Success at our CPE agility trial!

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pattymaine

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Yesterday Bailey competed in her second agility trial--but I call it her first one since we tried it last year but I stepped on her paw and we were asked to leave the ring. We've been taking classes in agility so I got up the courage to try again and this time....success!

We competed in 3 events: Standard, Colors and Jumpers. Standard was the first one and she did great--no faults--except she finished 1 second over the allotted time so she didn't qualify. She did get a second place ribbon, though. I'm going to have to move a bit faster and so is Bailey the next time around...

The next one we did was Colors and she Qualified and got a first place ribbon. Woo hoo! Again, no faults... :)

The last one we did was Jumpers and she Qualified with a first place ribbon--with no faults and in plenty of time. Hooray!

In between I volunteered to be a leash runner and whew--what a workout!
I had no idea that a leash runner would be *running* and with over 50 dogs in the event I was doing I was pooped by the end. I got my hubby, Jim, to do the next leash running event so I could rest up before Bailey and I went into the ring again. I think I've figured out which volunteer job I want next time--pole setter. You get to sit in a chair and watch all the dogs, and put the poles back up if they get knocked over and fix the heights for the different sizes of dogs as they compete.

We had tons of fun, it was a beautiful day in Bar Harbor, and I am now hooked. I can't wait for the next event, but I'll have to wait until February when the next CPE trial will be held in an indoor place in Portland.

I would like to try some of the other games but they sound very confusing and I'm afraid I'd get all mixed up. Any tips from our experts on what game(s) to try first and how they work?

It's funny, besides having the same name, our Bailey and Randi's Bailey each had a great time at our first agility trial this weekend, although Randi's was in NY and ours was in ME. Too bad we don't live closer so we could do it together...
 

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Congratulations on a fun and successful weekend!

pattymaine said:
I would like to try some of the other games but they sound very confusing and I'm afraid I'd get all mixed up. Any tips from our experts on what game(s) to try first and how they work?
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I really like CPE's games and the different challenges they provide. I'd try them pretty much in the order I have below. You've already tried Jumpers and Colors so here's a little about the other games:

Wildcard isn't that different from Colors. Wildcard is a numbered course. At 3 different points on the course there will be 2 obstacles side by side, each marked with a different color cone. One color, the "A" obstacles, will be easier obstacles to approach/complete. The other color will be the "B" obstacle. These are slightly more difficult either on approach (such as the off side of the tunnel) or to complete (such as weave poles). In Wildcard, at Levels 1 & 2, you need to successfully navigate the course in numeric order BUT you have to direct your dog to 2 "A" obstacles and 1 "B" obstacle. You MUST complete 2 A's and 1 B obstacle to qualify since this is considered a "Handling" game.


Full House is one of my favorite games. I wrote a post about playing this game about a year and a half ago: http://sheltieforums.com/showthread.php?p=81513#post81513

The one thing I forgot to mention in that post is the table IS on the course and used ONLY to stop the clock and it is "Live" during the entire game; which means if the dog sets even a toe nail on the table your time stops and your turn is finished.


Snooker, honestly, is much more confusing to read about that it is to actually play. I actually wrote an entire post explaining how to play Snooker about a year and a half ago. Hopefully that post will help you understand the game: http://sheltieforums.com/showpost.php?p=81424&postcount=1

The ONLY reason I list Snooker before Jackpot is because not all dogs have distance work right away and the rules for Snooker are cut and dry whereas Jackpot has many different variants.


Jackpot is another "Handler's Choice" game. There are many different ways to play Jackpot (Traditional and Non-Traditional). I'm just going to explain Traditional Jackpot since it's the easiest. For Non-Traditional Jackpot runs, the Judge's Briefing is VERY important since there isn't one set of 'Non-Traditional' rules. Make sure to ask questions if you don't understand the rules.

