Agility at WWCDTC

So we had our fall Agility trial at the club this past weekend. It was a 3 day trial with Friday being the Excellent JWW and Std classes and ALL levels of Fast. Saturday and Sunday was everything including fast. I was in charge of Ribbons and Prizes again. My favorite job! But I did fill in where needed outside if I wasn't running around with my head cut off.

I ran Qwik, Bell, Casey(Yvonnes girl) and DeeDee who is a golden in my classes at the club. Her owner is older and has a hard time keeping up to the dog and she runs well for me.

Friday started out WET, RAINY and WINDY! YUCK! We had Jumpers set up in a river....so we ended up moving the entire ring forward. Talk about a Pain in the Butt!! Bell was in ExB Jumpers and ExA Std and Novice Fast. She Q'd 3 fer 3. Earned her MXJ, and Novice Fast title! The Excellent Std leg she earned was her first AX leg and also first time EVER in Excellent Standard! YAY for the red dog!!!

Casey, Qwik and DeeDee were in Novice fast and they all were naughty/silly/unfocused. So we just had some fun out there! ohhh well.........

Saturday started off windy and cloudy and ended up sunny! It was a werid day. The ground dried off overnight thank goodness......

Bell was in ExB JWW and ExA Std and I moved her up to Open FAST. She Q'd in JWW and STD, earning her SECOND leg towards her AX. She took the wrong side of the tunnel in Fast like a silly dog...gurrrr But she ran really nice!

Qwik was in Novice JWW & Fast and Open Standard. She is not near ready to me moved up in ANY level but I thought it would give ME some more breathing room running the 4 dogs. She ended up Q'ing in Open Standard! She just had one refusal at the weaves, and did the 12 set BEAUTIFULLY!!!! I have only been working 6's with her lately! She had more focus than she has had in the past. She NAILED a 6 set of weaves way out ahead of me though! PROGRESS!!!

Casey tried real hard and almost had a Q in JWW and STD. She went off course in JWW and had a PERFECT run in Std but knocked the last bar which was a double. She had some VERY nice stuff going on though

DeeDee was kinda naughty for me. She bailed on the teeter right above the yellow...ALMOST! She isn't real confident on it yet. Especially outside. She ran OK in the other classes and ALMOST passed Fast. Her time in JWW was over cause she kept going around jumps. But we had some good bonding time!!!

Sunday was a BEAUTIFUL day! It was picture perfect. Sunny but cool. LOVE IT!!!!!

Bell Q'd in JWW and STD and earned her AX title! She went 3 fer 3!!! I had that thought in the back of my head and I was like...hmmm....tha'd be cool!!! She's such a good girl. She Q'd in Open fast too with a nice run.

I am giving trying for a MACH a thought. She is 8. She is very consistant and just needs a little maintence on weaves and contacts. Turning tight and not pulling off jumps are her main issue I think....I think it is doable....but I dono if I wanna do it. I will get her NADAC NATCH. She is like 10 Q's away from that. I would LOVE to get a OTCh...but thats a WHOLE HECK of alot of work......And this summer I am gonna push for her Senior Hunter and HRC/UKC field titles. decisions decisons............

Qwik ran nice for me. Her Jumpers run was the best I thought. I haven't been really using handling skills on the Novice girls......I just kinda throw them into open space and slopily change sides. I worked on rear crosses with Qwik...but I know she is just starting to understand them. But I thought what the heck I'll give it a shot cause it ain't like she is going for a title or anything. I did 2 of them and she read them nicely and drove ahead of me and turned the correct direction!!! I was sooo excited!!! She ended up with a Q in JWW. She got called on her a-frame contacts in fast...I gotta train that dog....in Std she was a bit unfocused...but did some good stuff.

Casey earned her NA and NAJ!!!! She was such a good girl. She is so fast and focused when she isn't all nervous about everything. She gave me a scare in Fast. She always has a very flashy a frame. She leaps the apex and does a nice running bottom. Well she lept over the top of the a frame and landed on the ground next to it! I was like ummm......lets try that again girlie. She did it perfect the second time. Silly girl! Alissa from Pet-Personalities.com was there and got a few awesome shots of the guys. She got this one of Casey on Friday and I ordered the rest. They should be here soon.



