News and updates of my Border Collies and our canine performance events.

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March 29, 2014

Where Did 2013 Go?

It’s been over a year since my last blog post. Most everything just goes on Facebook these days, so I have left quite a void here. But it’s time to do a 2013 Summary. It was a very full & busy year! It actually all started over Christmas 2012, when I drove up to Maine to breed Dandy to a lovely working bitch named Flo owned by Lynn Deschambeault. I have gotten several dogs from Lynn: Robin, Toss, Tripper and my dear Token who was Dandy’s dad. So this breeding was to bring me full circle, back to where it all started for me.

Dandy & Flo

I drove up to New Hampshire on December 22 with Dandy & Tempo, and drove home on Christmas Day after 3 successful breedings. This was the first litter for both the mom & dad, and with Flo being a smooth black & white, and Dandy a rough merle, we didn’t know what we’d get. And so the waiting game began, just hoping for a healthy litter with at least 2 males.

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So welcome 2013!

The first major event of the year was my retirement! After working for the County for nearly 37 years, and reaching my 55th birthday, I took the plunge and retired, while continuing to work 2-3 days a week (at the same job) as I still need to supplement the income from my pension. There are things I want to do that just can’t be done with 4 weeks of vacation time…one year later, I have no regrets, I have been able to have such great adventures that I could not have done without retiring.

While waiting for puppies, we went to two USDAA agility trials in January & February. On February 17 at Keystone’s trial in Barto, PA, Dandy finished his LAA-Bronze award (Lifetime Achievement Award, 150 Q’s in Masters/Tournaments). This was a big milestone, I’m very proud of Dandy.

On February 22, Flo delivered a huge healthy litter of 11 puppies! I was praying for at least 2 males, and we got 5, all smooth black and white. There were 6 females, all smooth with 3 being black/white and 3 blue merles. This was a very exciting day as finally my Dandy puppy was born, and one of his brothers would be going to Australia to live with my dear friend Natalie Kirkwood, who ran Dandy in 2012 at the World Agility Championship in Texas.

I made two trips to Maine in March to visit the puppies at 3 weeks and 5 weeks of age. I had my eye on two in particular since day 1. At 5 weeks, I was able to make my decision which pup to take…his puppy name was “Lad” and he was the last one born (like Dandy & Tempo), and he was sporting one black front leg like Dandy. But besides those things, he just seemed to be “the one”. The other pup I really liked was named “Cap”, and he is the one that would be going to Australia as Natalie and I both favored these same two puppies. When the pups were 7 weeks old, I took one more drive to Maine to pick up our two boy puppies as well as two merle females who would be living in Pennsylvania.

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After the two girls went to their new homes, it was time to settle in briefly with the two boys. Natalie had already named her puppy “2B” with a registered name of Merlynn Ment2B. My pup did not get his name for at least another week, but I finally settled on “Dezi”, derived from “destiny”, with a registered name of MerlynNow&4Evr.

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Just a couple days later, we were on the road again, this time for 3 days as I headed for Fort Worth, TX, to meet Natalie for the  IFCS Continental Championship of the Americas. I loaded Tempo & Dandy and the 2 puppies into my Honda Element and off we went, leaving on Wednesday morning and arriving on Friday afternoon. Two 8 week old puppies in a hotel is a challenge for sure!

Natalie and Dandy were reunited to again compete for Team Australia, who sent 3 handlers to the US to compete with borrowed dogs. Tempo got to play this time around also as he partnered with Simone Holt. The competition was a rush, the puppies were a blast, and it was a fantastic trip.

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Dandy--4953Tempo CCoA April 2013 (10)

Tempo & Simone   http://vimeo.com/85409097

Icing on the cake was a Bronze Medal in Biathlon for Nat & Dandy!

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And it was super cool that Nat got to spend a couple of weeks with her new puppy!

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Nat & her husband David kindly drove back to Pennsylvania to caravan with me and once we hit the Harrisburg area, we parted ways as they went on to visit with friends Heather & Jeremy for a couple of days with 2B in tow.

That weekend, we met up again at a USDAA competition in Barto, PA, and Nat ran a few runs with both Dandy & Tempo. The highlight of the weekend was Master Pairs, where I ran Dandy and Nat ran Tempo, and we qualified!

