Oh Yeah, You Blend

What a great three day weekend! Now that the AKC instituted a rule where if you have a class dog and a class bitch, you have a point available, it’s worth my while to show Alice and Orbit!

I’m very fortunate to have a great co-owner for Orbit in Ruth, since she and Jim not only give him a wonderful home, they’re also willing to bring him to shows and show him!

Friday we showed to judge Kathryn Madden, who was just delightful to show to. She was SO complimentary about the dogs, she said “the FRONTS on your dogs! You must be very proud!”). She gave Alice BOB for the point, and went on to give Alice Owner-Handled Group 2 in a large and competitive OH herding group. Later, when we were getting pictures done, she said “she’s a fabulous working bitch! Bring me a working dog any day!”). Not only that, but Alice made the cut in the regular group under judge Marie Ann Falconer. It was such an impressive group and I was so shocked that she made the cut that at first I thought the judge was just naming breeds when she walked past us and said “The Swedish Vallhund”.

Saturday we showed to Marie Ann Falconer. She also gave Alice BOB for the point, and then Alice went on AGAIN to take Owner-Handled Group 2 in yet another large and competitive group under judge Christina C Miller (who walked up and said “You’re my number 2”). Ms. Falconer passed us on the way out of the OH group ring and congratulated me and said “I cut her in group yesterday!”.

And then today, under judge Dianne P Miller (who was a little rough with the dogs on the table, in my opinion), Orbit got BOB and the point.

I was thrilled with how they both showed, and am so thankful and grateful to have awesome co-owners! Orbit loves his family.

Alice and I attended the Anna Eifert OneMind Dogs seminar at Paws For Thought Canine Event Center in Groton, NY.

Alice was tired after the last few weeks of near-constant activities, so she wasn’t her normal self, but we learned a lot anyway.

Video to follow

What can I say about this dog? MACH 5 at 6.5 years of age with TWO breaks for puppies. She’s amazing. I am humbled and grateful to have her as my agility partner. Judge Mary Mullen’s courses were tough but really fun! I have some kind of crud so I was tired and winded and hoarse, but we got it done!

I decided to try running Nina in Preferred. She isn’t having trouble with 8″ but it’s worth a try. Well…she sure liked it…she can run even FASTER if she doesn’t have to really jump…love that dog so much. Agility is her bacon bits.

And Alice! SO HAPPY with how she is coming along! I learned that, at least right now, she is more like Nina than Zhora for warmup. She doesn’t need revving up, she needs focus work. You’ll see in her Standard run she’s a bit crazy (that was when I revved her during warmup), whereas in her Jumpers run I did more focus/shadow handling type stuff and she was much more focused. Good to know! She earned her second Open FAST Q and had a LOVELY T2B run including 12 weaves. I am still very much not fixing much, if anything, with her, so I am happy as long as she engages with obstacles and stays with me. I am very impressed with the distance and independent obstacle performances she is showing!

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ but ALMOST a Q):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (NQ, weird haunted weave poles for many dogs):

Zhora Saturday FAST (NQ):

Alice Saturday Open FAST (Q, note my “OH SHIT” moment when I see her take the dogwalk!):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Standard (Q, second place, 28 points):

Alice Saturday Novice P Standard (NQ):

Alice Saturday JWW Nov P (NQ):

Nina Sunday JWW (NQ):

Zhora Sunday JWW (Part 1 of MACH 5, close call! Fourth place, 17 points):

Alice Time 2 Beat P (NQ, but lovely run!):

Nina Sunday Standard (NQ….never stop being Nina, Nina…):

Zhora Sunday Standard (MACH5 ZHORA!! Third place, 29 points):

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Jan Robles and Cora on Cora’s CD title! Cora is now Alkemi Corona del Roble LS CD! Cora also has her Senior Barn Hunt title and a FastCAT title. She’s just 18 months old, her mom Jan Robles is no slacker! Cora is the Puppy Formerly Known As Popcorn.

Various training videos from today.

Laura English’s courses were AMAZING! Wide open, run your ass off, technical but fun. They were just masterful. We only went on Saturday, even though we were entered Saturday and Sunday. Alice ran and my goals for her were the same as they’ve been recently: have fun, stay with me, and this time do the dogwalk. She did! She earned her first Open FAST Q, and would have had a Q in JWW and Std except for a knocked bar in each. In Standard I didn’t set her up straight to the jump so she ran around it, so I had her do a backside (which she did perfectly). Thrilled with her!

And Zhora! QQQ! She’s one away from MACH 5 now! I should check how many triples she has for her TQX.

Nina had a great time, ran like a looney, got the walk of shame in Standard for bailing off the teeter (she can do what she wants, but she can’t do that, it’s dangerous).

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQQ/QQ # 99, first place, 18 points, 4.796 YPS):

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Saturday FAST (QQQ, first place):

Alice Saturday FAST (first Open Q!):

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQQ/QQ #99, second place, 26 points, 3.613 YPS):

Nina Saturday Standard (Walk of Shame):

Alice Saturday Standard (NQ but look at that backside and teeter!):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

We love judge Sherry Jefferson even when she isn’t our sherpa on an Invitational trip.

What a great weekend! Zhora was perfect, earning three double Q’s (two of which were TRIPLE Q’s), and is now just two QQ’s away from MACH5!

Nina had a perfect weekend….of NQ’s, but every weekend I get to run with Nina being happy, fast, sassy, naughty Nina is perfect.

And Alice! Alice earned her very first agility title (Novice FAST Preferred) and her first Novice Jumpers Preferred leg. She also jumped off the dogwalk. My best guess is that she was looking at the ring crew, suddenly wasn’t sure what she was doing, and bailed, like Sue and I trained her do. She was fine going across it afterward.

Nina Friday Standard (NQ):

Zhora Friday Standard (part 1 of triple Q and QQ # 96, first place, 31 points, 3.99 YPS):

Zhora Friday FAST (part 2 of QQQ, first place):

Alice Friday Novice FAST (Novice FAST title!):

Nina Friday JWW (NQ):

Zhora Friday JWW (part 2 of QQQ/QQ 96, second place, 15 points):

Nina Saturday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Jumpers (QQ # 97, 17 points):

Alice Saturday Time 2 Beat (NQ):

Nina Saturday Standard (NQ):

Zhora Saturday Standard (QQ #97, third place, 27 points, 3.75 YPS):

Alice Saturday Standard (jump off the dogwalk, my best guess is that she was looking at me or the ring crew and suddenly didn’t remember what equipment she was on so she bailed off):

Alice Saturday Jumpers (Q! 4.137 YPS):

Nina Sunday Jumpers (NQ):

Zhora Sunday Jumpers (QQQ/QQ 98, fourth place, 19 points, 4.66 YPS):

Zhora Sunday FAST (QQQ):

Alice Sunday Open FAST (would have been a Q only I overhandled and pulled her off the jump in the middle of the send):

Nina Sunday Standard (NQ):

Zhora Sunday Standard (QQQ/QQ 98, third place, 30 points, 3.97 YPS):