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 MEET
JACQUE
Jacque Armstrong started her
agility “career” in agility in Las Cruces, New
Mexico in 1997 with her dog Frank W.
Dawg. They were both “hooked” on the fun they
both had. It wasn’t long before she was teaching
agility. Not too soon after Jacque & Frank started
competing in agility. Then they went off to their
first obedience trial. She loves both venues for
different reasons. Obedience is very disciplined and
structured. Agility is more forgiving; meaning
sometimes in a spilt second you can save the mistake and
still qualify. They have succeeded in both venues.
Soon there was Lucy, then The Tanner Man and Britt; rounding
out the family to a “dog family” of four. Frank,
Lucy and Tanner are retired now. Britt is the active
competitor these days. Britt and Jacque still go
to ‘continuing ed’ to better their
skills in both Agility, Obedience & Rally. Lucy in
retirement has started some tracking. This is a great
way to keep an older dog active, still having that job to
master.
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 MEET
FRANK THE AGILITY DOG
Frank came to live with me as a 3
month old pup in 1996; a gift from my son, Ryan. I had lost my
previous Cocker Spaniel to old age. He, too, was very special, but I
never did any formal training with him. I regretted this decision so
when "The Frank" came to live with me I decided to take him to
obedience school. From the beginning he displayed such intelligence.
We went from Puppy Manners, Beginning ,
Intermediate and Advanced Obedience. He turned into a "heeling
machine". I had the opportunity to take an 8 week agility class.
That was the HOOK! I started teaching agility in January 1998. Our
first agility trial was in Tucson, Arizona in April,
1998. The venue was United States Dog Agility Association. We didn't
qualify but he fell into the middle of all the other contenders
indicating that he was an agility dog. We have competed with the
American Kennel Club (AKC) and the North American Dog Agility Council
(NADAC).as
well. "The Frank" has given me over 100% on the agility field and in
the obedience ring. He has two physical defects: he has hip dysplasia which
is a congenital condition and an inherit dog aggressive problem. I,
as a trainer and his "Mom", had been able to keep this in control;
until he reached 4 years of age.. This is the age for full canine social
maturity and his aggression problem started to manifest itself with
more frequency. I had to make the decision to retire him right in
the prime of his
 obedience
and agility career. He had just earned his AKC Companion Dog Title
in obedience and we were just 7 qualifying runs away from achieving
his Master Excellent Title in agility which was my ultimate goal
with him. Seven years ago I took him out of retirement and
entered him in Novice Rally O. He titled out in 3
successful attempts.. In retirement he worked for me demonstrating to my
graduating students just what a good working dog can do. He
didn't realize he wasn't in the competition ring winning
ribbons. He never let me down. He is fully retired now
and still makes me laugh. Truly “The Frank” has been an
15
year learning experience. |
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 FRANK'S
BEST FRIEND, LUCY
“Lucy Girl” was "The Frank's"
traveling companion and agility competitor until his retirement. She actually
competed against him in their 16 inch jumping class and usually took
first place while he would take second place. She is the faster
of the two in agility. Lucy could easily shave 10 seconds off course
time in both Jumpers with Weaves and Standard Agility. She is
Jacque's “13
year old puppy”. Jacque felt Frank needed a companion and
she found her
through the local newspaper. She was the last to leave her
"family"; as all her litter mates had been placed. By
nature she is rather shy and
retiring. She has a very sweet, soft friendly personality and is a
very hard worker; everything that “The Frank” is not. They
made a
very good pair. At one time Lucy was #36 in the United
States in agility for her breed. Cocker Spaniels are not
noted for their agility skills. The sport is dominated by Border
Collies, Australian Shepherds and Shelties. Lucy was seriously working
on her Masters Agility Championship (MACH) when life's whims
interrupted her "career" several times. Jacque's
little "Lucy Girl" was an agility dog and it was thrilling
to see her run fast and free in the agility ring! But for them
time was running out. Jacque had to decide to make the decision to continue working on her MACH
or go for the Utility Dog (UD) obedience title. Jacque and
Lucy went for their UD. Lucy earned her Utility Degree in
obedience under the auspices of the American Kennel Club at 11 years
of age. She was 12 years old when she earned her UDX and was
ranked in the Top 5 Cocker Spaniels in Obedience in the Nation.
