Brains and Beauty

From Sarah Greenstreet

Last time I wrote I had just started training for agility. 

Well Banjo (Tazaris Gaspar ADX JDX SD) took to agility like a duck to water.  He has truly found his niche in life and he is a joy to train and compete with!  In his first novice jumping competition he got a “pass” and won the ring.  Within 4 trials he had achieved his Jumping Dog title and within 6 trials he had also obtained his Agility Dog title.  We then had a break as there were no trials over summer and we started back up at the end of February.  This year Banjo made very quick work of his Excellent titles getting the required 5 passes within 5 trials and getting his Jumping Dog Excellent and Agility Dog Excellent titles last weekend.  Banjo has also obtained a Snooker Dog title with 3 passes in 3 attempts (with two 1st places and a 4th place).  All this before he has turned three!  We are now starting the exciting challenge of Masters level agility and jumping (known as the domain of the border collie).  It will be great to have “wee Banjo” out there showing the working dogs what a sight hound can do!! 

Spice (Tazaris Forest Fern CCD AD SD) has taken a more moderate path to agility.  She got her first novice agility pass in the last trial of 2010 after some false starts and concentration lapses.  This year she seems to have found her way in the agility ring and obtained her Agility Dog title two weekends ago.  At the same trial she got her Snooker Dog title (which she achieved in three attempts – coming 2nd to Banjo twice and beating him to 3rd once).  She needs one more pass for her Jumping Dog title – missing out last weekend by just 0.26 of a second.  Spice is a more challenging dog than Banjo as she still needs to find the fun in the run.  

We are also now starting Tracking training to see how well whippets can use their noses – I’ll keep you updated on our progress in this and agility. 

I have included some photos.  They were taken by Sal Robinson.  Spice is the brindle.  Banjo is the one with the ridiculous leap!!

WHIPRIDGE PURE SILK  CD ADM2 ADO JDM5 JDO7 GD SD SPDX ET

Flynn is an outstanding ambassador for the breed by demonstrating the athleticism and versatility of whippets,   gaining  titles in obedience, agility, jumping, agility games and endurance.  Flynn is the first whippet in Australia to attain MASTERS titles. 

WHIPRIDGE has produced Champions from every litter including Best in Show winners both in Australia and overseas.

Breeder: Noelene Watson

Spice

Late last year Spice (Tazaris Forest Fern) and I obtained the three passes required to get her Community Companion Dog (CCD) title.  We managed to get the title in just over three months from first trial to last trial (with a small delay in the middle where we forgot the recall exercise but, once that was sorted out, it was all systems go).  For her second pass she got a score of 97/100 – and was described by the judge as a “lovely working whippet” – I don’t think it is possible to smile any more than I did when we were presented with the trophy.   

Spice came to me as a 10 month old puppy and proved herself to be a very quick learner, winning a club fun day in the first few weeks of her training.  She is a joy to work with and we have recently competed in our first Novice level obedience trial.  We have a little more training to do before we set the Novice classes alight but I have confidence that we will get there!   

And to prove it’s not a fluke, my other whippet Banjo (Tazaris Gaspar) and I got our first pass for CCD last weekend.  I was very proud of him as he had to cope with a couple of out of control dogs, sandy patches in the ring (sand makes him goofy) and a very persistent butterfly.  Of the three, the butterfly was hardest for him to resist...

As well as training for obedience we are all learning agility and are not far off entering a jumping competition.  As you can imagine, speed and leaping are not a problem!  I’ll let you know how we go.
- Sarah Greenstreet.

Orlando

Hi Rae,

I thought I would drop a line for Beauty and Brains, I thought this was an achievement considering it  rained continually all day, my boy Peperone Original Sin ( known as Orlando) was placed 3rd in Obedience CCD class at the Royal Melbourne Show 2009, he was only 20 months old. We didn't get a pass score but we had fun. I have attached a photo of him. Westernport Obedience Dog Club was proud we took out 1st and 3rd in CCD class, 1st went to a sheltie.

kind regards
Sharon Campbell

Flynn

Whipridge Pure Silk CD ADM JDM2 JDO2 GD SD SPD ET or better known to his friends and mum Amanda Peck as Flynn, recently competed at the National Agility Trials in Melbourne representing Tasmania.  Tassie team came third which was fantastic.

