Oh Yeah, You Blend

Not Nina’s best weekend. Judge Janet Budzynski set some nice courses, but one little thing kept us from qualifying more than once. We got Jumpers on Saturday for 13 points, but that was it.

However! Zhora got her first-ever qualifying run in only her third-ever run at a trial (and her second trial day ever). She is not “trialing” for real yet, she is just coming out for a day here and there to get some experience, but I was THRILLED with both her runs this weekend, she was focused, drove to the equipment, and smooth! Feels like she is starting to get the hang of this agility game! She is still very handler focused (she is a baby), but she is starting to learn to focus on the equipment when she should. I am only asking for weaves twice, since I don’t want to make it a “thing”, but I also want to give her a chance to get it right. So happy with where she is at!

Nina Jumpers yesterday (13 points), she was WILD and went all over the place, but we held it together:

Zhora’s first Novice Jumpers leg:

Nina’s 2015 Nationals tally: 1/4 double Q’s, 12/20 legs, 216/500 points

We were only entered Saturday and Sunday this weekend (and Time 2 Beat on Friday). The weather has been horrible here, extremely cold, so the dogs have had far less exercise than usual, which meant that Nina basically had rabies in T2B. Nina went 2 for 2 in Jumpers, extending her Jumpers Q streak to 6 now. We were a spin away from a double Q today, but she came off the table behind me and didn’t know where to go so she spun in front of a jump and earned a refusal. Today Tish WEAVED for the first time in a VERY long time at a trial, I had to try something different and really babysit them, but it worked. Unfortunately that run wasn’t recorded. Yesterday I turned away from her on the table and she decided to go visit the judge (making the crowd say “Awwwwww”, judge Lisa Rieves told me later that she thought Tish was so cute she wanted to pick her up), she is running very fast for Tish, and very happy. Very proud of my girls!

Nina’s 2015 Nationals tally: 1/4 double Q’s, 9/20 legs, 157/500 points.

Nina Saturday Jumpers Q (14 points):

Nina Saturday Standard:

Tish Saturday Jumpers:

Tish Saturday Standard:

Nina Sunday Jumpers Q (15 points):

Nina Sunday Standard:

Tish Sunday Standard:

What a GREAT weekend we had! I always love judge Mary Mullen’s courses and she is so lovely to show to, which is why I decided to have Zhora make her trial debut this weekend. Nina earned double Q #6 on Friday (technically a triple Q, since she also won Time 2 Beat) and qualified in Jumpers all three days (only the second time this has happened!), she also put up her best weekend to date, qualifying in 5 of 8 runs, that’s better than 50%!

2015 Nationals tally: 1/4 double Q’s, 7/20 legs, 128/500 points.

Tish did very well in her first trial back after the time off I opted to give her. She is still not weaving in trials but ran faster than she ever has and was happy and responsive the whole time, she would have qualified in almost every run if she had just weaved!

And Zhora! She was SO much better than I had expected. She is not really trial ready, but you don’t really know what you have until you try at a trial. She was wonderful! No danger of a Q, of course, but I was VERY pleasantly surprised! She went off to visit the ring crew once each time (I love having a friendly dog!) but she came right back and worked with me, we got a very respectable second half of the standard course, and six weaves in jumpers. AND she had a reliable start line stay and stopped contacts! She also didn’t seem affected by trial pressure, she just stepped up and worked and had a great time doing it. She took her teeter a bit fast in standard and startled herself (my fault, I should have checked her speed sooner), but she recovered almost immediately (several people commented on how quickly she recovered), the next obstacle was the table and she was play-snapping at my fingers and back her to sassy self.

