Bragging Rights

Once again, determined not to be out done....

...this time by Uncle Gunter.

Colin must have heard through dog vine about Gunter's success so he also got his act together to earn a third Senior ED leg, in his case for his AKC SE title at the the Scottish Terrier Club of DC earthdog trial in Queenstown, MD on May 11, 2008 (judge Sharon Yon)

"Working Class" and Proud of it at the 2008 Cabin Fever Weekend

Our decision to support the Working Class at the Saratoga Kennel Club BTCA supported entry show in Queensbury NY on Feb 02, 2008 reaped unexpected dividends when judge Linda More selected Colin as her first place Working Dog then put him up for Best of Breed over an entry of 49 and topped that off with a Group 4th in very strong competition.

Gold in the pan, now lets get creative!!!

In Donna's words [edited for flow]

Well we all went to a flyball tournament this weekend (Nov 17-18, 2007). Colin ran a little more than half a spot and did a very good job on Saturday running in 14 heats.

On Sunday he had 10 heats to run. The first 8 were nicely done and he earned enough points to get to his FDCh-G (Flyball Dog Champion Gold; 2500 points) title. About half of his runs were under 7 seconds which is quite good for Colin.

On the 9th heat though, Colin ran up, grabbed his ball and turning noticed that the box in the other lane also had a ball in it. He seemed to think and decide that the other ball was better than his ball and he dashed over and grabbed it. The dog in the other lane, a JRT cross, who had been sent to that ball, was surprised and not particularly happy about it, but sadly watched Colin run away with his ball.

Colin was caught, told no, and his prize was taken. Then he was returned to the start, given no treats, and told to focus on getting HIS ball and bringing it back. The JRT was allowed to run up and back before the next heat to show him that he could now do it without another dog stealing his ball and he was happy again.

The next heat, Colin's last for the day, was now run. The Red Devil Dog did it again! He grabbed his ball, looked at the other box, thought about it, and then dashed over and snagged the other ball just before the JRT reached it. He was picked up, put back into his crate and given no treats, but his tail was wagging the whole time.

We'll have to work on this.

2007 BTCA National Specialty successes

Colin qualified in Novice B at the Specialty Obedience Trial (September 19th) and might have done well in Rally had been entered in the right class !!!

A casual qualifier

Once again while some of the gang were "earthdogging" it, Colin was busy elsewhere

Colin earned his first AKC Excellent Rally leg under judge Ms Diane Stout at the Oriole Dog Training Club obedience trial on August 26, 2007 with a score of 94. Our only bobble was with the moving stand. He did very well overall and I'm very proud of him.

Donna

Another discipline, another title

In Donna's words

Well, while some of the gang were partying in NH & VT, Colin and I went to a local obedience trial on July 14-15, 2007. We did Rally Advanced both days. We had to enter Advanced B this time, rather than Advanced A, because Colin has a CD now.

On Saturday, Colin earned his 2nd RA leg under judge Mr. Richard A. Strong. He was fairly distracted, but held it together long enough to score an 81 (out of 100). After his run (luckily After) I was sitting with a friend when Colin started to go nuts over her socks. The more he sniffed them, the wilder he got. She said, "I don't know what I would have gotten on my socks....except for I do have a bitch in heat at home. And you know what, my two boys who were neutered at 6 months are going nuts over her and they've never reacted to any other bitch in heat before." Well add Colin to her fan club! He spent the rest of the time we were in the building searching for that bitch he was smelling. He seemed to know that the person wasn't the original source of the smell and assumed that the bitch had to be around somewhere close.

On Sunday I was careful to bring Colin back to where we had been sitting on Saturday and no smell was there or anywhere in the building. My friend said that she was very careful to put on just cleaned clothes head to toe before she left the house and not to walk around her house in her socks. It seemed to work as Colin did not find her interesting today. The course was particularly interesting as Advanced is off leash and right in the middle of the course they had two dog food bowls filled with cute stuffed animals. There were a few Goldens in Advanced A that spent the whole time they were out there craning their necks to keep the toys in view no matter where they were. The second to last obstacle was a figure 8 right next to the bowls. A couple of dogs couldn't resist and grabbed a toy for themselves. Colin didn't seem to see the bowls and toys at all through the course and when we started the figure 8 walked right next to them without even looking. So I relaxed and as we continued the figure 8, of course he decided to go put his nose into one of the bowls. It was a quick sniff, but it and a few other bobbles caused him to get a 91. He had a beautiful run for the most part though. So that was his third leg, this one under Mrs. Margery A. West, and Colin has his AKC Rally Advanced (RA) title.

Front runner

Colin (pictured on Donna's left) was finally able to beat his sisters to the punch by completing his CKC Junior Earthdog Title at the Cairn Terrier Association of Ontario ED Test on June 23, 2007 in Moffat, Ontario (Judge Jean Callens)

Not to be outdone.....

Running after his sisters may have put the pressure on, because Colin finally worked out that coming out of the Den after the quarry leaves is definitely desirable.
Consequently he earned the first two legs towards his AKC Senior Earthdog title at the New Jersey Beanfield Earthdog Club and Northeast Border Terrier Club ED tests in Crosswicks NJ on June 2, 2007 and June 3, 2007 respectively. (Judges Jean Clark and Blue Sandrock).

