An International Summer

The next two months have a distinct international flavour to them.

We leave  at 3 am on Friday morning for our trip to Denmark. We are off to the week long Fionia Agility Cup in Denmark. I am looking forward to the challenges of the European courses in helping me prepare for the European Open at the end of July.  I will be running Zaz and Giz-mo and bringing Yay along for the trip. It is always a great week of agility with so much to learn. The trip had a little hiccup when we found out a few days ago that our overnight ferry (England to Denmark) was cancelled. It seems they had an accident when docking and the ferry hit the docks at the end of a trip. A  hole in the side of the ship caused the ship to start taking on water! I am very very grateful we were not on that crossing! The ship is still out of service (not that I would have been keen to get on it!) and now we have to do the trip via the Eurotunnel and drive 9 hours from France through Belgium,Netherlands and Germany to Denmark.  A long drive rather than a relaxing overnight cruise but at least we can still get there in time.

Giz is coming on nicely; what a cool dog he is. He will be running in Class 2 in Denmark and I think he will be up for the challenge. When I originally entered the competition back in January he was not even competing yet and did not weave or do full contacts! So sadly I only entered him in the lower classes and did not enter him in the "open" classes which are the classes needed to get into the finals at the end of the week.  Silly on my part! I should have had more faith in my little guy! Even so he has 2 runs per day so hopefully we will make them count! Here is Giz at Lansdown running his last Grade 4 agility class as he moves up to Grade 5 at his next shows.




After our week in Denmark we head  back to England just in time to turn around and go back to Belgium for the European Agilty Open!  Zaz and I will be well and truly European.

I am really looking forward to the European Open. As the World Agility Championships will be in South Africa this  year I had no intention of trying out for the World Team. The European Open was the competition I wanted to focus on . Happily Zaz made the team and we are one of 4 British small dogs competing.  And to make things even more exciting the 2013  European Open will be indoors!  It is taking place at the same venue we competed at for the WAO 2012. How nice to feel relaxed and not to have to worry about the rain, mud or extreme heat!   It is also feels comfortable knowing what to expect at the venue; this takes away much of worry and stress of travel.  The only thing I am not looking forward to is having to travel there on a coach. I would feel much better driving in a car where my dog can relax and I don't have to stress about packing! Unfortunately I don't have a choice in this matter so we will just have to get on with it.  Dennis is not thrilled to be joining me on the coach as he knows all the horror stories of past Team GB coach  trips. The last time we both went on a coach together was about 10 years ago on a trip to Austria. We both swore we would NEVER do a coach trip again....uh-oh.

Anyway the EO should be an amazing competition this year.  Zaz and I are ready!

Zaz won her 8th Championship ticket this month at Thames Agility show. Not a bad  record for a dog that I do not compete with that often!

After the EO we return to England to compete at the KC International Agility Festival.  I didn't go to the Festival last year as I did not enjoy it two years ago. The ground was too rough and the day parking was too far away. This combined with the  death of a well loved competitor during the show and a horrible dog on person attack just  gave me a bad feeling about the venue. This year the show is a new location and I am going to give it another try.  I now have Giz to compete with in the Novice cup and a reservation in a nearby posh  hotel so I am actually looking forward to it! I have heard  that there will actually be American competitors coming this year along with competitors from more European countries. It should should be very exciting!

After all that European Agility it will be time for a non-doggy adventure! Dennis and I will be off to Italy for a holiday. I am really looking forward to that and working hard on my diet so that I can splurge on amazing Italian food and gelato!

So an exciting and busy July and August. We will be finishing up our International summer with a long awaited visit by some friends from New York! 

Old memories!

Now fingers crossed that Zaz holds off coming in season until late September and  then maybe we can add in another European trip for her.....

The only problem with all this travel is that I will miss my chickens!

Giz-mo the dude

Giz-mo has not gotten much attention on the blog but, rest assured, he is still here!  My little dude is just the cutest boy in the world; not that I am biased or anything.