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And a reunion with littermates of Dandy, Tempo & Dezi----

Family Reunion May 2013 (2)

On May 5, Nat & David headed back to Australia, leaving 2B with me so he could complete the quarantine requirements to be exported to Oz. Tough day for Natalie, saying goodbye to her new puppy that she just met. I could write a book about the months that followed, raising two puppies together and working out everything to make sure 2B’s transition to Australia would be successful. Microchip, rabies vaccine, rabies titer, government endorsements and then the 180 day countdown began. In the months ahead, I would be socializing and training both puppies while working very hard NOT to get too attached to 2B. Dezi & 2B attended Puppy Kindergarten class and I had my friend Valerie handle 2B for me. It was great to see both pups able to focus with that level of distraction. Their littersister Vilya, with Barb Miller, was also in this class. I had some more help when 2B spent the month of July with Heather and Jeremy, lovingly referred to as Beardie Boot Camp! 2B not only learned about living with Beardies but he continued to get exposed to new people and new situations. The new environment was good for him, and the break was good for me and Dezi as it gave me a chance to spend one-on-one time with him. When August arrived, Dezi and I attended Puppy Agility Camp along with Heather and 2B. At the end of Camp, 2B was returned to me. More vet visits and more life lessons to come.

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In June I attended the Mid-Atlantic Regional where Dandy ran clean in two rounds of Grand Prix, earning a Bye into Semi-Finals at Nationals. So the trip to Tennessee in October was put on our calendar.

In June I made another huge decision and investment: I bought a small RV. This was a dream of mine for many years and with the retirement it seemed like the right time to just do it! I bought a 2009 Winnebago View, 24’ on a diesel Sprinter chassis. Just the right size for me and my dogs, and manageable for me to drive. The dogs LOVE having their own “home” on the road, such a pleasure to not have to stay in motels, and staying on site at select agility trials is a real luxury.

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My first trip in the RV was in mid-July when I went to Rhode Island for the New England Regional (USDAA). Everything went fine and I found I can sleep really well in it, much better than motels. Dogs also rested well. While in RI, I met Donalee for a little family reunion as she has Tempo’s littermate Maze and Dezi’s littermate Moss.

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2B had lots of swimming lessons at the lake. He presented me with a challenge as he is the first Border Collie I’ve had who did not just dive in and figure it out. He was cautious of the water itself, then worried as the ground kept dropping away. I went in with him to try to trigger his paddling mechanism. I deposited him off the side of the dock. I threw food and toys that floated to entice him. It was a slow process, and I was not about to send him off to Australia not knowing how to swim! So I broke down and bought him a life jacket. I went in the water with him, deep enough for him to paddle and he suddenly found his sea legs, the jacket gave him that boost of security. He had one session with the life jacket and after that, he was swimming naked and joining the other three in the lake with confidence.

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In August I had a bit of a health scare with Dandy as he started drinking and urinating excessively. We saw the vet and had blood tests, urine tests and an ultrasound. The only thing found was a prostate infection for which he was given antibiotics. After a couple days, he seemed normal again. He had lost a couple of pounds, so I tweaked his diet and he put some weight on so all was back on track.

We took another RV trip in August to an agility trial in western Pennsylvania. And another reunion of Shebaa dogs as we met up with Dandy’s two littermates Seeker & Jazz!

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September brought sadness as we lost Tripper on the 9th. He was 14 years old, he was losing his sight and hearing, and was experiencing degenerative nerve issues making it difficult for him to walk and control his functions. He had a number of masses throughout his body as well, so the time had come. He had been living with my mom for the past 6 years, enjoying the quiet companionship. He is greatly missed by both of us.

In early October, my mom and I took a little RV trip with my 4 dogs to Virginia to watch some of the USBCHA Finals. Lynn & Flo were running in Nursery, so we got to see them as well as a number of Open runs. We drove down on Tuesday and stayed overnight, and back home the next day after watching Flo in action.

USDAA World Cynosport (Nationals) was held in Tennessee in October. Nat wanted to come for a visit with 2B so we worked it out for her to come during Cynosport. I would run Dandy (I had to handle him in GP to use my Bye), and she would run Tempo. For the team event, we partnered with Tempo’s littermate Quid and Barb Miller. Our team name was a tribute to Token (dad to all 3 dogs, whose registered name is Merlynn Eclipse) with the Australian connection: Eclipse Down Under

Barb Miller had fantastic shirts made up for us to wear.

