Companion Events & Performance:

AGILITY ROUNDUP

 

We are excited for our rodeo agility roundup to be held in conjunction with the ACKCSC National Specialty. We will have 3 days of agility from Friday, April 12 through Sunday, April 14th. We will be at Myers Park & Event Center in McKinney, TX – about 27 miles from Mesquite. This will be a 2 ring on dirt trial with both rings set up and 1 judge. Speaking of judges we will have Pamela (Candy) Nettles as our judge. She often judges here as well as runs her dogs here. 

The trial will accept Cavalier entries first for a two week period before general opening. Then it will be open to all of our all breed friends. Entries close at 9:00 p.m. Central, April 5, 2024.

I encourage all Juniors to enter. We have reduced rates for Juniors and there will be a prize for High Scoring Junior each day, no matter what class your dog is in. Details later on this. 

Please check AKC events page for Premium sometime late January. I will also post on the Facebook page details for our Western Rodeo.

— Joan Williams, agility chair

Agility is not only an enjoyable sport to compete in, but so much fun to watch! It’s one of the fastest-growing canine sports in the country. Canine agility is a sport where you direct your dog through a pre-set obstacle course in a race for time and accuracy. Cavaliers are especially enjoyable to watch as they race through the course. You can see the exhilaration —  their tails wagging and their ears flying out as they leap through tires, jump over hurdles and dive through tunnels. Courses typically have between 14-20 obstacles, which can include tunnels, weave poles, tire jumps, seesaws, and pause tables where the dog must stop for a set amount of time. Each trial features a unique course designed for that day. Dogs race around the courses, relying on the owner’s voice & movement cues, and body signals. Dogs run off leash, without the use of toys or food as motivators. Agility can be quite a rush – and a great way to build an even deeper bond between you and your dog.

Want to learn more about agility? Visit the AKC website

Agility Trial  (Nat’l Specialty)
Day: Friday, April 12 – Sunday, April 14th
Event Chair: Joan Williams
Judge: Pamela “Candy” Nettles
Secretary: Emily Forsyth

Agility Judge
Pamela (Candy) Nettles

See Judge Bios here.

Scent Work Trials

The Inaugural Scent Trials of the ACKCSC National Specialty have been approved! We are extremely excited and proud to introduce this popular event to our members and attendees. There will be two trials on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at the Hampton Inn & Suites, Mesquite, Texas. Details can be found at: https://ackcsc.org/national

Dogs have a sense of smell that’s between 10,000 and 100,000 times more acute than ours! The sport of Scent Work celebrates the joy of sniffing, and asks a dog to sniff to their heart’s content; turning your dog’s favorite activity into a rewarding game. It is a terrific sport for all kinds of dogs, and is a wonderful way to build confidence in a shy dog.

In so many dog sports the handler is in control but this isn’t true in Scent Work. Neither the dog nor handler knows where the target odor is hidden. The handler has to rely on the dog, and follow the dog’s nose to success. In Scent Work, it is the canine who is the star of the show.

The sport of Scent Work is based on the work of professional detection dogs (such as drug dogs), employed by humans to detect a wide variety of scents and substances. In AKC Scent Work, dogs search for cotton swabs saturated with the essential oils of Birch, Anise, Clove, and Cypress. The cotton swabs are hidden out of sight in a pre-determined search area, and the dog has to find them. Teamwork is necessary: when the dog finds the scent, he has to communicate the find to the handler, who calls it out to the judge.

Date:  Sunday April 14th
Judges: TBA
Event Chair: Kathy Montgomery

Rally & Obedience

Performance competition is an important and special part of Nationals Week. Be amazed by what our Cavaliers can do! Join us, either to participate in obedience and rally competitions, or simply to cheer on those who are striving for excellence in these performance events.

Huge congratulations to our 2023 Highest Triple Score in ADVB/EXCB/MASTER
RACH Carlen Dandini UDX PUTD OM1 BN GN GO VER RM4 RAE4 BCAT SWAE SWE SHDNE SHDA CGCA TKN owned by S. Atkinson 

 

Obedience and Rally Trial  (Nat’l Specialty)
Day: Tuesday April 16th
Event Chair: Mary Morris
Judge:  Terry Thornton

Obedience and Rally Trial (Independent Specialty)
Day: Wednesday April 17th
Event Chair: Mary Morris
Judge: Terry Thornton

Entries: BaRay Event Services BaRay Event

Rally & Obedience Judge Terry Thornton

See Judge Bios here.

We are excited to offer Fast CAT in conjunction with the 2024 National Specialty approx 1/2 mile from our site at Rodeo Center Ranch (address below) 6 Trials in total! saltydogscoursing.com. This will include formal Fast CAT competition runs, and also fun trial runs to see if your dog will run the course, time permitting. If you are not familiar with Fast CAT, more information may be found using the links below.