Giz started his agility career in April and won his first class at his first show. I think he will take a little while to mature but that is OK with me.  I do find the girls easier to train and compete with but Giz is so darn cute that anything he does is fine with me! He now has about 5 weekends of competition under his belt and I am enjoying him so much.

Here is Giz in his first ever competition run.



And here he was two weeks later at his second show. Already we are both looking more sure of each other!



My goal for Giz this year is to move up to Grade 5 before the KC International Festival, get into the Novice final and qualify for Crufts. 

Two weeks ago I brought Giz and Zaz over to Jersey (Channel Islands) to compete. I was excited to have 3 days of competitions with Giz to start feeling more like a team with him. Unfortunately I was disappointed to find out that they would only have wood/sand contacts at their show. Giz has really only been trained on rubber contacts so I decided to only compete in the jumping classes rather than confuse him.

Luckily the team and pairs competitions were jumping only. I think Giz will be a great team dog as I can actually control him on the start!   Giz ran clean in both his team runs and in his pairs. His pairing with his brother Fuze came 2nd only to Zaz and her partner Smudge! Unfortunately no video of the pairs just a photo of four gorgeous shelties: Fuze, Smudge, Zaz and Giz-mo.

Giz-mo and I ran for the "Rest of the World" team as there were not enough small/medium English dogs to make up a second England team.  Giz and I were paired with two French competitors. Both girls were worried and kept telling me not to expect anything. I just smiled as they didn't realize how inexperienced Giz really was and how relaxed I am about teams.  Giz surprised me and was a little star who ran fast and clear in both the semi and the final. We were lucky that even with many faults in the semi-final our team scraped through to make it to the final on the last day. Then in the final our team ran 3 clears to WIN the final! Giz has now won his first Jersey Festival Teddy Bear!

The "Rest of The World" small/medium team Final run.



Happy team!

YAY! One year old!

Yay turns 1 year old tomorrow. She is a delight to own and I can honestly say it was worth all the stress bringing her over. These photos were taken last week in Jersey (Channel Islands NOT New Jersey!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While walking on this beautiful beach I had to get some photos of Yay. It wasn't planned....but when I looked at the image on the screen I just smiled....

Here is Yay on the beach in 2013.



And here is Joy on the Beach circa 1995. Just wow....

Just in case you thought Yay's 2 x 2 weave video was special; here is her first attempts at running contacts.   I don't think I should video when  training alone. LOL

Farewell to Monty

Toven The Full Monty

How can I explain who Monty was? He was a dog that belonged to many.

He belonged to Toni Mapes who bred him and loved him and gave him the greatest name: Toven The Full Monty. Right from a pup Monty loved to lie on his back and show the world he was a man.

Monty belonged to me. I saw him as a pup and fell in love with him. When Toni offered him to me to show almost 2 years later I took him home and trained him in agility. He liked doing agility with me but he never loved it. He was a lover of people and the girls and he preferred to flirt and play. Monty almost did not come with me to England; when we realized we were moving I felt that I had to  give him back to Toni. I drove to her house to return him and was just about to walk out the door when we both started crying. I didn't want him to go back and she didn't want me to leave without him!  I gave Toni a hug and put  Monty back in the car and happily planned for him to come with us to England.

 

He was always smiling.

 

 

 

 

Looking at this photo makes me realize how much Giz-mo reminds me of his grandfather Monty.

 

Monty belonged to Johanna who kept him for me when we moved to England; she showed him in breed and won two championship certificates and in agility where he went onto to achieve a Danish agility and jumping championship.

 Monty belonged to all the owners of the girls who bred to him. After Monty produced his first litter here in England it was obvious that he could produce lovely working shelties. He would never be used again in England as the English breeders would not appreciate him. So he went to Denmark to Johanna. Monty spent many years happily siring puppies for some special girls.  Monty was not over used; Johanna was very careful to try and only breed him to bitches owned by people who were carefully checked. This paid off as Monty's offspring were regularly running and winning at top International agility events. I don't even know all the statistics but just at the European open and FCI World Champs he has produced at least one Gold Medal winner, one silver medal winner and two bronze medal winners in his children and one Bronze individual winner in his grandchildren. He has  many agility champion children and grandchildren in multiple countries. 