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I left home on October 20 and arrived in Murfreesboro for Cynosport on October 21. Nat flew into Nashville and met Heather there; they stayed at a hotel with 2B while I stayed on site in my RV. It was really great for Nat to have this quality time with 2B.

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Nat did get to run Dandy also at Cynosport, in the Biathlon event. They had 2 clean runs with NO practice since May!

Tempo in Team Gamblers, Dandy in Master Challenge Jumpers http://youtu.be/575AGBP0EjE 

Dandy in Master Challenge Standard http://youtu.be/UG2xmVgTRlM

After Nationals, Nat & 2B joined me in the RV as Heather flew home to Pennsylvania. We drove up to Virginia to the Misty Mountain Campgrounds where we spent two wonderful days at a training camp with Mary Ellen Barry & Jen Pinder. Nat worked with Dandy and I worked Tempo. It was a great learning experience. We then drove back to PA, where Nat got to spend a few more days with 2B. We visited the lake for one last swim before winter arrived, took the dogs for a herding lesson and enjoyed a drive to see the autumn leaves.

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On November 3, Natalie flew back home, this time a bit easier to leave as 2B would be in Australia in just a couple of weeks.

With the final paperwork all in order, and travel arrangements made, it was time for 2B to leave me on November 11. My friend Valerie drove us to Newark airport where I met with the pet transport people. I said Goodbye to 2B as he settled into his airline crate. This was a tough day. While I was ecstatic that he was finally going to be with Nat, where he belongs, it was hard for me to see him leave. As much as I never thought of him as “my dog” and reminded myself of that every day, I will always love him and miss him.

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2B’s journey first took him to LAX where he had a layover and the paperwork endorsed by the government official. And then he jetted off on the big trek across the Pacific Ocean, from LA to Sydney. There he would spend 30 days in quarantine, though he was allowed visits from Nat and other friends. When he was finally released to Nat, it was a monumental day!

2B in Q 11-21-13

2B is now happy as ever in his new home. He not only swims in a pool but also in the sea, with waves and all. It was a massive journey for all of us…it took a village to make sure 2B was prepared for all that was coming his way…but the end result was worth it all. I am so very honored that Dandy’s son is adored by Nat & David, and I am super proud of the little man who has handled his adventure so beautifully.

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2B January 2014

And as much as I miss 2B, it’s really good that I now have just ONE puppy. And Dezi is a great pup, he is super sweet and he really likes his sheep!

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While 2013 was dominated by the raising of two puppies, Dandy and Tempo had their share of notable moments as well.

In addition to the LAA-Bronze, Dandy earned his Jumpers Champion-Silver title, and in AKC, he finished his MX, MXJ and XF.

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Tempo earned his Standard Agility Master, Tournament Master and Tournament Master-Bronze, and his Jumpers Master. In AKC, he earned his AX, AXJ and NF.

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As 2013 drew to a close, many more adventures were being planned for 2014!

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December 17, 2012

Tempo MAD Dog!!!!

On December 8th, at the USDAA Agility Test hosted by Keystone Agility Club in Barto, PA, Tempo earned his Master Agility Dog title! He needed to qualify in both Master Gamblers & Master Snooker to finish is MAD, and he did both in style. He placed 4th in Gamblers, and though he only placed 5th in Snooker, he did earn the maximum of 51 points (4 other dogs also got 51 points but got across the finish line faster!) He ran great in Jumpers but I moved a hair too soon and pulled him off a jump, so no Q. But a bonus of the day was his Q in Grand Prix (5th place). He had also earned a GP Q on November 11th at High Octane’s test at Barto, with a 3rd place, so he is now qualified for Nationals in GP.

Dandy also had a great day qualifying in 3 of his 4 classes. We blew Masters Standard, but we aced Master Jumpers winning the 26” class. We ran Master Pairs with little brother Quid (Tempo’s littermate), and qualified with a clean run on both parts. And Dandy qualified in Grand Prix with a 4th place, just 0.02 seconds behind 3rd. This was a big improvement over our November 11 competition where Dandy and I had a Q-less day with just one error in every class.

At this last competition of the year, both dogs ran really well, no bars down, no contact or weave faults…just refusals. Tempo is running much better than in the beginning of the year, he is sending well and not asking as many questions. Dandy has had a few moments of being pushy, but he is still a dandy boy! We now take a little break as the holiday season is upon us, but we won’t rest for long as I’m planning on a 3-day USDAA event in January,and one or two days in February. 2014 will be bringing us more adventures, so there is lots to look forward to. Regardless of Q’s and titles, I’m grateful for every single day that I have with these awesome dogs.

