whendogsfly Posted June 30, 2006 Report Share Posted June 30, 2006 Sorry everyone! It's been so busy I forgot to post. Here's how Saturday's dock diving event went (I wrote this on Sunday): We went to the dock dog event yesterday with Chord, and also brought Muddy along for fun!! The event happened to be called the 'Summer Blast', and we did have a blast! It was outdoors this time, into a lake. The sky threatened to rain on our parade all day, but we came out relatively dry, considering Chord loves to jump into my arms just after he's just jumped. "Did I do good, Mom?" "Ah, yes, Chordy you did a GREAT job!!" I couldn't be more proud of him. So, we got there late (got a bit lost, and this place was almost 3 hours away, so....), but just in time for the 3:00 wave. We practiced twice off the dock, the second was the best. Then we listened in on the handler's meeting, to find out when we were going. We went last in the 3rd round, so over all the people in the wave, we were last. No pressure, right? We were the only Border Collie team jumping. There were mostly one of each of these breeds: Great Dane, Golden Retriever, German Shorthaired Pointer, Bloodhound, Springer Spaniel, and maybe a couple others - I forget now. The majority were Labs, and also a few Chesapeake Bay Retrievers. Chord didn't mind representing BCs, and in my humble opinion, he did wonderfully. So, let?s get down to how he jumped exactly. Last event, in April I think, Chord jumped 14', which was his personal best until yesterday. First official jump - 19'1". I was sooo happy, although it was my fault that he didn't go a few more feet - I threw the toy to the left, and way too short, so Chord jumped to grab it, which cut of a good deal of length. Still, we were so happy, and I was proud of Chord to jump his new personal best (by 5 feet). Second jump, high 18's. I messed up again, and Chord also left the dock a couple feet early. But he was one happy jumper, and I, one happy doggie mom. That was the only wave we entered. There weren?t any more, except Extreme Vertical, and I didn't want to confuse him once we found out that.... he made FINALS!! There are 4 divisions in finals: Professional, Senior, Junior, and Novice. In order to make Pro, your best needs to be 20'+. Senior, your best needs to be 15'+. Junior, your best needs to be 10'+. And for Novice your best needs to be less than 9'11. We made Senior! What a happy time for us, considering this was only our second event (and my first handling Chord). There were a couple dogs jumping 26' in the Pro division. Awesome to watch! Only Labs, Chessies, a GSP, and Chord made finals. In order to make it, you need to be the top 5 in your division. Chord was in the top 3! Most of the dogs in Senior were jumping in the high teens, like Chord. We went up there, 3rd to jump this time, out of 5 teams in Senior. Chord made his best official jump yet at 20?1? (6 feet of improvement)! He flew, I didn?t mess up too much, and we were so happy. For the first Senior finals jump, we were in the lead of all five teams. Then the second jump came around, and I messed up royally. Chord could feel my nervousness, and got so excited that he began creeping up (gotta love that BC instinct), even when he had perfect stays all day. This is where I made my mistake - I should have gotten him back right away. Instead, I got to the end of the dock, looked back, and he had already crept up half the length of the dock. Foolishly, I didn?t reset him, and threw the toy anyway without thinking. This lost speed, but Chord managed a jump in the mid 19?s. Still awesome! He ran back to the dock like ?Hey, my silly mom messed up - redo!? Haha, it doesn?t work that way in events Chord. It didn?t matter though, we were there to have fun, and that we did. And we ended up tying for 8th in the overall results, with a girl and a Black Lab who had qualified for the Pro division. We got 3rd in the Sr. division. And now I?m sure everyone wants to hear about what we won?. A huge yellow ribbon (3rd place), and a bag full of doggie stuff ? toys, treats, collar & leash, health supplement, t-shirt, bandana, and some more things I can?t remember. Oh, and I can't forget the $25 that the club so graciously awarded us as well. And, best of all, by far, one happy dog!! Okay, make that two, Muddy was very happy that Chord shared his winnings with her on the ride home, and plenty more to go around for the rest of the dogs. Here?s how we?re splitting it all up ? one for Chord, one for Zilli, one for Chord, one for Puzzle, one for Chord, one for Bear, one for Chord, one for Map, one for Chord, one for Muddy, one for Chord, two for Humble (oh, yes, she?s the spoiled one), one for Chord, one for Lavender, one for Chord, one for Nugget, one for Chord, and one for Will. Sound fair? Chord thinks so. Well, I think that?s about it. I couldn?t even sleep when we got home at 2AM because of the excitement of the day. I was up until 5AM, and by then it was time to let the dogs out! I am officially addicted to dock jumping! I?m sure my parents are so happy?. Sarah, Chord, & the Team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted June 30, 2006 Report Share Posted June 30, 2006 Wow, what a great job he did!! Awesome! I wonder if Zeeke would enjoy something like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruger's Dad Posted July 1, 2006 Report Share Posted July 1, 2006 I have only seen one Border Collie on TV whenever I have watched dock jumping. I believe he won too. I would think they would be a natural due to their lighter weight and great speed. Thanks for relating your story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie+Tess&Kipp Posted July 1, 2006 Report Share Posted July 1, 2006 How neat! Thanks for the good descriptions. I've only ever seen a few minutes on TV. I am wondering--is this useful somewhere? I assume this is based on hunting dogs going out in the water to get a duck or whatever? Just curious. It sounds like a blast, whether or not it has a "practical" purpose. Allie + Tess & Kipp http://weebordercollie.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra s. Posted July 3, 2006 Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 This sounds like so much fun! I've never heard of people doing it over here (not that it matters much because if Kessie can't touch the bottom with a paw from the edge of a pool, she needs to be shoved in, even if the water is only up to her shoulders ). Congrats on the prize! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixie_Girl Posted July 3, 2006 Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 Way to go Chord! Don't worry about the "mess ups"! They happen. Like you said, y'all had a great time, so that was cool! It really amazes me how far they can jump! Thanks for sharing with us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheri McDonald Posted July 3, 2006 Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 Way to go Sarah and Chord! Did anyone get some photos of you both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc friend Posted July 3, 2006 Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 Sounds like fun was had by all! Great job Sarah and Chord! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eireann Posted July 3, 2006 Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 Hey, Sarah!! It's Annie- did we know that we had this forum in common? I guess I'm pretty much a faker though, because I don't even have a border. haha Anyway, great to hear about your achievement! That dog must be awesome. Once again, I'm going to warn you that if I ever meet the boy, I will steal him! I'm headed to the 4th of July event this weekend in my area. I hope Connor gets half of Chord's distance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whendogsfly Posted July 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 Thanks for the replies everyone! Allie, you are probably right, but I really don't know the history behind it the madness . I'll try to find out for you. Cheri, nope, I can't find any. There were a couple photographers from the newspaper, and I wrote to them, but they didn't write back. Annie, funny seeing you here! I'll gladly let you 'borrow' Chord . Have a great time with Connor! ~Sarah & the Team~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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