Training: The key to unlocking every dogs true potential. In the early winter of 2009 I began the journey of training a dog beyond a normal housedog for the first time in my life. It has unlocked an amazing perspective into the joy and wonder that forming a team can create. Here lies the ongoing story of the expedition to titles... come along with the tale of Going Green! Competition Photo Gallery

Meet the boys

Ashenpaw Breed: Border Collie Color: Black and white, with a little rusting Born: February 9th, 2004, raised since 8 weeks Level: Rally Novice and Advanced Titled Attitude: Generally a couch potato, Ash can turn it on when there is reason to be active--like a ball/frisbee or another Border Collie present. He's a well balanced, confident boy with a lot of willing spirit to accomplish new goals. Since learning Rally he has shown an apptitude for exploring new tricks and behaviors. The list keeps growing! Very adaptable, he has been well socialized and enjoys his job at doggy daycare; assessing dogs and aiding in controlling the group. Swift and bidible, he makes an excellent partner. Current tricks: Sit, come, front, moving down, walk around on dog sit/down/stand, slow/normal/fast pace, left and right turns, call to front finish left, call to front finish right, 270 left and right, 360 left and right, U-turn, about left turn, serpentine once and twice, spiral dog on the outside, spiral dog on the inside, pivots left and right moving and stationary, sit stand sit/down, jumps, back 3 steps, tunnel, table with position, A-frame with bottom, teeter, dogwalk, tire jump, pinwheels/270's, ride skateboard, shake left/right paw, high-five left/right paw, wave left/right paw, place, startline stay, learning weaves. Currently competing in excellent level.
Ash's Trials Rally Novice St Peter 5/23/2009--89, no placeing Lake Elmo 8/22/2009--98, 4th place Rochester 9/12/2009--93, no placeing Rally Advanced Rivercenter 1/9/2010--92, 1st place Decorah 4/10/2010--95, 2nd place Decorah 4/11/2010--99, 1st place Rally Excellent Albert Lea 8/14/2010--98, 1st place Lake Elmo 8/28/2010--89, 2nd place
	Ch Rosepoint's Signature A.K.A Parker Breed: Rough Collie Color: Tri-color Born: November 30th, 2004, adopted January 31st, 2009 Level: Rally Novice Titled Attitude: Genuine show dog, Parker came from the Conformation ring and clearly wasn't ready to leave the audience behind. He adores onlookers and turns on that flare when they are present. This makes him a ham out there on the floor! Not that that is a bad thing. On occasion he can get a little creative in how he wishes to execute a specific command, he seems to enjoy walking sideways. Since he had been trained in the ring to follow treats his hand focus is marvelous--however, he learns quickly when the treats are not there and needs a little more 'motivation' at times. Weening him off those for competition is a balancing act. Parker is very well socialized and adores being out and about, his familiarity with the show sites is a REAL asset. He can, however, be a little TOO friendly at times! Current tricks: Sit, come, front, moving down, walk around on dog sit/down, slow/normal/fast pace, left and right turns, call to front finish left, call to front finish right, 270 left and right, 360 left and right, U-turn, about left turn, serpentine once and twice, spiral dog on the outside, spiral dog on the inside, jumps. Working on advanced level.
	Parker's Trials Rally Novice Rochester 9/12/2009--94, 4th place Decorah 4/10/2010--88, 4th Place Decorah 4/11/2010--100, 1st place Rally Novice    Albert Lea 8/14/2009--82, no placing   Lake Elmo 8/28/2010--96, 1st place

