Microsoft strikes again ...

Back in October 2008 Microsoft left me in the lurch when they did away with MSN Groups, instead of using  the recommended 'Multiply' site, I decided to stay with Microsoft technology (I was a loyal employee and shareholder then) and switched to use Windows Live Spaces.


In March 2011 Microsoft will be getting rid of  'Spaces' ...  I am totally hacked-off with Microsoft's inconsistency and have therefore decided to use blogger instead.  I've just completed importing all of my blog entries since October 2008, this proved to be quite a time consuming process as  Microsoft wanted me to use WordPress.com and didn't make it easy to export data to another application :-(  


Hopefully now that I'm using blogger.com this won't happen again!

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One of the poodles better days ...

One of the boys better days.  Stephen ran Kohl in Open FAST and ExA STD, he ran Sky in Open Fast and Open JWW.  
 
Kohl was very quick in FAST but would not do the last part of the send so they didn't Q.  Sky ran next, he did the send perfectly and scored 58 points, enough to Q and come second in his class.  They completed the course 8 seconds early so could have done a few more obstacles - they did not attempt the A frame but did complete the Teeter correctly.  This was his third leg in Open FAST so he won his title!
 
Next Stephen ran Sky in JWW, again he was very quick but he clipped a jump (he seems to be doing this everytime they run JWW) so they didn't Q. 
 
Finally, Stephen ran Kohl in ExA STD - he had to tell Claudia to hide!.  Kohl was OK, not as quick as his fast run, but he jumped clear and made time.  They scored 100pts and came 1st, this was Kohl's third leg in ExA so he won a title - I can't believe Kohl has completed an excellent title, I'm very proud of him.
 
Stephen didn't run Sky in Novice STD and as he didn't fancy hanging around Argus in the cold and rain until Kohl's last JWW run, they headed home.
 
He won't be running Sky in anymore FAST or STD classes until he masters contacts.  There is a fun match at Argus on Jan 8,  we will be doing several runs!

Four runs this weekend and still no Qs

Snoking Agility Trial at Argus, Sky had 4 runs this weekend and still no Q's, although they did come very close in both Open JWW runs.
 
On Saturday's JWW run there was a jump straight in line with the end of the weaves, but they had to turn sharp left and enter a tunnel.  Stephen knew that if he left Sky early to cue the tunnel he would pop out of the weaves and he also knew that if he stayed with him all way he'd take the jump that was straight in front of the weaves.  On the run he tried to cue the tunnel and sure enough Sky popped out at the very last pole.  Stephen made him repeat the weaves, stayed with him all the way and he took the sucker jump.  After that Stephen pulled Sky back on course and did the rest of it the perfectly.  Sky was still one of the quickest dogs in the class even though he did the weaves twice and took an extra jump.  At least Stephen now has something that we can work on in class on Thursday.
 
They came even closer to Q'ing on Sunday - Sky was really flying but unfortunately just clipped the second jump (a double), everything else was perfect.  Again Sky was super fast and wasn't barking or mouthing Stephen at the end :-)
 
STD was all about missed contacts.  Sky made 2 out of 3 on Saturday but only 1 out of 3 on Sunday.
 

Five runs this weekend and no Qs

At Puget Sound Labrador Retriever Association Sky did 5 runs without a Q :-(
 
Stephen admits that 3 of the NQ's were his fault.   On Saturday they started with Open Fast - the Send was incredible easy - two jumps in a straight line, he positioned Sky in line with the jumps in a sit, walked to the other end of the arena and then called him, he did both jumps plus another that wasn't part of the send.  He did the weaves perfectly too, but then Stephen proceeded to mess up his run, Stephen got him to do the A frame for 8 points (on which he missed his contacts) and ignored the teeter (7 points) and tunnel (9 points) which were (with hindsight) easy.  They scored 50 points - not enough to qualify and Stephen was very cross with himself as this was the easiest Fast source they have run and Sky would have got his title if they had Q'd.
 
On Sat Open Jumpers there were two parallel paths "home" and Stephen sent Sky down the wrong one - 3 off-course jumps and another NQ.  Again very annoying as he had successfully completed the hardest part of the course with style.

They didn't Q on Novice Std either - but this time it was Sky's fault - he missed both the dog-walk and A-Frame contacts, but did the teeter perfectly.
 
Stephen says that they seem to have hit a wall.  Sky can't or won't make his contacts, and Stephen's not handling him very well either.
 