DeeDee ran MUCH better for me and got a Fast leg. In Std she ran PERFECT except for putting all 4 feet on the teeter and bailing....ALMOST! But everything else was great. She also ran great in Jumpers and Q'd there too!!! YAY for her!

I was totally exhausted running 4 dogs but it was a fun weekend. 5 titles aint bad!!!

OHIO!!!! Qwik's JH????????

9-26 & 9-27
SO! I was in search of Qwik last 2 legs needed for her Junior Hunter Title. A friend through curlies had mentioned that there was a Double Junior Test, the end of September, in Ohio, and that I could stay at her house if needed. I gave it a thought then checked my schedule at work, and I didn't have many dogs booked! I promplty rescheduled them and made plans to drive to Eastern Ohio to hopefully get those last 2 legs. I also entered Bell in Senior for another shot at that.

We trained Thursday night at Kyle's place with the 2 ducks I was keeping in a crate. MAN O MAN are ducks gross!!! Anyways, I had my dad come out, and we got some pictures of the dogs retriveing the fully feather ducks...unlike our usuall training ducks who many lack a few feathers.



Isn't she so cute!!!



Could it be!!! Bell has her ears up for PICTURES!!!!

Bell Loves birds,




This is Toby. Hes the lab we train with. Hes a good boy and got his JH in 4 strait tries!!! Unlike the lill curly!


So after that training session the dogs were pumped. We left Friday morning after I groomed a few dogs. I made it there in a little over 9 hours. CHICAGO SUCKED!!!! Once I got past there it was smooth sailing.

Once I got there, I unpacked my crap, settled the dogs and we went out to dinner at Smokey Bones. YUMO!!! GREAT choice I must say. Dawn, joined us later...The "us" was Sief, Dawns boyfriend, and Monna from Finland, who was picking up her curly puppy and flying back to Finland with him!

Saturday Morning we got to the test and it was sunny......then it got dark and rained. urgggggggg. Land was first for Miss Qwik, and she did PERFECT! Out and back, and super fast. She did excellent. I was sooo super proud of her. The marks weren't all that easy either. Lots of dogs were failing. Water was next and the rain continued....urggggg. Bell got to be test dog and she throughly enjoyed that. She also got to pick up a few birds that the dogs didn't get. She was SOO happy to be of Service. Qwik ran later in the running order and it was still cool and rainy. When it was her turn she was all pumped. The duck call quacked, and the shot rang out, and the duck splashed into the water...I released her and she didn't jump in.........she fartzed around on the waters edge. Then she tried to run out to it, but you really couldn't get out their easily by foot. Then she just stoped and started eating grass.....I was TICKED!

I quietly took her back to the car and told her how naughty that was once we got there. Then we went to the pond that was next to where we were parked. I sent her into the water and she no-go'd...AHHH HA! I laied into her that we do NOT do that! I set her up and sent her again. She BLASTED into the water. I tossed a bumper out in front of her. I had her on a Flexi leash and she coudn't reach the bumper. So I reeled her back in and told her again how naughty she was for not getting the bumper. Then I uncliped her and sent her in. She hit the water like a ton of bricks. I HOPE that proved a point to her. I was VERY disapointed in the girl. We had done lots of water work at training before we left. But her reasons were....it was cool and rainy, the bird thrower was hand tossing the birds and we are used to wingers tossing those birds way up and making a nice big splash in training. So I can sorta see her point. "But, when I ask you to get into the water, and get a bird, like I KNOW you KNOW how to do, I expect you do it! DARLING!!!!!!"

After we came home and dried off, Seif made the most AMAZING meal. It was Curry Chicken, Beans and Rice, and some Roasted veggies. YUMMMM AWESOME! We hung out and chatted then headed off to bed.