"Shades of Uncle Gunter"

It wasn't pretty, but..............
in Donna's words

"Well Colin and I just got back from the Northeast Maryland Kennel Club Obedience Trial. Colin got his third and last Novice B leg under judge Mr. Jeffrey B. Showman. Colin was not very enthusiastic today and really didn't want to sit during his moving exercises. His score was a 175 1/2, which is enough to pass. I told him that if he did his sit and down stays well, then he could stay home on Sunday, or maybe even take a nice walk along the bike path rather than going to another obedience trial. He did, so we're going to skip the trial I signed up for on Sunday."
"There was a Bernese Mountain dog in Colin's group stays that was a bit scary to me. The Berner was on the end of the line, then a Golden named Jackson, then Colin. Jackson takes class with Colin and has a serious obedience handler owner. She was a little annoyed that the Berner's behavior and light growls caused her to have to give Jackson another sit command (and 5 points off) as we all left our dogs. He didn't like being next to that dog. Because of it, Jackson only got a 190. If Jackson hadn't been there, I don't know that I would have left Colin next to that dog."
"Thanks Jackson! Yeah Colin! :)"
Donna

"A leg in Each Ring"

Well not quite but..............
...Donna was wondering if it was even worth going to the Dog Owner's Training Club of Maryland AKC Obedience (Novice B) and Rally (Adv) Test on March 18, 2007 that she had signed up for.
As Donna said:

Although Colin seems to be getting better and better at home and at class, he seems to be getting worse everywhere else. He has perfected the blank, "I have no idea what you're talking about" look.

Fortunately she received lots of encouragement from fellow JJ supporters and was able to give us jubilant news on Sunday evening

We Qualified in both! So Colin now has a second Novice obedience leg and a first advanced rally leg. It was a long tiring day. We waited and waited until it looked like both classes were going to occur right at the same time. Then the Novice judge announced that she was breaking for lunch, just before Colin's run. So rally was first.
Colin started wild and it was scary, but the longer we were out there, the more he focused. I just kept moving quickly and happily, challenging him to keep up with my pace. He enjoys that. It means no redoing after mistakes, which is allowed in rally, but just going on. Afterward the judge told me that if we had gone back and repeated one of the signs (and done it correctly the second time), we would have lost only 3 points rather than 10. I nodded, but I knew that already and had done it deliberately. It was one of Colin's least favorite activities and he had done it quite well. The mistake was due to a miscommunication rather than reluctance on his part. I did not want to make him repeat it so I had gone on. He passed with an 83, which is a fine score as far as I'm concerned. I was happy with Colin's attention at the end and would have been happy even if we had not qualified today. Cheryl Pratt was the judge.
Novice went fine too with just a few bobbles. We scored 182. Kathleen Walker was the judge. She had a lot of dogs to do, with 52 Novice B entries, and kept a happy upbeat attitude in the ring throughout. Twice after our run she made a point to tell me how much she liked my dog and his run.
I am so happy with Colin. Everything went so well.
Thanks for the support that got me out of bed. :)
Donna

Taking flight for "silver"

Colin, doing his unique take on flyball, managed to earn enough points for his FDCh-Silver title (1000 points) on September 17, 2006 at the Jet Set tournament in York, PA. There were many comments from people on what a cute dog he is and how much they liked watching him run the lane. He has a very unique jumping style that isn't particularly fast, but is full of joy of the doing. Added to his obvious watching of everything around him, it was clear how much fun he was having with the sport.

Maritime Madness brings success

Because of co-ownership constraints, Colin was only able to run one day at the ECDC ED Tests in Fredericton but made it count on July 30, 2006 under judge Marg Pough with the first leg towards his Canadian JE Title

He followed this up by running in a flyball tournament in Mt. Uniacke, Nova Scotia and earning the FDCh flyball title (500 points) on Wednesday, August 02, 2006.

Making a mark at the 2006 BTCA Specialty events

Colin qualified in Novice B Rally at the Echo Hills Kennel Club Show (BTCA Supported Entry) on June 4th, 2006. He then earned a qualifying score in Novice B Obedience at the BTCA National Specialty on Monday June 5th, 2006 for his first CD leg and topped that off by qualifying in Novice B Rally to complete his RN title

On Thursday, he successfully passed his CGC Test.

Flying High....or at least fast....enough

In Donna's words:

Colin competed in his first flyball tournament today [June 10, 2006] with four other brand new dogs. All of them earned enough points for their FD (flyball dog) title. The FD requires 20 points.
If they run well tomorrow they might earn enough points, 100, for their FDX title. Colin's on a roll; maybe it will happen.

It was a near thing, but in their last race today, Colin and his green team earned enough points for their FDX titles. I wish that I could say that Colin was brilliant and a terrific example of a flyball dog, but at least I can say that Colin kept his act together and did a much better job than what I was anticipating.

Rally What!!!!

