I reviewed a suite of TDAA courses this evening. That’s always a fun exercise. The hard part truly is reviewing the games. Unlike most agility organizations we can play any game that might be conceived. So it’s quite a trick arriving at qualifying criteria appropriate for every level of play to the extent that we don’t skunk the field or give away the farm. Fortunately most games that we play these days have quite a bit of history. And in about eight years of league play at Dogwood I got a pretty good understanding of using games in competition.

I’m getting ready for my trip to Pocatello. I’ll leave Thursday morning at O’dark:30. I return on Monday morning but will be out the door again by Wednesday, heading for Portland, OR, for a TDAA judges clinic and trial.

Yesterday I finally broke down and called Hughes.net to install a high speed satellite system. I’m pretty tired of dial up. Time Warner actually has a cable that passes right in front on my house. I was here the day they strung the cable. But the local technical people are asleep at the wheel and tell me that service isn’t available. I recognize what’s happening is that they are relying on GPS data to identify where I am. Unfortunately GPS puts my house about 10 miles away from where it actually sits. I’ve tried to explain this to them. But they’re a rigid unthinking bureaucracy. So the hell with them.

I managed to do another drawing today. I’m getting a nice collection of them. I have a publication work planned that needs a bunch of action pics. I’ve tried to solicit the assist of artists out there but have had lukewarm interest. So, I’ll just draw them myself. My style is primitive; and I hide my lack of knowledge of canine anatomy in shady blurs. Beyond that, I guess they’ll do. Somebody asked why I use Border Collies so often. To tell you the truth… they allow for a black & white contrast that lets me do puzzle piece shapes that suggest the dog more than accurately render it. You see, it’s a cheat.

Sequencing

Novice Course

Advanced Course

The Phantom Blind and Other Foibles

What’s My Line

Okay, since I posed the question… you tell me!

The objective of the What’s My Line class is to perform every obstacle on the course without repeating any, and without leaving any out. Of course it requires a judge with a mind like a steel trap to keep track…

Okay… send me your answer. Whoever has the best answer (shortest distance satisfying the rules criteria) will win the all expenses paid trip to San Juan Puerto Rico!

[Okay, wait a minute. It appears that the committee that went down to investigate the San Juan prize actually exhausted the funds for the award. So, I have to take that one off the table. And I’ll let you know what the remainder of the funds will buy you later, after you’ve done all the work to solve the puzzle.] 

Questions comments & impassioned speeches to Bud Houston: BudHouston@earthlink.net. And Check out my new publication the Idea Book – Agility Training for a Small Universe available at www.dogagility.org/store.