Oh Yeah, You Blend

Judge and dear friend Sherry Jefferson gave us some typically awesome, fast, fun courses. Nina went 3/4, picking up Preferred QQ #4 (also 4/7 for the 2020 NAC). Alice had a LOT of fun, showed some moments of brilliance, and we had a jumpers run that was the best run I’ve had with her to date. Her name is “AliceAliceAliceHEY!” right now, since zooming is the order of the day.

Nina Saturday Jumpers (Q, first place, 4.955 YPS, 25 points):

Alice Saturday FAST (OMG IT’S SHERRY YOU GUYS!):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ, nice run):

Alice Saturday Standard (ZOOM):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (NQ, but what a lovely run, the best so far!):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (PQQ #3, first place, 4.82 YPS, 24 points):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (ZOOM):

Nina Sunday Standard (PQQ #3, first place, 3.94 YPS, 36 points):

Alice Sunday Standard (ZOOM):

Alice Sunday Jumpers (quite a good run):

Lavonda Herring designed some technical, tricky, tough courses with low Q rates. My dogs LOVED them! NINA HAD A PERFECT WEEKEND! Zhora went 4/5, and Alice had an Excellent FAST Q and some really awesome runs, including a JWW NQ that felt gorgeous.

I am so honored to have these dogs.

Zhora Saturday JWW (Q, second place, 4.8 YPS, 17 points):

Nina Saturday JWW (P QQ#2, first place, 4.9 YPS 23 points):

Zhora Saturday Exc FAST (Q):

Alice Saturday FAST (Q):

Zhora Saturday Standard (NQ):

Nina Saturday Standard (P QQ#2, first place, 3.7 YPS, 33 points):

Alice Saturday Standard (NQ):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (NQ, but what a GORGEOUS run after the weaves):

Zhora Sunday JWW (QQ #106, first place and only 8″ R dog to Q, 4.49 YPS, 15 points, she hates this kind of opening and it shows):

Nina Sunday JWW (P QQ #3, first place, 4.77 YPS, 22 points):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (NQ but some nice stuff):

Zhora Sunday Standard (QQ #106, first place and only 8″ R dog to Q again, 3.7 YPS, 27 points):

Nina Sunday Standard (P QQ #3, first place, 3.8 YPS, 34 points and a PERFECT WEEKEND):

Judge Ginger Robertson gave us some tricky but fun courses. Alice earned her second NAP leg and did TWO SETS OF WEAVES and we felt some mojo happening! I am thrilled with her. Zhora uncharacteristically knocked a bar in JWW yesterday but won Standard, and then double Q’d today, AND SO DID NINA! Nina earned her first PACH QQ today and looked and felt awesome. The trial was tiny this weekend and today I only had 3 dogs between my girls but it worked out just fine.

And then we came home and Tish killed a rabbit. So…circle of life or summat.

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Nina Saturday Standard (would have been a Q if I’d slowed up to pull her over ther 180):

Zhora Saturday Standard (Q, first place 29 points, 3.86 YPS):

Alice Saturday Standard (NAP leg #2!):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (NQ but nice run):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (PACH QQ #1, first place, 23 points, 4.7 YPS):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (QQ#105, second place, 16 points, 4.44 YPS):

Nina Sunday Standard (PACH QQ #1, first place, 34 points, 3.845 YPS):

Zhora Sunday Standard (QQ#105, first place, 29 points, 3.896 YPS):

Zhora had a perfect weekend, Nina earned two Standard Q’s, and Alice ran really well. All in all a good weekend under Pamela (Candy) Nettles!

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQ #103, third place, 17 points, 4.732 YPS):

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Saturday FAST (QQQ):

Alice Saturday FAST (debut in Excellent P FAST, NQ but LOVE the enthusiasm!):

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQ #103, third place, 29 points, 3.8 YPS):

Nina Saturday Standard (Q, third place, 35 points, 3.9 YPS):

Alice Saturday Standard (NQ, a long delay meant she lost her mind, that’s something to work on!):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (NQ but the first half is lovely):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (QQ #104, fourth place, 16 points, 4.444 YPS):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Sunday Standard (QQ #104, third place, 29 points, 3.879 YPS):

Nina Sunday Standard (Q, first place, 35 points, 3.949 YPS):

Some coursework and some weave work. We also worked her running dogwalk but I needed Sue to toss the reward so no video!

I am learning I can trust her and she is learning to be responsible for her obstacle performance. I can’t get over how awesome her attitude and work ethic are!

Some videos from today. Worked on some accel/decel work, weave entries, etc. She’s so much fun.

Alice’s first time in a two ring trial environment and she did great! Some zoomies, some slow runs, but overall really happy with where she’s at. Plus she earned her Open FAST Preferred title today!