Tempo MAD(1)Dandy ADCH Bronze Cert

Autumn AKC Agility

Enjoying a nice 45 minute commute, we attended a couple of local AKC Agility trials hosted by Skyline Agility Club. On October 20-21, 2012, we did not have our best weekend, but still managed a few Q’s with both boys going 3 for 6. Dandy earned one Q each in Excellent B Standard, Excellent A FAST, and Time2Beat, all Blue since he was the only 26” dog. Tempo earned one Q each in Novice FAST (his debut in FAST), Excellent A Standard and Time2Beat, all 1st place in 24”.

We had a better but colder weekend on December 1-2. Dandy double-Q’d on Saturday and Q’d in Excellent B Standard on Sunday, so he was 3 for 4, and again all Blue as the only 26” dog. Tempo was 2 for 4, qualifying in Excellent A JWW on Saturday, and in Excellent A Standard on Sunday, both 1st place in 24”.

So we end our AKC year with Tempo needing one more Q for his AX, and two more for his AXJ. Dandy needs one Q for his MX, and two for his MXJ. He has five Double Q’s and 320 MACH points; I’m not sure if we’ll really pursue a MACH as I still prefer USDAA, but if there are enough AKC trials close by, maybe someday…

October 24, 2012

Dandy, ADCH-Bronze

On Saturday, October 13, at the USDAA Test hosted by Keystone Agility Club, Dandy earned his Agility Dog Championship-Bronze title. He needed just one more Q in Master Snooker to finish the ADCH-Bronze as well as his Snooker Champion-Bronze. He qualified with a lovely run of 49 points, 2nd Place and a Super Q. We didn’t get a big title ribbon, so no special photo, but we do have video!

Dandy in Master Snooker

He also had a beautiful run in Master Jumpers, qualifying and winning the class. This was probably our best Jumpers run yet, at 6.7 yards per second. I didn’t slow him down as much as I usually do since I did three blind crosses, it was such fun!

Dandy in Master Jumpers

Tempo earned his 3rd Q in Masters Standard, but not a very good time as I had trouble getting his elbow down on the table. Still he managed a 4th place. He had great runs going in Snooker and Jumpers but one refusal in each cost us the Q’s.

Tempo in Master Standard

On October 20-21, we went to Skyline’s AKC Agility Trial in Middletown, NY. Not our best weekend, but both boys qualified in 50% of their runs. Tempo earned 3 Q’s: Novice FAST, Excellent A Standard and Time2Beat, all First Placements in 24”. Dandy also earned 3 Q’s: Excellent A FAST, Excellent B Standard and Time2Beat, all First Placements in 26”.

We plan to get three more days of USDAA in before year’s end, along with one weekend of AKC. Winter will be upon us soon when will be at the mercy of the weather but hopefully we can get to at least one event per month through the winter months.

October 17, 2012

Cynosport 2012

September 26-30, 2012 - Commerce City, CO

In September, we took a long road trip out to Colorado to compete in the USDAA “Nationals” n/k/a Cynosport World Games, held at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO. Both Dandy & Tempo competed in all 3 tournaments: Grand Prix, Steeplechase and Team. Amongst the challenges were the 1800 mile drive with two friends in an RV (and a total of 7 dogs), the change in altitude at a mile high, and the intensity of a huge international event. Competitors attended from not only the US, but also Japan, Russia, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, England, Spain & Switzerland.

It was indeed a long drive but staying in a fab RV was a fantastic way to do it, so I’m lucky to have been invited to join Jeannie & Kathleen on this RV journey. We were able to stay “on site” at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, which was a real luxury to me, no travelling back and forth to motels and having the convenience of “home away from home” right there 24/7.

This was my first time “out west”…seeing the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop every day was magnificent, I just love mountains. A bonus is that I didn’t have to take any allergy meds the whole time I was out there! As soon as we drove back into Pennsylvania on the way home, it was back to antihistamines and decongestants.

Dick’s SGP is a huge outdoor complex with a stadium and a plethora of soccer fields. One section was dedicated to our event, and there were 3 rings on grass as well as 3 rings on an artificial turf that was fabulous for both handlers and dogs to run on. The main ring was on turf with bleachers on two sides. One of the 3 grass rings was deemed unusable for the entire event as we had two nights of rain that was more than Commerce City had seen all year. In order to not turn the one grass ring into mud, it was abandoned. The organizers did a great job of reassigning all the classes scheduled for that ring, so the event went on with just 5 rings without much difficulty. Even though we had two nights filled with rain, the weather during the days of the event were pleasant and mostly sunny.

