Oh Yeah, You Blend

Judge Ross Johnson has only been a judge for a year or so but we loved his courses! Extension, extension, extension! Zhora had a perfect weekend, Nina went 3/4 and Alice had two of her best runs to date!

Nina Saturday Jumpers (Q, first place, 4.83 YPS, 24 points):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQQ # 113, first place, 4.7 YPS, 18 points):

Alice Saturday FAST (Q):

Zhora Saturday FAST (QQQ):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ, so much sass):

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQQ #113, first place, 3.65 YPS, 27 points):

Alice Saturday Open Standard (NQ):

Alice Saturday Open Jumpers (Q, 4 YPS, best run yet!):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (PACH QQ #10, first place, 4.46 YPS, 20 points):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (QQ #114, first place, 4.26 YPS, 14 points):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (NQ but GREAT RUN, running like an agility dog!):

Nina Sunday Standard (PACH QQ #10, first place, 3.67 YPS, 32 points):

Zhora Sunday Standard (QQ #114, first place, 3.37 YPS, 23 points):

Just one day this weekend, since I went to Toronto the Sunday to visit family. Judge Frank Gilmer is a new favorite! Lovely courses, really nice judge! Alice finished her Novice Standard Preferred title and is all the way in Open now (no more 6 weave poles!)! Double double Q too!

Nina Saturday Jumpers (PACH QQ #9, first place, 5.177 YPS, 25 points):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQ # 112, fourth place, 4.858 YPS, 18 points):

Alice Saturday Time 2 Beat (NQ):

Nina Saturday Standard (PACH QQ # 9, first place, 4.167 YPS, 38 points):

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQ #112, third place, 4.191 YPS, 33 points):

Alice Saturday Standard (NAP TITLE!):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Judge Sue Barnett was new to us. We did quite well on courses with some pretty low Q rates.

Nina Saturday Jumpers (PACH QQ #8, third place, 4.96 YPS, 23 points):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Alice Saturday Master FAST (NQ):

Zhora Saturday FAST (NQ):

Nina Saturday Standard (PACH QQ #8, second place, 4.024 YPS, 37 points):

Zhora Saturday Standard (Q, second place, 3.686 YPS, 27 points):

Alice Saturday Open Jumpers (Q, 3.8 YPS):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (QQ #111, third place, 4.416 YPS, 15 points):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (NQ):

Nina Sunday Standard (NQ):

Zhora Sunday Standard (QQ #111, first place, 3.861 YPS, 28 points):

Favorite judge and friend Sherry Jefferson designed some awesome, fast and fun courses for us. Nina QQ’d on Saturday, Zhora QQQ’d on Saturday (her first trial back in a long time due to breeding and she was VERY slow since she thinks she is pregnant), and Alice got an Excellent FAST Q, did 12 weaves in Time 2 Beat and finished her Novice Jumpers Preferred title! A great weekend all around!

Nina Saturday Jumpers (QQ #5, first place, 23 points, 4.6 YPS):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQQ#107, third place, 12 points, 3.989 YPS):

Alice Saturday FAST (leg #2!):

Zhora Saturday FAST (QQQ):

Nina Saturday Standard (QQ #5, first place, 33 points, 3.7 YPS, didn’t get recorded)

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQQ #107, second place, 18 points, 3.1 YPS):

Alice Saturday Standard (NQ):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (Q, second place, 23 points, 4.57 YPS):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (Q, first place, 13 points, 4.05 YPS):

Alice Time 2 Beat (NQ, 12 weaves and ran out to celebrate):

Nina Sunday Standard (NQ, she didn’t believe me about the white tunnel because I was too close to it and had no room to show movement):

Zhora Sunday Standard (NQ):

Alice Sunday Standard (holy crap LOL…NQ):

Alice Sunday Jumpers (Q, NJP title, weaves on first try, lovely run!):

We’ve been working her weaves in the back yard with stick-in-the-ground channels. Sue and I had a “baby day” today after we got done clearing contact equipment out for the seminar this weekend. So we played with Alice and Blast. We decided to really work on weaves so we set up a course with 2 x 2 poles between other obstacles (this helps with collection and also with teaching the dog to see the poles as actual obstacles in a course), then we made one set 4 poles. Eventually we got to 12 offset poles (they’re offset a tiny amount, like an inch) AND 12 straight up poles. Her biggest problem right now? She wants to go faster than her body knows how to go. I can see real progress! I am so proud of her.

I am THRILLED with this dog, she proves over and over again what a great dog she is. She LOVES to work, she tries and tries, she’s honest and boy is she fun to work with! Melanie Miller is coming to Sue’s this weekend and thanks to Zhora’s hopefully delicate condition, Alice is going to run on BOTH the Masters day and the Open day. She was on the baby dog day last year.

You can see us working through some issues with awesome results. I love training sessions like this where you AND the dog are wanting more at the end! The DOG should always want to keep going, but it’s great when you both do!

Friday Orbit took the point, bringing him to 14 points with one point to go for his AKC championship!

