Rain, Sleet or Snow, nothing stops the Beagle Man and his beagles.
Brew celebrated his birthday this morning with a walk in the snow.
Every morning, Kevin and the beagles walk to the coffee shop in downtown Fall City.
Brew started out with his booties on. But on the way home, Brew decided he didn't need those stinkin' booties anymore.
On another note, Lesley just informed me that Brew as of Sept.2010 was the 6th top Obedience Beagle in the nation. Have to check where he ends up at year end.
Congratulations to Patty who earned her championship this last weekend. Finally tally was 18 points and 3 majors. Maribel and Alberto are very proud parents.
Patty (formerly Maria) spent a month with Team Beagle a year ago before she went off to her forever home.
Brew and I had a really good day as we got High in Trial! Yes, hard to believe but we did! We competed in the Novice Obedience and got a score of 182.5 which turned out to be the highest score.
Brew Novice Obedience B
Brew and I also competed in Beginning Obedience but NQ'd on the recall - still trying to run out of the ring. Luckily for us in the Novice Obedience the recall was away from the exit otherwise it might have been the same outcome. Brew Beginning Obedience
Rally judging wkst for Brew
Rally Advanced Cours
Brew and I also got 1st in Rally Advanced, however we were the only ones to compete in that group. Our run was not that great but we still qualified.
Brew Rally Advanced
Bob and Jo also competed in three events - Novice Obedience - he did wonderful (I mean outstanding) on all the exercises but NQ when he got up from the sit stay Bob Novice Obedience B
On Beginning Novice, also NQd due to the recall. He ran top speed right out of the ring and over to where we had the crates. Everyone at the show had a good laugh. Bob Beginning Obedience
Rally Novice Course
Rally judging wkst for Bob
Then Bob and Jo competed in Rally Novice and they got 1st with a score of 98 out of 100. It was an awesome run.
Brew (#339) and Bob (#337) competed in three obedience and rally events today. In Novice Obedience, Bob sniffed his way through the course and then on the recall he ran toward the gate only to be stopped by the stewards. In which Bob's reply was bahrooooo! He made it through the sit stay but not the down stay. He started whinning and the eventually got up and ran to Jo. So Bob NQ'd. Brew did awesome in his Novice Obedience until the recall in which he decided to run toward the gate instead of me. So we NQ'd too. Brew did great on the sit stay and down stay and didn't move even when Bob got up to run to Jo.
Bob Novice Obedience
Brew Novice Obedience
Judge's score sheet for Beg Obed
Next event, Beginning Obedience - Bob qualified and 2nd with a score of 191. Brew however NQ'd because of the recall again. However it might have been my fault this time. It looked like he was going to make a break for it again so I called him again and then moved but at least that resulted in him coming to me. Don't want to make a habit of this running toward the gate.
Third Event - Rally Advance for Brew and Rally Novice for Bob. Brew got a 1st (ok so there were only two of us in the class). This was our first time in advance which is off leash with a jump, some harder and more signs. I did lose his attention several times but I guess he did better than the other beagle. Bob got 4th in his group. Actually, Jo and Bob did awesome. Bob kept his attention on Jo the whole time but they lost 1 point for something and 10 points for incomplete of sign. We are not sure what happened since the camera card ran out of memory near the end of their run. The only thing we can think of is that either Bob didn't down all the way or Jo didn't stop - the sign was a Stop and Down. Brew Rally Advanced B
Next time I will read the fine print - for some reason I got the impression that this was an indoor show - well it was for some of the conformation events but not for obedience and rally. Needless to say I got the "stink eye" from Jo. Saturday was a gorgeous day with the temp around 77. The rings for obedience/rally were located in the back of the fairgrounds, next to the sky jumpers take off and landing and the motorcycle park. Luckily, these did not prove to be too much of a distraction for the beagles.
Jo went into the Rally ring 1st and other than lots of sniffing by Bob they got a qualifying score for Rally Novice (96) and 2nd place. Not bad for a beagle outdoors! Bob Rally Novice
Brew and I were next and while he was doing lots of sniffing as well I thought we had a good run until when the judge called everyone back into the ring and he didn't call my number. Right there, I knew that I must have missed a sign and thus NQd. Sure enough, I had blown right past the sit/down walk around sign that was located right after the figure 8 weave. This is no excuse but the sign was located off to the right and not directly in the path so when I came out of the weave all I saw was the sign at the end of the ring (a left turn). In the future, I guess I will have to start counting the sign numbers to make sure this doesn't happen again. Brew Rally Novice
Both beagles already have their Rally Novice title but practice makes perfect!
The beagles were also entered in Obedience Novice B for the first time. Yes, we were going to attempt off-leash activities with a beagle outdoors (I can hear all you beagle owners saying "Have you lost your mind!"). Bob's turn in the ring did not go so well and after an attempt at the stand for exam when he decided to sniff his way out of the ring, the judge very kindly asked Jo if she wanted to be excused which Jo very promptly replied YES! We have to laugh because the score sheet says "not under control - NQd". BobNovice Obedience Part 1 Click on picture to watch video
Here is the big surprise, Brew qualified (182.5) and got 3rd place (so what if there were only 3 dogs that qualified- I got the ribbon that says 3rd LOL!) While Brew was not perfect, I think he did pretty well for a beagle outdoors. In fact, I think his off leash work is better than on leash work. For the sit and downs, he was between two large dogs but he stayed right there with only an occasional sniff here and there and a look around. Will post video later.
