Navarre: Herding Champion!

Life continues very busy, but at least the summer heat is finally over. We’ve still had a warm September, and a warm October too – but I finally feel like I can do things again. Me and heat just don’t mix, it just drains me. So feeling perky, getting things taken care of, and lots of teaching. Less time for dogs though, unfortunately. This year will continue to be busy, but we shall see what I can do to free up more time in 2023. It’s just been a whirlwind last couple years.

The AKC agility league has gone well, we have gone twice, just every other week. But it’s short, sweet, and exactly what the baby dogs need. Asher is showing me that he can actually keep his shit together, right on schedule to come into his own around 4, I think. Bryn is showing me some of the same disconnect issues we had at real trials, so that’s helpful to know. Overall she’s doing great, contacts and weaves being actually pretty solid, so much less flanking, but she’s not driving as much as she does at home. She’s happy to come into the building, enjoys saying hi to people, happy to play, happy to tug and retrieve her leash, excited on the start line, focused and having a good time on course … and then, just like at trials, right at the end of the run she just disconnects from me and I can’t figure out why. She won’t play with her leash or toy, and physically just looks around like she’s looking for something – just like at a trial! I wish I could figure out what the behavior is all about! She never does it at home – it’s a puzzler.

Asher will soon be in an obedience class! So maybe I’ll actually train him for REAL in obedience. Should be really fun class with Shannon at my arena, I’m excited to do something different. As usual, we have not practiced enough agility on our own, though I’m happy with the pieces we’ve been doing. Not enough putting it together though. I entered ALL the dogs in an AKC trial at the end of the month though, two days! So we’ll see what we can pull together.

I found the WCO big UKI event to be rather uninspiring. It actually makes me laugh a bit, agility is coming around full circle, it’s back to NADAC again. Giant courses with huge spaces where really it was the same challenge over and over again – can you physically get there. I mean, the courses looked fun enough, but there was nothing there that made me go, “Wow, I want to set that up!” it was just … a lot of running for the sake of running. Not saying it wasn’t challenging, because it most definitely was – especially when you add in the heat on top of all those super long running courses! So not really an event I’m interested in, though people seemed very happy with the event, which was good. Coming back next year, I believe.

With USDAA just on the edge of death around here, I can’t help but want UKI trials to succeed. I definitely think AKC is a great venue for a lot of people and dogs, but that emphasis on consistency and being careful so stifling. There has to be something else out there for people that actually want to push and try their best. I think UKI is the only real option. They need to get rid of all the silly levels and stupid games, but assuming they stick with the real open and flowing courses, even with backsides and things, I think that’s appropriate for a lot of teams. I may still look into ASCA trials out at my place, but I’m pretty okay with NOT having competitions – it can definitely be a mess.

Bryn was in season, knock on wood, just in time to be out of season for our trip to Idaho this month. Asher was rather forlorn for a few days, but Bryn has ZERO interest in his attentions. She even sees him through the door she’ll try to take his face off. And it’s so cute, Asher is actually being SUPER polite and trying his BEST moves – she’s not buying. Overall, at least at this point it hasn’t really seemed to affect Bryn – we’ll see what happens in the next couple months too. It would be nice if she stayed more even keel throughout, I really wouldn’t complain!

Yes, I’m still thinking about breeding her in the future, she hasn’t shown me anything that worries me – she’s such a nice dog overall and super easy to live with. We’ll make an appointment to get her hips checked once she’s out of season. That is the last hurdle, other than letting her grow up. Oh yeah, and finding the right match. Assuming everything goes well, and I can’t find anything concerning in the pedigree, maybe when she’s 3.5 or 4. I think it will be REALLY hard not to keep a puppy, so while I’d LIKE to breed her and see what she produces and then have another breeding for myself, we’ll see what happens. Bryn babies are, naturally, very much in demand – she’s one fricken charming dog! Hopefully it will happen someday.

