Elite times

[MSito]

Oh thanks Patti, that means a lot. You've been able to watch her progress.  Thank you

[Chris on Mushtown Road]

Melinda,
Keep working on efficiency! And never let up on the last obstacle.

Chris in MN
whose Maggie went 18 months between Elite Jumpers Qs. Never give up!

[RobertStewart]

Never get discouraged, NADAC is more about keeping you and your dog ENcouraged!

You don't HAVE to move up to Elite, you can stay at the Open level and keep getting those Q's

Moving back to Open, is NOT a bad thing or negative in any way, shape of form. I often keep my dogs at the Novice or Open levels just to make sure we are working well as a team, and having decent communication and solid connection with your dog. The epic fails there, have always been exclusively mine.

Remember NADAC has some amazing titles and extended awards you can earn Outstanding Open Tunnelers, Superior Open Tunnellers, etc. You are still accumulating points towards potential "Points" awards.That first 1,000 point award is an amazing GOAL!!! and Guess what, you can do it in Novice, or even Intro level classes! You never even have to enter open or Elite to obtain that. How amazing is that?!?

So, your instructor can def. help you with being more efficient in what you're doing, making your timing more crisp and clear.

Best of luck!

Robert

[MSito]

That's my plan to stay in the lower levels. I'll try for an elite tunnel a few more times. I'm deliriously happy she's enjoying the game and eager to do agility. I think I need to give her more info and build her confidence to "go on" ahead of me.

[KarissaKS]

If you choose to go for the extended titles at the lower levels, be sure to occasionally check to see how your dog's time compares to the Elite requirements. As you continue to improve you will likely find that she is able to make Elite times. Once you feel comfortable knowing that you can do it, then you can move back to Elite at that time and continue your success.

[BeckyAH]

I'm not elite, but after being .04 seconds under time on a tunneler's  (novice) run, I actually had a bit of a mental crisis wondering if my dog was ever, ever going to be fast enough to Q.  I mean - my dog ran and my dog ran FAST, darn it all, and I just couldn't see her running enough faster to EVER make time on an elite, or even open, course. 

Bottom line, and this isn't flack at all, for me it was me setting inefficient lines,  being slow with my cues,  ending up on parts of the course I had no business being (and thereby getting in my dog's way and costing us time) and generally just not being as good a handler as I should have been.

I have NO CLUE how much difference that will make in our time, but I'm looking forward to finding out at our next trial in a couple of weeks! If I can hold my head together.  If my dog holds HER head together.  IF I don't get lost and all those assorted other thoughts.

NADAC is fast.  It's achievable but the real name of that game isn't making the dog run faster, it's making the dog run smoother, I think.   But again: newbie, here.

I wanted to update this just in case anyone else is interested.  My dog (runs 8")'s YPS in the run I mentioned above was 3.2.  That was missing the Q at novice by .004 of a second.   

She made time on a couple of more tunnelers runs and got those Qs.  Her Novice Title YPS was 4.4.  I don't think she really got all that much faster, though she did gain some with more confidence.  Mostly, it was just a much cleaner run and I was able to use a much longer lead out (long lead outs REALLY help my dog).

Now, if I could figure out the YPS requirements for open and elite for small dogs -  (Anyone here capable of doing math?)

[bhodges865]

True that, Gina.  While I don't ever quit trying to improve as a handler, I think you do have to listen to and respect your dog, and adjust your own goals and expectations accordingly.  My first agility dog Kintla wasn't a great weaver, and Elite Jumpers proved to be just too tough for him, but he was the best Touch & Go dog ever ..... :-)  His medal for 800 lifetime points in Elite T&G is priceless to me ....

So true!  While my little girl can make time in Elite Weavers, she just doesn't like doing a lot of weaves because it makes her sore.  So I only run Open weavers when we need to qualify for Champs.  I know we'll never have a V Natch but I strive for top 10 in the other classes.

[RobertStewart]

Also remember the extended titles that NADAC does. It's a major incentive to keep your dogs at a "lower" level while your dog builds both skill and confidence up! I've gone for te Superior titles with my dog Ellie, it was a great confidence builder for a small terrier who is a rescued street dog in south Texas. I'd totally encourage you to go back and pick up those novice and open superior titles, triple superior and triple-triple! I'm just as proud of those titles as I am of the natch's. That's where you will gain greater efficiency. As your efficiency as a handler increases, your dogs confidence will increase, and their performance efficiency will likewise increase. best of luck to you.

[Erin Wajda]

Now, if I could figure out the YPS requirements for open and elite for small dogs -  (Anyone here capable of doing math?)

Hi Becky,

The YPS requirements for each class for large dogs are listed in a table in the Exhibitor's Handbook under Standard Course Time.  To figure out what the YPS requirement for small dogs would be, take the large dog YPS and divide by 1.2.  If you are running as a small skilled dog, take the large dog YPS and divide by 1.25.

I hope this helps!

Erin

[BeckyAH]

Enormously helpful, thank you!  I was thinking myself around in circles and knots with it!