It’s been a while since I posted any training videos. Alice is this close to having her weaves locked in, just within the last month or so all of a sudden it’s like she gets it mentally and physically. So, of couse, Sue and I worked distractions today, the one that really blew both babies’ minds was the food bowl. But they worked through it! I’m doing rear crosses, and also running ahead of her (this has been her real bugaboo, she pops when I get ahead of her), I’m thrilled with how she’s doing!
(turn your sound off if barking bothers you, the crated dogs WANT TO WORK)
Alice 1 (lovely independent dogwalk that I didn’t ask for):
Alice 2 (working not just driving to the dogwalk because it’s there and she enjoys it, reminder that I’m the one who’s navigating!):
Ginger Robertson designed some tough courses for us! Zhora QQ Saturday, Nina Standard Q Sunday, Alice earned a FAST Q and finished her Novice Jumpers title (she had to go back to Novice after getting measured into 8″ regular for her final measurements, which is a GOOD THING), her weaves are really coming along!
Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ):
Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQ # 121):
Alice Saturday FAST (Q):
Nina Saturday Standard (NQ thanks to me getting lost!):
“That was a tough standard course to MACH on, Judge Alex!”
At the Butler Dog Training Club in Erie, Zhora earned her MACH6 under judge Alex Davis (this is Zhora’s second MACH under Alex!).
These were some fun, challenging courses and Zhora loved running them! Thank you so much to all our friends for cheering for us, and special thanks to Zap for the “action” MACH video, in which she multitasks and not only videos, but brings out the ribbon. On the one hand, it showcases Zap’s awesome skillz, on the other, even better, hand, it makes a MACH video look like an episode of “To Catch A Predator” .
I am so very lucky to have this awesome dog to play this wonderful game with, and equally lucky to have such awesome friends in my life.
A year ago at this trial, I held a party for several of my puppies. Unfortunately, I had to leave that trial early because Nina had a pancreatitis flare. That was the beginning of over a month of her being seriously ill, culminating in her being hospitalized over New Year’s and me being genuinely concerned that we might lose her. I am thrilled most of all that she is not only still with us, sassier than ever, still my best friend and official Best Nina Ever, but she’s feeling awesome and doing great.
Sometimes we all need a reminder that tomorrow is never guaranteed, and we never know which run will be our last with our dogs. Every time I step to the line, I try to ask myself: if this were to turn out to be your last run with this dog, would you look back on it and smile, or look back on it and be ashamed of how you felt, how you treated your dog, how you spoke to your dog? Did your dog leave the ring happy? I want both of us to be smiling after every run, even the disasters.
This weekend Nina gave me two QQ’s, and also two old-school-Nina full-on berzerker mode runs (her Standard run yesterday was so hilarious that I told Alex Davis to brace herself when we stepped to the line today!). The QQ’s might have green ribbons attached, but every single one of those runs made me smile, and the rabies mode runs make me smile most of all. Nina makes me smile every single day.
Not to be outdone, Alice had a great weekend too! A height change on her two permanent measurements meant she got to go back to Novice to start Regular instead of Preferred (which I am thrilled about). She earned a Novice QQ on Saturday with her first two legs in Novice Standard and Jumpers, and would have repeated that yesterday if I hadn’t shown acceleration after the aframe in Standard and encouraged her to take off early and knock the last bar. She picked up her second NAJ leg in Jumpers yesterday, so it was well worth staying until the bitter end of the trial and driving home in the dark! I’m very happy, she is turning into a really fun agility partner (I can feel the mojo starting to build) and she really loves the game.
Alice Friday Time 2 Beat:
Zhora Friday Standard (NQ):
Nina Friday Standard (PACH QQ #11):
Nina Friday Jumpers (PACH QQ #11):
Zhora Friday Jumpers (NQ):
Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQ # 119):
Nina Saturday Jumpers (berzerker mode!):
Nina Saturday Standard (berzerker mode again!):
Zhora Saturday Standard (QQ # 119):
Alice Saturday Standard (Q, first NA leg):
Alice Saturday Jumpers (Q, first NAJ leg):
Zhora Sunday Jumpers (part 1 of MACH 6):
Nina Sunday Jumpers (PACH QQ #12):
Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (nice run):
Zhora Sunday Standard (MACH 6 ZHORA!):
Nina Sunday Standard (PACH QQ #12):
Alice Sunday Standard (NQ, I should have decelerated at the end instead of accelerating):
Patricia Dunseith was a new judge to us, her courses were challenging and fun. Zhora picked up QQ #116 with a triple Q. Alice’s weaves are still a work in progress and I can see I need to get back to working on her dogwalk!
Nina Saturday Jumpers (Q, first place, 22 points, 4.874 YPS):
Lots of challenges and good times with Mary Mullen, one of our perennial favorites! Zhora ran fast and sassy, Nina ran like Nina (fast and sassy and selectively deaf), Alice had some awesome runs with some real mojo starting to happen, I am fixing her weaves if she doesn’t really acknowledge they’re an obstacle. I don’t care about qualifying with her right now, just trying to get some communication at trial speeds.
Zhora Saturday Jumpers (NQ):
Nina Saturday Jumpers (Q, 24 points, second place, 4.895 YPS):
Zhora Saturday FAST (Q):
Alice Saturday FAST (NQ):
Zhora Saturday Standard (Q, 29 points, second place, 3.8 YPS):
Judge Ross Johnson has only been a judge for a year or so but we loved his courses! Extension, extension, extension! Zhora had a perfect weekend, Nina went 3/4 and Alice had two of her best runs to date!
Nina Saturday Jumpers (Q, first place, 4.83 YPS, 24 points):
Just one day this weekend, since I went to Toronto the Sunday to visit family. Judge Frank Gilmer is a new favorite! Lovely courses, really nice judge! Alice finished her Novice Standard Preferred title and is all the way in Open now (no more 6 weave poles!)! Double double Q too!
Favorite judge and friend Sherry Jefferson designed some awesome, fast and fun courses for us. Nina QQ’d on Saturday, Zhora QQQ’d on Saturday (her first trial back in a long time due to breeding and she was VERY slow since she thinks she is pregnant), and Alice got an Excellent FAST Q, did 12 weaves in Time 2 Beat and finished her Novice Jumpers Preferred title! A great weekend all around!
We’ve been working her weaves in the back yard with stick-in-the-ground channels. Sue and I had a “baby day” today after we got done clearing contact equipment out for the seminar this weekend. So we played with Alice and Blast. We decided to really work on weaves so we set up a course with 2 x 2 poles between other obstacles (this helps with collection and also with teaching the dog to see the poles as actual obstacles in a course), then we made one set 4 poles. Eventually we got to 12 offset poles (they’re offset a tiny amount, like an inch) AND 12 straight up poles. Her biggest problem right now? She wants to go faster than her body knows how to go. I can see real progress! I am so proud of her.
I am THRILLED with this dog, she proves over and over again what a great dog she is. She LOVES to work, she tries and tries, she’s honest and boy is she fun to work with! Melanie Miller is coming to Sue’s this weekend and thanks to Zhora’s hopefully delicate condition, Alice is going to run on BOTH the Masters day and the Open day. She was on the baby dog day last year.
You can see us working through some issues with awesome results. I love training sessions like this where you AND the dog are wanting more at the end! The DOG should always want to keep going, but it’s great when you both do!
