Peach and Jam
by Randall Wiseman

My name is Randall Wiseman. I got my first dog when I was six years old, a Maremma (a livestock protection type dog similar to a Great Pyrenees) named Icee. My mom and I started attending all the local agility trials to learn about the sport when I was eight years old. I began training Icee, but I was too small to stop an 80-pound dog from dragging me around.

When I was 10 years old, I got my Corgi, Fairwyn Golden Peach. I picked Peach because she was more low-key than the other puppies and she paid lots of attention to me. Peach was 2 years old when we competed in our first agility trial. I enter her in the Preferred class because of her body build. She is a bit long in her back and I think that it is hard for a small long-back dog to jump their required height in the regular agility class. In the Preferred class your dog jumps 4 inches lower than the height that is dictated by their measurement at the withers.

Peach almost always runs clean (no mistakes) but often she is not fast enough and therefore does not finish the course in the time allowed. The low-key attitude that I picked as a puppy comes through in her agility work. I realize now that being hyper is not necessarily a bad trait. With Peach, I really have to work on motivating her to go faster with games and cheering. Peach has earned her Novice Agility Preferred (NAP), Novice Jumpers Preferred (NJP), Open Preferred (OAP), Open Jumpers Preferred (OJP), Excellent Preferred (AXP), and Excellent Jumpers Preferred (AJP) titles in a little over a year of competing. We are working on the Masters titles (MXP and MJP) and once she receives those she can not pursue her Masters Agility Champion (MACH) because it is not offered in the Preferred class.

I also work with Peach in obedience and herding. She earned her Companion Dog (CD) title in three shows. She is very good at obedience because she likes to stay with me. We are training for our Companion Dog Excellence (CDX) title now. She has been herding two times and really seems to love that too.

I am 12 years old now and I recently adopted a rescue Border Collie through my obedience trainer, Sally Glei. His name is Maple Spring We be Jammin’. Jam is about a year old and I have had him for four months. He shows great agility potential. He is careful and fast. Jam and Peach are very different dogs. Jam has lots of drive and wants something to do, where Peach is very content just laying beside me. Jam herds the birds in the air at our house. I am doing obedience work with him now and soon I will start herding as well. I am excited about what Jam and I will do together. Peach has taught me how to run a slow dog that needs motivation and Jam is teaching me how to run a fast dog with drive. I have used those fast dog-handling skills to trial a friend’s Corgi named Hops because he flies around an agility course. Recently other friends have also let me run their dogs at trials. Those opportunities are really helping my training and handling skills. I appreciate that they trust me with their dogs.

The people who have helped me the most training Peach and Jam are my obedience trainer, Sally Glei; my Mom, Paige Wiseman; my agility trainers, Florence Archer and Denise McDonald; and an agility and herding friend, Lisa Roberts. I have met many terrific people while participating in dog events. It is a great community for kids. I will start competing Jam in December 2005.