"FLIRT"
MACH PACH SPRINGWIND'S ORANGE CRUSH CDX, RAE, MXB, MJB, MXPB, MJP3, MXPB, PAX, OF, CGC.
November 29, 2003
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November 2, 2020
Flirt was my first dog that I trained to compete in any venue. I got Flirt as a 2-year-old from my breeder. My breeder brought her down from Fairbanks and the first thing she did was roll over onto her back for a nice tummy rub. The breeder asked me to take a couple of weeks and make sure that she would be a good fit for my home as she knew having a young lab was something I had not had in a long while. Flirt spent the first week zipping up and down the hallways of my house and I remember wondering what I had signed up for. Into the second week Flirt started to settle into the house and quickly bonded with me and my husband as well as learned a healthy respect for my 7-year-old cat. Flirt was wonderful with us, but was not confident in the outside world.
I started taking classes with her and it became more apparent that while she could do any task I asked her to, she worried about the people around her. I let the breeder know as I was unsure how to proceed in obedience and she suggested agility as a way to build her confidence. I signed up for agility classes and the difference in a class setting was amazing. She did not worry about the person across the room and instead was completely focused on her job. You could see focus and joy whenever she trained. It took me a while to work up the nerve to enter my first agility trial, but I finally did shortly before she turned 5-years. She was lovely. Each day and each run she showed me a willingness to work with me and an enthusiasm that was infectious. It took me, not her, a little while to figure out what I was doing, but when I did it was amazing. I wish that everyone in their lifetime could have the feeling of running a dog like Flirt. She and I had a mutual love and trust that made running her effortless. A slight movement of my body or a twitch of her ear, it did not matter how small the sign, out there we just knew what the other was thinking. I have had multiple judges stop me over the years to tell me what a wonderful working dog she is and what a great team we make. Flirt retired just shy of 11-years-old earning 94 speed points and her PACH her last weekend competing.
We did not give up on obedience and while competing in agility continued to train for AKC Rally as well as Obedience. She cruised through all the Rally levels without breaking a sweat. I was terrified for her first obedience trial as I was not sure if she would hold the stand for exam for a strange judge, I should never have doubted her. She earned a first place her first time out. Flirt went on not only to achieve her Companion Dog title from AKC, but her Companion Dog Excellent as well.
I could not have asked for a better dog to learn with and I know that she taught me more than I taught her. At 15-years, she still loved to go practice on an agility course, retrieve and practice her Rally moves. She will be forever what I hold as a standard for an agility teammate. I know that one day we will play again.
I started taking classes with her and it became more apparent that while she could do any task I asked her to, she worried about the people around her. I let the breeder know as I was unsure how to proceed in obedience and she suggested agility as a way to build her confidence. I signed up for agility classes and the difference in a class setting was amazing. She did not worry about the person across the room and instead was completely focused on her job. You could see focus and joy whenever she trained. It took me a while to work up the nerve to enter my first agility trial, but I finally did shortly before she turned 5-years. She was lovely. Each day and each run she showed me a willingness to work with me and an enthusiasm that was infectious. It took me, not her, a little while to figure out what I was doing, but when I did it was amazing. I wish that everyone in their lifetime could have the feeling of running a dog like Flirt. She and I had a mutual love and trust that made running her effortless. A slight movement of my body or a twitch of her ear, it did not matter how small the sign, out there we just knew what the other was thinking. I have had multiple judges stop me over the years to tell me what a wonderful working dog she is and what a great team we make. Flirt retired just shy of 11-years-old earning 94 speed points and her PACH her last weekend competing.
We did not give up on obedience and while competing in agility continued to train for AKC Rally as well as Obedience. She cruised through all the Rally levels without breaking a sweat. I was terrified for her first obedience trial as I was not sure if she would hold the stand for exam for a strange judge, I should never have doubted her. She earned a first place her first time out. Flirt went on not only to achieve her Companion Dog title from AKC, but her Companion Dog Excellent as well.
I could not have asked for a better dog to learn with and I know that she taught me more than I taught her. At 15-years, she still loved to go practice on an agility course, retrieve and practice her Rally moves. She will be forever what I hold as a standard for an agility teammate. I know that one day we will play again.
