Isabella's Big Bad Booboo Poor Isabella tried to go too fast on the DW and slipped off. A friend ran her for me in Gamblers and she was trying so hard to keep up with him. He runs fast and she is so used to her slow mommy, she wasn't ready to hit it that fast. She is fine but her ego was bruised. After she got up, she ran, tail down, from the ring, taking a jump on her way out, and came looking for her mommy (who was frantically running to hug her). I wish the DWs were wider.
Isabella The Entertainer! Today Isabella decided it was time to entertain the crowd. First she missed her weave entry, then she dropped a bar. The good news was she got right up on the dog walk after her bad falls last week. She was supposed to go to the table after the panel jump but she decided it would be more fun to go in the chute. I called her back and she reluctantly and with much back sass, finally decided to sit on the table. She showed me, however, after the table she flew off her A-frame contact. I was going to march her naughty behind out of the ring (and she knew it!) so she decided to continue the course without me. She did a fabulous job reading the course numbers as I stood watching helplessly and the crowd roared while the judge clapped. Everyone told me she runs better without me than with me. It was one of the worst runs we have ever had but the crowd cheered :)
JWW Q. 5th MXJ leg 7-5-03 Isabella's weaves were PITIFULLY slow in this run and she looked back a few time because I was late but it was still a Q.
JWW Q MXJ leg #7 (7-20-03) Isabella wasn't very up for this run. She was very slow going to the weaves and took an eternity to turn back from the straight tunnel so we lost a LOT of time. I couldn't decide which arm to use going to the first tunnel so I used them both (a couple of times :), then I nearly pulled her off the first jump of the 180 after the triple because everyone told me to do a front cross and I don't do them so I was anticipating. I chickened out and didn't do it after all. You can see how terribly late I am with ALL of my signals! It is a wonder we EVER Q OR make time!
JWW NQ But Funny (7-19-03) This is a horrible run but it is pretty funny. First, she leaves before I do (and yips with joy), then I tell her right at the 180 & it was a left but she goes the correct way anyway, then she goes into CAWAZY DAWG mode at the weaves, misses the entry, pops out at the end and proceeds to make up her own course (which was a WAY better one than the crappy one we had!), she comes back and barks, trying to get me to join in on all the fun! The middle of the run isn't too bad but at the end, for some unknown reason, she leaves the ring in the wrong direction. I think she went looking for WASKALLY WABBITS! They were all over the place and she spotted them earlier. I have never seen so many WABBITS in one place in all my life! It is too bad Mel stopped filming because she eventually comes FLYING back to me and soars over the last two jumps, quite pleased with herself and wearing a HUGE grin on her cute little Poodle face.
USDAA Advanced Jumper Q (8 - 03 -03) Jef was going to run Isabella in this because it was too much running for me. He set her up and left running. Isabella decided she wanted her mommy and ran out of the ring. Jef pleaded but to no avail. No whistle blew so I stepped over the ring barrier and off we went. I hadn't walked the course so I had to look for numbers making the run slow and awkward (actually, most of our runs are slow and awkward come to think of it). We managed to run clean and Q and even placed 4th! Turn up the sound cause it is pretty funny. Isabella barks at Jef before she leaves as if to say, "HEY! Your're not the boss of me! I'm OUTA here!"
MX leg # 3 and our first QQ and a 4th place!!!! (8-10-03) Isabella did some great distance and layering stuff in this run. I layered the tunnel and later the triple as well as some other jumps. Her weaves are still slow but we are working hard to fix that. OK, so I need to get smoother and my timing is off but we are getting there very slowly. I should have done a front cross at the first tunnel so I was moving and Isabella would have been faster there. I HATE front crosses but do need to do them once in a while I guess.
QQnumber2 Standard MXJ#9 & 2nd place. (8-24-03) Layering is difficult enough but in this run I had to layer the judge too - 3 TIMES! The day before in my standard run I yelled at her to move so she moved right into my path causing me to pull Isabella off a jump. It was very frustrating! She seemed to be in most people's way unless they ran right next to their dog.
NADAC Jumper Run. No Q (9-13-03) This wasn't a Q but it is funny. Isabella is feeling better and better since her teeth were fixed . She barks at me at the start, then I didn't turn my body enough and she took the tunnel instead of the jump. She gives me heck when she comes back. She is sure having fun! She always makes me smile.
