The boys got to try out AKC Fast CAT for the first time this weekend! They had a lot of fun and we got some super fun pictures! Fable clocked in at 28.85mph and 28.53mph for his two runs and Json clocked in at a respectable 26.32mph during his fun run! I got one 'nice' and one 'derpy' photo of each of the boys, you can decide which is which!

Json made his 'big boy' debut at the Tri-Star Kennel Club dog shows in Lebanon, TN. There were lots of new sights, sounds, and smells, and he handled everything so well! Json showed well both days and was even handled by a stranger when we went back in for Winners Dog (WD) both days. Saturday he lost WD to Fable but on Sunday Json earned his very first point by beating Fable for WD! He showed beautifully in the Best of Breed ring, especially for how long of a weekend it had been for him. We got lots of compliments on his confidence and how he nailed his free stacks on Sunday! I'm so excited to see how far we can go together!

The boys and I went on a road trip to Purina Farms in Gray Summit, MO for the Ibizan Hound National Specialty! ​We have never been to any specialty dog show before, much less the National Specialty, so I was pretty nervous. While the specialty/supported entries started on Tuesday with Agility, Rally, and Scentwork, I chose to keep my entries to a minimum to help avoid too much stress on me and the boys. Fable was entered in conformation on Thursday (the National Specialty) and Friday (supported entry), as well as both AKC (Friday) and ASFA (Saturday) Lure Coursing. Json was entered in just conformation for the National Specialty in the 4-6 month Beginner Puppy (BPUP) competition since he wasn't 6 months old yet. 

Thursday: Json showed first in BPUP and did very well! He took everything in stride and was very good for the exam and gaiting. I need to remember to ease him into gaiting due to his age and size at the moment. While he didn't win, he did come in 3rd (if I'm remembering correctly). I'm very proud of how well he handled his first 'real' show! Fable was several classes later in Open Smooth Dogs (the coat types aren't normally split, but they were for the specialty and supported entry on Friday). Fable showed SO well and won his class! Fable moved so well and was a gentleman for the exam. He didn't take Winners Dog (WD) so no points, but I'm happy that he was so happy in the ring! I ended up showing a friend's wire special bitch, Kitty, in several classes as well and learned a lot from that (though my feet were less happy about the extra running!)

Friday: Fable was entered in the supported entry (again in Open Smooth Dog) and placed 3rd in his class. He showed very well and handled the environment and waiting so well! Waiting to go into the ring has been a long standing struggle for Fable so having him be able to wait and keep his brain cell was awesome! I also showed Kitty again in the Best Of Breed (BOB) ring and she did well! After showing we RAN over to where they were doing health testing to get Fable's Auscultation done before Lure Coursing (we had a 45 minute window!). Thankfully, we were able to get Fable in pretty quickly and he passed with flying colors! One more health test down! Once Fable was done with his heart exam I did a camping quick change, pottied Json, loaded the car, and zipped off to Lure Coursing. Thankfully the field wasn't too hard to find, though we were parked farther away than is ideal for Fable (he is a handful to take to the line). There were enough Open dogs to split the stake into 3, 5pt major stakes. Fable came in 2nd and earned another 3 points. Fable just needs one major to finish his AKC Field Championship title!

Saturday: Today we only had ASFA Lure Coursing with Fable, but since the trial wouldn't start until after conformation, I watched the breed competition. Unfortunately, my foot was done with the extra running and I wasn't able to show Kitty. Thankfully, with so many wonderful Beezer folks around, Kitty found a new handler easily! Once breed was done, we went back down to the coursing field. We were just 3 dogs shy of being able to split the open stake so had 17 dogs competing for the 4 point earning placements! Fable ran well and again took 2nd for 30 points and another competition win! He is a little over halfway to his ASFA Field Championship and needs a first place with competition and points. Fable also won the Performance Stake, which is an extra class for dogs who have titles outside of Lure Coursing titles. Fable needed the highest score of the dogs entered in the Performance Stake to win! I'm very proud of how well he did considering the field. Json also had the opportunity to do a puppy run and had a blast! He shows a ton of promise as a coursing dog!

Overall, we had a fantastic time and had so much fun meeting so many Ibizan Hound folks! Fable and especially Json did SO incredibly well with everything going on and the massive change in routine! They both took everything in stride! One of my favorite non-dog parts was the sticker exchange we did. It was a fun testament to how much everyone loves the breed! I am excited to go back next year, even if my wallet isn't!

Today Fable and I went to his first National Association of Canine Scent Work (NACSW) NW1 trial. The weather was hot and sunny, which made the outdoor searches tough. Fable did a great job powering through and we walked away with our NW1 title! Fable is now the first Ibizan Hound to have earned his NW1! 

Fable started the day with containers, which is his hardest element, primarily because he finds it boring. He seemed to think we were back at an Odor Recognition Test (ORT) and was a bit pouty, despite that he finished his search in 0:20.27 (min:sec). After containers we moved to the vehicle search, where we had to find a hide somewhere between three different vehicles. Fable was a bit out of it, perhaps still thinking it was an ORT and took some time to get himself sorted out. Once he started searching he worked beautifully and finished with a time of 1:05.27. In an attempt to keep things moving and minimize how much heat the dogs had to go through, the trialed rolled right into the exterior search. Fable was back to his normal self and finished the search in 0:21.57, despite a short attempt to visit the judge and timer in the middle. We finished with our interior search. Fable went in and zeroed in on the right area immediately. I cost us a few seconds by waiting for him to get all the way to the source and we finished our last search of the day with a time of 0:23.23. Overall, we had a great day despite a bit of a rocky start. I'm so proud of my boy!