Round 3 and Round 4

Today team Sky ran the Hybrid round (consisting of two contacts),  unfortunately an off course jump resulted in a score of 95 and Stephen thought that they were out of the running.  He packed up and headed back to the hotel for a soak in the tub and to plan to explore Route 66.  However, he never did get to make that road trip!  Team Sky was called back for Round 4, the Challengers Class:

ROUND 4 – CHALLENGERS CLASS This class is open to the top 4 dogs within each jump height from Rounds 1, 2 and 3 that have not already gained placement into the finals, providing they scored 100 in that round AND have two clean rounds out of the three rounds. Each of the three rounds is reviewed independently. The dog that wins the Challengers Class (in each jump height) will gain entry into the Finals, provided their score in the Challengers class is a 100. Example: If dogs 1–4 from Round 1 are in the Finals, then the next 4 dogs in that Round are eligible for the Challengers Class (provided they had scores of 100 in Round 1 and two clean rounds within Round 1, 2 and 3). 

Stephen dashed back to the venue while I tried to figure out when he was likely to run again ... all very exciting!

Stephen and Sky were the penultimate dogs to run the Challengers Round but unfortunately dropped a bar in their haste to get as fast a time as they could.

What a wonderful time Team Sky had at NAC this year! Here is their Challengers Round ...

2 Clean Runs today

Team Sky excelled themselves today, having two clean runs!

20th place after JWW Round 1

Watch Team Sky's JWW run





7th place after STD Round 2

Watch Team Sky's STD Run




There will be an early start tomorrow morning for the Hybrid Round (like a really hard Time to Beat Course), Stephen and Sky will be the 28th team to run in Ring #3.  Start time is 7.30am CDT so estimated run time is between 8.10am - 8.20am CDT. 

Here are all the important links again ...

Live Streaming http://4leggedflix.com/live-stream/

Ring Schedules, Run Orders, Course Maps and Results (Sky jumps 24 inches)
http://www.akcagilityresults.com/
http://www.akcagilityresults.com/results/

Electronic Run Order http://www.akcagilityresults.com/runorder/

Ringside Results http://akcagilityresults.com/ringside/tweets_menu.php

Another interesting web site is Dog Agility NOW http://dogagilitynow.com/

Sky Wins 2016 NAC ISC Sweepstakes 24"

Today (Friday 18th) was a warm-up for the NAC taking place over the weekend.  This morning Sky and Stephen 'Team Sky' had a practice run where handlers were allowed to make up their own course and train in the ring. Sky was able to get a feel for the surface and equipment and let off some steam!

This afternoon Team Sky competed in the ISC Sweepstakes ...

Note: there were 5 entries and Sky won $8 (see interesting article AKC Payouts Highlight Competitors' Goals).

Tomorrow (Saturday 20th) is the official start of 
the NAC.  Team Sky will compete in two events:

JWW 24" in ring #2 - they are one of the last teams to run and expect to be on the line at around 10:30am CDT

STD 24" in ring #4 - they are in group 2 and expect to run around 3pm CDT

Here are all the important links again ...

Live Streaming http://4leggedflix.com/live-stream/

Ring Schedules, Run Orders, Course Maps and Results (Sky jumps 24 inches)
http://www.akcagilityresults.com/
http://www.akcagilityresults.com/results/

Electronic Run Order http://www.akcagilityresults.com/runorder/

Ringside Results http://akcagilityresults.com/ringside/tweets_menu.php

Another interesting web site is Dog Agility NOW http://dogagilitynow.com/

AKC 2016 National Agility Championship

Stephen and Sky are in Tulsa, Oklahoma to compete in the AKC 2016 National Agility Championship. 

The event is being held over 3 days ... Friday 18th - Sunday 20th March and there will be live streaming video!  However, it's going to be difficult to figure out when to 'tune in' to catch a glimpse of 'team Sky', especially as their fan base covers many time zones ;-)

Stephen has given me some estimates, please note that all days/times are CDT (Central Daylight Time) UTC/GMT -5 hours.

