Oh Yeah, You Blend

Nice courses from Candy Nettles, with very tricky weave entries today. Zhora got three out of four weave entries on the first try this weekend, and earned her second Excellent Jumpers leg this morning. A bar down in Standard both days kept her from earning her third (and last) Open Standard leg. Overall I am thrilled with how she is doing, she is speeding up and reading lines really well. Nina had a Jumpers Q yesterday but bars down in Standard yesterday and Jumpers today, and I messed up her weave entry in Standard today.

 
Nina Saturday Jumpers (Q and 15 points):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (no Q because I overhandled the tunnel AND she wanted to go visit the ring crew, but a nice run):

Zhora Saturday Standard (no Q but a really nice run):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (Q for second AXJ leg):

Some really tough courses this weekend from judge Carla Boudrot. Not Nina’s best weekend, with just a Time 2 Beat Q (and win), but Zhora was the star of the weekend, earning her first two Open Standard legs AND her first Excellent Jumpers leg! It is tricky running a green dog, since you are still building what I call the “mojo”, which is your communication with each other, where you learn to predict what your dog will do and what your dog will need from you in order to succeed. With an inexperience (“green”) dog, this is challenging, because what the dog will do and what the dog needs from you changes all the time, as they develop more confidence and gain experience. I am trying to be less cautious with Zhora and let her run and trust she is learning her job.

Zhora Saturday Open Standard (Q and OA leg #1):

Zhora Sunday Excellent Jumpers (Q and AXJ leg #1):

Nina Sunday Master Jumpers (NQ because of LAST BAR down, nice run though):

Nina Sunday Time 2 Beat (Q and first place for 10 points):

Zhora Sunday Open Standard (Q and OA leg #2), she actually looks like she would have got her weaves on the first try, but I assumed she was going to pop out when she looked at me, but then she headed back in:

Great time this weekend with great friends and my favorite AKC judge, Mary Mullen.

Zhora continued her Jumpers streak by earning her third OAJ (Open Jumpers) leg yesterday and her OAJ title! I moved her up to Excellent for today and while she didn’t Q (missed two weaves), she ran really, really well.

Nina got FAST and Standard on Friday and Jumpers yesterday and today. A heartbreaker of a spin in front of the table (my fault) cost us a double Q today.

Love my girls!

Nina Master FAST (Q):

Nina Friday Jumpers (Q and 17 points):

Nina Saturday Standard (Q and 27 points) – close call on the teeter there!:

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (Q and OAJ title), the best part of the run didn’t get recorded unfortunately:

Nina Sunday Jumpers (Q and 15 points):

Nina Sunday Standard (I showed way too much deceleration going to the table, so she spun, bad handler, I was worried about her overshooting it and overhandled it):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (Excellent debut!):

Zhora Sunday Standard (Open, no Q, but a decent run, she is speeding up):

A very fun weekend, even though I started off sick and got sicker as the weekend went on. Zhora Q’d in Time 2 Beat on Friday, AND she earned her first TWO Open Jumpers legs, going 2 for 2 in Jumpers. We had no weaves and a bar down in Standard today, and a teeter bail-off yesterday. Nina was a one bar wonder in Jumpers today, but pulled off a lovely Q in Standard today on a VERY tricky course with a very low Q rate.

Zhora Saturday Open Jumpers (OAJ Leg #1):

Nina Sunday Master Standard (Q and 26 points):

Zhora Sunday Open Jumpers (OAJ Leg #2):

No Q’s, but some really nice runs. Tricky but fun courses from judge Tim Pinneri.

Nina’s JWW run Saturday, such a nice run but one bar:

Zhora’s JWW run Saturday, also a wonderful run but she got distracted by the judge:

Nina Sunday Standard (one off course):

Zhora Sunday Standard (no weaves, they were in a really distracting spot, but a lovely run):

This was our first trial after 2 months off…we sure had fun. No Q’s that counted, although Zhora finished her Novice FAST title, and Nina finished her Time 2 Beat title. I was VERY happy with how Zhora ran, her Jumpers run was gorgeous other than a handler error at the start (twice) costing us a Q.

Zhora Saturday Open Jumpers (I needed to set her up straighter and lead out further, both times!):

Nina Saturday Time 2 Beat (first place and Time 2 Beat title):

Lobo is learning drafting (pulling a cart), which is a surprisingly complex and involved sport! Here are videos of Lobo at his first drafting trial.

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Video 5

Video 6

Video 7

Video 8

So Pat Hastings is in town to give her famous “Structure in Action” seminar tomorrow (which I saw when I still lived in Texas, and which I have posted about here before). Today she was doing private evaluations, so I took Zhora. She was very complimentary about Zhora (telling me she was a “lovely, lovely bitch”), and giving me some things to watch for in a potential mate for her.

AND! Her OFA hip and elbow results came back: hips are Good and elbows are normal! Eyes also normal!

Yay Zho!

Here is Lobo (Alkemi Beowulf del Roble LS) with his first two Senior Barn Hunt (RATS) ribbons, he went High in Class for both of them this past weekend. Lobo was the first Swedish Vallhund to earn the Open Barn Hunt (RATO) title (along with one other Vallhund who earned her title on the same day). Lobo is posing with his owner Jan’s grandson. Congratulations Jan and Lobo!

This was our last trial until September. Nina had been off for a while since she was in season, I think she was excited to be back! We were standard specialists this weekend, with 2/2 standard Q’s, and bars down in Jumpers. She ran wonderfully and judge Tom O’Brien remarked that Nina was “sure something”. Zhora did great yesterday, running like a real agility dog, reading my cues excellently and driving to equipment and lines very well. Her weaves are not ready for primetime, so we have a project to work on until the fall! Very happy with her!

Nina Saturday Standard Q (28 points):

Zhora Saturday Open Jumpers:

Zhora Saturday Open Standard:

Nina Sunday Standard Q (29 points):

Nina Sunday Time 2 Beat (not a Q thanks to teeter fault but such a nice run):

Nina’s 2015 Nationals tally: 3/4 double Q’s, 25/20 legs, 510/500 points

And I just reserved my hotel room for the Invitational! OMG!