Saturday was Alice’s turn, not only did she get the point under judge Krista Hansen (bringing her to 14 with just one to go for her championship), Ms. Hansen also gave her an Owner-Handled GROUP 1!!! And then Dr. David Hansen gave her a Bred By Exhibitor Group 3! What an amazing day this was! Standing in the OH Best In Show ring was incredible. We had to do three groups in quick succession, we got the OH group win, then I handed her ribbon to Ruth and ran over to the Bred-By Exhibitor group ring, showed there, then ran to the regular group ring, entered late, and showed there. The show superintendent kept stopping by the various rings and telling me what was going on, that she’d alerted the ring steward and that they’d let me in when I got there. It was SO COOL!

Sunday Orbit took best of breed to become my very first home-bred champion. I couldn’t be more thrilled, and Ruth has done such an awesome job training him and handling him. He has a great home AND he stays part of my breeding program. It’s just amazing!

And then they went on to be awarded his SECOND Owner-Handled Group 2!

What a weekend! My first home-bred champion, Alice within a single point of becoming my SECOND home-bred champion. Orbit two best of breeds and two Owner-Handled Group 2’s. Alice one best of breed, an Owner-Handled Group 1 (someone asked me today what it was like being in the OH Best in Show ring….the answer? IT WAS FREAKING THRILLING) AND a Bred-By Exhibitor Group 3. The Zhoraberts are proving to be as awesome as I hoped.

Judge and dear friend Sherry Jefferson gave us some typically awesome, fast, fun courses. Nina went 3/4, picking up Preferred QQ #4 (also 4/7 for the 2020 NAC). Alice had a LOT of fun, showed some moments of brilliance, and we had a jumpers run that was the best run I’ve had with her to date. Her name is “AliceAliceAliceHEY!” right now, since zooming is the order of the day.

Nina Saturday Jumpers (Q, first place, 4.955 YPS, 25 points):

Alice Saturday FAST (OMG IT’S SHERRY YOU GUYS!):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ, nice run):

Alice Saturday Standard (ZOOM):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (NQ, but what a lovely run, the best so far!):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (PQQ #3, first place, 4.82 YPS, 24 points):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (ZOOM):

Nina Sunday Standard (PQQ #3, first place, 3.94 YPS, 36 points):

Alice Sunday Standard (ZOOM):

Alice Sunday Jumpers (quite a good run):

We had EIGHT Vallhunds competing, super exciting, including the #2 (#1 until recently) dog in the country. So grateful to everyone who came and showed! Rebecca James, Pat Ray, Becky Lueth, Kat Klein and Ruth Travers!

Friday May 31, 2019 Judge Mrs. Murrel Purkhiser: Alice Winners Bitch for 3 point major, Orbit Best of Winners for the crossover major

Saturday June 1, 2019: Judge Dianne P. Miller. Alice Winners Bitch for 3 point major #2, and Orbit BOW for the crossover major again for major #2!

Sunday June 2, 2019: Judge Donna Conod. Alice BOS for a FOUR POINT MAJOR (3 point major for WB and then another point for beating the bitch special), Orbit BOW again for the crossover FOUR POINT MAJOR! What an incredible weekend!

Lavonda Herring designed some technical, tricky, tough courses with low Q rates. My dogs LOVED them! NINA HAD A PERFECT WEEKEND! Zhora went 4/5, and Alice had an Excellent FAST Q and some really awesome runs, including a JWW NQ that felt gorgeous.

I am so honored to have these dogs.

Zhora Saturday JWW (Q, second place, 4.8 YPS, 17 points):

Nina Saturday JWW (P QQ#2, first place, 4.9 YPS 23 points):

Zhora Saturday Exc FAST (Q):

Alice Saturday FAST (Q):

Zhora Saturday Standard (NQ):

Nina Saturday Standard (P QQ#2, first place, 3.7 YPS, 33 points):

Alice Saturday Standard (NQ):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (NQ, but what a GORGEOUS run after the weaves):

Zhora Sunday JWW (QQ #106, first place and only 8″ R dog to Q, 4.49 YPS, 15 points, she hates this kind of opening and it shows):

Nina Sunday JWW (P QQ #3, first place, 4.77 YPS, 22 points):

Alice Sunday Time 2 Beat (NQ but some nice stuff):

Zhora Sunday Standard (QQ #106, first place and only 8″ R dog to Q again, 3.7 YPS, 27 points):

Nina Sunday Standard (P QQ #3, first place, 3.8 YPS, 34 points and a PERFECT WEEKEND):

Cora (formerly Popcorn) is the little sister (actually niece) of Lobo (Alkemi Beowulf del Roble LS), who was the first Swedish Vallhund to earn a drafting title (he was the first Vallhund to earn SEVERAL different titles, but drafting is what we’re talking about here).

Drafting is when a dog pulls a cart, to put it simply. It’s traditionally done by dogs like Bernese Mountain Dogs. Its traditional function was to allow the dog to pull a cart to move goods from place to place. Dogs are smaller and cheaper than horses.

So drafting as a sport, is basically obedience while pulling a cart, with some extra maneuvers in there to demonstrate a useful skill.

So here’s Cora at drafting practice. Cora (Alkemi Corona del Roble LS) is 20 months old and she lives in North Carolina with her owner Jan and her uncle (Zhora’s brother) Lobo.