One thing he did discover is that Sky only knock's bars over or barks at Stephen when he doesn't give Sky clear guidance where Stephen wants him to go.  Sky ran Saturday's Open jumpers and Novice Std course silently because Stephen gave him clear direction where he needed to go.  Sky barked liked mad on the two Fast courses and today's Jumpers course because Stephen believes he did not give Sky clear instructions.
 

WWHA August 2010 agility trial Marymoor

Sat Aug 28th
Just two runs today as Stephen withdrew Sky from STD.


They did Open FAST first, the run was a little untidy as Stephen avoided the A-frame and tyre which were on the main route to the SEND. Sky didn't seem to get the SEND at first, but as he didn't enter the no go zone they did not get a refusal, Stephen pulled him back and repeated the SEND and this time he did it perfectly. A short loop of jumps plus the See-Saw and they  finished, 63 points in 29 seconds, plus they got first place!


Next onto Open JWW, this time Sky was really focused, he ran the course perfectly, including doing some killer weaves. Unfortunatley, he clipped one of the easy jumps (Stephen thinks he may have taken off to soon again) anyway they completed the course in 25 seconds. Although they didn't qualify they had the second quickest time of all the dogs entered - beaten by Cool, Lisa Ross's super quick Border Collie.


Video links below
JWW: http://www.youtube.com/user/ghostyboyster?feature=mhum#p/u/0/WeL2uFGo2hc


FAST: http://www.youtube.com/user/ghostyboyster?feature=mhum#p/u/1/Ti4oQUKWlTw


Sunday
Came very close to qualifying again in FAST - the Send was a double, followed by a single then a wrap back over the double, all from a distance of 12 feet. Sky did all three but there was a slight hesitation when he came back to the last double, which the judge called as a refusal, they  still got 50 points even though they didn't get the Send bonus!


However, Sky did something very bad at the end of the FAST run (tore Stephen's shirt) with the result that he's now grounded (literally) - no more until Sky can control his enthusiasm.

Weekend in Sequim

Hurricane Ridge Kennel Club Agility Trial in Sequim, WA. August 13, 14 and 15, 2010

Dirty Poodle ...

Today it is time for Sky to have a wash and brush-up.  It is a good day for dog grooming as it is overcast and not too hot.  Walked 'the boys' first thing so that Sky wasn't bouncing off the walls while I was trying to groom him.  This is what he looked like when we got back from our walk ... it had been raining overnight and early this morning so he's a bit wet around the edges ...

First thing I had to do was comb his coat through before washing him ... here's what he looked like after the brushing and combing ...

Next he was placed in the tub while I cleaned his eyes and ears, clipped his toe nails and emptied his anal glands (yes, it needs to be done!).

I use hot water and get his coat totally wet before starting to add shampoo ...

Now he resembles a drowned rat more than a poodle!

When he's been shampooed and thoroughly rinsed off, I use ShamWow towels to absorb as much water as possible.  Once he's as dry as I can get him with the towels I have him jump back up onto the grooming table.  Next comes the long process of drying his thick coat.  I only have a forced air dryer, no heat is involved, so it takes more forever to dry him.  Below is the end result: a clean, dry and tangle free poodle.

Before Bath

After Bath

Now onto the shaving and clipping stages ...

Not a good day for agility ...

We went down to Argus Ranch again today for the NW Bearded Collie Club of Puget Sound Agility Trial. No FAST this afternoon so Stephen and Sky were just running in Nov B STD and then JWW. Both runs were quite spectacular, in STD, Sky jumped off the A-Frame just as Stephen slipped and fell (neither of them was hurt).

In JWW Sky took off way too early for a jump ... as you can see above ... and took it out! The jump was flat on the foor but to their credit Sky jumped the 'pile' when the jump had to be revisted later on the course from the other direction :-)

So ... not a bad day yesterday and lots of lessons to be learnt today.

NW Bearded Collie Club of Puget Sound Agility Trial

Today we went to Argus Ranch for the NW Bearded Collie Club of Puget Sound Agility Trial. Kohl and I were just spectating but Stephen and Sky had 3 runs starting with Novice B FAST.

You can see the video here: http://www.youtube.com/user/ghostyboyster#p/u/5/mJxDb0j7610
Slightly untidy but Sky did everything Stephen asked him to do, so he can't complain. They avoided the contacts and Stephen made sure he did the Send early in the run. Sky did some killer weaves too. Sky scored 57 points, qualified, came first and got his FAST Novice Title. Stephen says he didn't time the run very well as they completed the course in just 21 seconds and they still had 11 seconds available, problem was the only remaining obstacles were the A-Frame and Teeter and Stephen didn't want Sky missing contacts at the start of the day.

