NADAC Agility Weekend

Hi everyone! Boy did we have fun at Splash ‘n Dash’s NADAC Agility trial at Kunkle Park this weekend. Mom says she didn’t enter us in all the runs because it’s been really hot at this trial the past 2 years and we have a hard time with the heat with all of our fur. Well, she was right. It was pretty warm again. Friday was just 2 rounds of Touch n’ Go and the four of us (Kiwi, Sefina, Robin, and Calvin) ran both of them. That’s 8 runs for mom! There were a lot of people there running multiple dogs so the running order got tossed and people just went as soon as they switched out their dogs. It was the first outdoor trial for Sefina, Calvin, & Robin. Sefina & Calvin both jumped out of the ring during their first runs. They were just too excited to qualify in either of their runs. Robin stayed in the ring because he’s too busy too notice his surroundings but he didn’t qualify either since he likes to argue with mom a lot. Kiwi didn’t qualify her first run because she popped out of a tunnel and mom had her back turned to her and wasn’t sure if she did or not so she decided to go on. Kiwi did get a 1st place Q for her second run.

Saturday was less hectic for mom. Kiwi and Sefina ran 2 rounds of Weavers first thing in the morning. Sefina kept jumping the fence to visit the rest of us in the X-pen when she got to that side of the ring so no Q’s for her. Kiwi Q’d in both runs and earned her Novice Weavers title. Then Robin ran 2 rounds of Jumpers and Sefina ran the first one as well. Both Q’d during the first round. Robin went off course during the second one so didn’t qualify. Then Calvin did 2 rounds of Regular (NADAC’s term for a standard course). It was so hot by then and he has the thickest coat of all of us. He bounced around so much during the first round and went off course so he didn’t qualify. He was really hot afterwards and mom couldn’t find a place where he could cool off enough. She was really worried about running him the second time but when he got out on the course he was fine. The second round went much better but he missed qualifying by 2 seconds.

Thankfully, Sunday was a little cooler and it rained most of the trial. We liked that much better. Since everyone was moving all the crates & X-pens underneath a picnic shelter, mom left us in the car while she ran Sefina in Open Regular. Mom figured a 19 obstacle course was going to be too much for her but she ran the first half beautifully. Then she got to the side of the course where our X-pen used to be but since we weren’t there, mom figured there was a chance that Sefina would finish the course. But the car was down the hill in the same vicinity so Sefina hopped over the fence anyway to come visit us. Then Kiwi ran 2 rounds of Chances. She missed the distance challenge in the first one since she took the dog walk instead of the tunnel but she did the second one perfectly which earned her another title - Novice Chances. Then the weekend ended as it started with mom running all 4 of us in 2 rounds of Tunnelers – a course of nothing but tunnels! Most FUN – EVER!! We ended the weekend with Team Keeshond being the only qualifiers and taking 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the Novice 16” class for both rounds. Kiwi Q’d and took 3rd in both rounds and earned her 3rd title for the weekend. Robin had a beautiful run and Q’d in the first round with a 1st place while Sefina Q’d for 2nd place. Calvin didn’t like mom doing rear crosses at 2 long straight tunnels so he was way over time for the first round. In the 2nd round, Robin went off course so he didn’t qualify, but Sefina Q’d again and took 1st place. Mom learned her lesson and only did front crosses with Calvin so he finally Q’d the last run of the weekend and took 2nd place.

You may have noticed that Voodoo was left out on all of this fun. That’s because mom was real worried he’d jump the gating and take off for good. He’s not so good about coming back when mom calls. But he did get to go and hang out with the rest of us. He does get to play CPE agility in a few weeks with the rest of us. Mom says she is determined to put a title on him one way or another. Before that, Calvin gets to go strut his stuff in the show ring in Tallmadge, OH on May 15th and 16th.