Training classes: Winter 2009-Spring 2009

The winter of 2009 I first entered a training class with Ash, my 5 year old Border Collie. This was the first advanced training I had ever done. Rally Obedience training rapidly became an amusing round of learning how to more deeply comunicate with a dog who I had raised since he was 8 weeks old. Ashenpaw was at first not particularly clear on what I was asking, and I was not terribly clear in what I wanted from him. Week after week we learned about 'handler error' and I honed my body language to express precisely what I was after. As we formed into a team, Ash began to dance beside me and we became an elegant couple. We had issues with trust, I was leary that he would dash ahead of me if I got him pepped up too much... but I learned that speed helped keep him focused. We discovered a balance. It was further honed when I took him through the Advanced/Exellence training and we worked up to off leash. He was eager to shoot past the jump, I needed to keep him in heel. We adjusted, adapted, and in time he learned to move with me. In late January I obtained Parker, Ch Rosepoint's Signature, a than 4 year old Rough Collie. His breeder/owner wanted him to remain in the show ring doing something. So, I took this eager boy through Rally Novice class in the Spring only to find I had another partner to dance with. Parker was easy to keep with me, but he loved to 'crab walk' (striding sideways in a heel). I had to guide him into proper heel, and straighten out sits and downs as he was a little creative at first with his allignment.

St. Peter Dog Show-5/23/2009

Saturday, 5/23/2009 I went with Kate, a fellow class member to our first dog show to run our first Rally trial. Ash was ready for his first run in the Novice A class. Kate was running her blue merle Collie, Glory. We had a fun car ride up there in her van and drove right past the fair grounds! Turning back, we drove in and happened to park right by the building our Rally was in. We spent time watching the more advanced dogs run, were amazed at the number of Non-Qualifying runs, and had time to get a little nervous! Well, for me it was excitement. Ash was chillin' beside me and we had the benefit of one of our instructors there to cheer us along. Lynn had some last minute pointers for us--relax! My boy and I were late in the runs, gave me too much time to get ramped up. In the end we had a great run! With a score of 89 out of 100 we earned our first Green!

Lake Elmo-8/22/2009

Another Saturday took Nate and I up to Lake Elmo for the second Rally Novice leg. The weather was gorgeous, and Ash was in full stride. Once more Lynn was out and about at the show. She was glad to see us there. Learning from the last show I did not warm up Ash so thoroughly this time. I trusted that he would be there for me. The course was easy for us with only a few areas of concern, some moves that Ash was less confident in. We were last again. I was learning that I HAD to rein in my enthusiasm or I burnt him out. In we went and out we danced with an awesome 98 out 100! A respectable 4th place ribbon accompanied our second Green! Two points off for a little tight leashing. Not bad at all. We were shaping up!

Rochester - 9/12/2009

Double entry with both the boys running in the Novice A class. Parker for the first time, and Ash for his 3rd and final leg. I was on home turf with several students from the classes and both our instructors there. We had a lot of fun! I was very excited and the boys were feeding off my adrenaline rushes. But we somehow managed to keep things under control. Parker did fantastic and would have done better if my excitement hadn't driven me faster than he was walking. We got points off for tight leashing that was all my fault. His sits were perfect and he was precise in his turns. Our end score in our early run was 94 out of 100. When my second run came Ash was right there with me, but a little less precise in his sits which cost us a few points. Our total was 93. Parker took 4th place ribbon over Ash! I was grinning at the amusing situation. Here was a dog on his third run through beat out by a dog on his first run ever. In the end both boys had two ribbons-- each a green ribbon for a Qualifying score. Ash had his title ribbon, and Parker a 4th place ribbon. Thus ends Ash's days as a Novice dog, and Parker's only run in Novice A... he now runs in Novice B!

RiverCenter- 1/9/2010

On my birthday, Ash and I accompanied by Nate went up to a huge dog show for his first Advanced A run. I was in good spirits. Word was from those who had been at this show that it might not be the best for us to move up at. But so many people I knew were going to be there I decided to give it a shot anyway... if we didn't succeed, oh well. In the company of Denise (my other Rally trainer), my manager, my agility trainer, and loads of people I see regularly at work we went out there! The group was interesting, including a lady who claimed not to have known what a particular novice station was. I demonstrated for her, loosing time in my practice. We finally got our turn and Ash was focused on me... so much so that when I didn't cue him for the jump he pulled tight and blew by. I collected him and we redid it for a loss of 3 points. The rest went great except for the corner where he dilly-dallied. We NAILED first place with a score of 92, beat the other dog by less than a second in time differential! Helluva birthday present!

