Oh Yeah, You Blend

This was our third time showing under judge Alex Davis. She is a lovely person, always wants people to do well. Her courses were tough! Zhora picked up QQ’s # 37 and 38, just two more to go to MACH 2! Nina had some lovely runs, picking up an awesome JWW Q and a Premier JWW Q. This was her last weekend to qualify for nationals, she just needed two QQ’s to go, but sadly it was not to be. I am adopting a new strategy to try and fix the bar knocking – after pretty thorough video review and discussion with friends who have watched her run for years, the problem seems to be that she sometimes just doesn’t bother to add a stride when she should (it’s faster to just take the long spot and knock the bar – this is NOT Early Takeoff Syndrome), and instead opts to just plow through. So I am taking a two-pronged approach, a Vallhund owning friend (Hattie, who owned the late and sadly-missed Vaasa, who was so much like Nina) said she started just pulling her dog with the same problem when she knocked bars, and it solved the problem. So I am doing this (unless, of course, I think the bar was my fault). I am also SAYING “jump” before every jump to remind her to jump – I have always been someone who prefers to run with as few verbal cues as possible, and I do generally believe that showing the dog which jump is next is my job, but actually JUMPING the jump is the dog’s. But at this point….after so many NQ’s for bars throughout her career, I am willing to try almost anything. It did seem to be helping, I did pull her several times this weekend, and she did seem to leave bars up when I told her to jump (it’s an adjustment for me and I do forget to actually say jump sometimes).

Nina Friday Standard (NQ but SUCH a nice run, and I love the “AWWWWW” from the crowd when we NQ):

Zhora Friday Standard (Part 1 of QQ # 37, third place, 28 points):

Nina Friday Premier Standard (egregious teeter NQ but gorgeous run):

Zhora Friday Jumpers (Part 2 of QQ # 37, third place, 16 points):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (Part 1 of QQ # 38, fourth place, 16 points):

Nina Saturday Premier Standard (going well till the bar…):

Nina Saturday Standard (tough weave pole entry got us because I can’t leave her on the table, nice run otherwise):

Zhora Saturday Standard (Part 2 of QQ # 38, second place, 30 points):

Nina Sunday Premier Jumpers (second place):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (fourth place, 21 points, Jessie Westover and her CRAZY FAST Papillons were there today, which is how you get a fourth place in Erie with a whopping 21 points in JWW!):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (16 points again! At least she’s consistent!):

Zhora Sunday Time 2 Beat (9 points):

Zhora Sunday Standard (LOL at her on the table!)

Candy Nettles designed some tough courses! Zhora broke out of her QQ slump with # 36 today. Nina had some lovely runs but only one Q. One more trial (next weekend) before a two week break and then the Invitational!

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ was my fault, nice run):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (third place, 16 points, I learned my lesson after Nina’s NQ at the tunnel, I made sure to really connect after the triple):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ, nice run):

Zhora Saturday Standard (NQ, nice run):

Nina Sunday Premier Jumpers (very happy with the first half of this run, she slipped really badly turning to the weaves in a known “slippery spot” on the turf, so then it was experiment mode):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (second place, 18 points):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (part 1 of QQ #36, third place, 15 points):

Zhora Sunday Standard (part 2 of QQ # 36, second place, 27 points):

Fave judge Mary Mullen couldn’t save us from yet another no QQ weekend! Some wonderful runs but…I blame the election results.

Nina Saturday Jumpers (nice run, NQ):

Zhora Saturday Time 2 Beat (first place, 10 points):

Zhora Saturday Standard (third place, 26 points):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (second place, personal best 24 (!!) points):

Zhora Sunday Time 2 Beat (first place, 10 points):

Zhora Sunday Standard (second place, 26 points):

New judge to us Elane Rice. She sure likes turnbacks out of the weaves and trick finishes….

Zhora’s QQ streak had to end some time! She had two JWW Q’s and one Standard Q but handler errors cost us doubles.