This photo was taken in Denmark as we wanted a photo of True and Monty with their gorgeous and talented son Unique (EO Gold medal winner OBay Truly Unique).  I have just realized that I have no photo of Monty and daughter Zen together and that has made me cry again....

And finally Monty belonged to Marianne. Marianne borrowed Monty to run in agility and the two of them went on to do amazing things. Marianne brought the best out of Monty; she figured out how to make agility fun for him. More importantly she loved and cherished him during his last years and for that I am so grateful.

 

Monty at the Nordic Championship winning Gold along with his son Unique.

I  hoped to see Monty again when I came to Denmark in July. I had plans to try and get him together with his many children and grandchildren for a special portrait. I also wish I could have been with Monty at the end; I felt as if I owed that to him.  I am grateful to Marianne for calling me and letting me know how the end was for Monty and that he was buried in a special place. I couldn't stop crying when she told me he was buried next to his special friends and that he was buried with his bed and special agility lead and wrapped in a purple blanket.

Thank you Monty for all you did for me. Without you I wouldn't have had Zen, Zaz, Itzy and Giz-mo. Without you I wouldn't have had the opportunity to compete at those amazing International competitions with your daughter Zen and your Grand-daughter Zaz. You were just a little black dog with an amazing heart and we all loved you and will miss you.



How do you summarize 10 years of Zen?

Zen turned 10 yesterday. I wanted to do some incredible video montage or put photos to music or do a big party or just do something to explain how amazing this little dog has been for the past 10 years.....Instead we just spent the day out in the sunshine, doing a little agility and randomly hugging Zen for no reason.  Priceless.

Zen at 10 years old

 

 

 

Zen at 8 years old

 

Zen at 2 years old

 

 

Zen at 6 months old

 

Zen at 5 weeks old

 

10 years ago an TRULY amazing litter was born. Not many people know or understand the determination it took to produce this litter. Many people in many countries shared in all the planning, frustration, tears and then finally smiles, hopes and dreams.... It paid off and produced 6 amazing pups.  Happy 10th  Birthday to Zen, Unique, Chi, Bailey and Timmy. And special thoughts for  Lucky, gone but never forgotten.

 

 

 

 



Yay 2 x 2 weave experiment

I have been doing agility for nearly 17 years and I finally got around to trying  to teach weaves using the 2 x 2 method. You can't say I rush into things!

It was fun trying this method with Yay. I  decided to give it a try it because the weather had been so awful and I didn't want to take her into the wet training paddock to do a lot of running.  I decided that I could just set up some stick in the ground poles right outside my backdoor and step out for  few minutes each day.  The first few  days were very frustrating; when I went from 2 poles to 4 poles I thought she would never get the idea and I was frankly about to give up. So we took a 2 day break and when I brought her back the next time it just seemed to click and the progression from 2 sets of 2 poles to 6 straight up went really quickly.

After about a week of training with the stick in the ground poles, I was lucky to have been able to borrow a set of three 2 x 2 poles. This helped progress her even more smoothly as those poles were easier to slightly tweak if necessary. When it came time to adding more than 6 poles I had to go back to adding my stick in the ground poles but she seems to cope fine.

This video was taken when she was at 8 poles. Not so easy videoing and trying to get your 10 month old pup to weave. HA! So  the video quality isn't professional and my  rewarding could be better but you get the idea.



I have been amazed at how quickly she learned to weave straight up poles and she has some wicked  entries learned already.  I am not sure I love her foot work through the poles or her little jump at the last pole but that could be the result of my rewarding incorrectly. We started her with a thrown toy while the poles were open but went to thrown food as we progressed.

