I took the kids for some portrait shots a few weeks ago and here are some of my favorite pictures and recent updates.
The odd couple - Maluko on the left and Koji on the right
The Shibas did it again over the past weekend at the Washington State Obedience Training Club show in Monroe, WA.
Koji earned 2 legs in Excellent and got his Rally Excellent title on Sunday. He also got a 3rd placement on Saturday.
Koji looking all serious
In the mean time, Maluko double-Q'd in both the Advanced and Excellent class both days and earned two legs toward her Rally Advanced Excellent (RAE) title, which requires 10 same day double-Q' and is highest title you can get in Rally Obedience.
I am very pleased with both kids. Maluko went from Rally Novice, Rally Advanced and Rally Excellent in about 4 months while Koji took the same journey in 2 months time.
You can find all Shibas with a Rally title on the National Shiba Inu Club of America's website (the data is updated throughout Dec 2011, so it does not have data on any new titles earned in 2012 yet). http://www.shibas.org/stats_rally_titles.html
Love these pics! Love how even in his "serious" pic, Koji has a bit of Shiba smile! And Maluko looks so regal! Princess indeed! And it's so cool to see all the work you do with them--it's really great to see Shibas having fun!
This is a short clip from Koji's Agility class yesterday. They later reversed the whole course and asked us to run it and he did it beautifully too.
We started training for Agility about 8 months ago and he is making good progress. This is a NADAC Novice course, so there is no Teeter. There are still a few things I want to work on before we start trialing/competing, but he is getting there. He just turned 2 years old last month, so we have plenty of time to enjoy running Agility together.
Koji earned his 2nd and 3rd pass of the Coursing Ability Test (CAT) over the weekend and earned his Coursing Ability (CA) title today (2012/04/22) at the Willamette Valley Basenji Club trial.
The girls Farrah and Beebe earned their CA titles yesterday, but Koji did it for the boys today. All three Shibas had a lot of fun coursing and had great runs.
Here is a little video of Koji's Sunday run. Can you see how much he loves this?
Section 3. Eligibility to Enter. Coursing Ability Tests are open to all dogs at least 12 months of age that are individually registered with the AKC, recorded in the Foundation Stock Service (FSS) program, individually registered with a foreign or domestic registry organization whose pedigrees are acceptable for AKC registration, dogs granted a Purebred Alternative Listing (PAL) number, dogs with AKC Limited or Conditional Registration, or dogs enrolled in the AKC Canine Partners program. Dogs with breed disqualifications and monorchid/cryptorchid dogs are eligible to participate. Females in season may not enter. A dog may enter only once per event. (An event is defined by an event number.)
That means Juno and Akuma can enter when they are old enough. We just need a 3-5 generation pedigree in order to fill out the FSS application @brada1878
I have Juno's KKA pedigree...it has 4 generations on it, not including Juno herself. Do I have to find & join a dog club, or can we do this as free agents? I must do some research.
@lindsayt - Jen and I were just talking about the pedigrees. We need to send them out, sorry. We have to get something to ship them in so that they don't get damaged and we've had a hard time finding anything that would work in Taos. We'll get them out soon... (sorry)
@brada1878 there are a few other people with spaces and weird characters (*JackBurton*, sukoshi's mom, etc) I'd like to be able to tag in posts too... just sayin'
@brada1878 I dont mind! Thanks- I had tried to change something in my profile (possibly my email address?) and i saw the forum didnt like my space, but I didnt know what to do, so I just left it. Thanks for fixing it! now I'll go fix my email address
I just found a lure coursing 'fun run' relatively nearby coming up in May! Its not for credit, its just to try... perfect! Thanks for inspiring us, Sandra, Lindsay, Koji, Farrah and Beebe!
We did an Agility Fun Match today after the regular trial runs were completed. Koji and I did pretty good as a baby/novice team.
He is making good progress, but there is still a few things I want to work on before we go to a real trial.
This is a video of his Standard course run.
I am very happy with his start line sit stay. He followed my cue to take obstacles and change directions pretty well. He also did the weave poles nicely.
Things I would like to work on are 1) more consistent handling on my part, so there is no confusion for him, 2) his hesitation on the Teeter (he completed the requirement of the obstacle, but I do not like the pause at the pivot), 3) He hit the contact zone coming down the dog walk, but did not hold his 2 on 2 off position (again, he met the obstacle performance requirements set by AKC, but not my criteria).
This is his second time doing a Fun Match and I don't think he was too distracted by all the new people and new dogs there. Koji is a good boy!
Just came back from a fun 2 day USDAA Agility trial weekend and it was a blast.
It was our first Agility trial experience and I am very proud of my boy Koji.
On Saturday, we had 4 runs, P1 Standard, P1 Gambler, Performance Speed Jumping and Performance Grand Prix. We did not Q for any of the 4, but I was so happy with Koji for staying with me the whole course. He almost Q'd in Gambler, got all the points needed in the opening and successfully did 12 weave poles twice, but we lost the gamble (it's a jump-tunnel-jump) as I was not experienced enough to stay farther behind the line and pushed toward him when he came out the tunnel, so he curved toward me and missed the jump.