Sunday I was all pumped for. Bell was up first in Senior on Land. It was a Walkup Double that was the same marks we ran in Junior just as a double instead of singles. Do-able. Then a Blind into a field cut full of Strips(it kinda scared me). Then an Honor. Bell did GREAT on her marks. I was worried about her blind but she ALMOST Lined it!!! She ran a GREAT line out there, and then started drifting to the left of it. I sat her and casted her back to it. She was right on top of it but couldn't pin point it. She started to hunt bigger and bigger, so I had to handle her again back to it and she kinda blew me off, but came up with it. As I left the blind line and went to Honor, the Guy Judge said "I'm Sorry." I thought to myself "REALLY!!! Was it that bad!" I got her leash, and my coat, and settled down as they rebirded before the next dog ran. Once they were ready, the female judge came over to me, and said to get ready for the honor. I just told Bell to stay. Then she said..."Take your leash off." I promply did!!! If you honor on leash it means you failed. So I was SOOOO confused. The guy judge must have said "I'm Sorry" cause they had to rebird...but his timing wasn't the greatest!!! I was flip floppin all over! EEK!!! But she was called back to water. :-)

Qwiks land series was next. She did FLIPPIN PHENOMONAL!!! The best she has ever done. Running out and back and PINNIN her marks. GOOD GIRL! I rewarded her with a quick swim in the pond behind the parking area. Little did she know I also was refreshing her to GETTING IN THE WATER!!! YAY


Lunch Break Pictures. The lill liver curly is Olive. Qwiks 3/4ths sister's puppy. Dawn would NOT let me take her home...she's so mean!!!







Bell ran Water next. It took FOREVER to set up the test. The double was do-able and shorter than some of the marks we have run. The Memory bird was along all these stumps but still in open swimming water. The Go bird was across the pond and up on Shore on this hill. Kinda tough. A few dogs gave up and switched to the Memory bird. Bell did awesome. The blind was an angle across, and past 2 points of land. One area was swampy grass and the other was a little island. I sent her back, and she took a great line. Then she started drifting to the left a little bit. I sat her and casted her back to the right and she took a PERFECT line all the way back to it, and picked it up, and brought it in. I was about to start doing cartwheels!!!!!!!!!!! YAY YAY YAY YAY I got some great compliments from the judges and they even said to each other as I left "Did we make this too easy???" As I walked away I said to myself..."No me and my dog are just THAT GOOD!!! We made it look that easy!" LMAO!!!

Onto Water with Qwik......The marks were short and in open swimming water. PERFECT for the lill girl! It's when they land on land, that we have issues. She did GREAT! Pinned both marks and dove in on the first command and brought them right to my side and was good. YAY for the Beans. One of the judges even gave her perfect 10's all the way around! YOWZA!!! I was ticked that one day can go so good, and the other so bad.....Ohhhhh Well!

9 Hours later and we were back in Wisconsin.....1:30pm. Not to bad!

I would go back in a heartbeat!!! I had a GREAT time!

A GREAT weekend!

9-20-09

Roz from work got married on Saturday at The Kalahari in The Dells. We all went from work. It was a blast! Everything was beautiful. Very unique indead!!! She had Zebra striped bridesmaid dresses and a really neat flower theme. I LOVED the cake! I had some really awesome pictures on my own camera....I transfered them to a cd and it didnt work. I had already deleted the pictures on the camera disk....urggggggg But here are a few from facebook.








I had planned on staying overnight at the wedding. But there was a UKC/HRC event down at Bong. I just HAD to go! I drove home at night half asleap...then drove down to Bong Half asleap.....yuck

I had Bell entered in Seasoned and Qwik in Started.

Qwik was up first in Started on Land....the BIG TEST!!! She has her started title but wanted to see if my training was doing what I wanted it to. I wanted to make sure she still had the drive and enthusiasm for the game. I have been being harder on her that I was in the past and I wanted to make sure it didn't ruin her drive. I also wanted to see if she would dink around like she did in the past. If she dinked I would know that my training WASN'T doing what I wanted it too. She was perfect. She did everything she needed to and got a nice applause! HURRAY for the confirmation on my training!