Yay can now do 12 poles straight  up and I will honestly say the amount of time spent on the weaves has been 1/3 of the time I would normally need to teach poles. She has not done many repetitions and I know she will need more work on things like cross behinds and my running past as most of the repetitions have been done with my standing still.  I will go back and review the 2 x 2 DVD and see where I might have skipped steps and start adding a  jump before the weaves as my next step.

I am so happy that Yay loves the game of agility already; she is great fun. I  think we are both ready  to begin the next stage of training: Running Contacts!  Fondly known as "self-imposed manic depression" and I can't wait to start!

Bartering for Agility training?

Bartering for Agility training?


I had a little hiatus from  running agility last year but am excited to get back to competition this year. I have been thinking about the new trends here in the UK and the USA. More "European" handling seems to be all the rage. I love new things but it takes me time to let it all sink in. I am basically happy with how my dogs run and our successes but there is always room for improvement without losing what I already know.

Anyway.....one of the things I keep in mind about agility is that it is NOT rocket science. It is a little bit of fun that we have with our dogs.  I  try not to take it too seriously while at the same time remain competitive. Does that make sense?  I love to talk agility, talk training and get together with people who love to do the same. I love to delve into why things happen and why some training/handling works for one dog and not another.  This is the same reason why I love reading the blogs of trainers from other countries. Especially the trainers who break things down and speak of their highs and lows rather than just write a blog to "sell" something. I have learned so much over the years for free by doing this! Yes free agility information!

I was thinking of about all that yesterday on the ride home from Giz-mo's first agility show. Having two young dogs now gets me  back into training mode and I love that.  So I was thinking about all the trainers in Europe and the US that I would love to train with but cannot afford.....

So I would offer this proposal to any trainers who would like to come to England to either run agility or just to sightsee in our beautiful country. I have a lovely home in the beautiful English countryside with spare bedrooms that is dog friendly. We are only a 1 hour train ride to London. I have an outdoor agility paddock for training right outside my door. If you ever want to come over for some fun in England I would be glad to help you out with organizing your agility trip and give you a room for free in return for a 1/2 day of training a small group. I cannot offer big US or European training fees but could possibly organize another small training day to help your expenses. I am not looking  for the "top" trainers that want/need to charge $$$$ but just looking for those who love agility and enjoy sharing their knowledge. Maybe you regularly read my blog and have even watched my videos and learned something yourself. Or maybe you have watched my videos and thought "oh I could  help her!"  Of course,  if someone who charges $$$$ wants to come I would love to have you! LOL

The Kennel Club International Festival is in August and is still open for entering. Crufts is in March and we have agility shows all summer.

So this is just an idea. Contact me if it sounds interesting to you! obayshelties@hotmail.com

Meet YAY!

With a little help from alot of friends a little ball of sable fluff joined us last September.

Meet YAY!  Officially known as" Damask Jump for Joy at Obay".



It was a long journey on the search for this puppy. I had a few breedings of my own  that failed to produce or just produced boys. Then I had the possibilities of a puppy from other breeders that just didn't happen: either through not getting pregnant or just producing larger pups. It seemed like I was never going to find my little girl! I had my heart set on a sable girl but honestly would have taken any colour by that point!

Then I heard of a breeding to a dog that I have admired for nearly 8 years after meeting him as a young dog at a Clean Run camp in 2005. I loved this boy so much that I had plans to breed Hex to him. I had visualized that breeding as crossing two of the most perfect shelties. Sadly that never happened but I kept in touch with his owner (an old friend) just in case he was used at stud with a nice bitch.

So I contacted the breeder in Kansas and happily found myself on the list for a puppy. I was happy that the breeder had similar ideas on breeding and she knew I was looking for a smaller girl. The pups were born and I was feeling optimistic as there were two girls. Then tragedy struck and one of the girl pups died at only a few days old. So sad for everyone and I just assumed I was not getting a pup again... Then my luck finally turned when the breeder offered me the one remaining girl. I was so excited and began to plan the difficult process of importing a puppy into England. It is hard to believe but this would be my first puppy bought from another breeder in over 20 years! I had gotten used to breeding my own pups and knowing my own lines. It took a leap of faith for me to let go of the worry that not only was I not raising the litter but also I would not be getting the puppy until it was nearly 4 months old due to import restrictions into the UK.