In addition to agility, the event also hosted Flyball racing, Lure Coursing, and Splash Dogs.

Overall, I was happy with my dogs’ performances. Some runs could have been better, of course, but it was a great experience regardless of results.

TEAM EVENT: Tempo ran in the 4 classes for the Team event, and though he E’d in Jumpers (off course in wrong end of tunnel) and had a terrible Snooker class (8 points!), he hung on in Standard to get a score, and had a very good run in Gamblers. Dandy did well in his team classes, his worst being Snooker with 31 points. He ran clean in both Standard & Jumpers, and had a terrific run in Gamblers to place 10th in the 26” class (though they only gave placements up to 9th place!).

STEEPLECHASE: Both Dandy & Tempo made it to Semi-finals but did not advance into the Finals. We ran Quarterfinals around 9:00 at night on Wednesday, and hoping to finish before a big storm moved in. (We got back to the RV in the nick of time!) I was surprised to do as well as we did under the circumstances. Tempo did well in Semi-Finals but knocked a bar…he needed to be clean in order to advance in that competition. I really wanted Dandy to make it to Semi’s as he’s a great Steeplechase dog…but I made a huge mental error. On his approach to Jump #3, my mind went to the wrong place…I thought about how well he could do if someone else were handling him…and at that very moment, he crashed the jump AND the wing, which is something he has never done. We had a disconnect after that for an off-course. So I blew it. But it was a very valuable lesson: I need to focus on me and my dog and nothing else, and run him to the best of my ability. I need to focus on our strengths, not our weaknesses. I was disappointed but not devastated, and I will be better prepared mentally in the future.

GRAND PRIX: Tempo went off-course at the Aframe/Tunnel discrimination in quarter-finals, so no advancement. It was unfortunate that GP Quarterfinals as well as Steeplechase Quarterfinals were held on Wednesday, the first day of competition, we were not at our best after spending the previous 5 days/nights in the RV, on the road with no opportunity to train. Thankfully, Dandy had earned a Bye into Semi-Finals, and the Semi’s were held on Saturday. He ran clean but did not make the cut for Finals. They only took the 16 fastest dogs, and I needed to be much more aggressive than I was to be competitive. But I survived my first time in Semi-Finals and am very proud of Dandy. This was an important experience for me as I tend to get very nervous in the ring, but getting through the run without choking or losing focus was a “win” for me. I realized that I will have to be more ambitious in the future if I ever hope to advance. Changing my habit of “just trying to run clean” into “run clean AND fast” will take some work, I’ve been running conservatively for nearly 20 years! But it’s time to try to step out of my comfort zone. I have an amazing dog who is capable of so much, and even though I’m not young & athletic, I can push more by handling more strategically and making the most of my dog’s skills. While I have no aspirations to actually WIN, I really do have to set my goals a little bit higher than “just run clean”.

I have so much to be proud of with both of my dogs. I was confident in knowing my dogs would stay at the start line, I was confident in their contact performances being spot-on, and even though they don’t always keep the bars up, they are talented jumpers. It was a pleasure to enter the ring with them and know they had great training behind them as well as athletic ability and drive and desire, even if my handling sometimes let them down.
They have very good weave skills as well, but the 22” spacing on the weaves at Cynosport really threw Tempo off. We see nothing but 24” weaves at trials, and he had a hard time finding his rhythm with the 22”. I know he CAN do them, he did them fine when we encountered them in Texas in May. But the Cynosport environment made him very high, and even being outdoors was something he has not habituated to since almost every trial we did this year was indoors. Dandy is more seasoned and was able to adapt to the weaves with no issue, but it was harder for Tempo.

Grand Prix Finals were held on Sunday, and since we were not running, I accepted an invitation extended to Dandy to join a Colorado Flyball Team who was racing at the event. (Dandy’s half-brother Jake was on the team so at least we knew one dog there.) Dandy took a moment, wondering what we were doing – he had not even seen a flyball box since April - but then quickly switched gears from Agility to Flyball. Racing for the first time outside on grass presented an entirely new picture to him. He took the position of start dog, we had great starts and he averaged 4.0-4.1, helping the Agents of Chaos secure 1st Place in Regular Division 1. We were awarded a gorgeous Cynosport 2012 medallion for winning and it’s a beautiful memento of our Wild West Week!

