Earlier this month, we headed up to over nine thousand feet and into the gorgeousness of Cloudcroft, New Mexico.
Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Totally different ecosystem. Back into the pines I loved in Flagstaff, back into the coolth, into bear country, into altitude sickness…
(which of these things is not like the other..?)
Actually, we live at 6500 feet right now, which is about a mile up. At Flagstaff I was at 7000 feet, which is when I discovered how much I like rarified air; I never had an instant of adjustment time. Those couple extra thousand feet seem to make a bit of a difference, however, especially now that my exercise asthma is so easily triggered.
(I really really wish I hadn’t forgotten my inhaler. And thank you, THANK YOU to Adrian for the use of hers that first day!)
But I adjusted after a day…and I wasn’t really the one to have trouble. No, the one of us who got into trouble is the little dog who runs hot as a matter of course: Dart Beagle. Oh, he got so sick! And kept me up half the night just to keep an eye on him. But youth being youth, by the next morning he was happy to run (as you’ll see!).
Cloudcroft is such a fun trial! The company is wonderful, the trial committee works hard to add special touches, and if you listen to the background noise in the video (or read my inevitable smart remarks in the captions) you’ll see that the atmosphere is full of support and humor. Judges often remark on what a nice area this is in terms of handler camaraderie.
As for that new math? That was Dart’s idea. Just watch the video, you’ll see.
Dontcha wish you were me on that weekend? What do you do in your life that gives you the same grins?
WOWZA! That was beautiful! OK, so Dart-the-teenager didn’t get as many Qs as Connery, but he’s paying SO much better attention to you when he’s not sniffing whoever sat there last. And fast–like zip. I remember you blogging about his impetuousity, his lack of attentiveness–that’s really changed.
Connery, though…the Senior Service is very happy with 007. Totally with you, even when objects to the twists (wonder if they’re hard on his shoulder and hips), knows his business, and celebrates himself as he well deserves.
Even minus the BAWHs I could tell the difference in their style if they were painted solid magenta or something.
They are very different dogs! I’m glad for your perspective on Dart’s improvement. ;> (I didn’t show ALL the courses, heh heh heh.) I do think his moments of focus are getting longer. What you didn’t see, too, was the course in which he chose not to listen and I picked him up and said, “AWWWW! So Sad! No more play time!” and the assembled spectator-handlers said, “AWWWWW! SO SAD!” and the look on his face… His next run was the final run in which he Q’d. Uh huh.
Connery has always scolded me when the judge has a twisty course. That short course had 10 changes of direction…I expected more scolding than I got. I think he just has a sense of the ridiculous, frankly–the balance of what a course should be, based on an accumulation of experience. A certain amount of running, a certain amount of turning. ;> Sometimes on a course he’ll bawh while going OVER a jump and it sounds different, like he’s on rabbit. That’s just excitement. 8)
It’s fascinating to see the differences in performance between Connery and Dart — and not just because of the differences in age and experience.
For instance, I note that Dart is faster and a bit sleeker than Connery when it comes to the weave polls.
But Connery (and this is probably experience as much as anything) is much more attentive and less likely to be distracted.
Dart is interested in EVERYTHING. He just hasn’t yet learned that there are times when you should be interested in what you are doing here and now. When you are smelling smells, you should smell smells. But when you are running a course, you should run the course and pay attention to your person and ignore everything else!
I do love the way Connery takes advantage of pauses, like the top of the A-frame, to BAWH! It slows him down just enough so that he isn’t as likely to jump past the contact zone.
Babette sang along with Connery again…. Connery’s right. It is GOOD when Beagles sing together!
Ooh, yes, Dart has much faster weave poles. He doesn’t always to them to potential, but he can slick through those things at amazing speed when he’s on task. But there’s no comparison to Connery–their body types are totally different. Connery is not only more square–length to height–he’s also robust in the torso, a little linebacker with a barrel-shaped body. He can’t navigate those poles any faster no matter how he tries.
(If I put him in channel weaves with only the slightest gap, giving him an extra half inch for that torso, he’s about a third again faster with the same footwork.)
At Dart’s age, Connery didn’t run as tightly as he does now. (I have memories of coming off a course saying, “Wow, he steered like a boat!”) I have hopes that Dart will tighten up, too. It’s harder for him–he has a more active, questing mind. 8) Connery has always been a more focused dog–but then, I started work with him at 7 weeks old, whereas I wasn’t able to take Dart until he was 10mo old. Those foundation months are critical!
I’m trying to teach Dart to sing. It’s a totally different process! He has a lovely mellow hound voice, though. Fingers crossed!