Dot Weight Pulling, Loomis, CA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fk_KkIUAv4

Borzoi Rescue All K9 Races, Sloughhouse, CA, October 2009

Dot:

Saturday:First place in all her races, which were all against Chip, a Labrador Retriever

Sunday: First place in all her races. The first was against an Italian Greyhound and the last two were against Dino. Dino was in the terrier group for his first race and then got moved up because he was too fast for them.



Dino:

Saturday: He raced Dot and Chip and Dino was disqualified for the rest of the day because he went after Chip halfway down the track

Sunday: His first race he won first place because we put him in with the terriers since he usually doesn't run too fast. But he was way out front, so we moved him out of that and moved in the IG. Dino then raced against Dot for the last two. He gave it a good effort. In fact, Audrey said he was out front for a ways on the last one, but then Dot passed him.

These same races will be next month also, so we will try again.

Photos will be coming eventually. Dave Mills was shooting, but I don't know when he will have them ready.

Diggin West JRT Show, Madera County, CA

My primary reason to go to this show was to attend the Course A Lure part of the show. It is a combination of lure coursing and agility. I was really looking forward to that.

When I got to the show I found out that the Course A Lure group cancelled. Luckily the club was able to get a person to do lure coursing.

They also let me put Dot into the straight races, but she didn't have any competition in her size, so she ran by herself. Dot didn't care. She still ran super fast the whole way.

Temperatures were very high, definitely into the 90's.

Terrier Races:

Day #1:
She ran in the Outlaw class, which is for the ones over 15 inches. She was the only dog running in her class. In the past she has had a problem going through the hole at the end. She tends to jump the fencing along the end. Well, on her races on Saturday, first she hit the metal pole to the right of the hole and bounced back, then jumped the fence and ran toward the water pool. The second run, she just jumped the fencing and ran to the water pool, never finishing the course.

Day #2:
She ran much better this day and rocketed through the hole at the end without any hesitation. I was trying to visualize with her about going through the hole. I guess it worked.

She actually got two blue ribbons for completing her runs and coming in first place.

Lure Coursing

Day #1:
I ran both of them through the lure coursing, which was in a covered arena. It was small and tight and in dirt. I was kind of nervous about running them there because there were poles and trees on the course, but they seemed to figure a way around them.

It was nice to get both dogs out and running around since Dino had been in the crate in the car until that.

Day #2:
On day two, the lure coursing was outside on grass, which was much better. It was still hot, so they couldn't run too much, but they still managed to loop the course a few times each run before petering out. Well, at least Dino did. Dot never peters. She just gets hot, which she did.


Barn Hunt:
I had never seen this sport before. I happen to see it while walking to lure coursing. It was set inside a real barn on the fairgrounds and they set aside two barn stalls. They set up tree limbs and other brush and obstacles and then hide a real rat inside a cage into some of the brush. They also hide two fake rats with just smell. They want you to indicate when the dog has found the rat and stop the clock. You have to tell them when the dog has found it.

Day #1:
Since the barn hunt was directly next to lure coursing, Dot had a hard time focusing, but after about a minute, she ran into the stall and found the rat very shortly. I was hooked.

Day #2:
I tried this again, but Dot had a hard time finding the rat because the hid it in some brush up on top of a big stack of hay, instead of down under the brush like yesterday. I was able to show her where it was so she could get rewarded. Darn, I will try in Nov for the SCJRTC if they have it.

Photos:
http://www.photostockplus.com/home.php?tmpl=52&user_id=44703&event=335179

Wags for Wishes, Chula Vista, July 2009

If you can view the slideshow, click here:
http://w891.photobucket.com/pbwidget.swf?pbwurl=http://w891.photobucket.com/albums/ac117/thesocialpet/220962b2.pbw

All photos by http://www.lurepix.com/

Friday: Dot, Gizmo (JRT) and Dino - First place for Dot
Friday: Dot and Gizmo - First place for Dot
Saturday morning: Dot, Gizmo, Pomeranian and Dino - First place for Dot
Saturday afternoon: Dot, Springer, Wheaten, and Dino - First place for Dot, second place for Dino
Saturday morning: Dot, Gizmo and Dino - First place for Dot
Saturday morning: Dot, Gizmo and Dino - First place for Dot
Saturday morning: Dot, Gizmo and Australian Terrier - Second place for Dot (first for Gizmo)
Sunday afternoon: Dot, Cocker Spaniel and Tibetian Terrier - First place for Dot
Sunday afternoon: Dot and Labrador - First place for Dot
Sunday afternoon: Dot and Labrador - Second place for Dot

Temperament Test, Dixon, August 2, 2009

On August 2, 2009, in Dixon, CA, Dot passed her Temperament Test put on by the American Temperament Test Society. Here is a link to the description of the test:

http://www.atts.org/testdesc.html

Oval Track Practice, Napa

A greyhound breeder in Napa, about an hour and a half north of my home, has created an oval track on the back part of this property. He uses it to train his own dogs, and then he also has practices for others to use. He has to stop when it rains because it is too sloppy and muddy and that is just his parking lot, which is all dirt.

We have been there several times and both Dino and Dot love it. The back part of the track is built below ground so it is difficult for the dogs to turn around or go through the middle since they can't see it or can't see the start line.

It is good for them to see the differences in types of tracks. They have now done oval track, straight racing and lure coursing and done very well in all of those.

Dot's First Mile Long Track, Santa Rosa, July 30, 2009

I was called to Santa Rosa to do a search for a missing pug by the same of Maya. While driving to their home, I received a call that Maya had been found. Upon arriving, I asked if I could run the track with Dino and then run Dot, who is in tracking training, later on the track, and they said fine. The daughter wanted to go along with me on Maya's track.

Maya's track actually lasted several hours and she stopped it prior to finding the full route because she had to go to work.

After running Maya's track and getting some lunch, I took Dot out to run the same track. For the next hour and a half she got every single corner and turn. I tested her in various spots and she correctly confirmed or denied "yes's" and "no's."

I was thrilled. I had no idea if she could do a long track like that. I knew she would not have a problem with the age of the track because she has completed older tracks. She really has picked up a lot just being on tracks with Dino. What a great way to train a dog. Have them go along on other searches.