Besides enjoying a wonderful event with dogs, friends, nice weather and lovely scenery, I came away from it all with much to be happy about and also much to think about for next year. Beyond the training and mental management that are key points, there is one more thing that I need to consider…I need to be better prepared next year by getting to more trials. 2012 was a unique and fantastic year for me that included two very big trips, which is out of my comfort zone, but I loved every moment and I would not change a thing. The World Agility Championship in Texas in May was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that has been the highlight of Dandy’s career, and it was worth any sacrifices made to get there so that Dandy could compete with Team Australia. And when I made the commitment to go to WAC, I had no intentions of going to Colorado. What I have to do differently in the future is to simply try to budget my time and money more effectively. In 2012, my competition days totaled about 10, not counting the two Regionals I went to. By the time Cynosport arrived, I felt I had not competed enough to be prepared, I felt “out of practice”. I need to plan for Cynosport in 2013 in Tennessee, to insure that my head is in the game and the dogs are well-rehearsed but not burned out.

When all is said and done, my heartfelt gratitude goes to Dandy and Tempo for bringing so much adventure and joy and love to my life!

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Indiana Sunset from I-80 West

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Tempo & Dandy at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, Commerce City, Colorado

Cynosport panoramic

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October 8, 2012

AKC in September

Our second AKC trial for this year was September 8-9, hosted by Skyline Agility Club in their new facility at Victoria Farms in Middletown, NY. One ring trial in a barn, on packed dirt/rubber. The shape of the barn resulted in the ring being rectangular instead of square, and obstacles were often placed very close to the walls. I think the walls and the footing presented some differences that my dogs need to get accustomed to, but I’m sure they will as we plan to do a number of trials there. One thing I was not wild about was the jumps they used, they were very lightweight pvc, mostly wingless, not much visibility and not very compelling for the dog.

Dandy had a very “off” weekend, knocking a bar in 3 of his 6 classes. This is very unusual for him so I had to wonder if the walls and/or footing felt odd to him. When he knocked the first couple of bars, I don’t think he even realized it due to the lightweight pvc. The first time, I believe he brushed the upright, rather than hitting the bar itself. Second bar was jumping into a wall. The 3rd bar, he knew he hit it and I saw him react for the first time, he really needed the feedback that he knocked a bar.

So, Dandy was only 3 for 6. He qualified in Time2Beat with a 1st place both days, and he qualified in Sunday’s Excellent B Standard, 1st place. Not that NQs are unusual for me, but it IS unusual for Dandy for the only error to be knocked bars. More homework!

Tempo had a very good weekend, he was 3 for 3 on Saturday, and 1 for 3 on Sunday, with dropped bars his only fault. On Saturday, he qualified in Open JWW to finish is OAJ title. He also earned his second leg in Open Standard, and his first Q in Time2Beat, taking 2nd place behind Dandy in 26”. On Sunday, he earned his 3rd leg in Open Standard to finish his OA title. He had a bar down in Time2Beat, and a bar down in his debut in Excellent A JWW. But overall a great weekend for the youngster.

AKC in August

August brought us just one event, an AKC Agility trial hosted by Monticello NY Kennel Club, held at New Hope Farms in Port Jervis, NY. This is my favorite site since it’s only 25 minutes from home!

Dandy went 4 out of 5 for the weekend. On Saturday, he qualified in Excellent B JWW (2nd place) and Time2Beat (1st place). On Sunday, he double-Q’d with a 2nd place in Excellent B JWW and 1st place in Excellent B Standard.

Tempo had good runs, qualifying 2 out of 5. He earned his 2nd leg in Open JWW and his 1st leg in Open Standard. Dropped rails were the downfall in other classes but his contacts & weaves were great! Doing our first AKC trial of the year, I found a hole in our training program…while we work on lots of tight turns and technical things, we have not done much lately involving long sequencing of jumps on straight lines or soft curves. Time to work speed circles!

Great “home” trial with lots of friends!

Terri & Pups Aug2012 (2)

Family Reunion! Pictured is Terri Florentino (Shebaa Border Collies) with 5 of her puppies:

Quid & Tempo (Meg/Token 2009), Dandy (Meg/Token 2006), Roy (Wyn/Mick) & Wiley (Echo/Chip)