Novice B JWW http://www.youtube.com/user/ghostyboyster#p/u/4/fpdMExJeaNo
This was a really nice course and Sky made a right mess of it, starting by knocking off the first jump and then not paying attention to Stephen for most of the rest of the run. He did finish nicely though.

Novice B STD http://www.youtube.com/user/ghostyboyster#p/u/3/sesyOwkViFY
This was Sky's best standard run and everything was going fine until he reached the A-frame where he had a refusal. Sky made the contact by the skin of his teeth, but we think the judge was actually a little lenient. Then two obstacles from the end Sky launches himself off the end of the dog walk and Stephen retired him. A least they made 2 of the 3 contacts (they didn't make any last weekend) and Sky did a really good job of the Teeter and the Weaves.

Overall, a good day was had by all and I'm very proud of 'my boys'.

Just STD and JWW tomorrow (no FAST).

Who are these poodles anyway? Sky

Marsan's The Sky's The Limit at Moonstone (call name: Sky)

Standard Poodle: blue, male

Whelped: October 19th 2008

Breeder: Susan Walz

Sire: CH Moonstone's Evening Edition

Dam: Marsan's Diamonds & Opals



Sky is our competition prospect, he has lots of drive and energy, is willing to please and quick to learn.

He has already started competing in agility and is proving to be very fast ... too fast for his handler right now!

I am training Sky for competition obedience and will also do rally with him at some stage.

Who are these poodles anyway? Kohl

Moonstone Maybe Tomorrow NA NAJ OAP OAJP NFP Delta Pet Partner (call name: Kohl)

Standard Poodle: black, male

Whelped: November 17th 2004

Breeder: Kimberly Koopman

Sire: Moonstone Clearly Noble

Dam: Moonstone's Enchanted Evening





Kohl is our first poodle, he's turned out pretty well, despite our lack of knowledge ;-)

He's a successful canine athelete with several agility titles to his name and a wonderful Delta Pet Partner who adores children.

Agility trial without contacts :-(

Agility trial without contacts :-(

7/25/2010 8:40:38 PM

We have just got back from competing at the Chuckunut Dog Training Assoc (CDTA) Agility Trial at the NW Fairgrounds in Lynden and the title of this entry says it all.  Needless to say, Sky didn't hit one contact over the weekend and, despite an overnight training session reminding Sky what to do, Stephen retired him in Novice Standard today as soon as he missed his first contact.  No doubt, Sky will be back to basic contact training this week.

 

However, Stephen and Sky had nice jumpers runs on both days (although they didn't qualify on Sat it was still a good run) and managed to qualify and come first in FAST today without having to use any of the 'contact' obstacles (A-frame, dog walk or teeter).  Not a bad weekend overall but more work needed on those contacts!

 

Kohl had fun hanging out with his new girlfriend(s), an apricot standard poodle called Cayenne and her junior handler, 8yr old, Alison.  Kohl was quite happy to go off with Alison ... until he saw one of us and then he'd sit down and refuse to move ... unless it was in our direction!  Lisa (Alison's Mom) and Cayenne had a truly fantastic weekend, they entered 6 classes, qualified and came first in 5 and it was only handler error (wrong course) that prevented a clean sweep of the board.  They also got two new titles so congratulations to them both!!  We'll see Lisa, Alison & Cayenne again in a few week's time when we compete on their home turf in Sequim.

 

Europe May 2010

Europe May 2010

7/22/2010 8:34:15 PM

They say 'a picture paints a thousand words' so check out the photos from our trip to Europe earlier this year on my Picasa Web Album here.

 

There are also some videos on YouTube here.

 

Enjoy!

 

-Penny & crew

Kohl's Last Agility Trial ...

Kohl's Last Agility Trial ...

7/22/2010 11:23:41 AM

Last weekend we were at the Washington State Obedience Training Club, Inc. Agility Trial at Argus Ranch.  This is the last agility trial that Kohl is entered into, Stephen has decided to retire Kohl :-(  Kohl's heart really isn't into competition work, as I found out when trying to do competition obedience with him, Kohl excells at his therapy work and just being Kohl.  However, he went out in style and we are very proud of his achievements which taught us both a lot and paved the way for Sky. 

 

If Sky had been our first poodle we are both sure that things would have turned out very differently!  Kohl is the perfect 'starter poodle' and that's exactly what he has done, he has gotten us started on the obedience and agility trails (or should that be trials!).  He will continue to accompany us to the thrials as a spectator and he's sure to pick-up some therapy work while there too.

