The stride issue

Well, I have been ready to quit again! I have done everything I could think of. I have tried everything others have recommended. I have given up obsessing on the stride. I am going to follow the recommendations of Angie and practice flyball less and leave Juice wanting more. I no longer have the box at home. I will not let Juice spin off of the walls and we don't play with a tug at home. The tug will only come out in flyball and the wubba and cuz ball are for agility only.

Juice did run outs with a 4 inch board as the first jump from the box while Stat was running at Friday night practice. She did nothing on the box. I actually and happy with that. I'm tired of trying but I do want her as good as she can be. I will begin my obsessing with agility instead. There are many things there to focus on.

Sooooo

Memphis didn't turn out as well as I had envisioned it! I did not get any 3.8's much less 3.9's. Juice got 4.0's with a pass but I just couldn't figure out why not the 3.9's. We went to Championships in Nashville and still no 3.9's. I was still dumbfounded as to why not. I don't think it was lack of conditioning because I am obsessed with that.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to put the cone in so in warm-ups all dogs would have a similar set up. I noticed with the cone that she had the spin that I hadn't seen in months. A quick on and off. Why hadn't I realized before that she didn't have the spin? I don't know. I had been concerned with her being wide for quite sometime but did not think about the cone. I have been practicing her with the cone for a couple of weeks. I'm not sure how much it will help for our BSPD tournament this weekend but over the winter I will continue. She may leap and double stride for a time but I think she will get the spin and 3 strides back. Therefore she will get 3.9's again. I have to stay on top of it so she and I stay on the A team.

Memphis

We are heading to Memphis this afternoon. It is the 2nd to last tournament this year and I want to see Juice's fastest times ever. She and I have worked very hard this season and I know she can give me just a little bit more. I so want some 3.8's with a pass and it is possible. Let's make it happen.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a good last 2 tournaments Juice has had. At the NAFA Amana she had many 3 strides on the first day but as she fatiqued on Sunday she put in 2. I asked Angie to hold her out one race and try her again. When she ran again it was 2 strides so I pulled her. She had many 4.0's with passes. At the u-fli qualifier in the first race she has 3 strides but her turns were really wide. I got a little worried (what's new) about that. Next time I warmed her up close and she did well on the box and with 3 strides. Over the entire weekend she had a few 2 strides and the rest 3. On Sunday she turned it on and in the last 4 races she continually did better and better. Her fastest time with a pass was 3.958 and her time line to line with 2 strides was 3.844. She gave me everything she has..................pizza is on me!

Wind Sprints

This dog is a freak. There is nothing she will not try. I have added wind sprints to the bike rides lately. She ROCKS.

BOOM, BOOM, POW

Last weekend in Henry I was at my wits end with attempting to fix the stride. I worked on it all winter. I worked from November until now and had no clue of what to do next. I was about ready to give up or I did give up I am not sure which. Angie told me if it was her dog she would run her. She also told me she thought that if Juice was just able to get out there and play and have fun that she would eventually put in 3 strides. I bit the bullet. I put on my big girl panties like Denise told me to and I just ran Juice all day on Sunday. To my surpise she had many 3 strides throughout the day. I am very happy, Juice is extremely happy, and the team is estatic that I am happy.

Juice is not all the way there with the strides but I see that she will be one day. She ran many 4.0?s with a pass. I'm hoping as time goes on and she get's comfortable with running that she will be sub 4 with her passes. Now that's what I'm talkin' about.

still workin' the spin

Since my last post Juice and I have still been working the spin move. At the last practice at WOOF I had someone release her at 50 feet and I would pull her off of the box. Sometimes it would be a spin and other times a pull straight off. I'm still working with the 2 stride 3 stride. She is getting more of the 3 than the 2 but we are still not where I want to be. I know we will be soon. I have been using the stride regulator (12 inch ruler)to remind her to take that extra step. I'm excited about going to Henry this weekend but I think her role will be the same as the last tourney and warm ups will be about it. We will see.

workin the spin move

I am having Juice hit the box from about 15 feet and I am being the lane board. When she hits the box I do the spin work and she immediately drops the ball and comes for the tug. We have worked it 3 times this week. I would like to have Isis, Klepto, or Xena run with her at practice tomorrow night to create hype. I'll put her stride regulator (12 inch clear ruler) on the floor and reinforce the 3 strides. I plan on doing the same thing in Iowa on Saturday and WOOF on Sunday. The more comfortable I can get her with three the more that muscle memory can be re-established.

3 strides @ WOOF

I did some work with Juice at WOOF yesterday before and after orientation. During the flyball demo Juice ran 2 heats with Dixie. I had a 12 inch clear ruller on the floor and she had 3 strides both times. I ran her before and after orientation with the same set up and she ran 5 heats with 3 strides.

I Love Flyball

Hey Christopher look what I have done. Juice now has a flyball blog. Juice really misses you. Did you see how happy she was when you ran her last night. I'm hoping to have the 3 strides solid by Henry. I'm not sure that is realistic but if it is it will be awesome. Maybe she could have it for Memphis in singles and you could run her and get her fastest time ever.

What ya think?