Pocatello AKC Agility

October 1st -3rd we visited Pocatello for an Agility trial. There were many firsts. Raygen got to run in F.A.S.T. Novice preferred and earned his NFP title. One of his runs was 13.41 seconds, with 59 points.
Although he decided to end the run by leaving me for the tunnel who had the time at the end, I like the fast time in which we accumulated 59 points in. Running contacts can definitely take many seconds away form the runs. 
Rylie earned her first Excellent STD leg. She had a lot of fun in JWW however she ran past jumps and weaves is not something that gets her Q's. She was sore on Monday and I have decided that Agility may just be to much for her and retire her to pursue K9 Nosework and also go back to some Freestyle training.
Ryker got to run again for the first time in 13 months. Even though we did not Q, his times were mind boggling. I had some late cues and he was already on to the next obstacle when he realized what I actually asked of him. A spin 'cause he is waiting for me to tell him where to go, knocking a bar 'cause I am cuing to early are only some minor errors I need to iron out somehow. I am hoping that I have his weave entry cue figured out. His problem has always been collection before the weaves, actually the lack of collection. He did get some nice weave entries when I cued weave collection. We will see in future trials.
My motto was run as fast as you can, give him the cues he needs, run like you train with Stacy and the HELL with being afraid. I had more fun running fast and not cuing then running to Q. In the future this may change or not.
And then there was Rydge's first ever trial debut. I had him entered in FAST and JWW. As I entered the ring the first time and took his collar off he perked up and looked at the course. It seemed that he was a bit unsure, but exited at the same time. His first run was JWW and he did everything I asked him to.
FAST was way hard for him. Leaving me five feet to take a jump is sure harder then doing it at home. His second JWW runs was much faster, which I like a lot more. I entered him not expecting to much, but getting Q's as a reward feels nice.
Looking forward to the next trial.

Surprise, Surprise!!!

Today I was pleasantly surprised when I got my mail and found a title certificate from the AKC. I keep track of every leg that we earn and this one must have slipped by me. According to the AKC, Raygen has earned his AXP.
I will double check online to see where he got his first two legs. I will also contact the AKC on Monday to make sure that this is not an error. I sure don't want this to nip us in the butt later.

Ryker earned his AAD and more

This weekend we were entered in the Wasatch USDAA Agility trial in Farmington. We took Friday off since it was the day we got back from C-Spot Win Camp. I am glad I did. I got home at 11pm Thursday evening and the dogs wanted to run around the yard for a while before going to bad.
So, Friday was a slow day, doing laundry, watching the yard getting watered and visiting frinds at the trial.
I decided not to run in all the classes. I split up Ryker and Raygen. Ryker ran in STD Advanced on Saturday and earned his Std title and AAD. Now we can move up in all future trials to Masters classes. Way to go Ryker!!!
Raygen ran in Snookers and Jumpers. I took an off course in Snookers, it was such a nice course. Jumpers was really cool. He Q'ed in that.
On Sunday I had Ryker in Masters Gamblers and Advanced Std. Gamblers was really confusing me for some reason. I ended up taking advice from G and Ryker earned 3rd place. All three dogs that placed were withing 0.50 seconds of each other. Way cool!
Ryker's Std run wasn't as pretty as I failed to see the "serpentine" challenge that included a teeter. The approach to the second jump and teeter was totally wrong and he took an off-course jump. I realized that only after I watched another competitor handled it like a serpentine.
I was so focused on getting Ryker through the Gamblers course that I totally forgot that Raygen was in the same class. I had no plan for him when I entered the ring. For his running style the course was a good one to just run as fast as I could and let him take whatever was in his path without much handling and get the minimum points. Even though Jim Basic was drilling us with some "panic" drills, I messed up and did not take my time getting Raygen set up to get a nice Gamble over the first tow obstacles. He is such a Velcro dog. BUT he got the points.
Also, great news, my battery charger cable has been found, thanks G, and I can finally charge my camera again to take movies and pictures again.