Bell was up next in Seasoned on Water...My stumac was ROLLING! I had to pee like 8 times before I ran! CRAZY nervous! It started with a walkup with the bird landing in water about 5 feet in front of you. Bell did PERFECT! Then game the Water blind. This is what she failed on the previous HRC test. It was a simple blind and the dogs could stand in the water. A BIG plus for Bell cause she is uncomfortable treading water. She did GREAT! She even followed the little frog that jumped by the bird on her way out there!!! MY LUCKY DAY!!! Next was a simple double. She did great. SO very proud of the girl. I also did PERFECT on handling the gun! YAY!

Qwik was up next on Water. She did alright. It was real simple. She did screw around a little bit on the first mark. But the second was great. So I knew I had some holes to fill in, in that department.

Bell was up almost last on Land. It was a LONG wait! After the 20th trip to the little girls room.....It wasn't as simple as I had hoped! K now hang with me while I explain it all. First you had a double. The birds were WIDE OPEN! about 180 degrees. So It was kinda confusing for what side you wanted the dog on. You had to sit on a bucket. If you had your dog on your left side...when you would swing to the right you may be blocking your dogs sight or they might not follow you. If they were on your Right you would have to swing INTO them and some dogs will release themselves if you do that to them. Luckily they had the gunners quack to get the dogs attention. Bell was her usuall steady and got the go bird like a champ. The memory bird was a bit tougher. There wasnt much wind. She got almost all the way out when she started to smell the Bird that was planted for the Blind! I was supposed to shoot the gun at a diversion bird when she brought the memory bird back. So i was kinda focusing on the gun and forgot about the Blind bird smell. Bell started to hunt wider and wider and came real close to the blind. I sat her and gave her a BIG over and she took my cast and basically steped on the bird. She came ROARING in and I shot the diversion bird and she brought her bird in and then got the diversion! WHEW!!!! CRAZY!!!!!!

The blind was last and she did great. 3 wistles and she smacked her head on the blind stake. I was laughin at her, the dork. She was like OH there it is! LOL! I was SOOOO proud of the girl. YAY!

So it was a great weekend.

Dock Doggin

9-13-09

We haven't been able to make it to any dock jumping events this year, mainly because of conflicts with other events. It seemed there were a few local events in spring but I was already entered in Obedience or Agility! I had planned on going to a Hunt test in Michigan this weekend. But I missed the closing date. And I didn't know if I wanted to travel that far 2 weekends in the same month. My field trainer Kyle mentioned he was going to have a booth at Racine Fairgrounds and that they had Dock Dogs there! He had free tickets so I entered the girls. Both girls were EXTREMELY excited about it.

I had been playing around at home with them and they LOVE to just run fast and jump.
Bell has been jumping HUGE at home. Everything is over 20 feet and usually her first one is about 25-26 feet. But that's at home. Her own dock and lake. A pool set up is just not the same for her. She jumped well in practice, but her best all weekend was 17.02. She made it into the Amateur Finals and got a pretty ribbon. She was SOOO slow on the dock! She would chase her toy up. But was slow running to me. She had fun anyways!



BOING!!!!



Bell Lookin at her Toy






Miss Qwik was SUPER excited. She knows the game now. Waiting in line she is constantly diving at me like "LETS GO NOW!!!" She hates waiting her turn. She does like to watch the dogs go ahead of her. She stands and stares at them when they are waiting. As soon as they go, she goes crazy!!! She was a good little jumper though. She kept leaving early so her distances weren't the greatest. Her best all weekend was a 16.09. She got 2 senior legs towards her title. I think it may have been her title if I remember correctly. We will have to wait and see if DockDogs mails us a Title Certificate.










This Racine Sportsman's Fair was supposed to kinda replace the Great Outdoor Festival that was always held in Oshkosh at the EAA grounds. It was small but fun. The local hunt test training club was there and put on a few demos. They had a Speed Retrieve lane and you could run the dogs in it. Both Qwik and Bell did FABULOUS at it and ran it in about 10 seconds. The top time of the weekend was 9 seconds. They also had a bumper scurry. There was 12 bumpers placed among logs and tree branches. You had to stay in this little square and send the dog to get the bumpers. Bell got 11 and the timer ran out when she picked up the 12th one. ALMOST! Qwik got 7 before she lost interest.