Nina’s Standard Q Friday (QQ#6) for 29 points:

 
Nina’s Jumpers Q Friday (QQ #6) for 16 points:

 
Tish’s Jumpers run Friday:

 
Tish’s Standard run Friday:

 
Nina’s Jumpers Q Saturday for 16 points:

 
Tish’s Standard run Saturday:

 
Zhora’s Standard run Saturday (first-ever run at a trial):

 
Zhora’s Jumpers run Saturday (weaves!):

 
Nina’s Jumpers Q Sunday for 16 points (yes, 16 points each time!):

 
Tish’s Jumpers run Sunday (sorry it is teeny, it was filmed sideways by mistake):

Well, this was our last agility trial of 2013. We came away with three Q’s, Jumpers, Time 2 Beat and Standard (which was a squeaker). PLUS there was a fun match and so Zhora had her first time ever running agility somewhere other than at home and where we train. She is entered in her first-ever trial (one day in January), so this was a little test drive to see how she was doing. I was thrilled with how she did – perfect start line stays both times!

Nina Jumpers (15 points):

 

Nina Standard (24 points) – I didn’t call her to the tunnel (which she couldn’t see from where she was), and so she ran to the weaves, she called off like a champ, but did body slam them, so the judge originally called a wrong course, but then reversed it because Nina didn’t put a paw through the first two poles…what a close one, and THEN I had to get my frantic screech out for the tunnel call-off near the end…everyone was saying “nice try” and then someone said the judge was talking to the scribe, and as it turned out, we Q’d! Our last run of 2013, nice to finish with a Q, even if it was a nailbiter!:

Here is Zhora’s very first time trying agility anywhere other than home or training (we had Lickety Stix to reward with, since they make no mess):

And here is her second (WITH 12 WEAVES!):

2015 Nationals tally: 0/4 double Q’s, 2/20 legs, 39/500 points. Reno here we come!

…so far anyway!

Nina got Double Q #2 on Friday (29 points in Standard, 17 points in Jumpers), plus another Time 2 Beat leg and 10 points, picked up another Jumpers leg today (17 points), and Tish got her final Open Standard leg today to earn her Open Agility (OA) title, and get completely into Excellent!

Nina QQ #2 Standard (29 points):

Nina QQ #2 Jumpers (17 points) – weird camera issue makes it look like Benny Hill:

Tish Open Agility (OA) title run (note the weaves dance to get her jazzed about weaving! I will be teaching classes in how to do this…NOT):

Nationals tally: 13/20 legs, 266/500 points (over halfway there!), 2/4 double Q’s (halfway there!). So 7 more legs to go, 234 points, and 2 double Q’s!

Nina double q’d today for the first time ever! Two more legs and 40 more MACH points. And I hadn’t planned to even come to the trial today since I had intended to visit Mum instead but still have this darned cold hanging on and I was worried about sharing it. Apparently I handle better when I am coughing and snotty!

Nationals tally: 10/20 legs (halfway there!), 203/500 points, 1/4 double Q’s. So 10 more legs to go, 297 points, and 3 double Q’s.

Lobo (Alkemi Beowulf del Roble LS) is now officially an International All Breed Canine Association National and International Senior Puppy Champion!

Congratulations to Lobo and his mom Jan!

Ollie (Alkemi Breaking Away LS) went for his herding instinct test and passed with flying colors, even after getting into a discussion with a large ewe and getting butted! Thanks to Ollie’s mom Pat for sending this! His bark is EXACTLY like his sister Zhora’s, with the extra high-pitched shriek when he is excited. And what a lovely “that’ll do” he has, when he’s asked to turn the herding power off, he does, and comes happily back to his mom, awesome!

Lobo (Alkemi Beowulf del Roble LS CGC) won High in Trial at a Barn Hunt trial this past weekend! Barn Hunt is a newish dog sport involving the dog searching for, and alerting to, rats. Since this is one of the Swedish Vallhund’s traditional jobs, Lobo took to it like a duck to water.

Congratulations to Lobo and his mom/handler Jan!

Congratulations to Colby (Alkemi Batman LS) on earning his Canine Good Citizen just before his first birthday! Well done!

What an awesome bunch of owners we have been so fortunate to have for our puppies!