AKC Agility Invitational Winner – Height Category (16″): Senna – Handler: Liz Barshack

Interview with Liz Barshack

How long have you competed in AKC Agility? How did you discover the sport?

Liz Barshack: I have been competing in AKC Agility since 2006. My Vizsla, “Ruby,” and I were taking Basic Obedience classes and our instructor thought that she would be great at it since she had so much energy and focus. Needless to say, she and I were immediately bitten by the Agility bug! Ruby was my “Novice A” dog and she was also an AKC Agility Invitational Finalist in 2011.

Did you have a strategy for competing with “Senna” at the AKC Agility Invitational this year?

Liz Barshack: My only strategy for this year was to do better than we did last year; basically, to run all four rounds clean. I knew if we could do that, “Senna” would make it into Finals.

Do you compete in other dog sports? If so, which sports appeal to you and why?

Liz Barshack: Yes! Senna is a Grand Champion in Conformation; she is the first GCH MACH titled Nederlandse Kooikerhondje—and she’s had several invites to the NOHS Finals. While Conformation shows are not my favorite because they can be very subjective, Senna is a great example of the breed and I feel that we need to show judges what good structure and movement actually looks like.

Senna also competes in Fast CAT and Dock Diving because she loves it! She was invited to the 2021 Fast CAT Invitational and we are working on her NADD titles. Fast CAT and Dock Diving are just pure fun for the dogs, and they don’t require much training.