Amanda said that he did a smashing clear run and qualified for the team.  She said Flynn felt so lovely to work with on the day.  Everyone for the rest of the day kept congratulating her on his wonderful run.

We all say congratulations too Flynn for keeping the whippet flag flying proving that whippet do have brains as well as beauty. 

Here is an update about Flynn – he has since gained more titles to his name.

Whipridge Pure Silk CD ADM ADO JDM4 JDO6 GD SD SPX ET 

“I can now confirm your dog ‘WHIPRIDGE PURE SILK’ is the only whippet in Australia that has Agility masters (ADM) and Jumping Masters (JDM) titles.”

Amanda Peck of Tasmania received the above message from the Tasmanian Canine Association and passed it onto me with the message below.  Not bad for her lovely boy who is now ten years old and obviously still fighting fit.

“We are heading of TO WA again, this month on the 18th of April for a National agility trial, Flynn is one of the Tassie team.” 

Val and Ruby

Congratulations to Peta (Jane) Langton-Bunker for the wonderful achievement of obtaining the title of CDX & ET with both her whippets, Val & Ruby, (Bonnymead Valentine Day CDX ET & Bonnymead Ruby Valentine CDX ET). Here is a note she sent me.

" Now both Valentine and Ruby have their CDX titles. Val obtained his 3 rd pass at Knox on 8 th of October. It was the 3 minute out of sight sit stay that I had a problem with. They are both learning U.D. well now, enjoying all the new things very much, especially the scent discrimination & directed jumping. There are no sit stays in U.D. only Down Stays!!!! I just hope I am the first in Australia to get a U.D. with a Whippet!!!

Well done Jane and we also hope you are the first in Australia too!!!!!

BONNYMEAD RUBY VALENTINE CDX, ET
Owned & Handled by: Peta Langton-Bunker
Trained by: Lea Cogley
Bred by: Noreen Harris
Sire: Aust , Eng. & NZ Ch Nevedith Rare Rogue
Dam: Ch Bonnymead Charissa

Photo by: W Mitchell

Flynn 

Whipridge Pure Silk JDO SPD GD SD CD ET ADX JDM legend:

JDO Jumping Dog Open
SPD Strategic Pairs Dog (agility Game)
GD Gamblers Dog (agility game)
SD Snooker Dog (agility game)
CD Companion Dog (obedience)
ET Endurance Test (20 kms)
ADX Agility Dog Excellent (1 pass away from Masters Title)
JDM Jumping Dog Masters

Quite a feat for a whippet. He now competes in MASTERS agility and MASTERS jumping which is the most advanced title in these events and is well on the way for these titles with qualifying scores at this level.

This photo of Flynn was taken at the National Agility Trials at Erskine Park , Sydney June 2006. He attained his qualifying scores in Jumping whilst he was away and made it into top10 to compete in the Invitation Event which consisted also of 8 Border Collies& a GSP.

Congratulations to Noelene and Amanda.

Whippet Fun Day

Last Sunday, our obedience club held its Fun Day competitions and The whippets made such a good showing. I believe Christine may have told you some of the news and she sent me these photos that her brother took on the day.

I am forwarding them to you as you may be interested. Barney won the top group's competition with all the exercises off lead. It was the first time we had entered in this group and we were amazed to win! Later in the afternoon my other whippet Jimmy ( used to be Phoenix from Tasmania ) came second in his group and a whippet puppy came second in the next group. The puppies' owners also won the raffle which led some of the club members to say that they should ban whippets from the club or else they all needed to get one, as owning a whippet was the only way to win anything in the club!! They were only joking of course!!! but whippets were well represented!
Hope all is well with you and thanks for all the great emails. I do intend to buy the Narrow Dog books and look forward to reading them
Cheers Eileen Kimmet

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