Friday, December 31, 2010
Dog Agility Horror Story
So, I had try to make one of these robotic-voiced animated videos myself. This one is about a dog who tries to help his handler experience his fears of an agility trial environment. Hope you like it!
If Agility Dogs Could Speak
This is a very funny video that is making the rounds lately. Makes a lot of good points.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Christmas Angel R&R
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tree on
Sunday, December 12, 2010
TAYLOR EARNS PAX2!
A wonderful day.
He also earned his Master’s Jumpers Preferred 6 (MJP6) title at the same trial. He earned both titles on the same day – Sunday, Nov. 14) at the Agility Ability trial in Bartlett, Illinois.
PAX is the highest title currently available to Preferred dogs in AKC agility. PAX2 requires 40 double qualifying runs in Excellent B.
Taylor earned this title in only about 2 1/2 years and about 30 trials. On the way to this PAX, he has earned as many as 6 2QQ weekends in a row, or 24 straight Qs. He at times maintained Q rates in the high 80%.
Master's Jumper's Preferred 6 represents 60 qualifying runs in Excellent B Jumpers. He has only NQ’d two Jumpers runs in 2010. Taylor also earned the 5th and 6th legs towards his Master's Excellent Preferred 5 (MXP5) title.
Taylor earned this title in a 2 QQ weekend – 4 straight clean runs – with a 1st place on every run. He ran every run like the dependable little tank he has always been. We’ve hit a few bumps in recent trials and it was great to be running once again with my unstoppable, “Precision Clockwork Mouse.”
(U-CD (HIT) Wingssong Sweet Baby James CD RE AX AXJ MXP4 MJP6 PAX2 OFP RL2-AOM - 2nd Place Finalist, 2010 AKC Preferred National Agility Championship)
Thanks to Scott Perske at Photos by Toto for the wonderful photo.
Monday, December 6, 2010
SNO Motion Agility
No wonder the Europeans win all the time.
Another beautiful, slow motion movie by Czech film maker Michal Vokrouhlik, this time their version of agility in the winter season.
No moving into climate controlled buildings for them, I guess.
Still, the dogs move majestically through their strides, letting us only marvel at what a magnificent species they are.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Taylor at Vetta
Taylor lays down the Qs
Sorting through some of my stacks this holiday weekend, I came across a disk of photos of Taylor taken at an agility trial this past summer. Taken in sequence, they seemed to make a nice, little slide show, so I decided to do just that.
Using the slideshow feature in iPhoto, I was able to put this together in just a few minutes. It's taken longer to upload it to the website.
Enjoy!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
OK Go. Ok, Why?
OK Go - White Knuckles. Sharp, trained canines steal the show.
Ok, so OK GO has been a favorite band of mine. Not just for their peppy, perky music, but also for their highly creative videos. Though they verge on being a little "art student class project-y", they are always just sincerely quirky enough to not appear contrived.
That's how I usually think of them. But this one completely won me over because it starts, you guessed it, DOGS!
This video has been around for awhile, so forgive me if you're already bored and have moved on. I just rediscovered it on You Tube the other day and it nicely linked up with another topic that landed in my email box today.
It has to do with a show that will air tomorrow night (Tues., Nov. 9) on PBS on Nova.
It's called Dogs Decoded.
I have not seen the show, but I did browse through the website and it delves into some of those issues that dog people find endlessly fascinating: Just how did dogs come to be so successful in integrating themselves into human relationships? How are they able to understand us so well? How has one species become so "plastic" in their response to human selective breeding? How smart are they exactly?
Back to the video above, it's easy for anyone who trains dogs to break this well choreographed effort into a series of shaped behaviors. I absolutely love how the "tucked sit" heeling exercise is woven in among the more athletic jumps and spins, and how all of the dogs take their video star roles so seriously.
It reminds me of that aspect of dogs that loves it when they have a job -- whether they are a three-pound Chihuahua, or a 90-pound Rott.
There's something truly beautiful about the earnestness of a working dog, the way their very genetic makeup seems to find some neural harmony working in seamless tandem with a human partner.
It's something in the DNA that has origins extending back more than 100,000 years ago. Most surprisingly, it's still evolving. I've heard somewhere that due to the emphasis of modern training that puts the emphasis on the dog's ability to carry out complex tasks, dogs are getting smarter.
Stack up the training intelligence of the recently developed Border Collie, for example, against more instinctive working, ancient hunting breeds, such as sight and scent hounds.
How will the developing influence of complex, canine performance sports affect the evolving intelligence of dogs?
OK? Go.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Toy Fox Terrier Blink at Crystal Lake, Sept. 2010, Excellent Standard
Life in the 8" fast lane.
We took this video of one of our favorite agility dogs, Blink. He is so fun to watch and my husband just adores him.
He's as smart as he is fast, as you can see by his quick on course responses in this video. Blink won the 8" class at the 2010 AKC National Agility Championships and we wish them much success.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Thanks seminar participants!
New! Help your dog master weaves and contacts at the Dana Pike Contacts and Weaves half day seminars, Oct. 29, 2011 at Town and Country Kennel Club in Bloomington, Illinois. Private lessons on Oct. 30. Get the details here. Download registrations forms at www.tckc.org.
We learned quite a bit and also got to see watch a lot of nice teams perform.
I wish you all much success in continuing to build your agility foundation.
I would especially like to thank Dana Pike and her able assistants, Tangle and Swindle, for taking the time to present to our group.
We hope to bring Dana back for specialized training sessions and privates in the future.
We also are in the process of rolling out the Stuart Mah seminar, which will be held at TCKC next May.
Please check tckc.org and click on Events for announcements, form downloads and updates.
