[AmiableLabs]

Qualifying - 28 starters - Judges Robert Heise (MN) & Peter Hayes (WI)

Really good Q test! No tricks, straight up, either your dog knew the work or it went home. Land marks were a tight triple (for a Q, not an AA) thrown middle-right-left, including the long land blind, ran up on flyer-side. Water blind was down at an angle off a levee, requiring an angle entry, the levee continued left to a seated white coat, firing a dry shot. Water marks were a genius of bird placement. A triple, again thrown middle-right-left. Middle bird was a down the shore thrown angled back to land in shallow water on the shore. Dogs had to show perseverance, fighting a lot of various kinds of vegetation to get to it. Right bird was thrown from a levee at an angle forward to land in tall pond grass. Dogs that did not mark this well, had their momentum carry them up onto the levee where they put up huge hunts. Similarly dogs that were sucked by the gunner, also carried pass the fall and up onto the levee.

1. Sommit's Dakota Blackmale - Linda Waco & Sue Sommer (Linda) [Full brother to my Belle out of a repeat breeding! HOORAY!]
2. Lacrosse's Comeback Kid Jack - Jeff Buikema (Lance Hughey) [A Golden that stepped on the tough water marks! :shock:]
3. Sandvalley's Little Pepper - Scott & Revonne Butler (Scott)
4. Turkey Creek's Misery - Tom Felinski
RJ. Driven By Design - Ron & Jane Ainley (Ron)
J. Snappy Touch Tone - Gerald Strong (Dave Ward)
J. Way-Da-Go Ready to Play - Ken & Terri Veach (Terri) [HOORAY!]
J. Field of Dreams Blaze of Sun - Patty LaFave (Brad LaFave)

 

[Melanie Foster]

2. Lacrosse's Comeback Kid Jack - Jeff Buikema (Lance Hughey) [A Golden that stepped on the tough water marks! :shock:]

Gosh, I know it's scary. A RUG that can do water marks?! With the small percentage of Goldens running trials compared to other breeds (well, "the other breed") the percentage of finishers is actually not too shabby. Imagine if there were, gasp, even more good ones out there? Working on it. :lol: :lol:

Congrats to all the teams that finished and thank you for posting the results!

Melanie

 

[John Gassner]

Congratulations to Jeff Buikema on Jake's QAA status. His second trial dog (his mother is QAA too), and both have had limited trial experience. His littermate Lacross Max Q Jake (Jake 1?) won the Q at Riverking at 30 months.

You're right Melanie, we know they can mark-and compete. Statistically Goldens get their share of the ribbons-and then some! Just hope it remains a secret, or we'll have a Golden explosion...and the competition will get much tougher :lol: :lol: :lol:

John

PS How's momma?

 

[AmiableLabs]

Look, it is just my opinion, and I LOVE Golden Retrievers, but I believe it is unusual to see them step on tough water-marks. Land-marks? Not as unusual.

And as you might guess, I have my own little private theory about it too. I think that by comparison, coat care is tougher in Goldens, so their owners are less inclined to do water work. Will they do water work? Of course. But they are less inclined.

JMHO, of course, and it is just a theory, so it could just be a bunch of hoo-ey. :wink:

 

[Melanie Foster]

OK, OK, I'll agree it is not all that often you see Goldens absolutely nail the water marks.

But ohmigawd it has absoutely nothing to do with coat care! Anyone who avoids doing water work:

a) Does not have a dog with a correct working coat! My guys that have enough feathering to let you know they are Goldens not golden labs :wink: are still dry within half an hour of doing water work.

or more likely

b) Are not very serious about having a competitive dog!!

I have heard folks just starting out, training for Junior or Started, not want to run water at the end of the day because they don't want their dogs wet, but they usually fall into both a and b categories above.

FWIW, when the girl in my avatar won her 52-dog Qual, she won on her water work. She was the only dog who went out and put her nose down on that long retired bird. And yes, it made me much prouder that she aced the last two series than any other thing she has done to date. Second place to her was Chopper, now qualified for the National Amateur! Wait, we'll know we've made it when Frank brags about beating our rugs. :lol: :lol:

Melanie

 

[perrycox]

Congrats to Jeff and Jake I. Jeff has done well with his dogs and has produced a nice dog or two and I am lucky enough to have one for myself. I wonder what is next for Jeff and Jake???

 

[AmiableLabs]

Open -John Goettl & Vic Felger -71 dogs
1. FC-AFC JB's So Rude, Richard & Charlotte Kaiser (Paul Sletten)
2. Nilak Eye of the Storm, Tim and Tami Thompson (Paul Sletten)
3. Hidden Bay independence, James and Carol Bonham (Brick Hejlik)
4. FC Mr. Magic IV, Dave Hemminger (Greg Lister)
RJ. FC-AFC Distagon, B. Smith and L. Patterson and B. Mitchell (Mitch Patterson)

Amateur - Bruce Mitchell & Mickey Stranberg - 63 dogs
1. Ivory's Quacker Us Up, Jena Seitz (New AFC!)
2. FC-AFC Windy Secret's Secret Signal, Charlie Hines
3. Sasseville Getum Quick, Dick and Mary Dallesasse (Dick)
4. Field of Dreams Willow D' One, Brad and Patty Lafave (Brad)
RJ. FC-AFC Hidden Bay's BMW, Jeff Talley and Don Erickson (Jeff)
J. Justin Time Zoe's Nine-One-One, Jerry and Barb Younglove (Barb)
J. FC-AFC Sally's South Paw, Jim Dorobek
J. Tai-Deks Flying Dutchman, Theresa Kucan
J. Crossbar's Raggedy Ann, P. & R. Barbor and M. Drag (Bruce Ahlers)