It's all about the cake!!!

OK, I was planning to title this blog and then just leave the title hanging for those who "understand" what it means to be able to have a bit of a laugh at an inside joke, but, I just cannot do it.
So, what's with the title?? At the trial this weekend there were no less than 7 MACH cakes and a box of MACH brownies! I never saw so many cakes! I think even more impressive was the fact that all of these cakes and brownies were consumed before the trial was complete! I am pretty sure if you completed a MACH or PAX title and did not bring a cake you would quite possibly be kicked out of the trial :-) Thinking we have some sort of addiction going on here!
Anyway, it was a great trial and I had a FANTASTIC weekend!
SoBe was the superstar again finishing her AX-J title on Friday with a 1st place run, getting her first 2 MX-J legs over Sat. and Sun. and starting and finishing her AX with 3 first place standard runs! I could not be more proud of my girl :-)
SoBe is 3rd generation Hijacker/Dream Weaver breeding, my breeding! I bred her grandmother, her father and now SoBe and all 3 are agility Champions! This along with Champions of my heart!! How cheesy is that!!! LOL!
SoBe's daddy Wally did continue with his tradition of insuring a non-double Q weekend, if he Q's in either run he carefully plans at least 1 fault in the other run to guarantee no double Q, it appears to be a very well honed skill. I will be forever thrilled with his one and only appearance in the AKC Nationals in 2010 :-)
Maze maintained his brilliance going 5 out of 5! There was no 6th run as he somehow managed to pop his SI joint and needed a chiropractic adjustment at the trial that left him too sore to run his last run! I have already iced him this evening and am a bit concerned as he has always been so sound and this is quite nerve wracking!
On to another topic... the courses this weekend were really interesting, quite challenging, and, presented some different challenges in a few cases a bit different than what is generally presented on an Excellent course.
This presented some interesting conversations that I found quite thought provoking.
First, a friend and I were talking about courses, etc.. and she asked me what was so different about USDAA courses, she does primarily AKC and several people have told her that AKC and USDAA courses are soooo different, I disagree, and told her so :-)
Both USDAA and AKC utilize the same obstacles, and, although there are some variations in what is "allowed" as far as challenges are concerned, a judge is still just taking those same obstacles and arranging them in different configurations that make up each and every course.
The challenge is in how each handler interprets the course layout and analyzes what the most efficient path from point A to point B might be for them and their dog, at which point they must figure out what cues and/or combinations of cues are necessary to get said dog from point A to point B.
After this particular discussion I found it very interesting how many people do have a habit of blaming the course for the issues that occur on the various courses.
People seem truly stymied by unusual obstacle configurations and get bogged down by the perceived level of difficulty instead of viewing it for what it is, a configuration of obstacles, that need to be handled.
Every handler has a toolbox at their disposal that includes whatever skills they have taught their dog, along with the cues necessary to get their dog to offer the various behaviors that make up these skill sets. Whether it is a giant industrial size toolbox or a home handy man toolbox, either way there is a finite number of individual tools that any person utilizes on any given course.
Regardless of how the obstacles are arranged there should never be a configuration that cannot be handled, the key is to dig deep in that toolbox and figure out which tools, combination of tools, and, where and when to use said tools is the answer to the challenges brought forth on each course.
Common sense suggests that we are at some point going to come across something that really gives us pause for thought, these scenarios should make us think about where we may be lacking in a skill set that still needs to be taught, in which case it should be taught :-)
I know for myself, one of the reasons I keep coming back to the trials is for the personal challenge of figuring out the "formula" as it were for success on each of the different courses. Each one is a puzzle and whether or not I always come up with the right answer it is always a learning experience and each course helps prepare me for the next one in some form or fashion.
I do know that you need to trust your gut, and, after evaluating your options, if one feels right, it probably is :-) You should plan your run and run your plan, pay attention to the process and the outcome will be there! I think that is a nice combination of cliche's that pretty much sum up what our mindset needs to be when deciding on the course of action we are going to employ to run the course, (pun intended:-)!
Have a good time, analyze, don't over-analyze, hug your dog, say something nice to lots of someones, and then... let them eat cake!