Decorah - 4/10/2010

Double entry, Novice B class for Parker and Advanced A for Ash. It was an interesting run up to the show with several people we thought would be there not being able to. The judge was... interesting to say the least. Inconsistent I would say would be the best word, she could not recall her reasons for marking things off and some of the scoring seemed odd with some poor runs scoring high and smoother scoring lower than I expected, and the running order was a little jumbled when she decided to do things different then her stewards had planned for. Ash was up first with his Advanced run, the fact that the judge was in a motorized scooter didn't phase him, he just chugged along like nothing was new. We had a great start followed by a moment of him messing around for the Sit/about left/sit--lost a fair two points because he was indecisive despite my clear signals. He got ahead of me on the 360 left and I had no choice but to redo as half of him had passed the sign on me. Oddly enough, the judge marked the Serpertine for 3 off... which we had done well *head scritch* There was nothing marked off for the 360. Oh well, the score would have been the same anyway. His jump was good, and his turns tight, the 90 pivot right was gorgeous, and his Sit/side step right/Sit was pristine! In the end it was a 95 which earned us second behind a Sheltie's 98. :) The tough part was the award ceremony where the judge asking us all if we trained Obedience, I honestly said no and the expression on her face was insulting. I had heard that some judges don't like Rally (or Doodling, as she called it). Clearly she wants everyone to compete in Obedience and not bother with Rally, perhaps that explains the inconsistent scoring. Parker was just fine outside of the ring, nice and focused, up and at 'em... we stepped in, moved past the first sit and he became far more interested in the mat and the scooter than me. I just plain lost him and couldn't quite get him back. For the moving sidestep right he actually walked over the sign which has NEVER happened before! Our end score was an 88, frankly I thought that a little generous of a score for my ahem 'REAL Collie' as the judge called him. Parker has been MUCH better before this, there was something about the mat that just stole him. It was a good exercise for me in carrying on without getting frustrated, I made the best of it, which was a 4th place run. So, he has two white ribbons now. When I was out there with Parker at the awards the judge went on to ask about Obedience, she immediately dismissed me with a "We already know about you..." Oh well, I had a good time despite that--got a good leg on each boy, so I am satisfied. The other class members I was with did a sweeping job in the Novice A class--Cooper nailed 1st with a 98, Brody got a 91 for a 2nd place, and Griff took 3rd with a 85 (must be something with the Collies because both of them got wicked distracted). Here's hoping that Sunday's judge is a little better organized and more consistent in scoring.
Should have looked at my ribbons before I left the show site... take a peek and see if you can spot the problem I just caught! Thankfully this is a trial I am returning to and hadn't framed them yet. This show keeps getting better and better! First Parker was accidentally entered into Obedience, then Ash was awarded an Obedience ribbon for a Rally run.