Rally Novice Course-Sunday
Sunday turned out to be very wet and the rings were soaked. The Rally course was redesigned to avoid the lake in the middle of the ring. Both beagles qualified -Brew got 89 and Bob 87. So again, we qualified but no placement ribbons. The score sheet had lots of marks off for slow to respond (str) and poor sits. I ended up redoing the 1,2,3 sign because I couldn't remember if I had done the 2nd step correctly and then the judge marked me for another redo on a 270 left because Brew ran out in front of me past the sign so I had to call him back. I guess the judge took that as a redo.
Bob Rally Novice Sunday
Brew Rally Novice Sunday
Bob and Jo then entered the Obedience Novice ring. While they still NQ'd they at least made it through all the exercises except they were excused from sit/down stays. On the recall, Bob decided running outside of the ring would be more fun. Brew and I also NQ'd - on the heel free when the judged yelled Fast, Brew decided it was time to run past me and out of the ring. The judge was nice and let us do the recall anyway. So I sat Brew down, left him, walked to the end of the ring, called him - Brew took off running toward me but about halfway through decided that whatever was near the gate was more interesting so off he went out the ring (well the stewards were ready this time and caught him). Both beagles were very interested in the stewards area since they both ran that way or maybe it was the gate to freedom that attracted them. Brew Novice Obedience Part 1- heeling, figure eight, heel free exercises
Yes, I know this is a shocker but Jo finally decided to show Bob herself. And as I predicted Bob did much better in the ring with Jo than me. We entered in three events on Saturday in Wenatchee- Beginning Novice Obedience B, Pre-Novice Obedience B and Rally Novice B. Jo showed Bob in the Obedience ring and I showed Bob in the Rally ring, but she is studying the signs and next week will take Bob into the Rally ring as well.
This was a challenging show on two fronts - 1) an outdoor show - need I say more with a beagle and 2) The beagles had had no training or practicing for the last two weeks prior to the show while we were on vacation. Instead they had been on their own vacation at the Hiltz's place having a blast running around playing with all their beagle and whippet friends. I guess Bob took a liking to Abby and Brew thought Sophie was pretty cute.
In the Obedience ring:
In Beginning Novice Obedience B, there were 5 dogs. Jo and Bob (#1851) took 2nd place with a score of 193.5 of out 200. Brew (#1852) and I took 3rd place with a score of 191.5. Beginning Novice Obed is basically all on lead except for two variations: on the sit stay you drop the lead and then walk around the whole ring and the recall is off-leash from 25 ft away. Jo had to go out first (although I had ask that they switch us but I guess the stewards forgot to do that). Luckily, Jo had watched the Beg Novice A group so she kinda knew what was going to happen. The judge was very friendly and helpful.
Bob & Jo Beg Novice Obed
Janet & Brew Beg Novice Obedience
The 2nd event was Pre-Novice Obedience - the exercises are all on lead plus group sit and down stays. Before the group exercises, both beagles weren't doing too bad (Bob lost 16 points and Brew lost 8.5 points). Although, I think the beagles were getting tired as their performance was better in the Beg Nov Obed. There were 7 dogs competing in this group.
Bob and Jo got a 124 out of 200. The group exercises were their downfall. Bob hasn't had much experience with these exercises. On both the sit and down stay, he got up so he lost all the points for those exercises (60 of them) and he tends to whine especially in the down because it was 3 mins long. He kept looking at Jo saying are we done yet and where is my treat. I'm suppose to get a treat after every exercise, what is wrong with you people? Brew was great as when Bob got up, he just stayed in place. Go Brew. Brew got 3rd in the Pre-Novice group with a score of 191.5. Hmmm, that score looks familiar, well at least Brew and I are consistent.
Bob & Jo Pre Novice run
Brew & Janet Pre-Novice Part 1
Brew & Janet Pre-Novice Part 2 (camera mulfunction so here is the last exercise) Rally Rally Rally - not one of our better performances. I didn't get a chance to walkthrough the course before hand as we were in the obedience ring when that was going on. So I studied the course map and then went for it. I was afraid I was going to miss a sign since I didn't get to practice and the beagles were not on their best behavior. Additionally, another dog had peed in the ring so that was another obstacle we had to contend with on the course.
This was Bob's first outdoor show so he was more interested in smelling than paying attention to me as well as looking for Jo - poor sits (really out of position), lagging and the handler messed up the 1,2,3 step sign (too many steps) resulted in score of 78 out of 100.
Brew did much better, he got a 92. However, he was completely distracted as well. At one point, another dog outside of the ring caught his attention and I thought it is all over with now - thank goodness the next sign was a 270 and that got us going in the opposite direction of the distraction. Right at the end of the course, I seem to have gotten his attention back and even managed to cross the pee spot without him sniffing (hooray).