I also got to hang out with some cool people!!! Mary S with Nike and Burligh were there. I haven't seen them ALL year! We talked forever and caught up. My friends Andy and Cassie with their Black lab Toby ran him in dock dogs and the speed retrieve. He did really well too! I think next year he will be rockin in Dock jumping. He's still such a silly pup. All the other Dock Doggers that I hadn't seen all year were there. It was a good time! BEAUTIFUL weather to boot!!!

Qwiks Ribbon Picture and more training...

So we had field training tonight. I have been on Qwiks case since the test. I am not giving an inch anymore! I am nit-picking everything. No SLACKIN! On my end of the leash or hers. All the little things she does in training translates into HUGE MAJOR issues at tests.

I am trying to be on top of Qwik and get across to her...."This is MY TIME!!!! You have 23 1/2 hours a day to be a dog...these are MY few minutes"

I hope it works.....It ain't gonna be a fun few weeks of training. But if she gets the point, it will be. I have 3 ducks in a crate waiting till a few days before we leave for Ohio to go to a Double Junior test. She needs BOTH those legs to get her JH this year. Live shot flyers really perk her up......what I do for my dogs......MAN Do ducks smell!!!!!!!!!!!

Training today went well though. I am doing some Pile work. And also some work with the E-collar. She is snappy with stuff but just not as fast with me putting the pressure on her. If she does well I make a HUGE deal and throw freebies and praise her up and just have a good time. I also am making sure she know she is released from "MY TIME" As soon as I give her a command she is on my time and when I release her she can do what she pleases!!!

So I am happy about that and will hopefully sleep better knowing I am making steps in the correct direction!!!!

I got Kyle to pose with Qwik for a picture. He was so nice to her and took good care of the curly girl during her short stay. I couldn't ask for a better person to turn to for field training. www.chesapeakewatersllc.com

Madison AKC Hunt test.

SO! Miss Qwik had 1 leg towards her JH and I really really really...I mean REALLY want that title this year. I was doing a bit too much Obedience during field season and she wasn't ready to run untill a few months ago....and now I am running out of tests!!!! It sucks! I wish field would go year round....except the water gets a lill cold.

ANYWAYS! I asked Kyle, the field trainer I see, if he would consider handling Qwik at a test for me since I am all booked up with grooming dogs on Saturdays I can't get off any more. He said yeah. So I have been working her and training her hard and she was SMOKIN at training class! I droped her off at Kyles on Tuesday so he could work with her all week and run her Saturday at the test. It was hard not having the naughty lill curly girl here causing trouble. But I got through it and so did she!

I was SOOOO nervous on Saturday and had a friend call me when she ran. She was there watching her son (Toby the black lab) run in Juniors with his dad. (Toby passed and titled too BTW!) Anyways....she gave me the play by play, and she never makes things easy and cut and dry..dork. Land was first and started with the live shot flyer...which she found and then rolled on. She brought it back fine and then the dead bird was next...she found that one and then took a poop! After she was finished she brought it back and passed land. On water the live shot flyer landed on land so she had to roll on it. The other bird she found good and brought back nice. So she earned another leg to her JH. HALFWAY THERE!!!!!!!!!! I told Kyle he has to shave to get his picture taken with Qwik so I will get them up next week. :)

Sunday I ran Bell in Senior and Qwik in Junior.