How could I not love this puppy?

I flew from England to New York to  Kansas to pick up Yay when she was 8 weeks old. She then flew  back with me to New York where I spent a week with her. I hoped that this week would help to bond us together and allow me to start some puppy training.

 

Yay never left my side for that week. I was amazed at how  fast she learned tricks and so pleased with her tugging and play. She was the perfect puppy!  I cried when I left her a week later....

 

Luckily my lovely sister agreed to keep Yay  for the 6 weeks it would take to get her rabies injection and then wait the required time to do the paperwork necessary to import her into the UK. Not only did she take care of her but she also continued her training and socializing. I had a list of things for her to do with Yay and would speak to her every week asking if Yay was still playing and tugging. How annoying I must have been!

 

Yay had other helpers in New York. Friends and family who helped train her, let her out during the day when my sister was working, leash walk her and even friends who helped train those sheltie ears! How luck am I to have such friends and family? It  takes a village to raise a puppy!

 

 

 It seemed like forever until I returned back to New York to pick up 15 week old Yay to bring her home to England. Of course things wouldn't be as simple as just flying into England; that would be too easy!  The only way you can fly into England is to have the puppy in cargo and I wasn't prepared to do that with my puppy. I wanted little Yay at my side the entire trip.

So this required a flight from New York to  Brussels followed by a car ride through Belgium  and  France to get to the Eurotunnel.  Dennis drove from England to Brussels to meet us and on the same day turned around and drove us all back home. Another epic trip!  What a fantastic husband I have!

Dennis was going to take a photo of me and Yay after we passed through the Eurotunnel Pets Passport office. This never happened because after this amazing long journey and the worry of all the paperwork I burst into  tears as soon as we  walked out of the Pets Passport office! The relief of knowing that Yay was finally  mine was overwhelming.

I don't know what the universe has planned for Yay and I. I just know that I absolutely adore her and look forward to our journey together. I don't think I have ever enjoyed a puppy so much. She fits into our family perfectly and I see her and Giz-mo as my Yin-Yang. (or sometimes just as double-trouble!)

 

Yay is so meant to be mine. When I first found out about her it was because I loved her sire. Then I found out the most incredible thing....Yay's mom was related to Zen and Hex through their mom True.  Yay's great great grandmother was also Zen's grandmother!  Now Yay was able to bring me back to the fantastic genes of our gorgeous True.

And finally her name: Damask Jump for Joy at OBay is because she reminds me so much of my very special dog of a lifetime: Joy.

Yay!

 

 

Yay is now almost 11  months old. Agility training has begun and we are loving it!

Toven The Full Monty: 14 tomorrow!

Some dogs can change your life in ways you cannot imagine.



Happy 14th Birthday to Monty!

Monty's first litter will be 10 next month and he now has children, grand-children and great grandchildren in many countries. Who knew that this little black boy would make such an impact on so many.



I am so grateful to the many people who have participated in Monty's life. Toni who bred him, gave him to me when he was a year old and let him make the trip to England. Johanna who allowed him to shine as a show dog, agility dog and a producer of fantastic puppies. And finally Marianne who helped Monty shine as a veteran agility dog and provides him love and attention in his retirement years. Monty is one sheltie loved by many!

Crufts 2013: Agility Championships

We were up early and at Crufts almost before anyone else. Luckily Dennis came again to take care of the driving and we had Sonia joining us as a special good luck charm. Today Zaz was with us and I was thrilled to have mother and daughter at Crufts! This was the first time I have had two dogs competing together in Crufts Championship and for it to be mother Zen and daughter Zaz was very special.

