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%!
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!
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.
Lobo (Alkemi Beowulf del Roble LS) went to his first International All Breed Canine Association show today (two actually, since there were two shows in one day). I’d say he did pretty well, here’s what his mom Jan says:
“Our Little Man did well. Although he was the only Vallhund, he took the Group in the first show and went on to Reserve Best In Show Puppy. Lobo took a Group 3 in the second show.
A judge told me there were three things that were important with the Vallhund – temperament, structure and balance and Lobo was A+, A+ and A+. :-)”
He has two more tomorrow!
And here’s what Jan says about Sunday’s show:
“Lobo took a Group 2 in the third show this morning, but nothing in the fourth show this afternoon.  Unlike some dogs that get exhausted when competing in two day shows, Lobo was not exhausted. In fact, my friends who were watching the group judging said that Lobo was the only dog that leaped into the air in joy as he was supposed to be gaiting around the ring.  That may have been a factor in him not placing, but he was having a great time.
As we did yesterday, he was walked this morning and when we came home this afternoon he went swimming/retrieving in the lake. Â When I finally stopped and took up the dummy he swam into the water to play with some boys.