In Jackpot there are 2 phases of play - the Opening and the Closing. In the Opening, you will direct your dog over obstacles on the course collecting points in a manner similar to Full House. The point values in Jackpot are as follows:
  • Single Bar Jumps = 1 point
  • Tunnel, Chute, Double/Triple Jumps, 5-8 Weaves = 3 points
  • Contacts, 10-12 Weaves, A "combo" designated by the judge = 5 points
  • Judge's Choice Obstacle = 7 points (1st time completed only)

At the end of the opening sequence, which is usually between 25 & 40 seconds depending on the height of the dog, a buzzer will sound signifying the start of the Closing section of the course.

The Closing is a distance challenge. You will send your dog over a line on the floor which YOU cannot cross and direct him to complete obstacles away from you. Successful completion of the Jackpot is worth 20 points and MUST be completed successfully in order to Q.
 
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It was a great CPE agility trail for shelties named Bailey this weekend. :lol: Congratulations!

I was leash running in between our runs as well. It was exhausting!

Bailey looks adorable and so proud showing off her ribbons.
 
Fantastic for you and Bailey!!! We are so happy for you!
And what a good girl Bailey is. This gives her a job, and she obviously loves it! Hip hip horray!!
Also you may want to go on the Paws'N Effect website, they do CPE trials there, and you can stay in Southington....and your friends can come watch:biggrin2:
 
Congrats to you and (another) Bailey!!! That was too funny. I had to read it again because I was like, this wasn't the same person, right? They both were leash runners too. LOL. How funny.

Sounds like you and Bailey did a great job this time around! And it seems like both Bailey's need to speed it up a bit, lol. I think speed will come with confidence. I know it did with Koji big time. I swear he used to just walk the course.

And yes, leash running is tiring, especially when you're stuck with a big group. I remember one year, it was about 105+ and I was like, HOW did I get stuck leash running the Excellent group during Jumpers!!!! It was about 50 dogs, but since they were Excellent dogs, I would barely make it to the end before the dog (they're so fast!). I kept thinking...I'm melting! I'm melting!

I gotta admit though, I hate pole setting. I'm one of those people that put them crooked, or the wrong height, etc. Not sure why. I suck at pole setting. I now try to scribe or time, or yes, leash run. lol.

Sheri gave you a list of the other games. There are some that require thinking on your feet. I pretty much suck at those types of games. The only reason I do well though, is for the most part, Koji does what I want, so I don't have to think on my feet. LOL.
 
I help out at the trials also when I'm not running. I TRY not to work my class (obviously) or the class right before mine so I have time with Edan before we run. Unfortunately, that doesn't always work out because we simply need the help.

I'll do gate steward, leash running, scribe sheet running (sometimes those are done by the same person), bar setting, and timing (reluctantly). I HATE scribing! I get so nervous I'm going to forget a what a hand signal means, miss a hand signal, etc. that I would just rather NOT do it. Timing is another one of those jobs that I'd rather not do because I'm too worried of making a mistake and forgetting to stop/start the time. Yes, we do use electric timers but they don't work for games like Jackpot, Snooker, and Full House. There is also remembering which button to hit to restart - not RESET - the time if a dog takes the last obstacle. Too much thinking for me. :lol:

k9kreationz said:
Sheri gave you a list of the other games. There are some that require thinking on your feet. I pretty much suck at those types of games. The only reason I do well though, is for the most part, Koji does what I want, so I don't have to think on my feet. LOL.
Click to expand...

I hate Snooker, really I do... but Edan and I excel at it. Why? Handler focused dog.

Honestly, the trick to the games where you make up your own course, in any venue, is to find a nice flowing path. Every course we've ever run seems to have an "ideal route" and it takes practice to find it. It also helps to take advantages of the "every obstacle twice for points" rule when possible. It's actually faster to do a tunnel back to back than to do a tunnel and a contact. Sure you loose 2 points but you gain time so you can do something else to make up those points.
 
Congratulations! Bailey looks (and should be!) quite proud.

I was confused when I read your post title, too!

I definitely recommend trying the games. While I know nothing about CPE games, I do know that in all venues there are tons of people around to help explain, and the games are a ton of fun when you run them.
 
HUGE congratulations to you and Bailey! See... aren't you glad you tried again? :biggrin2: Those ribbons are gorgeous - you must be so proud!

I hope this is the beginning of big things for both of you!
 
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