The final month of the NDAL 54×70 Games league, Summer series, featured a game called Double Joker, designed by Bud Houston.
This game is like a Gamblers class. Obstacles are performed in the order and direction of the dog’s choosing, and there is a distance challenge. There are no restrictions as to order and direction and, indeed, even the number of times a dog might do an obstacle.
Back-to-back performance of any obstacle during the point-accumulation period is permitted. Indeed, the dog may perform the same obstacle for the entire period. This is known as the Koukkari Strategy.
The distance challenge may be done at any time, and may be repeated.
The handler may double any points the dog earns by having at least one foot on a portable “base”. This could be a pillow, a paper plate, a bit of carpet or whatever is convenient. The handler may preposition the base before starting the dog, or may carry it with and place it at a strategic moment. And the handler might move it to place somewhere else.
Double Joker is scored Points, Then Time.
Club Report
Six active teams competed in the Summer Series. More clubs might play in this league… especially when they discover that the set of equipment in the 54×70 is always exactly as set in the 50×70; the only difference being that the 54×70 will feature some interesting game that demands cunning and guile.
Results
Follow this link to view individual performance by dogs and their handlers. Most of these are graced with a YouTube link:
Top Dog
The Top Dog in September, represented K9 Manners & More, out of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Hotch, a Border Collie handled by Frances Scriminger scored 104 points in 32.64 seconds:
First Place Team
K9 Manners & More, out of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma had a stunning finish in the September game. They not only won the month, but did so convincingly that the team moved from fourth place in the series to a first-place finish.
Well done, K9 Manners!
The second and third-place dogs also represented K9 Manners & More.
Meg, an Australian Shepherd handled by Judy Chymiak, finished the game with 104 points, in 33.55 seconds:
Flicka, a Border Collie handled by Frances Scriminger finished the game with 103 points, in 32.54 seconds:
Second Place Team
Country Dream, out of Waterford, Ohio finished second in the September game. With a strong showing in September, Country Dream moves up from third-place, to finish in second-place.
The top scoring dog for Country Dream was Kory, a Border Collie handled by Bud Houston. Kory and Bud finished the game with 98 points in 30.7 seconds:
Third Place Team
All Breed Training Club Of Akron finished September in third-place for the month, though they finished fifth in the Summer series.
The top scoring dog for ABTC of Akron was Savvy, a Toller handled by Cindy Fink. Savvy and Cindy finished the game with 58 points in 34.5 seconds:
Fourth Place Team
Sport Dogs Jalisco, out of Guadalajara, Mexico, struggled a bit with this distance game, dropping from first-place in August, to fourth place in September, finishing the Summer series in third place.
The top scoring dog for Sport Dogs Jalisco was Lyla, a Border Collie handled by Iyali Hernández. Lyla and Iyali finished the game with 45 points, in 36.25 seconds:
Looking Back
You can find the 54×70 Games league July 2019 results, the first month of the Summer series, here:
You can find the 54×70 Games league August 2019 results, the second month of the Summer series, here:
NDAL games and courses for October, the first month of the Fall series, have been published here:
All income for NDAL league play in October will be going to two charities that are engaged in helping survivors of Hurricane Dorian in The Bahamas. We have specifically selected Chef Jose Andre’s World Central Kitchen, and the Red Cross. People in The Bahamas are suffering from this terrible disaster. And we would like to do our small part to help.
BLOG1448 NDAL
Questions comments & impassioned speeches to Bud Houston Houston.Bud@gmail.com. Visit our web store: www.dogagility.org/newstore. You’ll find in the web store The Joker’s Notebook, a series of workbooks dedicated to teaching agility dogs and their handlers to work at a distance apart.
International Dog Agility League 