Our first run (jumping) was very early; there was hardly anyone in the stands as they were still making their way into the venue. In Championship agility there are two qualifying rounds: one jumping and one agility. In order to get into the final you need to be in the top 50% based on placings in the two qualifying rounds. Any elimination in the qualifiers prevents you from going into the final. So often tactics take place in running championship. You need to decide if you just need two steady clears or if you have to go all out for a high placing in order to get through to the final. Of course, no matter what, you don't want to get eliminated in the qualifiers. This year it seemed that you couldn't play in safe; dogs with good double clears still didn't make it through. Often this is determined by the difficulty of a course. The more difficult the course the more eliminations and therefore a greater chance of getting through even with steadier clears. Sometimes courses are hard to read; they may seem difficult on walking yet they run quite easily. We had 16 dogs in medium champ and 14 dogs in small champ. Qualifying for the champ at Crufts can be very difficult as there are only 20 or so champ shows throughout country all year. So every  Championship ticket awarded is very special.

So I was feeling slightly emotional running Zen but still needed to concentrate on Zaz. I think this helped keep me focused. I had two songs in my head: Diamonds by Rihanna and Magic by Olivia Newton-John. Two very different songs from different eras! I know it is a little sappy but I do find that certain songs motivate me and help me focus. Sometimes I go for upbeat songs to charge me up and get me excited. Other times, like this Crufts, the songs have more sentimental feelings reminding me to relax and enjoy my dog.   I am always careful in big events to not have the "just enjoy" yourself mentality. I DO enjoy myself but I want more than that: I want to win and I want to have that amazing run that shows off my dog and my training.

For Zaz "Magic":

Through every turn I'll be near you
I'll come anytime you call
I'll catch you when you fall
I'll be guiding you

You have to believe we are magic
Nothin' can stand in our way
You have to believe we are magic
Don't let your aim ever stray
And if all your hopes survive
Your destiny will arrive
I'll bring all your dreams alive
For you

For Zen: "Diamonds":
I knew that we’d become one right away
Oh, right away
At first sight I felt the energy of sun rays
I saw the life inside your eyes
So shine bright, tonight you and I
We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky
Eye to eye, so alive
We’re beautiful like diamonds in the sky

Zen was up first in Champ Jumping and then I had 7 dogs before Zaz ran. This put me into a slight  panic wondering if I would be able to catch my breath and get my legs back between dogs. We have to run in strict order in Champ and they will not delay.  Luckily someone said to me just the right words while I was talking about how worried I was. They didn't just say "Oh you will be fine" but  instead they gave me something positive to focus on. They said (paraphrasing) "it is good that you won't have time in between to let the adrenalin fade away. You will be warmed up and ready to run again."  I do not even remember who said it but it was just the right thing to say to me at the time.  Isn't it amazing how a positive comment can really make you feel so much better?



Next up was Zaz. Now many people know that  Zaz's registered name is often announced incorrectly. She has been called Itz Got Pizza so often that I just expect it now! This year at Crufts all the announcers got her name perfect but the TV screen read something else.........



Knowing how much I adore this dog; god is not a big leap!  It was  certainly God that brought her to me when I needed her most.

Here is Zaz's jumping round.




We didn't have long to wait until the Champ agility round.  I had longer between dogs for this run but I don't remember who ran first. The course was subtle again; no real traps but the angle of the  jump after the see saw was of concern and caught a few dogs out.

Zaz's agility round.



Zen's agility round. Zen got creative before the see-saw but she had her reasons.



After the two qualifying rounds we waited with anticipation to hear who made it into the finals. I knew Zaz would be in the finals as she had won both rounds but I didn't know if  Zen had done enough to get through. It turns out that  Zen actually ended up 3rd overall by getting 6th in jumping and 4th in agility! She was in the finals and that is where I wanted her to run her last run. Zen would finish her agility career running in the Championship Finals in the main ring at Crufts! The only sad part of the day was that Zen's son Zev did not make it into the finals due to having faults in his agility round. Zev will certainly be back here another year!