All I can say is BREW IS AWESOME! He did great for his 1st outdoor show. We entered two events Beginner Obedience Novice and Rally Novice.
Brew at Marymoor Beginner Obedience Novice B The Beginner Obed Novice is a new optional titling class. There are only a couple of parts that are off leash - the sit stay (well the leash is still on him but no one is holding it) and the recall and there are no other dogs in the ring. Our score was 192.5 out of 200 and we got 2nd place. 1st thru 4th place was very close (Scores were 1st-194, 2nd-192.5, 3rd-192, 4th-192). We lost 4 points in the heel on leash exercise and 3.5 points on the figure eight exercise which I'm assuming was either because of Brew lagging or a tight leash due to the lagging. But he did great on the sit for exam and the sit stay exercises which were the two I was most concerned about especially at an outdoor event.
Brew at Marymoor in Rally Novice B The course was more challenge than past AKC courses but was very cramped. I'm not sure the spiral left or serpentine weave cones were the appropriate distance apart but luckily I have a smaller dog.
So the judge dinged us twice for incorrectly performing a station (10 point deduction x 2). On sign 1, apparently I didn't pause long enough after circling my dog (give me a break, I completed 99.9% of the sign correctly) and the second one was on the the last sign which was a Slow (truth be told I actually didn't see this sign - it was placed out of the way) which I didn't go slow on. So if the handler (me) hadn't made so many errors, we would have gotten a 100 (well I can always dream). Our final score was an 80 out of 100.
Another day at the dog show but it was a great one. Brew got a 98 and 1st place just beating the 2nd place dog (a rottie) by 1/4 second. And Bob got his third leg with an 88 and now he has his Rally Novice title.
Here is Brew's run (We are so proud of him). May have to move him up to Advanced.
And I think Bob will be staying in Novice for a little while longer or at least until he gets his nose off the ground. Additionally, Jo may have to leave the room as you can tell he is looking for her throughout the course.
Brew's run. He got a 96 and fourth place. Even though Brew has his title, I decided to show him in the novice class until I feel comfortable that he can do this off leash.
Bob's run. He got a 95 and his 2nd leg towards his Rally Novice Title
Bob (1009) and Brew (1053) competed in a UKC Rally competition. First off, the UKC courses are much more difficult than the AKC courses at least the ones I've competed in. This was good as I felt challenged. Saturday's performance was not so good - Bob got a 77 (his nose on the ground and all over the place) and Brew NQ'd because of handler error (that's because of me). On Sunday, they both did much much better - Bob got a 94 and Brew got a 96. They both watched me throughout the course with only an occasional sniff here and there.
So Bob has 2 legs and Brew has 1 leg towards their UKC RO1 title.
This last weekend, Bob and Brew competed in Rally Novice down in Portland. They both got qualifying scores. I think the judge was very generous.
Bob had his nose to the ground the whole way. He got a 90 and his first leg in Rally Novice. Lots of work to do with this one. Treats would make it so much easier!
Brew got a 93, but I think he looked better at the Puyallup show. This was his third leg so he now has a Rally Novice title which means we move into the Advanced group where it is off leash (OH NO!) We better get to practicing especially on the paying attention to me part!
Sadly, Abba passed onto the Rainbow Bridge last Saturday night. We are grateful for the joy she gave us in her short life. Abba came to stay with us in Nov 2005 while David and Lesley were vacationing. We fell in love with her and she came to live with us permanently. We had great times with Abba: dog shows, training, raising her two litters of puppies, long walks and watching all the beagles play together.
A couple of hikes with dogs! John Wayne Trail June 2010
Twin Falls March 2010 Bob's 1st hike. He did quite well lots of dogs and kids but he trotted right along following Jo with the treats.
Here is a video of Bob and Jo at Twin Falls. Look at the great attention he has on Jo of course she has treats and he is a beagle, need I say more. click on the movie icon.
Sadly, Team Beagle lost a friend last week. Glady came into our lives in 2006. She stayed with us for a month and stole our hearts. We were so excited when our friends Libby and Herbie adopted her because we knew that we would get to see her often. With Libby and Herbie she got to experience the good life. Libby and Glady would go on long walks and Libby often took Glady to work with her. With Herbie, Glady enjoyed every evening on the couch with him until it was bedtime. She had a wonderful personality, friendly to all. She will be sorely missed. Glady is playing with Browny at the Rainbow Bridge.
Sunday, Brew and I competed in our 2nd Rally trial. We got a 91 out of 100 and our 2nd leg towards Rally Novice A title. We did pretty well until the last sign and then I guess Brew was uncertain of what I wanted so we had to redo the sign but still lost 5 points (ouch!)
Today, Brew and I competed in our 1st Rally competition. We got 91 out of 100 and our 1st leg of 3 towards a Rally Novice Title. As you can see Brew was a little distracted at the beginning as he was looking for Jo who had the treat bag. Next time, I won't let him see her and the treat bag. We placed 5th just missing 4th place ribbon by one point. Below is the video from today.
Here are the scores for my group, we were number 2116. These were the Judge's marks for us.