Nina was Nina, every run is a blessing. Some almost Q’s.

Zhora was awesome, 5 for 6 with a triple Q today (QQ #102). Especially considering we had a huge ring conflict at the end of the day today and I basically ran Alice in Novice Standard and the other two girls in Mast Jumpers in a space of like 10 minutes. Two ring trials are so stressful when you have dogs in different levels.

Zhora Saturday Master FAST (Q, second place):

Alice Saturday Open FAST:

Alice Saturday Novice Jumpers (OMG I AM SO THRILLED WITH THIS RUN! I wish the start had been videoed, but holy moly I could really feel some mojo happening here!):

Zhora Saturday Standard (Q, first place, 3.72 YPS, 27 points):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Alice Saturday Standard (NQ):

Zhora Sunday FAST (QQQ, third place):

Alice Sunday Open P FAST (Q and OFP title, zoomies but came back and worked and how about that distance?):

Alice Sunday Jumpers (NQ but weaves on first try! Focused = slow with this baby dog):

Zhora Sunday Standard (QQQ, third place, 3.723 YPS, 28 points):

Nina Sunday Standard (NQ):

Alice Sunday Standard (NQ but some good stuff):

Zhora Sunday JWW (QQQ, second place, just a few minutes after Alice’s Std run, 4.283 YPS, 15 points):

Nina Sunday JWW (NQ, handler error after the blind cross disconnect):

Judge Oksana Syrkin is a perennial favorite. Zhora earned her very first MACH under her after all, and she was the judge last November for my mini puppy reunion at which Nina earned her last QQ and then got really ill. So it’s fitting that Nina’s first Q whatsoever since then was today, under Oksana again! Nina’s been running great, and I put her in Preferred very recently to see if it helps her Q. Well today, she Q’d!

Zhora QQ’d yesterday but a stupid handler trick today cost her a double.

Alice ran WONDERFULLY yesterday, and picked up her second Novice P JWW Q. I am really happy with how she’s running, and I can tell you it was a huge relief to see her run fast and happy and drivey after she was so not-herself at the Anna Eifert seminar! She’s driving lines, taking distance (I think she actually prefers more distance than I’m used to).

Love my girls!

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQ # 101, second place in a BIG class, 21 points, 5.082 YPS):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ)

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQ # 101, second place again in a BIG class, 32 points, 4.076 YPS):

Alice Saturday Standard (NQ but really happy with this run):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (NJP leg #2! Driving lines! Running fast!):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (Q, second place, 19 points, 4.694 YPS):

Nina Sunday Standard (FIRST PACH POINTS! FIRST Q SINCE NOVEMBER! First place, 33 points, 3.704 YPS):

Zhora Sunday Standard (NQ):

Alice and I attended the Anna Eifert OneMind Dogs seminar at Paws For Thought Canine Event Center in Groton, NY.

Alice was tired after the last few weeks of near-constant activities, so she wasn’t her normal self, but we learned a lot anyway.

Video to follow

What can I say about this dog? MACH 5 at 6.5 years of age with TWO breaks for puppies. She’s amazing. I am humbled and grateful to have her as my agility partner. Judge Mary Mullen’s courses were tough but really fun! I have some kind of crud so I was tired and winded and hoarse, but we got it done!

I decided to try running Nina in Preferred. She isn’t having trouble with 8″ but it’s worth a try. Well…she sure liked it…she can run even FASTER if she doesn’t have to really jump…love that dog so much. Agility is her bacon bits.

And Alice! SO HAPPY with how she is coming along! I learned that, at least right now, she is more like Nina than Zhora for warmup. She doesn’t need revving up, she needs focus work. You’ll see in her Standard run she’s a bit crazy (that was when I revved her during warmup), whereas in her Jumpers run I did more focus/shadow handling type stuff and she was much more focused. Good to know! She earned her second Open FAST Q and had a LOVELY T2B run including 12 weaves. I am still very much not fixing much, if anything, with her, so I am happy as long as she engages with obstacles and stays with me. I am very impressed with the distance and independent obstacle performances she is showing!

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ but ALMOST a Q):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (NQ, weird haunted weave poles for many dogs):

Zhora Saturday FAST (NQ):

Alice Saturday Open FAST (Q, note my “OH SHIT” moment when I see her take the dogwalk!):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Standard (Q, second place, 28 points):

Alice Saturday Novice P Standard (NQ):

Alice Saturday JWW Nov P (NQ):

Nina Sunday JWW (NQ):

Zhora Sunday JWW (Part 1 of MACH 5, close call! Fourth place, 17 points):

Alice Time 2 Beat P (NQ, but lovely run!):

Nina Sunday Standard (NQ….never stop being Nina, Nina…):

Zhora Sunday Standard (MACH5 ZHORA!! Third place, 29 points):