I love running in the finals at Crufts. The crowds are great yet not overwhelming and loud.  The ring crew is supportive and efficient and you have time to  breathe and enjoy the moment.

I loved running Zaz at Crufts again and winning the Champ two years is a row is amazing! Last year we won by a  whisker and this year it was close again with under 1/2 second to play with. Gosh we have some fab small dogs in  UK agility! I have to use the video direct from Crufts as the commentary is such fun. Every time I hear Peter Purvis say that our run is not quick enough my heart skips and I wonder if  we actually won!  Thank goodness we did! It was a fun course.



And Zen's Champ final run.



I guess it would have been nice to say Zen finished with a clear round but actually that was never my goal. This was not about a fairy tale ending but about celebrating my amazing dog. Zen was allowed to miss contacts and obstacles and generally just enjoy herself! I love this photo. Our new Samsung Camera has this feature where you can take a photo while videoing and Dennis got this shot just as Zen came over the finish. I love my Zen!



Beautiful mother and daughter.



The 2013 Crufts Champions: Large, Medium and Small.



So that was Crufts 2013.  I am not promising to blog regularly but with Giz-mo just about ready to compete and my new sable ball of fluff beginning her training I may start blogging again. Puppies are planned for the end of 2013 so that always gets me blogging! 2013 looks to be a great year!  xxxooo

Crufts 2013: Zen-star in Crufts Singles

Zen also ran in Crufts Singles on Friday. Those runs were a bonus as I hadn't really expected to be running in singles. Again I think the weather played havoc with many 2012 shows and Zen qualified for the singles class without many points. Or  maybe Zen just wanted to enjoy Crufts with lots of runs!

I knew Zen had 3 of her pups entered at Crufts this year. Zaz and Zev were in the Champs and Zavvi was in medium team. 3 pups competing at Crufts alongside their mom is pretty amazing. So I had these cupcakes made up to celebrate!



Then on Saturday while watching livestream on Youtube I found out that Zen had another pup competing in small team! I wish I had known; I felt sad that Zoe's owner did not let me know. Luckily I got to watch on livestream and Zoe looked fab and put in two fantastic clear rounds to help her team come 2nd in the final! So that made FOUR Zen pups competing at Crufts 2013!

I was so pleased that the Medium Team event was held on the Friday as Zavvi was running in team for her first time at Crufts and I could be there to watch in person. Of course I forgot to get a photo of Zen and Zavvi together (and did the same on Sunday forgetting to get a family photo of Zen and her son Zev in Champ) but here is a photo of Zavvi with her teammates. Zavvi ran a lovely fast clear for her team but unfortunately they didn't make it to the finals. Team is a tough class at Crufts; you only get ONE run unless your team makes the final cut. That is a lot of time, money and effort for one run!

 

One of the best parts of my day on Friday was the greeting I got from Zavvi. Not that I am biased but she is such a lovely dog. Some of my pups act like they have forgotten who I am or don't really care about greeting me even if I see them on a regular basis. Others, like Zavvi, go crazy when they see me or hear my voice. Zavvi made me feel special that day.

Crufts Singles consists of two rounds (jumping and agility) on the day. The top 4 in medium then go through to the finals in the evening. Zen ran great but a pole down in the jumping put her out of contention for the final. I was disappointed but it meant we could head home early! Zen and I were both very tired by the end of Friday!

Here is her Crufts Singles Jumping.



And her Crufts Singles Agility.



After a long drive home we stopped at a fabulous pub for dinner (oh my goodness...they had sweet potato fries!)and  we were back home by 9pm. On Saturday I got up early to watch the livestream and spend the rest of the day trying to recuperate.  I don't  think Zen got out of bed all day!  We had to be up early again on Sunday to finish out Crufts 2013 with the best class of all: CHAMPIONSHIP!!