Group IV Terrier Club, May 22nd - 25th

This weekend we attended a four day AKC Agility trial in Sandy at Lynnleigh Farms. Even though I do not enter the FAST class, it was a very long 4 day weekend. All classes are run by category starting with Excellent, then Open, then Novice. It makes for a very long day for dogs and humans if the judge is not efficient. This was the case on Friday and Saturday. Course changes took a bit longer then we were used to. Judging for us on Sunday and Monday was Lisa Potts. The pros were her speedy course changes, fun and fast courses. The cons .... she had a very negative opinion about Poodles in Agility and made it known to everyone. It was very unprofessional and untrue.
Raygen earned two more legs in each class. On Sunday we had a perfect run in JWW, until third to last jump, he spotted a dog he seemed the urge to greet and jumped the fence instead. I called him back and finished the last three jumps. I chose to scratch his runs on Monday.
Ryker's best run was on Friday morning. I felt we were connected. He got into his weave poles both times on Saturday since they were set-up to get a front cross before them.
On Monday he was running for another handler in JWW. It was a very fast course and I was amazed as how much speed he is capable of.
Rylie, Ryddick and Chocolate were hanging out under the tent and got to go on walks around the Farm. We also practiced some socializing with a kid and got to meet lots of people.
In conclusion... I will not enter any of my dogs in a four day trial. I need to train weave poles with Ryker and lots of fun, fun, happy Raygen time. It is OK to say hi to a dog, but he needs to wait for me to send him to say hello first. Maybe some Ruff Love?

OAP and OJP

Fruits of our Labor

That is how many times Raygen Q'ed at the AKC IKC trial this weekend. This was the first trial I have moved him to the lower 16" jump height and I am so happy I did. He is much happier jumping lower. He earned both his Open STD and JWW tiles one 2nd place and 5 1st places and He earned his first leg towards his AXP in 1st place.
Looking forward to our next trial over Memorial Day weekend at Lynnleigh Farms in Sandy.

Happy Birthday Raygen!

I wish you many more Happy Birthdays!

USDAA Loveland, CO

We had a great time in Loveland Colorado at the FRAC USDAA Agility trial.
The weather was a mess, though. we got there OK and settled into the Hotel and by the time Saturday came around it was bad. High winds and drifting snow. At one point I though I was going to get blown away while I was out with Ryker. He surely did not enjoy it either.
Needles to say he did not get the exercise he needed to be able to give me some nice runs.
I am happy to say that he did not knock a bar all weekend. He earned first place in Snookers in his class. I walked a hodge-podge course and while watching other dogs I decided to change our strategy and it sure paid off.
I have Raygen entered in only three runs, one of the was Performance National Qualifier and out of 60 dogs only 19 Q'ed and he was one of them. He did very well.
Coming home was a mess. We ended up staying in Laramie for the night and headed home the next day, arriving in Layton at a bit after 5pm.
It is good to be home. I actually missed Utah weather? ICK!

Idaho Trial

We went to Idaho to an Agility trial. It was fun. Raygen continues to show improvement. His speed is satisfactory. He is very confident while running. I am a bit disappointed that the DQ's aren't coming as easy as I wish they would. The highlight of the weekend was him having the perfect run and making it in time to earn a second place, but NQing for running out to say hello to some of his dog friends. I was told by a few that they thought I handled it quite calmly.
What can I do? The damage was done. He was put on the leash and right into his kennel. I have decided to enter him in preferred for the next few trials. At least I can earn titles in either JWW and STD.
Ryker had some amazing runs. He however has not been able getting into the weave poles. Training at home has been non-existing. Snow on the ground has made it hard to practice weave entries. I am hoping this issue will be resolved by mid-summer.
Ryddick was entered his first Open JWW leg. No faults! It was nice. He will be taking a break for at least until September. More herding is planned soon.
Coming up... CO, FRAC.