Isabella HATES to hit bars! Here are two clips of Isabella over a double. She took off WAY too early and started to land in the middle of the double. One of her legs actually goes between the bars and she pulls it up and saves the jump! Here is the slow motion version and here is the same jump close up.
AKC JWW No Q 10-19-03 This was an interesting and challenging course. It had 2 - 180s, a sepentine, followed by a 270 and a rather difficult weave entry. There were NO 24" Excellent Qs but we came very close. I pulled her off a jump when I tried to layer something I didn't need to layer at all :( The faster dogs had a harder time with the weave entry than we did. Isabella really carries wide as you can see and that made getting the entry easy for us.
MXJ!!! 11-09-03 We finally got our MXJ! It wasn't the fastest or the prettiest run but it felt great! I layered the tunnel to get the pinwheel. It was the only way for us to avoid the trap jump at the tunnel entrance. Isabella ROCKED! I had laryngitis so you can hear periodic squeeks coming from my very sore throat. The opening was jump jump tunnel. I whispered that to her and she just took off for the tunnel.
AKC 7-2-04 Standard Q It has been quite a while since I have posted any of our runs. Isabella is feeling better and running better. Now, if she could just get a better handler. But, as you can see in the 4th clip down on this page, she will only run for me so nobody will ever get to see just how great she really is :( Our contact obstacle performance is still crappy but hopefully we can improve that too someday.
MACH Penhurst Queen of Spain (Isabella) EAC, O-EJC, NTC,OGC, AAD, JM, RM, SM, RS-E, JS-E, CGC AKA Bald Isabella
AKC 7-3-04 JWW Q Jumper run the next day. We are working on our stays. They are getting better but she still wants to break very much in Jumper classes. She barks at me the entire time she is waiting fir her release and continues to bark for a while on course. She is learning that from Craig French's Doberman, Kes, who is very noisy. Isabella loves watching Kes run. She is her idol.
AKC 7-04-04 JWW NQ This was not a Q but I was so impressed by her weave entry I wanted to put it up anyway. Many dogs were missing this entry even with their handlers right there. Isabella nailed it with me quite a distance away. She is so good at getting her entries. I can't remember the last time she missed one! I am very lucky indeed.
AKC 7-05-04 Uncle Jef Tries to Run Isabella Isabella is really booking here. If you listen closely, you will hear her barking all through her weaves. Unfortunately, she decides she has had enough and leaves after the tunnel. It was a shame because she was running so fast for him. I wish she would run for somebody else besides me so we could see just what she can do with a good and a fast handler.
Isabella eats it again! 8-1-04 Some judges love designing courses with angled approaches to the dog walk. If you can run or have a dog who knows how to straighten itself it isn't a problem. This judge even put a trap jump so close to the up ramp of the DW that, with my handicaps, there was no way I could help her with her approach. I think dogwalks should only be high enough to allow a tunnel to be placed undeneath. It would still be a test for the dog but wouldn't be as far to fall and would avoid injuries! Isabella was hurt in this fall. Sure, some dogs can handle it just fine but is agility headed to be a sport only for the young and fleet of foot handlers? This judge seemed to think so and said she designs her courses to test the handler as well as the dog. It is that mentality that takes some of us with physical problems out it completely before we even step onto the course. A challenging course is one thing but a marathon course that requires a backpack, safetly ropes and a GPS to get around is another. I love a challenge as much as the next person but I don't think a course has to be dangerous or evil to be a challenge. Isabella has a heart as big as the moon. She will get right back up on the DW when I ask her. The big question for me is, SHOULD I ask her? Our dogs give us all they have to give and we keep upping the ante. When is the challenge enough?
8-8-04 JWW AKC Vancouver Isabella is still testing her new start line sit stay. I was lucky to be able to put her back instead of leaving(this was actually the third time I put her back in that run!). She was a very good girl but got hung up in the weaves as did many other dogs. A spike kept working its way up. This was our 4th QQ.
10-3-04 JWW AKC Argus Ranch Lab Trial First I want you to notice the lead out! It has taken us months but we now have a lead out and a pretty good one at that. I lead out way past where I wanted her to turn so I could be running in to put pressure on her so I could layer the weaves. As it turned out, I didn't need to go that far so we lost time from 3 to 4. She was a very good girl and we placed 3rd and just 1/100th of a second out of second place in a large class. There were 10 Qs total in the 24" division.
10-09-04 USDAA Advanced Jumper Title Isabella ran fairly well here. If we could just tighten up our turns, we could shave precious seconds off our time. We were 3rd.
