A few months ago I was feeling a bit sorry for myself and wondering if I could ever be a good enough handler to run Phebe. I told my instructor that maybe I shouldn't have started agility with a young and fast dog. She told me that the challenge of handling a fast dog would make me a much better handler because there is no room (or time) to recover from handling mistakes.
We still have a long way to go, but my timing and handling skills are improving and we're being successful at trials. I predict that you and Lexi have many years of agility fun and success in your future.
Hehe, it's not only you. I feel sorry for myself all the time. I know Trax could have a way better handler! I also know that I don't devote enough time to it. I spread myself too thin and then can't keep up. Trax's brother is a few Q's ahead of him and so it's my personal mission to catch up by the end of the year!

Thanks, everyone!
I think I was feeling a bit discouraged...and in watching the runs again (and reading your comments), it's definitely a case of handler error! I'm so used to running a slow dog, that it gives me time A)to give directions and B) time to fix any mistakes I make. With Lexi, I have to give her directions a lot sooner, and I'm not doing that, not to mention the fact that I'm not being clear.
I think that the more we run full courses, the better I will learn to time things.
Ortegah, by the way, your dog is awesome! So fast! I hope Lexi is that good one day, if I don't hold her back too much!
Awh thanks, he is an awesome dog. That being said I have a far way to go to catch up to his awesome-ness
Most dogs aren't born with a "sense of course" and therefore they depend our our every move to determine where they go next. Even bending over or turning your shoulder can pull them off course. Shelties are known for their spinning but it's especially apparent when they are confused and don't know where to go next. Of course spinning in front of their next obstacle counts as a refusal so we want to prevent that as much as possible
I myself get refusals called on the way to the table a lot. It's because I haven't worked enough with the table command so that he doesn't know what to do next when my body motion stops but I give the command. I stop, he stops, period. Lexi definitely loves the sport and I'm sure you guys will get better and better! Try not to get discouraged. We've all been there. It took me a whole year to get my second Q in Novice standard. I was so ready to throw in the towel, but I stuck through it and he's improved dramatically. I'm starting to catch up
Someday we'll get it.