Feeding RAW

Ryker eating his first turkey on Thanksgiving 2007

I have been feeding RAW for 2 years. I was happy with the food I was feeding my dogs, they liked it and I had no issues with allergies. Then on March 15th 2007 some of the foods of the same company were being voluntarily recalled.
Someone in the Ogden plant in Utah had cut corners and bought un-approved rice from China. No other plants were effected. At least that was the story that was told to the consumers. I have been thinking about feeding RAW for at least 4 years prior to this incident and this helped me make my decision to switch very easy. 70% of my dog training friends feed RAW and have been telling me to switch all along.
I did it cold turkey, no pun intended, and brought back the unused portion of the kibble back for a full refund. For the first 2 months I fed only chicken. Chicken feet, hearts, gizzards, liver included. I did not want their tummies to get upset and chicken the best way to help them switch. After about 6 weeks I added a bit of fish, then beef, then lamb, then turkey. It was challenging to give them enough skin and bone. Loose stools, more bone; harder stool, more skin. Here is a list of foods they get, salmon oil, coconut oil, olive oil, cottage cheese, pumpkin, green beans, spinach, carrots, bananas, apples, yogurt, eggs with the shell, anything I can get my hands on from beef, pork, turkeys, chicken lamb, fish. I have been offered lamb heads, but I am not brave enough to handle it. I am sure my pups would love it.
I stopped feeding raw chicken bone. Rylie and Raygen would swallow large pieces and on more then one occasion regurgitate them during the night. They still get bone, but it is crushed into pieces and blended into a paste. I used to feed raw meaty beef bones and lamb bones. I noticed Rylie had broken a tooth and that was the end of feeding larger bones, too.
This does not prevent me from still feeding them raw. I have never seen dogs go crazy at feeding time before.

WW Posing for a Poster

Left to Right Ryker, Rocci, Ziggy, Raygen, Donner and Ty (or Ty and Donner?)

Success at GIVTC trial, 2-15/16

More runs and more ribbons. Raygen Q'ed in both JWW and earend another 16 points. As a bonus he finished 4th in his last JWW run. The ground cover was very hard, dry and slippery and at one point in my STD run I slipped. It was difficult to stay on task with handling and Raygen sucked into the wrong tunnel twice.
Ryker did really well. He never dropped a bar, did all his contacts, did not run a wrong course. He was just not getting the weaves. Which keeps us from qualifying in Exc. No mistakes allowed.
Ryddick ran again on Monday and qualified both in the JWW and Std run. No knocked bars, no off-course and no refusals and two new Agility titles NAP and NJP (first AKC titles). After such a long break I now need to make a plan on what, how and where to train. Next trial will be in Farmington in March. It will be a DOCNA trial and there is training in the ring allowed. Good for Ryddick and I.

IKC Agility Trial 2/13-14

Ryddick JWW

I had a great time the last two days at the IKC Agility Trial in South Jordan. Raygen' s JWW run on Friday was very nice. He only missed the serpentine when he looked for Libby, a dog he really likes. Ryker's JWW was O.K. on Saturday. He pulled out of the weaves and missed the serpentine. I handled mostly with rear crosses and the last sequence with 5 jumps was sloppy. He however did not knock any bars and held his SLS until I released him. This alone is reason to celebrate. On Saturday I was doing some front crosses that I haven't tried with neither dog at a trial and it worked beautifully. I did not stumble and fall and they read my cues nicely. Ryker did take and off course, but recovered nicley after that. Raygen was listening very well and I overhandled a jump and pulled him off. Otherwise my handling seems to get more in sinc with the big boys.
Our Standard runs were amazing. Raygen Q'ed both days and earned 23 points. Ryker had a beautiful run on Friday with only one off course. Saturday he ran beautifully. He missed his weave pole entry, however the rest of the course was clean and again he did not knock a bar.
As a bonus I ran Ryddick today. His teeter issue is not as bad, but he still barks at it. He knocked a bar in STD and pummelled a jump in JWW. The rest of the course were nice. He handles a bit more like a tank than a Ferrari (Ryker) and he is a lot of fun.
Here are some videos

Flyball St. George, January 31st, February 1st

I am a bit behind in posting about our very successful Flyball tournament with my team UTB.
This one was was sponsored by Stampede in St. George, Utah. The drive is not to bad and the weather was very nice.
Raygen and Ryker were signed up for singles races and Ryddick came along for the ride.
This was Ryker's debut race. His best time was 4.18 seconds. This was Raygen's second tournament and he really loved it. His best time was 4.77 seconds.
To my suprise I was asked to run Raygen and Ryker in one of the team races. Raygen's turn was on Saturday and Ryker was to run on Sunday. Both of them did fantastic and earned their of TF/Top Flight title. Maybe Ryker will go to Nationals in Nebraska this year?

Raygen's Goals in 2009

More herding, more Flyball, more Agility, more tricks, more kisses.I am going to try not to be mean to other dogs. Sometimes it is hard to be good especially when they pee over my pee. That is just soooo rude and has to be punished.