 

Here's how the cousins got on ... last Saturday (7/17/2010)

 

Despite getting to the venue early, Stephen nearly missed his first run as he was chatting with friends and totally distracted from what was happening in the ring!  Poor Kohl was pulled out of his crate at the last minute and made it into the ring just in time.  Stephen had to run him 'naked' (Kohl not Stephen!) as Kohl wasn't even wearing his 'competition collar' (flat buckled collar without tags).  This proved to work well as a strategy for completing the course in the fasted time ever for Kohl and qualifying for the first time in JWW Excellent A Preferred.  He only lost 3 points due to time penalties and won the class. 

 

Unfortunately, I didn't get Kohl's finest hour on video as everything happened so quickly and I really wasn't prepared.  I was delving in my bag to get the camera out, looked up and there was Kohl coming towards me through the weave poles!  So I didn't get to see much of Kohl's finest hour :-(

 

We had more time to prepare for the STD class but that also meant that Kohl had more time to 'think' about it and decide that he'd done all he was going to do that day.  I hid from view so that he wasn't distracted by my presence but it wasn't good enough to motivate him.  Apparently, it wasn't a good run and Stephen had no regrets about making the decision to retire him.

 

Sky, on the other hand, has no inhibitions about performing in front of anyone!  We found this weekend that he is a bit of a showman and has a blast in the ring.  He was let down in Novice JWW by his handler who had underestimated his speed and tried to use the same tactics that he used with Kohl ... needless to say that this didn't work, you can see the results here.

 

By the time they competed in Standard, Sky had decided to put on a real performance and launced himself off the dog walk in a similar fashion to the way he launched himself off the A-frame in the previous trial.  After this faux pas he started to behave and hit all his contacts, however, the pair of them messed up the weaves and then took an extra jump before the table :-( Boy is he fast ... take a look here, he certainly lives up to his name ('Sky's the limit' or should that be 'Reach for the Sky'?).

 

On Sunday, Stephen took Sky to our trainer's to concentrate on his contacts, needless to say, he performed perfectly without a crowd and all the exitement that a trial brings.  Maybe he should be in the circus performing in front of a big crowd who will appreciate his antics!

 

We're off up to Bellingham his weekend to compete at the fairground in Lyndon so we'll see what happens ...

 

 

Catch-up time ... PSLRA Agility Trial

Catch-up time ... PSLRA Agility Trial

7/22/2010 10:53:34 AM

I have been rather remiss in  keeping the show info up-to-date ... so here goes.

 

Puget Sound Labrador Retriever Association Agility Trial in Monroe

Sat June 26th

This is the show where Sky famously jumped from high up the A-frame and almost straight into a tunnel.  You can see the video of this Novice FAST run on YouTube here.  Kohl was more successful on this day, qualified and was placed first in FAST Open Preferred ... well done Kohl.

Sun June 27th

Today was Sky's day in Novice B JWW,... despite Stephen slipping on the wet grass and causing a refusal, they recovered quickly and did well enough to not only qualify but also place first!  Their run can be seen here.

Sky's first Agility Trial

Sky's first Agility Trial

4/21/2010 9:54:41 PM

Last weekend (Sat May 17th) was Sky's first agility trial, he is 18 months old now and his official measurement was 25 inches at the withers, a 1/4 inch shorter than his cousin Kohl.

Sky and I followed Stephen and Kohl to Argus Ranch to compete at the American Manchester Terrier Club Agility Trial.  Stephen entered Sky in Novice FAST, he chose a FAST class because he didn't want to run Sky through inline weaves just yet - he wants to make sure Sky's growth plates are fully closed first - and FAST allows them to run their own course so they can avoid the weaves.

Needless to say Sky did really well, they scored 68 points (only 50 points are required to qualify), unfortunately Stephen's strategy of avoiding the weaves cost them first place, they came in second, 2 points behind the first placed dog.  They did complete the course 5 full seconds under the allotted time making Sky the quickest dog on the course!

On leaving the course one of spectators told Stephen he had a dog version of Michael Jordan!

Here is a link to the run http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj_pZIwFMTw ... Enjoy!

Kohl slows down ... again

Kohl slows down ... again

4/21/2010 10:17:35 PM

Kohl and Stephen were joined by Sky and myself at the American Manchester Terrier Club Agility Trial at Argus Ranch last Saturday (April 17th).  Kohl was entered in FAST Open Preferred, Standard Excellent A Preferred and Jumpers Excellent A Preferred. 

 

In the first class, FAST Open, they were doing a really good job until Kohl went through the compulsory shute in the wrong direction which prevented him from qualifying. Sky's turn was next in FAST Novice B, he exceeded all expectations and came second in the class.  He and I left once he had competed leaving Stephen and Kohl to complete their last two runs.  Kohl had a clean standard excellent A preferred run but was 8 seconds over time which meant that they didn't qualify.  Their final class was so late in the day that Stephen decided to come home early (there were a record 700 entries).

