Samurai's the Little Lion Man's Slide Show

Samurai is the little lion that roared.

These photos were taken of Samurai at a CPE trial last March. I love the photos since they capture his fiery nature, speed and a spirit that is not yet tamed.


That's what we love about this little guy and though he can be a handful, we feel his fierce joie de vivre is a rare quality in the world today.


The music used in this video is "Little Lion Man" by Mumford and Sons. It's kind of become Samurai's theme song in our house because it captures his intensity and cadence, as well as our struggles to do right by him despite the sometimes steep odds and good intentions gone awry.

New AKC Companion Events Extravaganza Recognizing Top Dogs in Agility, Obedience and AKC Rally® Debuts in 2013

View of the Tulsa Main Arena, site of the 2010 AKC National Agility Championships

On March 15-17, 2013 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the National Obedience Championship (formerly known as the National Obedience Invitational) will move from its usual calendar date in December to run in conjunction with the National Agility Championship.  A new AKC Rally® National Competition will be held on the Friday of that weekend. After 2013, the combined "Extravaganza" will rotate to different locations around the country. "Thanks to the vision of retired Companion Events AVP Curt Curtis and his staff, this new `Companion Events Extravaganza' will allow us to showcase the best competitors in the country, rotate venues and teach responsible dog ownership to the public through demonstrations, seminars and other companion dog related activities," said Doug Ljungren, Vice President of Companion and Performance Events. The 2012 National Obedience Invitational and National Juniors Obedience Competition will be held as usual in conjunction with the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship this December in Orlando, Florida. Beginning in December 2013, a new obedience competition - the AKC Obedience Classic - will be held in conjunction with the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship and AKC Agility Invitational in Orlando. The new competition will crown the top dogs for the year in the Novice, Open and Utility classes.  The National Juniors Obedience Competition will continue to be held with these events in December. For information about qualifying for these events and additional competition details, stay tuned to http://www.akc.org/events/obedience/ NOTE FROM VIEW FROM 4 INCH: This post is a press release originally distributed by the American Kennel Club on May 4, 2012.

Samurai Says...

Dogs in Art - Strathmore Exhibition

Dogs in Art by Moira McLaughlin
 An Interesting Video Solution 

Morphs Faces of Dogs, Painting to Painting

I've had people ask me why I took a structure class. I'm interested in the connection between structure and performance, of course. But it also connects to the art I see in the canine form and in canine art in general (and in art in general).

So taking the leap away from structure study, we seque back to art for a look at some of the art that's been brought forward by the Strathmore Exhibition, Art Unleashed in Bethseda, Maryland.

I discovered the event and a treasure trove of dog related art on the blog Dog Art Today. 

Beautiful examples that exemplify the relationships of modern day humans with their dogs. Also, carefully classified examples of art from every age.

Desire by Clair Hartmann
Dogs in Relationship 

to Humans and Others

Before you go on to another boring day, I'd invite you to take a look at this carefully curated virtual gallery. Give your eyes a treat. Give yourself a smile. It's a joy anytime we're fortunate enough to come across art that captures art the way we see dogs in those sacred, secret moments that drift like furry tumbleweeds across the greater landscape of our lives.

Samurai Stucture Study Complete

With all the lines in place,

he looks pretty good.

Here is the grand finale of our work with Samurai in our structure class. He looks pretty good. Actually, as I understand it, he's not too different from a Border Collie. He has a 37 degree angle to his shoulder and 39 degrees to his pelvis. Both exceed the 30 degree slope which is recommended for performance dogs. He has a wide thigh with plenty of room for muscle and power for acceleration and jumping. He's got a little less angle in his upper arm, but it's sufficient for good extension.

He's pretty well balanced front to back, which you can see in the fairly balanced angle of the diamond that is made by extending the lines made by his angles. 

I'm especially happy to see the nice angulation in his front, since many Papillons are pretty straight in front.

Samurai's nice rear angulation helps him get his hindquarters up underneath him easily for jumping and turning. The angulation in the front helps him engage his front for acceleration and tight turns.

In reality, he runs fast, turns tightly and jumps with a light grace. 

I could see this part before I started structure class. Now I see the reasons why.

As the level of competition is demanding a higher level of training of agility dogs -- which means a greater investment of time and stress on the dog's structure -- it is more important than ever to have a soundly built dog that is also able to excel at performance. 

Joy Ride

Taylor and Samurai 

take off on wild ride.

Samurai Tries NADAC Tunnelers

Samurai rides home in the "catbird seat"

after going 2 for 2.

We took a quick drive for two NADAC runs today. Samurai went two for two in Novice Tunnelers and Hoopers with two first placements and blazing fast. He ranked as fastest Novice dog all heights in Tunnelers at 5+ yards per second. And that was with 3-4 seconds lost in an almost off course. Sam responded well to his cues, which came in handy since I didn’t get a chance to walk the course and was feeling my way through ad lib. Sam was second fastest dog all heights in Hoopers after a nice Border Collie.