Bryn actually just turned TWO the beginning of the month! Can’t imagine the household without her, she’s been a wonderful addition and none of us have any complaints. I’m going to do my best to get her actually trained this year, in both agility and herding. I think she has a lovely natural feel for sheep, so if we can get enough time on sheep for her to get those basic concepts, I think she’ll come along quickly. Agility may be harder, but she’s getting easier as she matures. She’s in yet another Justine class, building those skills, and I put her in an International handling seminar in February, so we have a reason to work those skills! Asher too, but he has quite the head start in that regard.

Carol got Navarre’s AKC herding championship! That’s two championships very close together, it took about a year, but trials were few and far between. Navarre did it in style, as apparently without Asher around he was actually listening over the weekend – Carol and Navarre had their best weekend ever! He ended up finishing his championship on Friday, he won Advanced sheep every day, and ducks on the last day (but apparently had some lovely duck work!), and ended up going high in trial, reserve and high combined for the weekend. That’s how to finish up a championship! Both boys really made their last AKC weekend special, so thankful to Carol for making it happen, such an amazing opportunity for my boys. I hear it MAY not be the end, as Navarre was being such a good boy over the weekend Carol is contemplating doing some AHBA trials with him locally … maybe. We shall see. And she does have one more leg for Asher’s D course title to finish up! They have very much enjoyed their time with Carol, though of all the dogs, Haku, Asher and Navarre – Navarre was the only one that appeared to miss me. The other boys were just oblivious. Happy to have him back, and happy to be able to put Bryn and Asher together again – I missed our nice easy household!

In the meantime, we head out to Idaho soon! Asher and Bryn will be thrilled to go back, thrilled to actually SEE some sheep and thrilled just to have some concentrated dog time. We did work just a little at Maddy’s, and I was happy to see Bryn actually seemed more confident than she did the last time we worked. Not as much panicking and rushing and did some nice outruns and lifts the length of the small field. We’ll see what happens in Idaho though – it’s hard having tiny legs! We did have some discussions about lying down, and her driving seems to have mostly disappeared. Always something to work on.

Haru remains awesome, though a little too busy to cuddle! He was SO cuddly when he first arrived, I find it funny he changed his tune. He can still be a little lap cat, but for a cat he’s actually quite content to sleep on his own. The other cats are BETTER with him, and I have caught him in a pile of napping cats occasionally, but he mostly sticks to himself. So that was unexpected, I was expecting him to just glom on to the other cats, but not yet anyway. He has decided he likes the dogs, and is perfectly okay with them grooming him. Especially with Bryn being season, Asher and Haru have become quite tight. There has been just a little bit of playing with the cats, but, once again, Haru is very content without really interacting with the other cats much. I’ll admit to being a bit tempted to get ANOTHER kitten so he has a buddy, but that’s totally crazy cat lady territory. I leave the door open if he seems like an outsider after a year. I imagine he’ll be fine. 4 cats is on the edge of crazy cat lady, 5 cats is definitely crazy.

We have been slowly doing a little of training, just a minute or two before meals. He’s very good at his tunnel, has a target stick, comes to his name, and has been starting to do a high five/wave. We’ve worked on left and right, get up onto things and sitting up. Finally got him to walk in his harness, so he’s explored outside without too much worry. We’ve also been over to the arena, and he had a grand time running around on the equipment – and did a couple tunnels! I wouldn’t call him the quickest on the uptake with behavior, at least yet, but we’ll keep working on it. He trains like a cat, without much focus 😉

Haru remains, sweet, social and very much wanting to be involved with everything. Definitely more energetic and into things compared to the other cats, but not so much that it’s obnoxious. He’s just the right mix, in my mind! Unlike my adult cats, that took a YEAR before they figured out the dog door, he figured it out really quickly – so it’s on the list to put up some netting to make sure he can’t get out of the dog run – because he actually can! An athletic cat, how novel.