Friday 18th
ISC Warm Up Ring #3, Walk thru 11.40am, Run Time around 12.30pm
ISC                  Ring #3, Walk thru 2pm, Run Time around 4pm 

Here is a link to the live streaming ...http://4leggedflix.com/live-stream/

Ring Schedules, Run Orders, Course Maps and Results (Sky jumps 24 inches)
http://www.akcagilityresults.com/
http://www.akcagilityresults.com/results/

Electronic Run Order http://www.akcagilityresults.com/runorder/

Ringside Results http://akcagilityresults.com/ringside/tweets_menu.php

Another interesting web site is Dog Agility NOW http://dogagilitynow.com/

Ice teeth issues

Ice has retained both of his upper deciduous canines ... http://www.animaldental.com.au/deciduous.html

We have been keeping a close eye on Ice's teeth as we almost missed the window to successfully get one of Sky's retained deciduous teeth removed.  I managed to get a same day appointment at Eastside Veterinary Dentistry yesterday afternoon, http://www.eastsideveterinarydentistry.com. My diagnosis was confirmed by Dr Matson who recommended extraction of the teeth ASAP.  Luckily there was a cancellation so Ice will be going back tomorrow (Thursday).

Trick 3: In my lap

I started training in my lap this morning.  We've been working really hard to ensure that Ice keeps all four feet on the ground and doesn't get into the habit of jumping up so it's taking some time to shape the behavior I'm looking for in this trick but we'll get there.

Trick 2: Walk with me

Over the weekend I've worked with Ice on the basic version of the trick called walk with me.  It didn't take Ice long to get the hang of passing through my legs and standing with his front feet on my feet as I walk along, just a couple of sessions :-)

I spent Monday reinforcing both the suitcase trick and walk with me.

Watch this space for a video of  walk with me ...

Suitcase Trick ... Day 2

Here is my second clicker training session with Ice, if you endure the whole 13 mins or so, you'll notice that my timing is a little off at times but he seems to get the idea and we accomplish the end goal despite distractions :-)

Teaching Ice Tricks ... Day 1

I've decided to teach Ice using the Silvia Trkman Tricks Videos ... today is day 1 and it is the suitcase trick from 'Tricks for a great Bond'.

We are both new to clicker training so I wasn't sure what to expect ;-)  Two suitcases later (the first was too small for him to lie down in comfortably ... he's growing so fast!) and a poop break and we achieved our goal :-)  I'm not sure how long it took ... it seemed like forever ... but we got through half a cup of kibble and an emergency stick of string cheese that came in handy as the jackpot when Ice put it it all together and got it right ... yay!!!

I'll get the video camera out when we practice again later today/tomorrow as it shouldn't take as long second time around.

AKC Nationals ... all over ... until next year!

Here is a link to all of the videos of Stephen & Sky's runs from the AKC 2014 NAC ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvkUBWSVeiYIpaZntJkQh0VXoAXYUT6zu

Sky ran all three qualifying courses clean. Sky placed 20th in JWW, 18th in STD and 9th in the Hybrid round - there were 205 dogs entered in the 24" jump height. 

Overall Sky qualified for the finals as the THIRD quickest dog - Ganesha (another Standard Poodle) was fourth quickest.

From Stephen: "In the finals I directed Sky into the wrong tunnel entrance so we didn't record a qualifying score. Ganesha missed the Teeter contact so neither Poodles ran clean.
We are now going to take a few weeks off from agility and recharge our batteries."

I head out to the airport in a few hours to collect my boys and bring them home ... we've missed not having them here but we're very proud of what they accomplished while they were gone.

Thank you for your support, it was very much appreciated and helped them on their way to success!

Stephen & Sky in AKC 2014 National Agility Championship FINAL!!!

Stephen and Sky had another superb run this morning in Round 3 - Hybrid competition, placing 9th with a time of 29.899. This put their cumulative score into 3rd place guaranteeing them a place in the AKC 2014 National Agility Championship Final!

I am so proud of their achievement having traveled 3,000 miles and 3 times zones across the United States to enter into their first National competition. All the hard work in the gym (special thanks for Aaron) and the hours of training Sky have paid off big time :-)

Championship Final - Today (Sunday March 30th!)