On Sunday, we only had 2 runs, P1 Standard and P1 Jumper. Koji Q'd in both classes with clean runs. The runs were a bit messy because I sometimes did not remember where we were going and was unclear in my handling, but we pulled through.
Koji started Agility foundation training about 10 months ago and has progressed wonderfully.
As both of us are new to the world of Agility, I am very proud of what we have achieved so far. There are still a few things we need to work on, but he sure makes me proud.
My girl Maluko was not entered, but she was a good trooper hanging out with us at the trial site all 2 days. I took her out in between runs to watch other teams and she was very calm and relaxed the whole time.
Being the only Shiba entered in the trial, we got a lot of encouraging words from fellow exhibitors and we are humbled watching some of the really experienced teams running.
Koji was so tired after Day 1 of WSOTC Agility Trial. He got his first 2 AKC Agility Qs in Novice Jumper with Weaves (JWW) and Novice Standard with 1st placements. Very proud of my boy!
And here is the video of our first ever Standard Novice run in AKC Agility trial. Koji Q'd with 1st placement with a score of 100 and 19 seconds under SCT (Standard Course Time)
Wow! Very clean! Good dog Koji! and good work Sandra!
Does he have to go faster than the other dogs to win, or complete the course clean and within time?
I really like watching novice agility because you see so many different dogs, and the handler-dog interaction at work. When I have seen advanced trials they get sortof boring to me as its all border collies and aussies doing it perfectly as fast as possible. over and over again.
The maximum score is 100 and whoever gets the highest score will place. If dogs have the same score, then faster time will place higher.
For AKC Novice level, you have some leeway. You need a score of 85 or above to qualify, but no dropped bars and no missed contact zones. Novice level, you can try the weave poles up to 3 times, but if you did not succeed, then you have to move on and will not qualify.
I enjoy watching all levels of Agility runs. Regardless of the breed/level the team is competing in, it is always interesting to see the team dynamics between the dog and the handler.
There are some really popular breeds in Agility, but such breeds do not guarantee success. To be honest, I see way more challenges with a super fast and drivey breed. They go so fast that if the foundation training is not there, the dog is like 3 obstacles ahead of you and you are too late to cue the dog to do anything. Also with the faster dogs, they usually only take 1 small stride in between jumps and if you don't train/cue them early enough, they are already mid-air and can't really change their strides for whatever next obstacles you need them to take, so they will either drop bars or have super long/wide turns.
Even at the Excellent level, I can better tell the big skills differences between different teams and how well the handler really trains the dog to run. Agility is a really fun and interesting sports, the more you learn and understand the finer details!
Comments
The odd couple - Maluko on the left and Koji on the right
The Shibas did it again over the past weekend at the Washington State Obedience Training Club show in Monroe, WA.
Koji earned 2 legs in Excellent and got his Rally Excellent title on Sunday. He also got a 3rd placement on Saturday.
Koji looking all serious
In the mean time, Maluko double-Q'd in both the Advanced and Excellent class both days and earned two legs toward her Rally Advanced Excellent (RAE) title, which requires 10 same day double-Q' and is highest title you can get in Rally Obedience.
My princess Maluko looking all regal with the purple backdrop
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Hn9swuh20Bc/T34s-y3lNwI/AAAAAAAAdnw/NfwiHPupTYE/s640/IMG_2833-web.jpg"
<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-G4z9yE8O2OA/T34s-2VT4NI/AAAAAAAAdns/AuaSueR-9Iw/s640/IMG_2836-web.jpg"
I am very pleased with both kids. Maluko went from Rally Novice, Rally Advanced and Rally Excellent in about 4 months while Koji took the same journey in 2 months time.
You can find all Shibas with a Rally title on the National Shiba Inu Club of America's website (the data is updated throughout Dec 2011, so it does not have data on any new titles earned in 2012 yet). http://www.shibas.org/stats_rally_titles.html
Rally Novice (RN) 97
Rally Advanced (RA) 34
Rally Excellent (RE) 17
Rally Advanced Excellent (RAE) 7
We hope to join the Shibas with the RAE titles soon. Koji is doing really well in Agility training and I probably will start trialing him soon.
We started training for Agility about 8 months ago and he is making good progress. This is a NADAC Novice course, so there is no Teeter. There are still a few things I want to work on before we start trialing/competing, but he is getting there. He just turned 2 years old last month, so we have plenty of time to enjoy running Agility together.
The girls Farrah and Beebe earned their CA titles yesterday, but Koji did it for the boys today. All three Shibas had a lot of fun coursing and had great runs.
Here is a little video of Koji's Sunday run. Can you see how much he loves this?
Id love to try my girls at lure coursing. that looks so cool!
do you find that you have to do any convincing to have them let shibas run, or is it open to any dog?
Lure coursing is lot of fun. I am very glad that AKC opens up Coursing Ability Test (CAT) for all breeds.