Nina Friday Premier Standard (NQ):

Zhora Friday Jumpers (fourth place, 18 points):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (fourth place, 18 points):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ but look at those independent weaves!):

Nina Sunday Premier JWW (NQ):

Zhora Sunday Standard (fourth place, 27 points):

Nina Sunday Standard (first place, 33 points):

Judge Barbara Bounds designed some tricky courses. Fun to run though! Nina managed a Standard Q and had some really nice runs, including an awesome Premier JWW run with one lousy bar (I am reminded of Léon: “always like this”). Zhora managed another two QQ’s (#34 and 35), which officially means she has not only lapped Nina in the MACH race, she has passed her (Nina has 14 towards her MACH, Zhora has 15 towards MACH 2), she is just awesome. I cherish every run with both of them, even if Nina’s QQ drought is getting more than a little old.

Nina Friday FAST (Q, first place, 38 points):

Zhora Friday Standard (part 1 of QQ #34, second place, 30 points):

Nina Friday Premier Standard (such a nice run but NQ):

Zhora Friday Jumpers (part 2 of QQ #34, third place, 18 points):

Nina Friday Premier Jumpers (OMG ONE LOUSY BAR!!!):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (Part 1 of QQ #35, third place, 17 points):

Nina Saturday Standard (Q, third place, 34 points):

Zhora Saturday Standard (part 2 of QQ #35, fourth place, 31 points):

Zhora Sunday Standard (Q, fourth place, 29 points:

Some really challenging courses from judge Alexandra Davis. Zhora had a perfect weekend in the classes that count, picking up QQ’s #31, 32 and 33 towards MACH 2! Nina had a perfect NQ weekend but wow is she running well. At one point I was chatting with Alex about Nina taking the wrong end of the tunnel in Jumpers today, and she asked how old Nina was, I told her she was 9, she said “OH! I thought that was your puppy….” LOL. I love every run with her regardless. And I am trying hard not to be spoiled by Zhora, but I will tell you that it’s sure a nice change to run a consistent dog, because there were MANY weekends I’d come home with one Q or even no Q’s before Z Dog came along!

Nina Friday Standard (NQ but so close and such a nice run! Layering!):

Zhora Friday Standard (part 1 of QQ # 31, second place, 30 points):

Zhora Friday Jumpers (part 2 of QQ # 31, fourth place (the top 4 dogs were within 8 100ths of a second of each other!), 15 points):

Nina Friday Premier Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Friday Premier Jumpers (NQ):

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (part 1 of QQ # 32, second place, 18 points):

Zhora Saturday Premier (NQ, nice run):

Zhora Saturday Standard (part 2 of QQ # 32, third place, 29 points):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (I SO thought we had it….but no…and someone asked me during the walkthrough if many of the big dogs had taken the wrong end of the tunnel after the weaves and I said no…so Nina decided to show me what that looked like, training mode after that):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (part 1 of QQ #33, second place, 17 points):

Nina Sunday Standard (ANOTHER soooo close, really loved this run though):

Zhora Sunday Standard (part 2 of QQ # 33, third place, 26 points):

Getting back into the swing of things. New judge to us, John Defilippi, loved his courses, fast and challenging, and he is very nice, has a generous wheel, and is very generous with his calls (the agility gods truly do giveth and taketh away, since the judge gave Nina and I a gift on her dogwalk contact yesterday, but then she took a wrong course…). Zhora picked up double Q’s #26 and 27, plus two Time 2 Beat legs. She also had a wonderful Premier Jumpers run today but stepped on the metal weave pole base and slipped so she popped and earned an R for the NQ. I am seeing that when I am very clear about where she is going so she can see her lines well, she is running faster and faster, but when I am unclear or when a course is really twisty turny, she slows down. Both Zhora and Nina earned personal best points totals and YPS in Friday’s standard course, and in today’s standard run Nina had the fastest time of all the 8″ and 12″ dogs, and was within a couple of seconds of the really fast 20 and 24″ dogs! When it works, it really works.