Bell was up first in senior and FRIGGIN SMOKED her Double. I mean she ran the BEST marks of ALL the dogs I saw run. She ran strait out to them and did a U turn and brought them back. PERFECT! The land blind was next and was LLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. About a 100+ yarder. It would be tough! Bell had a hard time lookin out to it cause it was next to the flyer station. But she eventually did and then took a nice line out there. I casted her a few times and she took my casts and scalloped a little bit...but then I gave her a nice strait back cast and she took it BEAUTIFUL! It carried her strait out to the blind and then she curved a little to the left of it. I sat her and then told her to go strait out to right and she turned left and put her ear plugs in.....she ran around and hunted and fartsed around and just was naughty. SHE WAS SOOOOOOOOOOOOO close!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I was happy with what she did. I know we need more work on that. So what she did was great for the training she has had. It was too bad cause her Marks were FLIPPIN ALWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then onto Qwik.
I was nervous cause the land series was almost identical to a test we ran there last year that Qwik failed..... But the dead bird was first. She ran out and brought it back nicely. Then the flyer....She ran out through all the decoys and then stuck her nose to the ground and sniffed for a bit...then she peed....then she sniffed some more.....Then she remembered she was out there for a reason and she got her bird and brought it back.

Can't it just be easy!!!!

Water was next. Dead bird first, the dogs had to go through some marshy grass and then into the water, the bird landed in some marshy grass. I sent Qwik out for it and she went to the edge of the grass before the swimming water started and proceded to make a fool of herself by playing around in the grass, she sniffed some stuff, blew some bubbles, tried to roll, chased a frog, then she remembered there was a bird....and she swam out and got it. I was kinda ticked at her for being so naughty! But I didn't want to yell at her or tell her to do stuff cause she prolly wouldn't. The Flyer was last and was a LONG swim. She went out halfway and then kinda swam back and forth in the water till she stumbled upon it. The judges didn't really say anything when we left.

I waited around for ribbons figuring she would pass cause she did get 4 birds and her land was nice and her second water mark was OK. When they passed her number up I was shocked. I have NEVER, I mean NEVER EVER seen them fail a dog who picked up 4 birds at a junior test before. The dog would have not found the bird or not delivered to hand or chewed up the bird to fail. There was another person in the same boat as me and I was ticked. Her average had to be over a 7 and she got 6.2 and 6.6. So friggin close. It really sucked.

I am driving to Eastern Ohio for a back to back Junior test and Senior with Bell the end of September. I am gonna work the curlys butt off so she passes there. It would be SOOOOO nice to be done with Junior so we could work on some more challenging stuff. Singles are too easy for her and she makes up her own stuff! She does great with challenges as she has to focus!

ohhhhhh well..........

HRC/UKC Hunt test fun!

This is a few weeks late...But I'll still post about it I guess!

On August 23rd, Bell and Qwiksta were entered at Bong at a UKC hunt test. Qwik was entered in Started and needed 1 leg to finish her title. Bell was in Seasoned for the first time and I was WAY nervous about it and all the gun handling I had to do.

Qwik ran first on water. The Marks were short and she had to run all the way out to them cause the pond was low on water. There were plenty decoys and all that fun UKC stuff. Unfortunately Qwik broke a nail the week before and her nail was bothering her. She limped out to the bird...and limped back. If it was raw and bleeding I prolly would have pulled her. But it was just red and sore. I told her to suck it up and quit being such a sissy. She got her water birds fine. Had a bit of a hunt for her land birds but did good and passed. It wasn't pretty but it passed!!! So she earned her SHR. In UKC/HRC they douse you in cold water after you title. A few friends squirted me with water. I was fine with that...then these guys had coolers of well water that was ICE cold..BURRRR!!!!! But it was worth it. Every title I earn on the curly beast is a challenge and I work hard for every one! The legs don't come easy!



Here Qwik and I are with Jaci and Woodie. They both earned their SHR titles.



So onto Miss Bell. It started with a water series and she did great on everything but the water blind. I did awesome with the gun and didn't screw any of that up. She got lost on the water blind and quit listening to me and chased some frogs. dork. But her double was perfect and so was her walk up. In UKC you can still go onto the next series even if you fail the first one. Its awesome cause you paid the $$! She would have passed land if she hadn't have already failed on water. Her land work was great. Her land blind was kinda crappy. But passable. Shes such a good girl. We will have another shot at a leg in a few weeks.

It was a fun day and Bell really stepped up to the plate. I hope to make a bunch more HRC tests next year cause they test the handler as well as the dog. Cooooooooooool!