10-10-04 USDAA Advanced Gamble Leg We were 1st in this run and picked up a much needed gamble leg. The gamble was very easy but, surprisingly, very few dogs got it.
10-17-04 USDAA Advanced Jumper It was too late to move up to Masters so we ran in advanced. Isabella Qed and was third. She was a very good girl.
10-24-04 AKC EX.B JWW Now if I can just tighten our lines and teach Isabella to not waste so much time in the air AND IMPROVE MY LOUSY TIMING!!!
12-13-04 AKC EX. B Standard Kennel Club of Palm Springs Another great Larry Brockett course! Isabella was a good girl. We were fourth.
1-8-05 AKC EX B Standard This was not a Q but I learned much from this run. I had planned to do a front cross after the tire while she was in the tunnel but realized Isabella was coming at me too fast (my body doesn't turn well) and beginning to drift to her right. Had I done the cross, I would have sent her off course so I chose to do a cross at the bottom of the A-frame. That worked fine. I am retraining contacts so I make her stay on the bottom for a long time. We lose time but it will be worth it in the long run (I HOPE:). I also planned to front cross before the teeter and after the weaves but didn't get to either one. I had to rear cross after the teeter which sent her off course. She was supposed to take the two jumps then the yellow tunnel but I pulled her left. Then I gave up and she slowed WAY down. She did send very well out of the tunnel to that jump while I stayed back to get a tighter turn for the wrap.She messed around before getting on the table because I was out of position. The best way to run that part would have been a front cross before the chute. Somebody must have been training the table with cheese cause she stopped to sniff. Then on the DW, it took her a million years to finally get into her 2o2o position. I am NOT releasing until she actually is in a 2o2o and I keep her there long enough to say, "Good girl." Even with our off course, holding contacts forever and her delay in getting to the table ,then in sitting, we were well under sct. Poor poor handler challenged Isabella! We did have a Q run this weekend but it wasn't nearly as interesting as these two NQs.
1-9-05 AKC EX JWW Also an NQ but shows how wonderful Isabella is about working away and sending. We didn't Q because she missed the jump after she came out of the first tunnel. I should have taken one more step towards the jump but I was worried about getting left behind. Whenever I do that is never works so I might as well take that extra step and save the run! I am out of the frame a lot because I am so far away. At the end, I sent her over the 180 then I layered the tunnel and a jump and she worked beautifully. Her weaves were not as fast as in the above run because as soon as I let her miss that jump, I let down. Whenever I let down, so does she. She wasn't really driving out of the weaves into the tunnel either but she was still about 10 seconds under sct.
1-15-05 NADAC Elite Jumper Isabella was a very good girl! She really worked at a great distance. She placed fourth in a large class and the next day (unfortunately no video), she also Qed for her Outstanding Jumper title.
1-16-05 NADAC Open Tunnelers Class This run was so funny. Isabella loves tunnelers. She was so excited, the second I took my hands off her she took off like a rocket. She dove in tunnel after tunnel as I stood by watching helplessly. I called her and she started back towards me but decided she was having much more fun without me. So, I whistled (Isabella can't resist my whistle) and she finally returned. She flew off the start but you can see her running out of gas as the run progresses. I moved away too soon and caused her to circle but we still made time with seconds to spare! I have two versions, a high speed version and a smaller one. High resolution (5M) Low resolution
2-13-05 USDAA Masters Jumper (regular version) This trial went on FOREVER! Our first run was at 8:30 in the morning and this last run of the day was at 8:30 at night!!! We were all exhausted but Isabella gave it her all. It was our first time in USDAA Masters (we don't do much USDAA, only a few trials a year). Isabella was very responsive and a very good girl! it was a fun course too. She went wide on the last jump of the first pinwheel in the opening and I should have been driving her more to the inside of the first jump of the 180 at the end. It was a nice Q though. Poor Isabella is such a poor jumper. We work jump chutes but she over jumps and this causes us to lose a LOT of time! You can really see it here in the slo-motion version.
2-27-05 AKC StandardQ This was the first run of a double Q. Isabella was a very good girl. I really liked this judge's courses. They were interesting and challenging yet fun. I think that is the way courses should be. There were no silly impossible things, just a nice course.
2-27-05 AKC JumperQ Isabella's weaves were very slow in this run but otherwise she ran very well. It was a great course to test our distance skills as well as Isabella's ability to work close to me. I am so pleased with how she is doing that now. She is SO honest! She will work close or far as needed. Too bad she is SO handler challenged! If only I could move better it would be SO much easier!
