Lobo (Alkemi Beowulf del Roble LS) earned his AXJ (Agility Excellent Jumpers) title and has now become a Versatile Swedish Vallhund Champion, the first Vallhund to earn this honor with 100% performance titles!!
He and Jan are an amazing team!
Judge Mark Upshaw…he talks fast, calls faults like there’s no tomorrow, but his courses are fun and very challenging.
Zhora went 3/4 (not counting FAST), I sent her to the backside of a not-backside jump today and cost us a QQ. Nina went 1/4 but had a lovely JWW Q today.
Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ):
Zhora Saturday Jumpers (part 1 of QQ #72, 13 points, 4.4 YPS):
Zhora Saturday FAST (NQ, thought she was committed to the tunnel….she wasn’t):
Nina Saturday Standard (NQ):
Zhora Saturday Standard (part 2 of QQ #72, first place out of five qualifiers, including some really fast dogs, she was on fire! 29 points, 3.78 YPS):
Nina Sunday Jumpers (Q, fourth place, 5.05 YPS):
Zhora Sunday Jumpers (Q, just a second behind Nina! 4.986 YPS, blind crosses are really the right choice for her!):
Nina Sunday Standard (NQ):
Zhora Sunday Standard (NQ thanks to stupid handler trick):
Alice is coming along nicely, not worried, learning well, focused. I need to work on obstacle focus, but I’m happy with how she’s doing, especially since right now we’re really only playing one day a week.
Judge Mary Mullen designed Mary Mullen courses for us. Fun, flowy and fast. Zhora had her second perfect weekend in a row. Nina had a nice Standard Q and a Jumpers Q, unfortunately not on the same day…it’s going to be very close for Nina for the Invitational this year….skipping 6 months has taken a toll on her standings!
Zhora is a MACHINE just now, and already over half way to MACH4. She’s amazing.
Zhora Friday FAST (Q, first place):
Zhora Friday Standard (part 1 of QQ # 69, second place to World Team Keebler, 27 points, 3.688 YPS):
Nina Friday Jumpers (NQ):
Zhora Friday Jumpers (part 2 of QQ # 69, second place to WTK, 17 points, 4.41 YPS):
Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ, nice run):
Zhora Saturday Jumpers (part 1 of QQ # 70, second place to WTK, 17 points, 4.576 YPS):
Nina Saturday Standard (Q, second place to WTK, 33 points, 4.29 YPS):
Zhora Saturday Standard (Part 2 of QQ # 70, third place, 30 points, 3.98 YPS):
Nina Sunday Jumpers (Q, first place, 20 points, 4.959 YPS):
Zhora Sunday Jumpers (part 1 of QQ # 71, second place, 17 points, 4.48 YPS):
Nina Sunday Standard (NQ, nice run, needed to push further out for weaves):
Zhora Sunday Standard (part 2 of QQ # 71, second place to WTK, 28 points, 3.812 YPS):
Lobo (Alkemi Beowulf del Roble LS) earned his OAJ on Thursday and his AX on Friday! Congratulations to Jan and Lobo!
She’s in a bit of an 8 month old shithead phase, so today we did a bit of much-needed reminders about Crate Games and tricks and relationship building. She’s wonderful anyway, it’s normal testing the boundaries stuff, and it’s quite easy to pull her back to being her usual self. I wanted a strong-willed dog, and Vallhunds are that! She face planted while practicing today and got right back up and went back to work, not much phases her so far, which I love. And she is being great with Sue’s new puppy Blast for such a hellion!
(she is not actually weaving 12 poles, we’re still on wide open channels, but she does do a few in line)
Zhora had another PERFECT WEEKEND (the first since the puppy break)! Oksana Syrkin is one of our very favorite judges, her courses aren’t easy, but my dogs love them. If I had repositioned Nina at the start of Saturday Standard, she likely would have stayed and not missed her weaves, when she gets into hyperfocused stare ahead ignore Amanda mode, I know she isn’t really connecting with me. And we might have doubled. Oh well…that one didn’t get recorded, so maybe a good thing.
Nina Saturday Jumpers (second place, 23 points, 5.5 YPS):
Zhora Saturday Jumpers (part 1 of QQ #67, 18 points, 4.7 YPS):
Zhora Saturday Standard (part 2 of QQ #67, 3.8 YPS, 28 points):
Nina Sunday Jumpers (5.2 YPS, 22 points, nearly had a runoff with Dana but were in fifth):
Zhora Sunday Jumpers (part 1 of QQ #68, 4.9 YPS, 20 points):
Nina Sunday Standard (AUGH! THERE ARE 12 WEAVE POLES! She gets through all the tough stuff…):
Zhora Sunday Standard (part 2 of QQ #68, 4 YPS, 31 points):
We’ve been doing bits here and there but really haven’t done much other than some very basic things, and look what she can do!
Love this puppy so much. She’s 8 months and one day old. She does a few tiny jumps once a week or less (in case you’re wondering). Love her focus and working drive, love how she isn’t afraid to be wrong, and I LOVE how bombproof she is so far!
Really excited about how fast she’s running and how she’s taking distance and driving to obstacles. I also LOVE that she reads the deceleration cue at the wrap perfectly:
Love how she gets more confident as she goes along!
Judge Lavonda Herring is always one of our favorites. Her courses this weekend were pretty tricky, especially for Lavonda, and we didn’t have our greatest Q rate ever. But the dogs and I had fun and that’s what really counts as always!
Zhora Saturday Jumpers (third place, 19 points, 4.9 YPS, me blind crossing like a maniac):
Nina Saturday Jumpers (doing her usual “rabid badger” impression because of the tunnel start, NQ, there are 12 weaves Nina…I know you want to get a move on, but THERE ARE 12 WEAVES):
Zhora Saturday Standard (NQ, I was a “moose” and she didn’t see the teeter until she couldn’t get on safely):
Nina Saturday Standard (second place, 31 points, 4.029 YPS):
Zhora Sunday Jumpers (third place, 16 points, 4.6 YPS):
Nina Sunday Jumpers (if she hadn’t broken her start line stay, this would have been an awesome Q):
Zhora Sunday Standard (CURSE ALL THAT SENDING TO THE TABLE WORK!):
Nina Sunday Standard (the only bar she dropped all weekend):
CONGRATULATIONS to Jennifer Corbin and Cricket (Zhora’s sister, now officially Alkemi Braveheart LS ADC) on earning her Agility Dog of Canada title in Agility Association of Canada (AAC is like USDAA but in Canada)! Cricket is a speed demon like her mother Nina, and Jennifer and Cricket have worked very hard. This is Cricket’s first title, but I doubt it will be her last, they’re an awesome team! Way to go! (Cricket also barks on the table….I fear this may be genetic LOL)