Decorah - 4/11/2010

Double entry--Day 2, Novice B class for Parker and Advanced A for Ash. We got there in plenty of time to relax and chill for a bit. The course had an interesting entry starting with a Spiral Dog Inside, and they had some tricky placements with a few angles including the 3-step exercise angling to the finish. I took a deep breath, and entered with Ash. My boy grinned at me--it was game on! We went out there and he could not have been more on than he was! The spiral was tight, his right and 270 right were perfect-nothing rushed or harried. Then we hit the Halt/Stand/Walk around. He stood, but he backed up awkwardly and slid a bit behind me. It threw me off for a moment, but he stayed and I walked around and came to his side (later I would learn THIS was where I lost my point--I came to his mid-back, NOT his withers. Oops!) We went on through the left turn, the fast pace back to normal. He had a little too much energy here and nearly blew into the 90 pivot left. I collected him in time and we soared through the jump and into the 270, through the halt/side step right/halt at last coming into the 3 step combo where he stayed right in line. End score 99 taking First place for his Advanced Title! After a long pause came Parker's Novice run, we had to wait while they tracked down some cones for the Serpentine. Today he wasn't so rough around the edges. He came in and sat gorgeously. The connection was there! We went right into the spiral which he did tight and flawless! His turn was beautiful right into the Sit/Walk around dog (which the judge had politely explained to the whole group about where we come back to Heel properly... hee hee.. I will NEVER make that mistake again!) After insuring I didn't short us that placement, we sailed on through the fast pace to the normal and around the corner into the Serpentine where Parker only flagged for a moment, a quick tap to my leg brought him back and it was around the corner to a call to front finish right and right on through the 3 step sit. End score: (earlier before my runs I had told someone I never figured I would get a 100) PERFECT 100! Parker nailed First on his Novice Title run! My boys got the blues and it felt good. Sunday's judge was MUCH more encouraging and I felt more connected with us. She made the runs pleasant and was very informative! When I asked about Ash's point off she quizzed me on the station... which was when I discovered I had never realized just how precise the heel should be. I am VERY proud of my boys! My classmates ALSO did well, making a clean sweep once more of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the Novice A division! Cooper with a 99, Brody with a 98, and Griff with a 95.

Albert Lea - 8/14/2010

Double entry--Ashenpaw's 1st Excellent run went very well considering all seven rings were in the same arena. We went off the start line connected and he only blew a couple of points: one on each jump as he got too far ahead and had trouble coming back in to heel. We'll be working this in the next couple of weeks before Lake Elmo's show. His honor down was over 3 minutes long! and he did it, though clearly was not thrilled. Those pleading eyes, will I ever forget those pleading eyes! End score 98 with a blue ribbon. Parker's first Advanced A run went ok.He was connected with me right up to the moment I replied we were ready to the judge, then he sort of plodded along. I kept up beat and tried my best to get his eyes up off the floor, but he continued to just sort of meander. He DID do a beautiful spiral, and some of his stations were good. However anything with a side sit resulted in him roaming forward and having to be persuaded back. These next two weeks we'll be working on 'focus' games to get him to engage even in HIGH distraction. All in all I am proud of having scratched an 82 out of that run. I know we can do better in the future. Marley had an addiction to sniffing the matt and got an N/Q. And Sassy did a very nice Novice run for a titling score of 95! Not bad!

Lake Elmo - 8/28/2010

Doule entry once more. Went up to the Cities the night brfore and crashed at the hotel. Got to the showsite early the next day to discover our judge was late. Not too late, but enough to give the stewards a little panic. Ash did great! The course the tight and tricky. The backwards 3 steps ate most of the teams, even us! I opted not to redo when he crabwalked beside me, I knew it wouldn't get better. We lost 10 points there for him out of heel, and another point for a slow sit earlier. Score was 89, we got 2nd through a tie breaker of time. 1st was a hair faster. No shame there! Parker's run started with a problem. We got two exercises in before the judge noted the jump was low (12", should be 16"). She stopped us and at first we paused where we stood. I seated Parker and held him there on command before they realised fixing the jump height would be a problem! They were missing a board. She asked me to take Parker off the course and leash him. I did (and stuffed his mouth full of treats!) When we restarted he was just fine and we went through with only a few points lost to minor things. End score was 96 with a 1st placing! Good boy! Much better. I was astounded once more by the sheer amount of people who were entering at ALL levels of Rally who had never taken a class. Some were doing fine, others were completely lost and looked rather sad out there. I felt sorry for the dogs, it's not their fault their handlers didn't do their homework. I was a good sport and tried to help answer questions as much as I could... but when they miss the walkthrough, have no clue that Advanced is even offlead, and no idea what the exercises are... umm, there's a limit to what I can do.

Up and Coming!
Parker's 3rd Advanced Run
Ashenpaw's 3rd Excellent Run