AKC web site says the final will start at 4pm EDT

Running order for Round 5 - Finals all jump heights will be here

Reminder: Sky jumps 24"

Arm#: 241547

Live Streaming video will be here

Stephen reached his goal today ... he entered Time 2 Beat and the 3 Championship rounds and they ran clean in all four runs ... anything else is icing on he cake :-)

Good luck in the final Stephen and Sky Poodle!

-Penny

AKC Nationals Day 3 Results

Results Day 3 (Saturday 29th)

Stephen and Sky ran clean yet again today in Standard and were placed 18th in their 24 inch jump height which puts them 12th overall in the championship!

Course Map is here

Standard results can be seen here

Cumulative Score Report - Round 2

Partial video of their run can be found here (they are third to run, scroll over to around 5:20, you'll hear 'go' and see a glimpse of Sky's legs in top left-hand corner of screen as he goes over the first three jumps but the camera doesn't pick them up until Sky's on the dog walk)

Competition Day 4 (Sunday 30th)

Event: Hybrid (really hard Time to Beat Course ... no dog walk)

Jump Height: 24 inches

Ring: 3

First Run: 7:40am EDT

Running order: Sky is dog #35 so a very early start!

Check the Electronic Running Order for Armband 241547 in Ring 3 if you're up and want to watch 'live'. Here's a link to streaming site ... https://www.youtube.com/user/4LeggedFlix look for Hybrid 24" & 26" Class

Course map won't be available until tomorrow but will be on this page.

Good luck for tomorrow Stephen and Sky ... I've set my alarm for 4.45am!

AKC Nationals Day 2 Results

Results Day 2 (Friday 28th)

Stephen and Sky ran clean again today in Jumpers with Weaves and were placed 20th in their 24 inch jump height out of 255 dogs that ran the course!!

Course Map is here

Full results can be seen here

Video of their run can be found here (scroll over to around 3:51:50 to catch Stephen and Sky)

Competition Day 3 (Saturday 29th)

Event: Standard

Jump Height: 24 inches

Ring: 4

Walk Course: 7:30am

First Run: 8:10am EDT

Running order: Sky is 163rd dog to run (Std takes longer to run than T2B or JWW so Stephen estimated that they'll probably run about the same time as today ... 8.30am ish PDT)

Check the Electronic Running Order for Armband 241547 in Ring 4 if you want to watch 'live', here's a link to the streaming site https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS0aNbM7tgA

Course map won't be available until tomorrow but will be on this page.

Now all they have to do is run clean (don't forget to hit the yellow Sky!)

AKC Nationals Day 1 Results

Results Day 1 (Thursday 27th)

Stephen and Sky excelled themselves in the Time 2 Beat competition today and were placed 8th in their 24 inch jump height out of 166 dogs that ran the course!!

Course Map is here

Full results can be seen here

Video of their run can be found here (scroll over to 2:55:00 or a little before to catch Stephen and Sky, the kick-ass Malinois that won the class is at 2:45:00 or just after ... blink and you'll miss it!)

Competition Day 2 (Friday 28th)

Event: Jumpers with Weaves

Jump Height: 24 inches

Ring: 5

Start time: 8:10am EDT (26" dogs run first then 24")

Running order: Sky is 231st dog to run

Check the Electronic Running Order for Armband 241547 in Ring 5 if you want to watch 'live', here's a link to the streaming site https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paswn2hsqfU

Course map won't be available until tomorrow but will be on this page.

Hope I didn't miss anything ... Good Luck Stephen & Sky! 

AKC 2014 National Agility Championship

Stephen and Sky are in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to compete in the AKC 2014 National Agility Championship. 


The event is being held over 4 days ... Thursday 27th - Sunday 30th March and there will be live streaming video!  However, it's going to be difficult to figure out when to 'tune in' to catch a glimpse of 'team Sky', especially as their fan base covers many time zones ;-)


Stephen has given me some estimates for the first day of competition, please note that all days/times are EDT (Eastern Daylight Time)


Day:               Thursday 27th
Event:            Time 2 Beat Challengers "Bye" Round
Jump height:  24 inches
Walk Course: 12 noon EDT
Sky Run:        approx 3pm EDT (he is 160 of about 250 dogs to run at 24 inch height)

Here is a link to the info about the live streaming ...http://images.akc.org/pdf/events/agility/national_agility_championship/2014/Livestream.pdf


Enjoy!