In the meantime, work those one jump drills, polish those start lines and run happy. Thanks for coming!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Halloween Costume Contest at Dana Pike Seminar
Sunny portrays a roadhouse roadkill rockstar.
New! Help your dog master weaves and contacts at the Dana Pike Contacts and Weaves half day seminars, Oct. 29, 2011 at Town and Country Kennel Club in Bloomington, Illinois. Private lessons on Oct. 30. Get the details here. Download registrations forms at www.tckc.org. And yes, we will be bringing back the Halloween costume contest! Bring your cute doggie disguises!
A featured attraction during both days of the Dana Pike seminar was a Halloween costume contest starring the working dogs.
Winner of the Novice Open seminar was Gauge, a Gordon Setter spooked out in a bat bewinged T-shirt handsomely accented with a giant, hairy tarantula spider.
Two winners were selected by the Excellent seminar costume judges. Copper the Malinois paid homage to his all time favorite singing group, the Village People, in a policeman's uniform complete with handcuffs.
Abby the Eskiland played a sheepdog in sheep's clothing. Watch out wolves!
The contest made for a fun break in a learning intensive day.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Friday, October 29, 2010
Agility to Sleep By
www.youtube.com/v/9n2qV6V0t3I?fs=1&hl=en_US">
Running at the speed of dreaming.
Running at the speed of dreaming.
Or the way you hope it will be after the mortal race is through. Forever perfect. Even imperfections burnished by the lushness of eternal time.
I'm continually spellbound by the amazing little films being posted by this Czech agility film maker, Michal Vokrouhlik. The term "agility video" just doesn't seem to cover it.
Dog's lives are so short. And this one makes me think of how it will be someday when we rejoin the ones we have lost.
In memory of Tory.
Welcome to the Dana Pike Seminar 10/29
New! Help your dog master weaves and contacts at the Dana Pike Contacts and Weaves half day seminars, Oct. 29, 2011 at Town and Country Kennel Club in Bloomington, Illinois. Private lessons on Oct. 30. Get the details here. Download registrations forms at www.tckc.org.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Samurai's first match
Notorious no longer (at least for today).
We bundled up our courage and took Samurai to his first ever agility match away from his home base. Samurai can be unpredictable (to say the least). So I only signed him up for two runs only…just in case. Should not have worried. Although he did have to give stink eye to some of his newfound BC crating companions, he maintained his cool. Went into the ring like he’d been doing it for years. Ran the course clean.
Second time, we ran it sans reinforcers. He didn’t miss them. Ran fast AND clean. He’s still clearly a green dog and has lots of room to build confidence. But he paid attention (big victory) and really seemed to care about doing his job well. Stayed connected with handling throughout and came off the course without breaking a sweat. Surprisingly enough, he actually reminded me of the first time I entered the ring with another out-of-the-box cool customer -- Samurai’s Uncle Taylor (who walked into his first Novice Agility ring at no less than McCormick place and performed as if he owned it).
People who know us know that getting Sam to this point was not easy, and there were days when I honestly believed he would never work off leash. Would never get over his extreme reactivity. Would never run in his floaty, graceful way outside an empty room. Would seriously even survive his bent for thrill-seeking, hair pulling danger during his first year and a half. But thanks to lots of effort, and the support of some wonderful, supportive people, he seems to be crossing the threshold.
I feel that even if Samurai does nothing else in his life, we’ve been able to share at least this one day of victory. I look forward to whatever else is to come.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
18th QQ to PAX2
Taylor packs away one more QQ to the next big title
It's gone a little slower this time, but still not too bad. After a crash on the dogwalk at a trial last July, I had Taylor checked out and discovered he is developing a cataract and also some arthritis in the knee that he had surgery on several years ago.
I always knew that the curtain on his performance career would be coming down a little early, but now that I'm actually seeing the writing on the wall, it just has not been easy.
Mainly because mentally, he's not ready to retire. He's still loves, LOVES, going into the ring. He's happy and just lit up like it was his best ever birthday every time he sees those ring gates.
Not sure why he's like that, or how he got to be that way, but he just is and it's just the best thing when he's like that. He dances around, wiggles his behind and kitten pats after his treat. Just THRILLED to totally be there.
Always comes straight out of the box like that, full and dead accurate, my little Precision Clockwork Mouse.
It's no secret he's covered for me plenty of times all these past years. Now, I'm helping him too.
Giving him lots and lots more verbals. Talking to him all the way through the tunnels. They can get pretty long and dark for a little dog that can't see very well in dim light.
I point out each and every contact approach, and instead of sending, stay with him every step of the way.
This seems to do the trick for now, but who knows for how much longer. Until then, I enjoy each and every golden opportunity I have to run with this brilliant little dog.
To have had the kind of seamless communication, trust and bond that we've had working together is something that not everyone has the joy of experience, whether human or animal.
For this, I will always feel fortunate.
Monday, October 11, 2010
EO2010 Liberec SLOW MOTION VIDEO "SPECIAL REVERSE EDITION"
Taking it back.
If you've ever fallen on a course. If you've ever had a dog that turned too hard or injured itself in training or competition. If you've ever wished you could take it all back, this video is for you. Posted by BlahGolfIV as part of a series of videos taken in HD at the 2010 European Open and shown in dramatic slow motion. This time, slowed down AND played backwards.
A version of this would be nice, wound back all the way to puppyhood. Or to a time when we all could run faster and more free. Enjoy.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Slow Motion Video of Dogs Competing in Rain
This is just a phenomenal piece of video posted recently from European competition. It highlights both how committed and driven some dogs can be, and also what a toll slipping and falling takes on a dog's body. It's easy to blink and miss this stuff when you see it happen in real time, but the slow motion capture in this video brings it home big time. Warning: turn down the sound if you don't like hard metal music.
Slow motion video brings home
the impact of slippery conditions.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
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