 

The next day (Sun April 18th) Stephen and Kohl travelled back to Argus for their second day of competition.  There was no FAST class on Sunday so they just competed in std and jumpers.  Kohl did well in Standard Excellent A Preferred, was only 1 second over time which gave him a score of 97 and second place.  Apparently they were going at a good pace in jumpers when Kohl popped out of the weaves which prevented them from qualifying.

 

Each dog gained one qualifying score and a second place ribbon this weekend ... CONGRATULATONS to Sky, Kohl and of course Stephen!

Seattle Dog Show

Seattle Dog Show

3/21/2010 9:43:31 AM

Last Saturday (March 13th) Stephen and Kohl competed at Seattle Dog Show.  Kohl was entered into 2 classes Open Standard and Open Jumpers (not in preferred!).  Considering that the show is held in the Quest Event Center, is huge and noisy, plus the agility is run on carpet, they did very well.

 

They completed the standar class within time and with 100 points to gain first place!!!

 

By the time they got to the jumpers class they were both tired and very unlike Kohl, he knocked down a jump.  They also had two refusals, a sure sign that Kohl was 'checked out'.  However, they were both proud of their achivement and even made it onto the TV ... you can see the clip on the Seattle Times web page, blink and you'll miss it (2:25 into the video if you don't want to watch the whole thing ;-).

Kohl gets faster and faster

Kohl gets faster and faster

3/7/2010 10:19:59 PM

Feb 20th 2010

Stephen and Kohl competed at the Evergreen Afghan Hound Club agility trial at Argus Ranch on Sat Feb 20th.  They were entered in three classes but only just arrived in time to compete in the first class which was FAST (Open Preferred).  If the team before Stephen and Kohl hadn't done well then things would have been a lot different as Stephen memorized her course and not only did they complete it successfully, they won their class!!  Next up was Jumpers with Weaves (Open Preferred), this time they were better prepared, the course time was 41 seconds and Kohl completed in a speedy 37.27 seconds and despite a perfect score of 100, came third as 2 dogs were faster than Kohl, click here to see their run.  The final class, Standard (Excellent  A Preferred), the boys missed the shute, Stephen admits probably due to handler error :-(

 

Mar 6th 2010

Yesterday Stephen and Kohl competed at the Evergreen State Shetland Sheepdog Club agility trial at Argus Ranch.  This week there was no FAST class and Stephen made sure he arrived with plenty of time to walk the course!  First off was Standard (Excellent A Preferred), Kohl flew around the course and completed in 57.63 seconds (course time allowed 63 seconds), giving him a perfect score of 100 and taking first place.  The second clasee was Jumpers with Weaves (Open Preferred), despite finishing within the time again and getting a perfect score of 100, there was another dog faster than Kohl so he was placed second.  Not only did they 'double Q' yesterday but they got their Jumpers with Weaves Open Preferred title!!!  Next show they will be in Excellent A for both Standard and Jumpers, however they still have to get another two open legs in FAST.

 

Next weekend Stephen and Kohl will be competing at the Seattle Dog Show at Qwest Field, they are entered in Open Jumpers with Weaves and Open Standard (neither class Preferred).  Watch this space to see how they get on!!

Kohl's best agility runs ever!!

Kohl's best agility runs ever!!

1/17/2010 7:53:36 PM

Yesterday, Kohl had what Stephen described as Kohl's best agility run ever!

 

They were cometing at Evergreen Afghan Hound Club Agility Trial at Argus Ranch ... now Kohls favoured venue.  Their first class was FAST and not only did they qualify with a score of 75 (55 needed to qualify) but they came first and got a new novice title.  Now onto FAST Open Preferred.

 

The next class, Std Excellent Preferred, wasn't so good, Kohl missed one of Stephen's cues and skipped a jump.  Stephen thinks that he wasn't clear enough with his signal.

 

Finally, they competed in JW Open Preferred, Kohl isn't usually fast enough to qualify in this class but to Stephen's pleasant surprise Kohl was quite quick (he was seen to be running rather than trotting) and jumped clear within the time to give him a max score of 100.  Kohl was beaten into second place by a dalmation who was quicker than him.

 

Next show is on Feb 20th at Argus (again).  That weekend Sky and I will be attending a grooming/obedience seminar right down in the south of the state a stone's throw from the Oregon state line.

 

Moonstone Maybe Tomorrow NA NAJ NAP NJP NFP OAP (Delta Pet Partner)