gcv-border Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 I am a fan of NADAC Tunneler courses. I don't normally trial in NADAC, but because a local club holds a spring and fall NADAC trial every year, I go to play. [Every other agility trial is an hour or more distant.] I think that Tunnelers is a great challenge for experienced dogs and a wonderful proving ground for beginning dogs. Background: Torque - almost 9 year old experienced agility dog. Very fast and focused, but he is a tad slower (thankfully, whew) due to his age. LOVES agility. Kiefer: just turned 2. Main activity is herding, but occasionally I have done some training in the backyard because I have a tunnel, weave poles and some jumps. The channel weave poles are still 8 inches apart, and I have never 'sequenced' more than two obstacles i.e a tunnel and a jump or vice versa. He is nowhere near what I would term a 'Novice' dog. But... Two weekends ago, I had taken Torque to a local NADAC trial. Kiefer came too so he could get used to the chaotic atmosphere of an agility trial (i.e. crating in the car, walking around other dogs, sights and sounds of dogs running on the equipment). I made a last minute decision to run Kiefer in the Tunnelers class. I thought that it might be a good test of focus and control for Kiefer. Just a 'look see'. My main goals were to see if he would (1) keep a start line stay in a chaotic atmosphere, (2) not jump out of the ring and go visiting and (3) listen to me while we were 'running the course'. I wasn't expecting to run the course completely as designed. Heck, we had never run more than 2 or 3 obstacles at one time. I thought that I would run him through a few easy tunnels and then have a party and leave. I wanted to make it a fun and exciting time for him. I was so proud of my boy. He did 1, 2, AND 3. He listened well enough that we did run the course as designed. We did not Q (that was not my goal anyway) because I would send him through 2 or 3 tunnels, and then we would party, then the next 2 or 3 tunnels, and another party, rinse and repeat. I guess we partied too much to Q. If he ever gets fully trained, he is going to be super fast. Not sure my handling skills are up to his level, but as long as he is having fun, all is good. For his first ever course, I had someone come up to me after the run and, laughingly 'complain' about getting hit by the clods of dirt that Kiefer threw up 30 feet away when he was released to the first tunnel. Wowee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Root Beer Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 Fun!! I love Tunnelers!! Like you, I don't run in NADAC much, but I will if there is a trial nearby. There hasn't been for quite a while, though.Tessa's first Q's were in NADAC - 2 Tunnelers and 1 Weavers. After we finish our CPE C-ATCH, I mean to go back and finish those two titles with her. And yes, I plan to let Bandit play! My friend and I are going to take turns running him in NADAC classes at some trial in the future!! We are going to have a blast with him! Cool that Kiefer got to play!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CptJack Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 I missed Torque's run, but saw Keifer's and he did SO WELL, and I think you're right - when you put all those pieces together and he gets a little more experience he's going to be on fire! I really like Tunnelers. We rarely Q in it because the handling in tunnelers can actually be harder for me (and because I have a kind of slow dog), but my goodness the dogs love it and *I* love it. I don't even care about the Qs, it's the game I enter purely because it makes danged sure the trial ends on a fun note for my dog! Though in truth, she's an odd one. *Her* favorite classes are touch 'n' go (first) and regular. Contact obstacles are where it's at with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airbear Posted April 4, 2016 Report Share Posted April 4, 2016 Wick LOVED Tunnelers. As the equipment disappeared from NADAC, we kept showing up for the Tunnelers. She knew when they were setting it up. It's like she heard the tunnel bags being secured and the hair would stand up on the back of her neck. Wick's claim to fame, in my eyes anyway, is that she had 19 consecutive Qs in Elite Tunnelers, most of which were first place. The one she missed was all me. She could t get a novice weaver's title, but she did get her Superior Tunnelets Elite (or whatever it might be called now). I doubt Rex could get a novice Tunnelers Q. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alligande Posted April 5, 2016 Report Share Posted April 5, 2016 I miss tunnelers, it was so much fun. I had started to really dislike NADAC, but I kept going because I liked the local organizers and it was close to home, but as much as I got fed up with the courses in jumpers and regular I continued to love a good tunnelers run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted April 6, 2016 Report Share Posted April 6, 2016 I doubt Rex could get a novice Tunnelers Q. Awww, Rex! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 LOL. Did I not warn you that the brothers have many a relative who are smokin' fast agility dogs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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