing for a chance to be at the Nationals. These weekends are always somewhat magical, with a feeling of camaraderie, and everyone sporting positive and motivational attitudes.

Saturday's competition was hampered by the extreme heat and humidity, and many dogs and handlers were having difficulty coping. One of our Judges collapsed on Saturday and was taken to the hospital, and recovered fine. Blaze hates running in the heat, and I knew we would have trouble. In our standard run, I unfortunately misdirected him twice, costing us time and 10 faults. Our gamble run was not good, I could tell the heat had got to him, and he just gave up. Our jumpers run was quite good, except I was in the wrong position at one of the last turns on the course, and pushed him right past a jump. This put us over time and gave us 5 faults. My fault entirely. Poor Blaze! We finished Saturday's runs with 178 points, more than half way to qualifying, but lower than what I was hoping for. I was not sure if we would get the necessary 300 points by days end on Sunday.

Sunday started out a little less hot, and virtually no sun, so it felt cooler. Our first run was the gamble run, and our opening sequence went great, with Blaze getting the mini gamble twice, and he stayed with me on the course. He did get the main gamble too, but sadly he was about 1 second over time. I was happy with how he worked for me, and it gave me a good feeling about the days upcoming runs. Our best run of our agility career was our jumpers run on Sunday. It was a twisty, turny, course, in which I was able to use our new front crosses to our advantage. Blaze went clean and 9 seconds under time. This is a feat we have never accomplished before, and this is just the type of chemistry between dog and handler I want to create on a consistent basis. He placed fourth in this run, in a class of 27 dogs. Pretty awesome by our standards. Our final run of the day was the standard run, and I messed him up on the course twice. We ended the weekend with 369 points, enough to get us to the nationals. Blaze placed 12th overall in a class of 27 dogs.

Next, we are off to Halton Hills in August to compete at the Nationals. It will be our first National competition, and it will be a real treat to compete with the nation's best agility dogs.

Blaze's Accomplishments 2006

In March 2006, Blaze finally earned his Advanced Agility Dog of Canada (Specials) title. We had been working on this for a long time. This was his first title ribbon!!! Not all clubs offer title ribbons when you get your last leg towards your title. I was not aware of this until it was too late. So, for those of you out there......if you are in a position to get a title and you want one of those beautiful title ribbons, make sure the club where you have entered a trial offers them before you enter. I was immensely disappointed when Blaze got his starter title, but no ribbon. I was looking forward to that big ribbon, but none was coming our way because the club where he earned his starter title did not offer title ribbons. Some clubs have gorgeous title ribbons.
Blaze wearing his medallion he earned for placing 5th at the Ontario Regional Championships 2006.
Blaze's ribbons and medallion from the Ontario Regional Championships 2006. It was our first attempt at a regional championship. Blaze placed 5th in his division. This was completely unexpected, and I was so happy he placed in the top 6 that it was like a dream! At the end of the championships, they had all the placement ribbons, medallions, and plaques laid out on a huge table just before the awards presentation. I had no idea at the time Blaze did so well. I remember staring at those ribbons and medallions on the table thinking how much I would love to have one. Only dogs from 1st through 6th place received placement prizes. When Blaze's name was called for 5th place, I was shocked, happy, thrilled,..... I cannot really describe it. Dog sports are not about the prizes or the ribbons. Dogs don't care about placements or ribbons or prizes. However, you can't help but feel overjoyed when your dog accomplishes something beyond what you could have hoped for.
Close up view of his medallion. It is very beautiful. These medallions were generously donated by Dream Fields Training Centre for the regionals. They are much appreciated by the competitors.

Blaze's Accomplishments, 2005

In May 2005, Blaze earned his Agility Dog of Canada (Specials) title, "SADC". This title requires the dog to achieve 3 clean Standard runs under at least 2 different judges. This was the very first performance title I achieved on a dog. It was a very special moment, and I was very proud of Blaze. He is a great agility partner.
One week later, Blaze earned his Starter Games title, "SSGDC". The games classes in AAC agility are really fun, some of them involving strategy and planning on the part of the handler. Dogs often excel at one or more the games. Blaze's favorite game is the "jumpers" class.
In November 2005, Blaze earned his Advanced Games title, SAGDC. This was our most difficult title to date, as it requires 8 qualifying scores, 2 in each of the games, under at least 2 different judges.