CPE Nationals!!!

[areese]

Omy...where to start.
We did the CPE Agility National Event this past weekend. 3 days of trialing (fri, Sat. Sun.) Hard courses. 546 dogs entered!
We got there Thursday afternoon and got set up.. they had two outdoor rings for Standard so I had to put a tent and pen out there, and two indoor rings for the games. It was in a fairgrounds and it was just huge. The rings inside (horse arena) were dirt...not too bad...about 1-2 inches deep with some rocks but they threw the biggest rocks to the side but the outdoor rings were deep sandy dirt...almost like running on a beach. REALLY dusty and the wind was blowing like crazy Friday. Salsa was SOOOO upset. I ran them in a practice run Thurs. night and Laika's running SLOW with this look on her face like what the frick is this???? Salsa's running three-legged with her tail between her legs looking VERY sad. O was ok...just not as fast.
Friday was bad for the dirt outside but it rained Fri. night so Sat. and Sun weren't as bad.
Lots of cool vendors with agility t-shirts and stuff...no agility dachshund shirts however. I didn't buy ANYTHING :( Except ice cream
4 dachshunds were competing. My two and Moose and Cicely. Cicely is on my agilewiener.com site. She's the little black and tan wire. Very fast and motivated but a little evil. MOose is just laid-back and cool..he's been doing agility a long time and his mom is a judge.
Laika found it very difficult to run inside due to horsey and rodenty smells. She did improve as the weekend went on but only qualified 2 times out of the 9. Didn't get any placements. By sunday she wasn't stopping or barking or sniffing but pretty pokey as half her mind was on other things. I think she felt very out of control because of everything going on. She was also very bratty and defiant in the trailer and had to be scruffed a few times and talked to meanly. Such a big world for a little dog to be in charge of....just too hard for her.
Salsa tried so very hard. The teeter wouldn't tip for her outside. Pissed me off cuz she was so bery brave running in the dirt. She qualifed in 4 of the games though (out of 6. I messed up her snooker and the gamble was SOOO hard in Jackpot there was no way she could do it) She got a FIRST PLACE in Colors!!! A second in Jumpers (beat her brother, Owen!!) Got a 4th in Fullhouse and a 3rd in Wildcard! This is different from my usual trials because of the number of dogs running...usually there's maybe 4 dogs jumping 4 inches..there were many at Nationals so the competition was much greater!
Mr. Owen Weenie ROCKED!!! Q'd 8 out of the 9 possible (just knocked a bar in Snooker so we couldn't get enough points). Got 2 first places, 4 seconds, 2 thirds!!!!!!
AND he did the amazingly hard gamble in Jackpot. Unbelievable. 18 dogs in our level got it. OUt of hundreds, literally.
This is what it was:

The dog runs and gets points in the opening (40 seconds) then the buzzer sounds and you had 18 seconds to do the gamble. Ours is C2, C4. C6 (had to be those tunnel entrances) and then the table. The handler can't go past that dotted line. Just the dog.
That is the hardest gamble I have ever seen. Cuz if the dog comes back toward you and takes that jump again after the tunnel, it's over. If they jump on the table before the second tunnel, it's over. Dogs tend to come toward you if you aren't moving always which makes it very hard. I backed UP while Owen was in the first tunnel so I was running at a diagonal when he came out, toward that far tunnel entrance so he'd head that way and it worked...
I did handle it just like I planned but I could NOT believe he did it. I actually stood there gaping as he went in the second tunnel correctly. Well..I wasn't just gaping. I gasped Oh HOLY SH*T, causing much hilarity amongst the people who could see my face (not the judge, fortunately he was behind me).
I can not describe the feeling when my little dog did that....I almost cried.
As I may have mentioned, there was a High In Trial Dachshund award. I wanted it SOOO badly. TOOO badly. I was actually happy when Cicely ran barking out of the ring or when Moose was slow. Karma would dictate that such evil should not be rewarded.
HOWEVER...we GOT IT!!! Me and OWEN WEENIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was so so happy that didn't even think of anything else, yet Owen got TWO MORE AWARDS!!! HIT (high in trial) Standard 4 inch dogs and 2nd HIT Games, 4 inch dogs. And little SALSALITA won 4th place HIT Games, 4 inch dogs!!!!!!
I was so proud getting called 4 times for awards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was so very tired today and so were my wonderful dogs...yet the trailer had to be unpacked, the truck emptied, the prizes looked at, the plaques admired
It was an amazing experience...
And we were like famous. People would point at Owen and I'd hear them say there's the DACHSHUND that got the gamble!!

[Tanya]

Congratulations Amy!!! I am so happy for you and Owen Weenie! :holyshp: Look at ALL of those ribbons!

:way2go:

Love, love love reading about your agility adventures!

[Courtney]

Dang straight you won!!! You guys rock and I just love to read all the agility stories. This weekend we finally have the test to see if we can move to the next level in our training. We did a sequence of jumps with a front cross in class on Saturday and Thor was great. And if you put a jump or tunnel in front of him, he knows just what to do. I'm so excited to do more and can't wait to start competing like you guys!

CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alex's Mom]

Oh my, Amy, I'm sitting here all teary eyed reading this, and then those pics!!!! I just couldn't be any prouder if they were my dogs. I'm just bursting!!! Give them all big hugs from me, and just as big a one for you. Another pic for the fridge of fame!

[areese]

Oh my, Amy, I'm sitting here all teary eyed reading this, and then those pics!!!! I just couldn't be any prouder if they were my dogs. I'm just bursting!!! Give them all big hugs from me, and just as big a one for you. Another pic for the fridge of fame!

Thank you I am so very very proud of them. Even Laika. Cuz she's my best girl and she did get better as the weekend went on. And showed so many many people her lovely belly....
The daughter of Salsa's original breeder, Tammie, was there at Nationals (Pat got Salsa from Tammie's mothe) and she actually cried when Salsa got her plaque LOL. How sweet is that???
I am still in shock from hearing my boy's named called THREE TIMES during the ceremony.

[Mama S.]

Of the hundreds and hundreds of pictures out there - this has got to be the very best set I've had the honor of looking at. Your dedication to your babies shows through clearly in those awards!!! Your team is only as good as their coach!!
Mama

[Tex]

:holyshp: that's a lot of ribbons!!!! Ya'll are just farking amazing!!!

I'm speechless here Amy, and believe me, that doesn't happen very often!!!
:way2go:

[Otto'sMom]

I'm just as proud! Your pups excel in so many things, its just so neat!

[lizzieb38]

Oh my, Amy, I'm sitting here all teary eyed reading this, and then those pics!!!! I just couldn't be any prouder if they were my dogs. I'm just bursting!!! Give them all big hugs from me, and just as big a one for you. Another pic for the fridge of fame!

OMG!!!! So proud of my nieces and nephew, and my great friend too!!! You all are Mav-e-lous, my darlings!!!! I'm gonna get there one day Am, just to see you run those lil honeys!! :woonana: :toot:

[jenfer]

Very impressive. Good work and congrats!