Here is a cut and paste from AKC's regulation: (the full details can be found here, http://www.akc.org/pdfs/events/lure_coursing/Coursing_Ability_Regulations.pdf)
Section 3. Eligibility to Enter. Coursing Ability Tests are open to all dogs at least 12 months of age that
are individually registered with the AKC, recorded in the Foundation Stock Service (FSS) program,
individually registered with a foreign or domestic registry organization whose pedigrees are acceptable for
AKC registration, dogs granted a Purebred Alternative Listing (PAL) number, dogs with AKC Limited or
Conditional Registration, or dogs enrolled in the AKC Canine Partners program. Dogs with breed
disqualifications and monorchid/cryptorchid dogs are eligible to participate. Females in season may not
enter. A dog may enter only once per event. (An event is defined by an event number.)
@lindsayt - Jen and I were just talking about the pedigrees. We need to send them out, sorry. We have to get something to ship them in so that they don't get damaged and we've had a hard time finding anything that would work in Taos. We'll get them out soon... (sorry)
@WrylyBrindle - You need to fill this form out and send in the reg $ http://www.akc.org/pdfs/ADFSS1.pdf
PS: Chrys - I changed your forum username a bit so that we can tag you in posts properly. I hope you don't mind.
----
Thanks for inspiring us, Sandra, Lindsay, Koji, Farrah and Beebe!
You do not have to join any club to enter to take the CAT, but you may wish to join a Sighthound club so you can attend a practice if you want.
He is making good progress, but there is still a few things I want to work on before we go to a real trial.
This is a video of his Standard course run.
I am very happy with his start line sit stay. He followed my cue to take obstacles and change directions pretty well. He also did the weave poles nicely.
Things I would like to work on are 1) more consistent handling on my part, so there is no confusion for him, 2) his hesitation on the Teeter (he completed the requirement of the obstacle, but I do not like the pause at the pivot), 3) He hit the contact zone coming down the dog walk, but did not hold his 2 on 2 off position (again, he met the obstacle performance requirements set by AKC, but not my criteria).
This is his second time doing a Fun Match and I don't think he was too distracted by all the new people and new dogs there. Koji is a good boy!
It was our first Agility trial experience and I am very proud of my boy Koji.
On Saturday, we had 4 runs, P1 Standard, P1 Gambler, Performance Speed Jumping and Performance Grand Prix. We did not Q for any of the 4, but I was so happy with Koji for staying with me the whole course. He almost Q'd in Gambler, got all the points needed in the opening and successfully did 12 weave poles twice, but we lost the gamble (it's a jump-tunnel-jump) as I was not experienced enough to stay farther behind the line and pushed toward him when he came out the tunnel, so he curved toward me and missed the jump.
On Sunday, we only had 2 runs, P1 Standard and P1 Jumper. Koji Q'd in both classes with clean runs. The runs were a bit messy because I sometimes did not remember where we were going and was unclear in my handling, but we pulled through.
Koji started Agility foundation training about 10 months ago and has progressed wonderfully.
As both of us are new to the world of Agility, I am very proud of what we have achieved so far. There are still a few things we need to work on, but he sure makes me proud.
My girl Maluko was not entered, but she was a good trooper hanging out with us at the trial site all 2 days. I took her out in between runs to watch other teams and she was very calm and relaxed the whole time.
Being the only Shiba entered in the trial, we got a lot of encouraging words from fellow exhibitors and we are humbled watching some of the really experienced teams running.
Koji's first Q in P1 Jumper
Koji's first Q in P1 Standard
Snf
Koji was so tired after Day 1 of WSOTC Agility Trial. He got his first 2 AKC Agility Qs in Novice Jumper with Weaves (JWW) and Novice Standard with 1st placements. Very proud of my boy!
And here is the video of our first ever Standard Novice run in AKC Agility trial. Koji Q'd with 1st placement with a score of 100 and 19 seconds under SCT (Standard Course Time)
Does he have to go faster than the other dogs to win, or complete the course clean and within time?
I really like watching novice agility because you see so many different dogs, and the handler-dog interaction at work. When I have seen advanced trials they get sortof boring to me as its all border collies and aussies doing it perfectly as fast as possible. over and over again.
The maximum score is 100 and whoever gets the highest score will place. If dogs have the same score, then faster time will place higher.
For AKC Novice level, you have some leeway. You need a score of 85 or above to qualify, but no dropped bars and no missed contact zones. Novice level, you can try the weave poles up to 3 times, but if you did not succeed, then you have to move on and will not qualify.
I enjoy watching all levels of Agility runs. Regardless of the breed/level the team is competing in, it is always interesting to see the team dynamics between the dog and the handler.
There are some really popular breeds in Agility, but such breeds do not guarantee success. To be honest, I see way more challenges with a super fast and drivey breed. They go so fast that if the foundation training is not there, the dog is like 3 obstacles ahead of you and you are too late to cue the dog to do anything. Also with the faster dogs, they usually only take 1 small stride in between jumps and if you don't train/cue them early enough, they are already mid-air and can't really change their strides for whatever next obstacles you need them to take, so they will either drop bars or have super long/wide turns.
Even at the Excellent level, I can better tell the big skills differences between different teams and how well the handler really trains the dog to run. Agility is a really fun and interesting sports, the more you learn and understand the finer details!