Christi & Paddy

Yesterday Christi and Paddy were featured on King 5 Evening Magazine

Christi has strong associations with Pet Partners (Kohl and I are Pet Partners and I am a Pet Partners Team  Evaluator) and with Evergreen Hospice (where Kohl and I volunteer once a week).  We are so proud to see that  Animal Assisted Activities and Animal Assisted Therapy are being appreciated and promoted :-)

Jazz listed on Petfinder

Jazz now has his own space on Petfinder, I've provided additional info for Motley Zoo to post about Jazz ...


Jazz in a very friendly boy, he likes both people and other dogs. However, he is quite exuberant on first meeting and doesn’t realize his own strength. Walking on a Wonder Walker or similar harness helps to control Jazz when he gets excited, once he settles Jazz is very good to walk and doesn’t pull on leash. 


Off leash Jazz comes when called, he knows basic obedience and is quick to learn. Jazz is good about being brushed/combed and having his feet wiped before he comes into the house. He is well mannered in the house and doesn’t mind being in an x-pen. 


Jazz sleeps in his crate at night and is happy to spend some time in his crate during the day as well. Jazz is a good traveller and likes to ride in the car, he will find it easier to get in and out once he has lost some weight! Jazz loves just hanging out with his people and being petted, he will make someone a great companion.


Here's a 'promotional video' I made of Jazz ...

Foster Poodle

Yesterday we added another poodle to our family, albeit temporarily. Jazz is a 6 yr old white standard poodle, we are fostering him for Motley Zoo until he finds his new forever home.

Jazz is big, Stephen described him as the size of a small horse.  Jazz is not just tall/big boned, he is overweight and probably weighs as much as both of our boys put together!

Jazz settled in well overnight, it helps that he is crate trained.  This morning we piled all four dogs (Kohl, Sky, Riley and Jazz) into the car and headed out to Carnation Dog Park.  We had taken Jazz and Kohl there yesterday so that they could get to know one another, now it was time for the other two to get to know Jazz.  It was great having all that room for the boys to run around in, they all got on extremely well and when some other dogs arrived, we stopped and chatted to their owners while the dogs played.  Jazz needs to be more respectful to little dogs, but other than that he was very well behaved, came when he was called and was the perfect car traveller, once we managed to get him in ... he is just so big!

Now all the boys are chillaxing after their morning activity :-)

Pictures to come ...

Kohl has officially retired from agility ...

Mr Kohl got his final ExclA Jumpers leg on his first run (Fri 4/27/2012) - he came third too!  His agility days are now over, Stephen moved him up to ExclB for the last two days and it was pretty clear he wasn't enjoying it.
 
Five out of six of Skyboy's runs were very good.  They had a bar down in two of the JWW runs and he missed the dog walk contact on all three STD runs - Stephen's just signed up for Daisy Peel's running contacts class so he's hoping Sky will soon figure the dog walk out.  Here's a video of Sky's best JWW run, he came second and was beaten by a Border Collie.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWgb6VKLZRs
 
We are off the SnoKing this weekend and then Spokane the following weekend.

First Agility Trial of 2012

Saturday, February 14th
Had a nice JWW run today at the Afghan Hound Trial at Argus Ranch. Sky Q'ed and came first with a time of 28.82s beating the next dog by 1.25s, Sky ran at 5.85 yards per second and got 19 MACH points. After the trial we ran an AKC "B" match on the same JWW course. This time I handled Sky the same way that Daisy Peel handled her dog and Sky did the course in 26.96s nearly 2 seconds quicker! Here a link to the run http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaOJ1prLEIQ

Sunday, February 15th
Ran again today at the Afghan Hound Trial. Q'ed in STD with a time 42.15s, Sky came 2nd and got 26 MACH points. Unfortunately we had a single off course jump in JWW so no DQ. Finally, we ran T2B and came 1st with a time of 28.75s, Sky now has 6 legs in T2B and 57 points out a maximum of 60. Sorry no video today. Running 4 days at the Portland trial next week - can't wait.