We’re starting to make our list of what we need to do before we hit the road to Reno, NV for the AKC National Agility Championship. It is going to be a long drive, but we are looking forward to seeing old friends, and of course, the countryside as it goes whizzing past the minivan windows.
We’ll be making updates to this site as events warrant, but you can follow us on Twitter (@thunderpawz) for real-time updates and other nonsense.
Congratulations to Alison and Sadie in earning their first Time 2 Beat title this past weekend in Charlotte.
According to the AKC, “[Time 2 Beat is] the most interactive class to date where the most accurate, quickest dog sets the pace and all levels – Novice, Open and Excellent – compete against each other on the same course in the same class according to jump height.
“A single course will be challenging for the excellent level, yet still fun for the novice team to run. The single course concept will make it a very time efficient class to run for clubs to add to the day.
“Courses will be built with obstacles from Jumpers With Weaves (JWW), with the option of having one to two contacts included on the course. The setting of the time by exhibitors is different than the current AKC classes (Standard and JWW) where the Standard Course Time (SCT) is set by the course yardage as wheeled by the judge.”
Sadie will wear her title after her name, making her MACH10 ADCH PDCH Norward Sadie MXF T2B TQX LAA.
Way to go, ladies!
Sorry about all these Tweets! We’re working on importing an old blog from Blogger to WordPress. I had no idea it would create a tidal wave of tweets. I’m disabling the feature for now.
The 2012 AKC National Agility Championship is right around the corner and you want your dog to be ready to face the challenges that await you at agility’s premier event. Thunderpawz Agility is pleased to present anAKC Nationals Prep Seminar on Saturday, March 3, 2012. There will be a morning session from 9 a.m. to noon, and an afternoon session from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Marla Bowman has graciously opened up her training field (grass on sand) in Fuquay-Varina, N.C. for this three-hour seminar with Alison Parr-Tickle. Snacks and drinks will be provided for all participants!
Alison, a two-time AKC Nationals Finalist, is well versed in the difficult types of courses you will see in Reno. Focus will be on course work and handling strategy. Each participant will run a course in a pressure situation. This seminar will have eight working spots available in each session. Those competing at AKC Nationals will have first priority for slots.
Registration is due by February 13th. The participant rate is $100 and the audit rate is $25. Click here to download the registration form (PDF).
If you are not going to Nationals but still would like to work your dog on challenging courses, after the 13th of February you will be offered available slots on a first come, first serve basis.
Dogs must be competing at the AKC Excellent B level or USDAA Masters level.
Unlimited auditing spots are available. You will need to provide chairs, treats, and a crate for your dog. We will provide shade, water, and small doggie splash pool.
Open Tunnel.
Closed Tunnel
The length of the fabric on the chute must be between 6 feet and 6 feet 6 inches, measured with the chute fabric attached to the barrel and the measurement should be taken from the bottom edge of the exit end of the barrel (with the fabric lying on the ground) to the exit end of the chute fabric.
Note: The circumference of the chute flares from the circumference of the opening section to 96 inches at the exit.
Weave Poles
Uniformly spaced at 24 inches (measured center to center using two of the rigid upright supports, with a +/- ½-inch tolerance in spacing).
Double Bar Jump
Solid sides that do not allow viewing of all bars from both sides of the obstacle are not permitted.
Triple Bar Jump
Solid sides that do not allow viewing of all bars from both sides of the obstacle are not permitted.
Jump Wings
Jump wings must be between 16- and 36-inches wide (24-inches recommended). Wings must be between 26- and 42-inches tall and can be angled. Wings may either be freestanding or attached to the upright of a jump. It is recommended that wings be placed at the rear of the triple bar jump (e.g. even with the highest bar) and at the mid-section of a double bar jump (since the double may be bi-directional). The combined width of a bar jump’s upright and wing may be no more than a maximum of 40-inches.
Tire Jump (not noted in regulations)
The AKC Agility Department is highly recommending that all clubs change the markings on their tires so that the number the tire is being set to is the height of the class the dog is in. Example – Tag (or marking) states 20” – this means this is the setting for the 20” class, but the tire when measured is physically set at 16”. This should be done so the setting is universal from trial to trial.
This past weekend was a lovely weekend for outdoor agility at the Autumn Winds Agility Club trial in New Hill. The fabulous courses from judge Lisa Potts had us home by early afternoon with loads of ribbons.
Tommy was only entered on Saturday, and he seemingly decided to lay it all on the line for one day. In standard, he was the only 16-inch dog to qualify. Yes, the only one. It was runs like this that we suddenly miss the multipliers! Tommy, in his typical slow-but-steady way, stayed with Mike and nailed everything cleanly. He later would go on to qualify in jumpers, giving him QQ number 3 towards MACH2.
Sadie was not clean in standard on Saturday, but was able to hold on to place 2nd in jumpers behind Denise Kilpatrick’s Jovey. Four tenths of a second behind Jovey to be exact. Not bad for a nine-year-old dog. On Sunday, she rallied and grabbed second both days in standard and jumpers, giving her career QQ number 185, inching towards MACH10.
Sizzle had some trouble on Satuday, struggling with keeping his feet off the jump bars. On Sunday, the red dog came back in Standard and placed 2nd in the A class, which earned him his AX title! Sizzle is now FA Smokin’ Hot AX AXJ XF. We’re very proud of our border collies!
Our next trial is the Carolina Piedmont Agility USDAA Test in Yadkinville. Alison will be heading up with Sadie and Sizzle on Thursday night.
We’ve been busy converting our website from a fairly complicated concoction (that Mike had invented) to a more user-friendly website that is easier to update. We’re now using the versatile WordPress platform to handle the entire site. There are still a handful of bugs that need to be worked out, but we are really pleased with our results so far.
Happy New Year to our friends and family! We’ll be attending two big shows in January. The first is at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, and the second is one of our favorites … BRAC in Fletcher, NC. Let’s not have any snow this time in Fletcher, okay? And I would like to confirm the rumors that Alison is pregnant with our first child! She is due in July!
We had to say goodbye to one of our oldest shelties today. Possum died unexpectedly in her sleep overnight. She was a quiet girl who was content to lurk in the shadows, but always willing to add a barking voice wherever it was needed. We will all miss her very much. Not exactly how we planned on starting the new year, but we will celebrate her life and the people she touched.
I am proud to say that we survived the BRAC Blizzard of 2009 in Fletcher this weekend. Nothing like a foot of snow to make things interesting. Fortunately, we had food, a warm place to stay and four-wheel drive. The show was pretty quiet on Saturday, but the highways were clear all the way home.