7-2-05 AKC Jumper Q Isabella was a very good girl. We were 3rd. We have 9 QQs now but they don't come very quickly for us, unfortunately.
8-06-05 AKC JWW Q This was a very windy course. Isabella was a good girl. 8-06-05 AKC Standard This was not a Q but Isabella did a great job. We just got the wrong end of the tunnel. There were NO EX B 24" Qs on this course!
9-18-05 USDAA Master Jumper Isabella is such a good girl. She tries so hard. It is a shame about her handler. This was a nice Q for our second Master Jumper Q. We don't do much USDAA because of the terribly twisty courses. 9-19-05 USDAA Master Snooker Isabella is a great snooker dog. It was VERY hot so we just went for the easy 4s instead of the 7s just to get the Q (which she got:). If only I could run faster, we could do a LOT better.
10-08-05 AKC Ex. B JWW Q This was one of the fastest runs we have ever had in AKC. Isabella was nearly 14 seconds under SCT for 5.3yps. If we had better weaves we could have better times but we have what we have. This was a GREAT course and Isabella had a wonderful time and her distance work on this course was terrific. Here it is in slo-motion 10-09-05 AKC EX B JWW Q Isabella stopped nearly dead in the weaves because "Horse Doggie" went by outside the ring. You can just the huge brindle Dane in the background. Isabella HATES "Horse Doggie!" and she had run just before us. The only dog Isabella hates MORE than Horse Doggie is COW DOGGIE! Cow Doggie is a Saint Bernard who tried to attack Isabella once three years ago. Isabella has never forgiven him. She was a very good girl!
8-06-06 AKC EX. JWW It has been a long time since I posted any runs from Isabella. Her health has not been the best. A couple of weeks after the last run I post a year ago, Isabella's seizures got very bad and her back leg was paralyzed for a day after one seizure. We put her on medication and her seizures were under control but it also slowed her down a LOT. Then, in April of 2006, she bloated and torsioned. She had surgery to right her tummy and sew it to her abdomen. Finally, today, she ran well again. We nearly Qed in standard but she suffered from IPE (irrational Poodle exuberance).and did some extras that weren't on the course. She had fun! Isabella ran 5.1 yps in this run and had a very good time indeed. it wad great having her back!
ISABELLA GETS HER MACH!!!!! With all Isabella has been through, I didn't think she would ever be able to finish her MACH. From her teeth punturing her palate, to her undersized adrenal glands and liver, to her severe Inflammatory Bowel disease, to her epilepsy (which sometimes leaves her back leg paralyzed for a short time), to her cataracts, to her bloating and torsioning and nearly dying this year, Isabella has proven she truly has the heart of a champion. This wasn't the best run or the fastest run and I run like I have hot potatoes in my shoes and Isabella has slowed so much since she had to start taking seizure meds but...it was OUR MACH run. I was so excited, I reverted to old bad handling and used my off arm to get her over the jump she nearly missed and a flip into the tunnel on our victory lap LOL! I haven't done THAT in a long time! I love Isabella more than I can say and she is my hero. Here is the run: Here is the celebration The people in the NW are the greatest agility people in the world! They made Isabella & me feel so special. Here is MORE celebration Here is the loot my friends gave us and our ribbonsand things. Here is the poem Uncle Jef wrote for us. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
8-07-06 AKC EX Standard This was the best standard run we have ever had! Isabella was 20 seconds under sct and ran 4 yps (great for her!!!) on this standard course! She was feeling better even than yesterday and when we were done I cried for her I was so happy! If you listen closely, you will hear her bark at me after the table. 8-07-06 AKC JWW This was far from a perfect run. I got too far out from the third jump in my lead out pivot so she went wide and then I said right and she went left but even with the slow weaves, wrong way and the stall out, she ran this in OVER 5 yps! If she hadn't gone the wrong way, She would have run it in over 5.3 yps! They were great courses all weekend! I hope her new found good health holds for years to come!
12-17-06 Isabella Goes Herding! Carolyn Wray was nice enough to put together an all Poodle day of herding! Carol Wolfram was the handler and did a great job with all the Poodles. Here is Isabella's first attempt at herding. She ran out of gas about half way through (just like she does in jility), so we let her rest and then go again. She sure loved it!!! She got to chase something AND, not only did we LET her, we CHEERED HER ON!!!