They were invited to the American Kennel Club's 2009 Invitational in
Long Beach, California.. In addition to agility and obedience
titles, she has her Rally O
Advanced title, Open Fast
title, Canine Good Citizen Award and her Therapy Dog International Certificate.
Lucy is retired now. Besides
being a hard worker she is a comedian, and a fun competitor..
You see, Jacque has learned Lucy is just more than a canine companion.....Lucy is
her girlfriend, her confident, as well as her travel companion.
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 THE
TANNER MAN
For a one
year old rescue, “The Tanner Man”, was a true gift. Jacque
agreed to
take him sight unseen, a big risk in rescues. You never know just
what you are getting by adopting an older dog. Tanner is a Field
Lab. He was bred for Field & Trial; considered by some as
the through bred of Labrador Retrievers. He is taller
than the conventional American Kennel Club conformation Labradors. He
measures 24.5 inches at the withers. My
girlfriends brought him to Jacque from Killeen, Texas 9 years ago. He
was thin,  frightened at being
relocated; Jacque didn’t know it at the
time that he was ill. After she got on the right track, fattened him
up a bit, gained his trust and most importantly treated him for
heart worm; he started training obedience. What a smart guy he is!
Jacque gave him the run of the acreage whenever she had to work outside. She
would get bored with remedial chores and we would take him on an “agility
break”. That is when he was introduced him to agility. He loves both
obedience and agility. Presently he has earned his Excellent
A Title in Standard Agility (AX) and his
Excellent A (AXJ) title in Jumpers with Weaves He also earned his Companion Dog
Excellent Title (CDX) in
Obedience. Obedience is
his forte. As far as personality he has more than his share.
Tanner willingly smiles which just puts Jacque away and she has been able
to take this natural ability into commanding him to “Smile”;
Once he
won a talent contest for his "Smile". He
is very sociable with children, adults and other dogs; he is
very patient with puppies. To sum up her affections for this guy?
If he had a check book she would marry him! |
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 BRITT
“Kapewood’s High Desert
Casanova” is his “formal" American Kennel Club name. Everyone calls
him “Britt”. He is a 7 year old American Cocker Spaniel. He
learns new concepts with ease and gusto. He is a great little
performance dog. His work ethic is very strong.
Britt's demeanor is a combination of intelligence and soft dominance.
Presently
Britt is in Excellent B Jumpers with Weaves and Excellent B Standard
Agility. Britt's first try in Utility A obedience was in Albuquerque in May
2010. He must earn 3 qualifying runs in any class to get a
title. After 5 Obedience trials, and always in the Winner's
Circle, he got his title in Utility Dog Title
in Tucson, Arizona on November 7th, 2010. Along with initially qualifying; all his
competitive obedience ribbons have been in the Winner's
Circle. The next challenge is the Utility Dog Excellent
Title. The first and second time in the ring he has knocked off his first
and second double
qualifying (double Q) run for his second leg towards his Utility Dog
Excellent Title. This still could be a long and grueling road for the two of
them to
achieve this goal of his UDX.. He must earn a qualifying ribbon in Utility
B and another in Open B each day of competition; hence the term,
"double Q". He must earn 10 "double
Q's" before he gets his UDX. He has his Novice Rally Title, Canine Good Citizen
Award and his
Therapy Dog International Certificate. He shows great promise in
obedience and is great fun to show. Britt turned out to be too tall for the
conformation ring. He was offered to Jacque by Carolee Douglas of
Kapewood Kennels out of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Jacque is petitioning
her for another puppy, when the time comes. Britt's tallness is a
plus in agility as he jumps the 16 inch class with ease. Dogs that compete in the 16
inch jumping class can do things 8 and 12 inch jumping dogs and 20
and 24 inch jumping dogs may have difficulty with due to size; 16 inch dogs are just far more
agile. Britt was a heart breaker from the start, bonding with
her the night she brought him home. He loves children, adults,
dogs and other animals. He is a very mellow fellow! |
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"I hope you have enjoyed meeting my 4 buff pack;
2 short of a 6 pack"!
Please visit our "Photo Album" to see some
pictures of us enjoying our "work". |
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