As Donna put it:

Colin and I got his first leg in AKC Novice Rally Obedience at the Schooley's Mountain Kennel Club on Monday 09/05/05, under judge Louann Currey. Despite the heat, the lateness of the hour, and the fact that he was supposed to do obedience OUTDOORS, we managed to qualify. There is no need to remember the score. :)

This brag benefits the Red Cross

Working his way to a Title!

In Donna's own words:

The dogs and I all drove to Western Pennsylvania this weekend (August 20-21, 2005)to do earthdog. Colin qualified in Junior both days to earn his JE title.

Saturday he showed under Carrie Hamilton who remarked what a good worker he was. Sunday he showed under Brenda Weintraub and got her laughing. He got to the rats in 16 seconds, started working in 2 seconds, and then after about 10-15 seconds of very strong chewing/barking/digging he just stopped and seemed to back away, very strange behavior for a dog working that hard. Just as she thought that, and was wondering about it, he SLAMMED into the bars/cage so hard that the cage sprang up through the roof of the quarry area and then crashed back down. He then continued working without pause through the rest of the time.

Blue Ribbon Finish!

Yep! Back to back Best of Winners, Best of Breeds and GROUP FIRSTs was all it took to finish off Colin's Canadian Championship at the Fredericton Kennel Club shows on July 29 and 30, 2005 under judges Heather Langfeld and Denise Cornelssen. Kudos to Donna for making the LONG drive from Maryland.

Two Tough Points

Colin made his Canadian Show debut at the Chateauguay Valley Kennel Club Shows (July 1-4, 2005). Aside from Colin, there was one open bitch but she apparently finished after entries closed, moved up to Specials (Best of Breed) then did not turn up. Thus there were no points at the breed level. The group competition, though numerically small was EXTREMELY STRONG so we were very proud when Colin managed to pick up a Group 4th under Marilynn Mincey on Saturday for one point and another Group 4th on Mondey under Peter Machen

Tunnel Vision!

In Donna's own words:

Last weekend my club had a NADAC agility trial.  When I decided to go, I entered Free, and then thought, since I'm going, why don't I put Harry in a couple of classes that aren't too difficult on his back and then, on a whim I decided to enter Colin in Tunnelers both days.  Tunnelers, not surprisingly based on the name, is just tunnels, no other obstacles, just tunnels after tunnels after tunnels.  Free loves it and will run it just for the joy of doing it, no rewards or encouragement needed.  Up to now, Colin has never done more than 3 or 4 obstacles in a row without getting a treat or toy to play with, but I figured with this sort of course it was worth the risk of him doing the 10 or 11 tunnels without a reward.  It also would give me an idea of how he would do in an unfamiliar venue off leash.

Well he was really excited to get out there and compete.  He had a ball and was very responsive to me and we really had fun as a team.  He now has two tunneler legs in NADAC.  We're still a ways from being able to do more difficult courses (like anything else besides tunnelers), but this was certainly a nice start.  BTW, the minimum age for NADAC competition is 18 months, and he turned 18 months last Saturday, just in time for this trial. 

Venturing into new fields

Colin took the first step on a new career path when he was one of four Scrimmage kids to earn a Certificate of Gameness at the North American Teckel Club's AWTA Trial in Crosswicks, NJ on May 30, 2005. Judge was Carrie Hamilton.

Well Worth the Trip

A quick Easter trip to Soprano's country, Winners Dog for two points and up that to a three point Major with Best Opposite Sex over the Male Special and "voila" (or the Italian equivalent) and Colin is an American Champion.
He Finished at the New Brunswick Kennel Club Show under Border Terrier enthusiast Larry Adams on March 26, 2005.

Saratoga Success

The Cabin Fever weekend shows have traditionally been good to our dogs and their relatives. This year was no different.

At the Glens Falls KC show on February 04, 2005, Colin took Winners Dog under Dorothy MacDonald for 2 points. (Left) Then on February 05, 2005 at the Saratoga Kennel Club show, he again took Winners Dog, this time for 3 points under "Mike" Billing giving him his second Major.(right)

Major Achievement!!!

That's right.... Colin took Winners Dog, Best of Winners and Best of Breed at the Merrimack Valley Kennel Club show on January 16, 2005 for a three-point major (Judge Mr. James White)

2004 BTCA National Specialty Brag

Colin equals consistency! First place in Puppy Sweeps 6-9 mths class under Danish breeder judge - Palle Thomsen! First place in Regular Puppy Class 6-9 mths class under breeder judge Ruth Ann Naun

Decent Debut

To say the least!
Kudos to Donna S. for making the 11-hour drive to Vermont so that I could see and handle Colin - considering the miles that Anna R. covered with Roger to enable the breeding that produced Colin to take place, it must be "in the blood". Anyway, Colin made the trip worthwhile going Winners Dog at the Champlain Valley KC Show (judge Ken McDermott) on July 10, 2004 for two points and Winners Dog/Best of Winners/Best Opposite Sex (over a Group Placing Special) for two more points at the Green Mountain KC show (judge Robert [no bait no toys in the ring] Moore), July 11, 2004