New USDAA Title

We again had a successful weekend. He needed a Snookers leg and a Gamblers leg to earn his PDIII (MAD). Snookers went great until he took the dog walk in the opening sequence. That off course did not get us a Q.Gamblers was a great run. He did everything I asked him to, including the weaves and I still had time to sent him over an extra jump and tunnel for more points. The gamble was a jump to opposite tunnel entry, dog walk and jump. After I called him away from the incorrect tunnel entry he was confused about taking the other end. We ran out of time and I helped him finish on a high note. I was very happy with his speed and enthusiasm. I only entered him in a few runs this weekend to keep him motivated and he sure did. His weaves were great, he was even barking when he went through them.His standard run was great and he earned his PSIII title with a blue ribbon. (Performance Standard III title = 5 qualifying legs in Masters)I am looking forward to our 2009 trials.

Flyball

The weather has been incredibly nice for Flyball practice and it has been lots of fun. Raygen gets very excited when it is his turn to play. The one thing we haven't been able to get him to do is NOT double step between jump 2 and 3. Actually, the only time he won't do it is we play chase recalls. He loves those. G took some pictures at practice and he even posed at one of them. Can't wait to go to practice on Sunday again!

Herding

Went herding two times this weekend and got some great results. I have been getting the sheep out of the corner for the first time without loosing control of the sheep or the Raygen. He comes on strong like an ACD, but he needs to learn some self control while he is herding. He barks a lot. He is having so much fun.
What a good boy!

CU Helper Dog

Raygen got to help out for a private lesson at the CU Seminar. He was very good. We were "hiding" around the corner of a building and surprised another handler and her dog. He stayed with me and he got treats and never looked at the other dog. He seemed to understand his job. He usually wants to visit. Not this time. Good Boy!
Here is the link. Raygen was soooo good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr922IgVp1Q&feature=related

Control Unleashed Seminar, Flyball, Agility and Herding

Raygen is going to be a helper dog on Monday. He did really well at the classes and he was asked to help out at the seminar. I am looking forward to it.
Since a few weeks ago he seems to finally understand how to play Flyball. There is a difference in teaching the behaviors and the dogs understanding the behaviors. I swear I heard the switch turn on. He loves it! He has also become more confident in Agility. I would bet that Flyball has helped him with that. He is consistently Qing in Jumpers and even places a few times. I have to insist on contacts and not rush him for speed points. He has not yet been over course time and those DQ's are so needed.
Herding is going well, too. He is trying very hard to understand what I am asking him to do. I am not sure what I am doing either, other then staying clear of those darn sheep. Almost got knocked over, that would hurt.

GSLDTC September 12th-14th

We had some nice weather at the trial in Framington and Raygen was feeling fine on Friday. First run he actually took off and ran towards the weave poles? Yup, he is officially a weave pole sucker. So much for our Std Q. In jumpers he missed the chute? Yup, he won't suck into the chute anymore. Then he hit his shoulder on the second weave pole and in the middle skipped one. Interesting day. On Saturday he wasn't feeling good at all. He was constipated and I pulled him out of JWW. Poor dude didn't get relief until much later in the afternoon. Sunday was great. he was feeling fine, so fine that in Std he jumped off the dogwalk and missed the contact. Wuzz up? The rest of the course was GREAT!!! He had an amazing run in JWW and placed FIRST!!! This was a first in JWW Exc B for us. Double speed points. I know you all think 12 points isn't much, but for Raygen it is huge!! Last we year missed a JWW run by .59 sec. so yup, "You've come a long way Baby!"Challenges we had at that trial....Parking fee add $10Great Salt Lake Dog Training Club ran out of food for VolunteersBitches in season walking within feet by the ringPeople bringing their lunch and sitting within feet of the ringObedience out of site sits and downs were withing feet of the ringGSLDTC uses a set of 20" weaves and in the other ring a set 21" (or 22") weaves? (that is why he miscalculated the entry and startled himself)Tunnel holders are made out of metalSlooooow judgeAs much a I like staying local I can not competed at this particular trial anymore. To much stress, so not worth it.Two more weeks 'til Pocatello. One of my favorite trial sites, people and not that far.