2012 WAO Tryouts- Jumpers Opening

[MaggieRoseLee]

USDAA courses are really fun and my dogs seem to do fine with only the 2 extra inches (jumping 26" rather than the normal 24" in AKC).

If you've not been jumping your measured height in AKC (for instance jumping 20" though measure for 24"), you also can jump lower in USDAA (22" ??) .

For me NADAC is actually the 'hardest' for us and that because they really are meant for speed (time can be an issue on the courses) and the hoops are something I don't have so can't practice normally. T

[kbella999]

I know it is only 2" more but I don't want to push my luck with Jerry Lee's elbows. I love Nadac but that is because I started with Nadac and really just started doing AKC. I think both present challenges. AKC seems to have more handling challenges while Nadac has faster times, discriminations and a lot more distance to cover. I enjoy both AKC and Nadac and plan to continue doing both. Wouldn't mind trying a USDAA course though. I'm always hearing about Steeplechase but I don't know what it is. The club that is going to start the USDAA trial said they would have a "Starters" trial first since no one in our area probably competes in USDAA.

[I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO]

Originally Posted by kbella999

One club is going to start USDAA in my area. I may try it out for fun but probably won't continue in that path. Do you do AKC also? I was wondering how they compare. I know the jump heights are higher which is a big concern for me.

I started in NADAC, did three AKC trials and switched to USDAA almost three years ago. I used to love NADAC, but started hating it after they added the hoops. The way they make their times for courses is based on obstacles (instead of measuring the course) and we could barely make time in Elite weavers-my last NADAC trial was a day where my dog ran as fast as he could and didn't make time.
I found AKC to be a bit boring- wait ALL day for two runs, maybe three.
I tried out USDAA and loved it! It's a perfect mix of NADAC's speed (but not quite as tight on time) and games and AKC's challenging courses. USDAA courses consist of a lot of turns and off courses, but you have to run fast (at least in the master's classes) to make time.

There is the standard class, jumpers, but also gamblers (pick up points then do a distance challenge), snooker (pick up points in a strategic way, then do a closing sequence, must get top 15% of class to get a SuperQ-need three of those to title), and pairs-a relay course that you pair with another team to each to half the course.

Then there's the tournament classes. Grand Prix is like a standard course but tighter on time. DAM is a tournament where you're on a team with two other dogs. Steeplechase is a really fast and fun course where the top three dogs in each height class set the time and you have to run as fast as possibly to qualify- everyone watches and cheers- it's a lot of fun!

If you are worried about jump height- you can enter in performance and jump 22". I think you should check it out!!

[KristiM]

One if the reasons I love NADAC is that if my handling is there and Odin is on, we can be competitive. The way the courses are laid out means that if Odin is running hard, we are capable as a team to beat the smaller, faster dogs (border collies.) I think that with the tight courses and 26" jumps, regardless of my handling being perfect and Odin moving as fast as physically possible we will never come close to those border collies I have have yet to trial in AAC (which I believe is similar to USDAA) but just knowing what a gsd is physically capable of compared to a bc, I don't think it's possible. (I also think that AAC may be tighter than USDAA, I have been told that the obstacles are most often only 15 feet apart.)

That being said it is still super fun! I can't wait til out first AAC trial in less than 2 weeks

~I also HATE the games in NADAC! I find them very BORING. Go figure.


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[MaggieRoseLee]

USDAA really is fun and I know a ton of people that switch off all the time during the year between those trials and AKC. Now that AKC has Time2Beat and FAST, there are up to 4 runs a day so no longer can people complain and say you are at an AKC trial the entire day for just 2 runs.

Interesting thing (one interesting thing ) about USDAA is people who competed there used to go on and one about how AKC people were all snobs and wouldn't allow mixed breeds and rescues and that was so horrible. But now the AKC DOES allow mixed breeds and almost every trial I attend welcomes any and all dogs. WHILE the fact is when you go to a USDAA you'd think there would be tons of mixed breeds, right? Wrong. Crazy overload of the herding breeds like Border Collies.

[wildo]

Originally Posted by kbella999

That is a difficult sequence there and I'm not sure how I would do it but I may set it up and give it a try.

Did you happen to set it up and try? How'd it go?

[I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO]

Originally Posted by MaggieRoseLee

USDAA really is fun and I know a ton of people that switch off all the time during the year between those trials and AKC. Now that AKC has Time2Beat and FAST, there are up to 4 runs a day so no longer can people complain and say you are at an AKC trial the entire day for just 2 runs.

Interesting thing (one interesting thing ) about USDAA is people who competed there used to go on and one about how AKC people were all snobs and wouldn't allow mixed breeds and rescues and that was so horrible. But now the AKC DOES allow mixed breeds and almost every trial I attend welcomes any and all dogs. WHILE the fact is when you go to a USDAA you'd think there would be tons of mixed breeds, right? Wrong. Crazy overload of the herding breeds like Border Collies.

Ah yes, I forgot to mention, as MRL did, that AKC has improved a lot. I haven't seen any trials by me that offer all four classes in one day, but even to have three is better than two. Also, my AKC friends have told me that the way the trials here have been organized lately, they do the levels back to back, so they'll do for example Excellent standard and Excellent JWW, then Open std, Open JWW, etc. This makes for a much more efficient, productive day!
I actually did want to try AKC again after we get our ADCh, but I might just retire my dog after that. He has arthritis in his back I may just go to AKC and jump at 20", but I'll have to see how he's doing then.

So true about USDAA- the majority of dogs are BCs! Sometimes it's fun being the only GSD at a trial (which I usually am, lol) but other times it would be nice to compare our time against similar dogs.

[kbella999]

Originally Posted by wildo

Did you happen to set it up and try? How'd it go?

No, but our class was cancelled tonight so I will try it out when I go home. In our class we are taught a command to send the dogs to the back side of the jump. I'm still working on this with Jerry Lee but this will be good practice for us.

[kbella999]

Originally Posted by wildo

Did you happen to set it up and try? How'd it go?

I tried the sequence last night. We were able to do the post turn on the 1st jump perfectly. The post turn on the 2nd jump took us several attempts to get it right. I felt a little more dizzy doing it the with the post turn on the 2nd jump too. In class when we've had 2 back side jumps in a row, there has always been space between the two jumps. Without the space sure does put a whole new spin on it. Here is my video if you want to watch.

WAO Jumpers Opening Sequence - YouTube

WAO Jumpers Opening Sequence - YouTube

[wildo]

Nice Belinda!! And remember, in the real sequence, those jumps are wing jumps which would make it a bit easier. Also, I'm not sure if you use blind crosses or not, but that's another option.