Nina Friday Standard (first place, personal best 34 points, 4.241 YPS…IN STANDARD!):

Zhora Friday Standard (part 2 of QQ #26, third place, personal best 31 points, 4.028 YPS!):

Zhora Friday Time 2 Beat (first place, 10 points):

Zhora Friday Jumpers (part 2 of QQ #26, third place, 17 points):

Zhora Saturday Time 2 Beat (8 points and our only Q on Saturday):

Zhora Sunday Premier (NQ but nice run):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (part 1 of QQ #27, third place, 15 points):

Nina Sunday Standard (first place, 32 points, 4.11 YPS):

Zhora Sunday Standard (part 2 of QQ #27, 26 points):

Another wonderful trial put on by HABOC! Judge Pam Sturtz, my first time trialing under her, designed some really tricky courses, but really fun to run, she was really nice to show to. Some tough challenges and some low Q rates, but you really felt your skills were getting a workout, and you need that once in a while! Zhora put up QQ # 25, and earned her second Open FAST leg and another 10 points toward her Time to Beat 2 title. Nina had a NQ weekend, although her jumpers NQ today was one I was very glad I videoed (thanks Sue!) because I could see clearly that I caused her to knock the ONE AND ONLY BAR. Zhora was 5/6 on the weekend, just a weird and uncharacteristic R at the weaves yesterday. There were almost no 8″ dogs, so I only had four or so dogs between them, so I was TIRED.

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (NQ, weird weave R, but even Zhora can’t be perfect I guess):

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ, obvs, but nice run):

Zhora Saturday Standard (Q, first place, 30 points, love to see her really digging in and running):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ but such a nice run, good job of getting ahead of her in the weaves and supporting it properly):

Zhora Open FAST (Q, 71 points):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (part 1 of QQ #25, second place, 14 points, and she saves the Q in the weaves when she keeps going after a bad entry!):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (I drop my arm and turn my shoulder as she jumps the blue non-wing and cause the bar down, but look at that front cross after the weaves!):

Zhora Sunday Time 2 Beat (Q, 10 points, first place, some experimenting, her distance work is really coming along, getting ahead of her in the weaves is not ready for prime time, although I didn’t support as I should):

Zhora Sunday Standard (part 2 of QQ #25, first place, only dog to Q in her height, 27 points):

Zhora had her second perfect weekend in a row (other than an NQ in Premier), earning double Q’s #23 and 24, plus a placement in one run (some of the fastest 8″ dogs in the country run here so that was pretty cool!). Nina had some great runs but only pulled off a Master FAST Q. Judges Mary Mullen and Laura Kuterbach designed some deceptively tricky courses for us!

Saturday Nina Master FAST (Q, third place, 63 points):

Saturday Zhora Open FAST (Q, first place, 70 points):

Saturday Zhora Master Standard (part 1 of QQ #23, 27 points):

Saturday Nina Master Jumpers (NQ):

Saturday Zhora Master Jumpers (part 2 of QQ #23, 18 points):

Saturday Nina Premier Jumpers (NQ but nice run, I got in her way at the tunnel):

Saturday Zhora Premier Jumpers (NQ, handler errors!):

Sunday Nina Standard (NQ but nice run):

Sunday Zhora Standard (part 1 of QQ #24, fourth place, 25 points):

Sunday Nina Jumpers (NQ):

Sunday Zhora Jumpers (part 2 of QQ #24, 16 points):

Well, so Zhora had nearly three months off (her last trial was the weekend she got her MACH, which was May 7), and wow, she came back with a bang! She had a perfect weekend, earning double Q’s #21 and 22 towards MACH2, plus a Premier double Q! Nina ran wonderfully with a Jumpers Q on Saturday and a Standard Q on Sunday. We also had a major disconnect today that almost ended up with one of us getting hurt – I was prepared to take the fall to avoid stepping on her but fortunately neither happened! As much as I wish I was raising puppies right now, it sure was nice to get back to running the Z dog, not bad for a trial I entered on the last open day on a whim, because I love running under judge Lavonda Herring! We are taking it easy for a while, one trial in August only.

Nina Saturday Jumpers (Q, first place and 20 points):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (Q, third place and 18 points, part 1 of QQ #21):

Zhora Saturday Premier Standard (Q, first place):

Zhora Saturday Standard (Q, second place and 25 points, part 2 of QQ #21):

Nina Sunday Premier Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Sunday Premier Jumpers (Q, first place):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (Q, first place and 14 points, part 1 of QQ #22):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (EEK!):

Nina Sunday Standard (Q, first place, 30 points):

Zhora Sunday Standard (only last half got videoed unfortunately, Q, third place and 23 points, part 2 of QQ #22 and end of the perfect weekend!):