Tish LOVED her herding instinct test! She wasn’t taking any crap from the sheep (other than in the direct poop-eating sense, of course) and wasn’t afraid to back a sheep off who was getting a bit stroppy at her. I don’t really know what I’m looking for, but the knowledgeable people said “GOOD DOG!” a lot and Kathy told me she should have no problem herding. Now to find the time to go regularly…
WEIRD weather today, freezing cold this morning, then rainy, then hot and sunny. Anyway, some good bits today – although that table is going to eat us alive if we don’t sort it out!
Novice Standard:
Open Jumpers With Weaves (the ground was kind of squishy and I sent her wide for the refusal, and then the weaves NQ’d us, I liked the rest of the run, especially the serpentine at the end, we did a good job working together there!):
Allegany and the surrounding area is one of the most gorgeous places I have ever been. It’s just beautiful. I could live there. We had a great time at the Olean AKC trial today, even though I pulled Nina from her FAST run for not even thinking about a sit stay, and I pulled her from her Standard run for nipping me during our table attempt (she DID get her teeter though!). This is our Jumpers With Weaves run, an NQ for the off course early, it was a nice quiet run for the most part, although I wish I’d handled the rear cross differently (I knew we’d NQ’d). Tish got her temporary measurement done today, so we’re set until next year when she turns two, that takes a bit of pressure off me for the National Specialty, since it’s one less thing I have to think about then.
I don’t believe in removing perfectly functional body parts from dogs unless and until there is a problem with it (not looking to start a debate, this is just my opinion), Chris Zink discusses their function and use pretty extensively. And here is a picture from yesterday’s NADAC trial of Nina weaving where you can clearly see her left front dewclaw in touch with the ground and helping to prevent torque on the leg. Great picture as usually by Wendi Pencille of Horsefeathers.
What a great finish to the weekend! Nina ended up finishing three titles this weekend (Open Tunnelers, Novice Touch N Go and Novice Hoopers), Tish earned her very first NADAC Q (in Jumpers), AND Riley and Austin came and ran wonderfully today! It was so wonderful to see the puppies out there playing agility (check out Austin’s awesome start line stay!), and aside from some naughty running out of the ring to visit, they did really well. Austin’s mom Lisa is an experienced handler (although she is used to somewhat slower dogs!), and Riley’s dad Chris is learning fast.
Austin Novice Tunnelers:
Austin Novice Jumpers:
Riley Novice Tunnelers:
Riley Novice Jumpers:
Tish Novice Tunnelers (she left to go visit Riley!):
Tish Novice Jumpers (and first NADAC Q!):
Nina Elite Tunnelers:
Nina Open Regular:
Nina Open Jumpers:
Great day 2 at Four Seasons NADAC agility today! Tish was awesome, running fast and staying with me, in her Tunnelers run I made my front cross too late, bad handler, and then Tish forgot something in the light blue tunnel and had to go back for it, her Jumpers run was also lovely, I sent her wide around a jump and then got a bit too “fixy fixy” about it before finally making the right decision and going on, she is developing some lovely obstacle focus and is starting to build some speed! Nina was amazing today, we went five for six, earning her first two Novice Touch & Go Q’s, her first Elite Tunnelers Q, and her very first Chances Q. She did several obstacle discriminations. Things really seem to be coming together with her, I made some silly handling errors, but overall we’re really starting to work as a team. I did let the start line stays go..bad me..she knows it’s NADAC and will let her run.
Lots of video today thanks to helpful kind people!
Nina’s Open Regular run:
Nina’s Novice Touch & Go 1:
Nina’s Novice Touch & Go 2:
Nina Elite Tunnelers (first Elite run ever!):
Tish Novice Jumpers:
Tish Novice Tunnelers:
We had fun today at Four Seasons NADAC, Tish ran in Tunnelers only, she was a bit distracted but came back and worked with me, and she ran FAST, which is what I was hoping for, she tries her paw at Jumpers and Tunnelers tomorrow and Sunday too. Nina did very well, our Tunnelers run today was one of the best runs we have ever had, too bad I didn’t get anyone to record it for me – she was perfect and rocket fast, we had the fastest time out of ALL the Open dogs, 5.83 yards per second, faster even than the fast big dogs! This is our Weavers Q from today (there is a running joke among some of my agility peeps that Nina is on crack because she is so crazy and fast, that’s what you can hear Jeannine talking about at the start of the video), I made one handling error near the end, but overall a pretty nice run (even if she was crazy at the start!), and her weaves are really coming along well, the practice is paying off, she got them on the first try two out of three times!
Lisa and Austin finished Austin’s very first agility title today at Boom Towne CPE (the first of many I’m sure). Introducing Alkemi Austin Healey ST CL1-R (that’s the CPE Standard Level 1 title)!!!
Overall costs of breeding a litter responsibly? More than you want to really think too closely about.
Getting an email or a call from a puppy owner telling you how awesome their puppy is? PRICELESS!!!!
Ron and Demi made their AKC agility debut Memorial Day weekend, and while Demi made up her own course and felt that her friend the dogwalk had betrayed her by turning into her enemy the teeter, she got better with every run and it sounds like they had a great time and she is showing real promise (and speed!).
Lisa and Austin did CPE agility this weekend and Austin is running fast, getting some Q’s and having fun (Lisa says she needs a rocket pack for herself to keep up with him).
The best feeling in the world amid all the self-doubt, angst, worry, and ups and downs about bringing puppies into the world is when you know they’re right where they should be: with people who love them.
..and congratulations to Austin, who earned his first CPE Q today in Fullhouse! His mom Lisa can no longer claim that he is defective! 😉
As for us in AKC, no Q’s today, but our Jumpers run was lovely (I messed up her weave entry by not being where I meant to be, but she was perfect on the second try – we had a bar down early which was our NQ, a great run anyway, very smooth!). Our Standard run was LOUD, I messed up the front cross early and it was a mess from there. Still, we had three for three start line stays, which is HUGE – I had to take her off yesterday for not even sitting at the start for Standard, but I guess it made a point!