Oh Yeah, You Blend

We did one day this weekend, just as our Invitationals tune-up (we leave Tuesday!!!). Zhora ran really well, Nina got a Standard Q (which gave me some confidence going into next weekend). Stayed for dinner with my awesome agility peeps, and was so touched that everyone gave me hugs and wished us luck! I am very fortunate to have such wonderful friends! Also, SO EXCITED!

Nina Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Jumpers(NQ but nice run, her confidence is really growing):

Nina Standard (Q and 25 points), some really awkward lines on this course, gave a lot of teams a lot of trouble:

Zhora Standard (NQ but another nice run):

2016 Nationals tally: Nina 1/20 legs, 25/600 points, 0/5 QQ’s.

Judge Linda Kipp designed some really lovely courses for this weekend. We lost power yesterday for a while and ran standard in the semi-dark. Both dogs did great in the dark but didn’t Q. Nina got Jumpers yesterday and Zhora got Time 2 Beat today. Not a great weekend, but Zhora had some great NQ runs with the marked exception of Standard today, in which she was gripped by an attack of puppy ADD and went bonkers!

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (gorgeous run, thought it was going to be her first Masters Q, but a bar down):

Nina Saturday Jumpers (Q and 14 points):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (another nice run):

Zhora Sunday Time 2 Beat (Q and 7 points, reverse spin, baby!):

Some really tough courses with weird angles and hard weave entries from Carolynne Rose. Zhora was the star of the weekend, earning her Excellent Jumpers (AXJ) AND her Open Standard (OA) titles on Saturday, she now can start earning MACH points in Jumpers, since she is in Master Jumpers, and has moved up to Excellent Standard! So proud of her! Nina got Standard on Saturday with a beautiful run on a really tricky course and won Time 2 Beat on Friday. Hoping to keep the mojo honed for the Invitational in a month!

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

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (Q and AXJ title):

Zhora Saturday Standard (Q and OA title):

Nina Saturday Standard (Q and 25 points):

Zhora Sunday Standard (NQ but not bad for her first Excellent Standard run!):

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):

Mother of my sweet Rakki, great-grandmother of my beloved, amazing Nina, great-GREAT-grandmother of the loving Tish and wonderful Zhora. Such a wonderful, wonderful dog who only seemed to get better as she got older. I loved that sweet Cranberi, and I know she will leave a huge hole in Ulla’s home and heart. She had such a wonderful and long life, I am sure she is chasing anything and everything up in heaven now, leaping over tractors and running her heart out. Rest easy Cranberi, you live on in so many pedigrees, Nina dedicates her agility runs this weekend to your memory!

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):