Crufts 2013 Day 1: Zen-Star in Medium ABC

Friday morning we were up at 3:30 am and on the road by 4 for  the 2.5 hour drive up to the Birmingham NEC. Friday is all about Zen: Crufts 2013 is to be Zen's final agility show as I couldn't think of a better way for her to retire.  One day I should sit down and write down all that Zen has accomplished in her agility career; I just have never been one to focus on those details. This weekend was to be all about enjoying every run with her.

Zen will be 10 next month. She is running well and has no injuries but I feel responsible to try and keep her that way. She loves agility with a passion but she also loves walking, chasing a tennis ball and chasing the other shelties.   I could continue running her for another 2 years but why? She has given me so much and I know I would be inconsolable the first time I saw her feel stiff after an agility run.  I know how I feel after a long weekend of agility and Zen is now older than me.....I don't judge anyone who continues to run their older dogs; this is strictly a personal decision for Zen and I.



The shelties and I did very little agility during 2012.  My heart was not into competing and I was focused on the building work at our house and the addition of a little sable fluffball. (more about that another time!) The only agility goal I was focused on was trying qualify Zen for the new competition called Medium ABC. This new class gave me a fitting way to retire Zen on a high; she deserved to end her career at the top.

Qualifying for the Medium ABC at Crufts was not easy!  First we needed to go to the shows that held the qualifying classes and try to guess how many points would be needed to get us through to the semi-final in November. We went through a bit of a roller coaster while trying to get the points. We only had one qualifying show in June and  had entered 3 more qualifier shows for the rest of the year. I hoped that 4 qualifiers would give me enough points.  Then the "summer of 2012" came and it was a VERY wet summer.   I had to wrestle with my conscience and pull Zen out of some shows because I worried about her getting hurt. Some shows were even cancelled.  Due to this  I was convinced that we would  never make the points to get to the semi. We had our 2nd qualifying show in September and I was doubtful we would get through to the semifinal with points from only two shows. 

I was amazed when I read that we had squeaked through on points to get to the semi-final at Discover Dogs 2012.  Only two of each breed qualify to get into the semi and there were 5 shelties with points in the top 20. Zen qualified as the 2nd highest placing sheltie only one point ahead of her daughter and tied with another sheltie. We only got in due to the rule that to break a tie they take the results of the first competition and Zen had one more point at that show! How close was that? In my opinion the "two of each breed" rule is definitely not necessary and a little sad and I hope the Kennel club looks into this.  The ABC (Anything But a (border)Collie) class has it's place in UK agility but limiting it further is not something that promotes better ABC dogs. Let the top ABC dogs shine; the final would have had a huge variety of breeds even without the extra restrictions.

The next hurdle was the semi-final in November at Discover Dogs. 20 dogs in the semi and the top 10 go through to Crufts.  Zen placed 3rd overall to  qualify for Crufts 2013: our 2012 goal accomplished!

So here we are competing against the best 10 medium  ABC dogs in the country at Crufts.  Half of the dogs competing were already agility champions or ticket winners so it was set to be a great competition.  I was so excited to have Zen by my side again at Crufts.  Two runs: jumping and agility and the combined scores produce the winners. Zen was amazing: coming 2nd in jumping and 4th in agility to come 2nd overall. Runner Up Medium ABC Crufts Champion!  Coming 2nd behind one of the fastest dogs in the country is not bad at all!

Here is her jumping run videoed with our new Samsung camera!

Here is her agility run.


The first ever Crufts Medium ABC!



My only disappointment of the day is that 2nd place did not get a trophy... Instead only a rosette. For a sponsored class that required so many shows to be entered plus a semi final I think that was a little disappointing for all the Medium ABC dogs that placed 1st through 3rd. Now I have to try to make something special out of our ribbon so I am up in the attic trying to find all of Zen's old Crufts rosettes from 2006 through 2013. Did I mention I tend  to not keep my rosettes....uh oh.

So Zen had a busy Crufts 2013.  Medium ABC was my only goal for Zen but our Zen had other ideas and also qualified for Crufts Singles AND Championship! More later.