It was a we-e-e-i-i-rd weekend for a NADAC trial and not just because it was Halloween! After this weekend I’m so glad to be done with outdoor trials ’til Spring! Saturday was one of those hot-cold-rainy-sunny, never-know-what-to-wear days – you know, the kind where you put on several layers, then you’re too warm so you take some of them off, then 5 minutes later you’re freezing again! Gets sunny for a while, then starts to rain. It was really windy too, which was freaking out poor Jayda a bit.

Nonetheless, I was very pleased with Jayda’s speed this weekend. She popped at the 10th pole in Regular, which meant I had to go back and do them all again – and still managed to get a 5 pt Q. Sunday in Touch N Go we had a miscommunication bobble at a hoop but she made time by several seconds. That wouldn’t have happened a year ago! She also Q’d twice in Jumpers and once in Chances to finish her Superior Novice Chances (S-NCC, 100 pts) title! One more jumpers Q and she’ll have her Novice Triple Superior!

Bryce wasn’t entered in much this weekend – he had a nice run in Elite Jumpers Saturday but an unfortunate spin put him over time. He made time and qualified in jumpers on Sunday and had a very near miss (0.4 seconds over) in Elite Tunnelers.

There was a costume contest on Saturday. I personally thought Raven’s little bee costume was just THE cutest thing, but she didn’t win – oh well, there’s no accounting for taste (or lack of it) …

Raven’s weekend was quite interesting – I think I saw her literelly GROW UP over the course of the weekend’s runs!

Saturday started with her at her jumping-up worst. Let’s say she DESERVED to have to wear a little foo-foo costume! The first run I think she jumped up on me EVERY OTHER obstacle – argh!!!

Sunday in Regular she was a LITTLE better. She also did well her first time on rubber contact equipment (though she was a little weirded out by the judge standing behind the d/w staring at her.). I ran her in chances with no attempt to do the distance part, just using it as an opportunity to practice on a short course. I was pleasantly surprised when she made it through 9 obstacles before jumping on me!

Then we came to her last jumpers run – beautiful course for a dog like Jayda (who ran it first and qualified), wide open, lots of lo-o-ong, straight lines. More like your worst nightmare if you have a dog who keeps running in front of your feet! As I stepped to the line, I had horrid visions of this pushing Raven to her “herd the handler” worst.

Silly me. Raven went out there and absolutely CRUSHED that course! Didn’t jump up on me ONCE. I heard her start growling a little near the end but she kept her feet on the ground. There was some side-to-side motion in her path because she kept turning her head in to look at me then turning back out to jump, but despite that she finished the course in 20 seconds at 4.68 YPS, beating Jayda’s run by a second or two! Woohoo, Raven – THAT’s what I’m talkin’ about :)!!!

Will the obnoxious jumping make a return appearance? Probably, but getting rid of it COMPLETELY for one run was very encouraging. It was the best “real” run I’ve ever had with her and I couldn’t have asked for a better end to her weekend!