On a break

Starting Monday after the trial, Icon is on an 3 week break from agility, which means no class, no training, no trialing. He can continue to do doggy stuff like running or swimming, but no actual agility. Nancy 'recommended' that I do it, and it really makes sense because we have trained a lot in the months leading up to nationals and tryouts. Icon kind of started his break after tryouts because aside from class and a few trials, I haven't done anything with him agility-wise. So I feel a bit better that he's ending his break SLIGHTLY before a full 3 weeks. It's because there is a trial in Scott's Valley where the judges are Dan and Lisa Miller and they're the best judges in the world! So I have him entered in that one.

Without Icon to train I've been more focused with my training for Rampage. It kind of hit me this past weekend that he is almost 7 months old now, and I haven't really done much for his contact foundation. I'm still up in the air somewhat about what I'm doing with contacts. I'm pretty sure I'll have a 2o/2o with a nose touch on the dogwalk and a running a-frame, but I still don't know how I'll teach the running a-frame and I'm not 100% ready to give up on the thought of a running dogwalk. So I'm starting to teach him the foundation of a bunch of different methods, which will buy me a bit more time to decide what to do with him before I put it together on the equipment.

Last weekend we were at a 4 day AKC trial and I had a lot of fun. On Friday Icon didn't qualify in either Std or JWW due to stupid mistakes on my part, but we managed to pull it together mostly on Saturday for a JWW (but I over handled slightly in Std to cause a refusal at a tunnel) but we did win the ISC Std course. On Sunday we got a qq and won ISC JWW for the ISC Combined (and $50!). On Monday he got another qq. We went into the weekend needed 3 qq's for MACH 2. We missed it by one which I thought was fine until I saw the BFRs (Big F*#&$ing Ribbons) they give out at this trial! Apollo did awesome all 4 days. He was moving nicely and even placed 2nd in one standard run, which is super at such a big trial. No double Q's for him, but it was pretty much all my fault. Lately I've been having a hard time running both Apollo and Icon since I have to handle them so differently. I will usually screw up a run with at least one of them!