Although it is a relatively new sport, Fast CAT’s popularity has spread like wildfire. Fast CAT® provides a terrific opportunity to introduce new participants to the world of AKC sports. It is one of the few events where all that is needed to compete is a dog’s natural instincts. Fast CAT is a fast-paced, fun activity to watch and participate in!

What is the Fast CAT? Fast CAT is a timed straight 100‐yard dash for dogs. Dogs are held at the start line and the coursing lure is activated prompting the dog to follow chasing it to the finish line and into a catch pen. The course is completely fenced, and dogs are run individually. Dogs are timed when they complete the 100‐yard dash. The time is converted to Miles Per Hour (MPH).

Eligibility – To participate in Fast CAT®, your dog must be:

All entries, including wait listed entries, must be received by the Trial Secretary prior to 4/05/2024

More information may be found here:

https://www.akc.org/sports/coursing/fast-cat/news/harnessing-dogs-instinct-chase/

https://www.akc.org/sports/coursing/fast-cat/

Watch the National Specialty website and Facebook page for more event information!

Dates:  April 16-18, 2024
Event Chair: Beci Markijohn 
Secretary: Jenni Wren, Salty Dogs Coursing
Location:  Rodeo Center Ranch, 1007 Rodeo Center Blvd., Mesquite, Texas  75149

Canine Good Citizen Workshop & Testing

Canine Good Citizen tests provide an opportunity for Cavalier owners to demonstrate the versatility of their dogs. In conformity with the Breed standard, they show that the dog is fearless and sporting in character, while gentle and affectionate.  Cavaliers must demonstrate that they are gay, friendly, and non-aggressive, with no tendency towards nervousness or shyness. Bad temper, shyness, and meanness are not to be tolerated. These characteristics are tested by the CGC tests.

CGC and Advanced CGC Tests

Successful participants are eligible to order a certificate from AKC or may request an AKC title that will appear on AKC title records and may be listed as a suffix after the dog’s name. The schedule of the CGC Tests will be published with other Show events, and exhibitors will receive a notice of the running order for dogs before the day of the test.

More information about the AKC Canine Good Citizenship  program can be found here: https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/

The ACKCSC will offer a hands-on workshop on Wednesday afternoon of Nationals Week (time to be determined) to teach the skills required for the CGC and Advanced CGC tests. (See below)

Date: Wednesday, April 17th
Evaluator: Mary Morris & Sandy Averitt
Event Chair:  Mary Morris   

Mary Morris
Mary Morris, AKC CGC Evaluator
CGC Evaluator

 

Canine Good Citizen tests provide an opportunity for Cavalier owners to demonstrate the versatility of their dogs. In conformity with the Breed standard, they show that the dog is fearless and sporting in character, while gentle and affectionate.  Cavaliers must demonstrate that they are gay, friendly, and non-aggressive, with no tendency towards nervousness or shyness. Bad temper, shyness, and meanness are not to be tolerated. These characteristics are tested by the CGC test.

CGC Workshop

The ACKCSC will offer a hands-on workshop to teach the skills required for the CGC and Advanced CGC tests. This workshop will allow participants to ask questions and observe procedures, to practice the necessary skills with their dogs, and to experience a performance setting with assistance on how to perform each test successfully.  Canine Good Citizenship testing will be held on April 17th.

More information about the AKC Canine Good Citizenship  program can be found here: https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/

Date:  Wednesday, April 17th
Instructor: Sandy Averitt
Event Chair: Sandy Averitt

Sandy Averitt, AKC CGC Instructor & Evaluator
CGC Evaluator

AKC TRICK DOG EVALUATION

Do you and your dog love to be the life of the party by showing off his arsenal of tricks? Then he might be perfectly primed to earn AKC Trick Dog titles!

There are five AKC Trick Titles you and your dog can earn (listed below).  We will only be offering all levels except Elite at this event: HANDLERS MUST PROVIDE THEIR OWN PROPS

  • AKC Novice Trick Dog (TKN) – Your dog performs 10 skills from the Novice list. (see link to “Application” below for lists of skills). If a dog has a Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certificate or title on record at AKC, it can do 5 Novice tricks (CGC + 5) to earn the Novice title. See the list of tricks here.
  • AKC Intermediate Trick Dog (TKI) – Your dog must have the Novice title, plus perform 10 Intermediate tricks. See the list of tricks here.
  • AKC Advanced Trick Dog (TKA) – Your dog must have the Intermediate title, plus perform 10 tricks from the Advanced list. See the list of tricks here.
  • AKC Trick Dog Performer (TKP) – In this title, handlers perform a short routine with at least 10 tricks with at least 3 tricks using props. See the requirements here.
  • AKC Trick Dog Elite Performer (TKE) – In the highest level of Trick Dog, the Elite Performers perform a routine that has a story/script. At least 5 props are used. See the requirements here.

More information about the AKC Trick Dog program can be found here: https://www.akc.org/sports/trick-dog/

Date:  Wednesday April 17th
Evaluator: Mary Morris
Event Chair: Mary Morris

Mary Morris
Mary Morris, AKC Trick Dog Evaluator
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