A Really Fun Saturday

I had a Really Fun Day yesterday at the Progressive obedience trial in Birch Run, MI. Ty & Joker were both entered just in Utility, since the trial closed before my 2-week-ago success in Open B. I showed Joker 1st. He has been in the ring just twice this year, and both times passed everything but articles. I trained them more diligently in the past 2 weeks. His gloves are also weak, but have been improving. Isabella Hutton was a fill-in for Robin Shea, who had to cancel. We had order 3. Joker did very confident articles YEAH, though I got some teasing at his really dreadful set-up for the 2nd one. I gave up and let him sit there crooked! His glove was fine, his heeling was quite good for him. His signal down was slightly delayed, then he collapsed into it, which isn't quite his normal style. The rest of his signals were fine. Moving stand? Zero off. And lovely Directed Jumping with spot-on fabulous go-outs. Leg #2!!! I was just SO happy with the boy. He turns 10 on May 5, though he in no way acts that age.

Ty's sit signal has continued to frequently elude her in training, so I vowed to take my time giving it and to try to be clear with it. 

She did both articles, tho the metal one flew out of her mouth as she left the pile (which cost us 2 points, and makes me continue to wonder if there is some tooth issue going on with her - but that's another post!), Glove was fine, Heeling was fine, though loose by my standards. Good drop, and SHE DID HER SIT SIGNAL! We had a major party after her finish and before setting up for the MS. She seemed quite thrilled by all the hugs, petting, praise, and leaping around. Her MS was fine. On her go-outs, she once again stopped before I said to, both times. I think she's stopping about 7-8 feet short of the end, so nowhere near NQably short, but she is clearly picking. But they were both very straight, and she did her sits and jumps great, so she also Q'ed. What a fine day.

But it doesn't stop there.

First and second place were a 198 (1st leg, too!) and an I-don't-remember score between 198 and 195.5. And little Mr. Joker was 3rd with a 195!!!! And Joker earned a phantom OTCh point! (phantom because he doesn't have his UD). Whoda thunk it?  Ty was 4th with a 194. She is already 10% along the way to her OM1.

Given that Joker's first Utility leg was a 178 and I was thrilled with that, you can imagine how up on Cloud 9 I still am with a 195. He really is getting this Utility stuff figured out. And gee whiz, he's cute :-).

Raissa Hinman finished her 3rd generation UDX on her wonderful Aura, who also became the first Malamute OM1 yesterday. This just 8 days after finishing her MACh2. And less than a month after her 17 year old son finished the MACh2 on one of Aura's aunts.

This was the first time I'd shown north of Ann Arbor in quite a long time, so I got to see some different people than when I head south, which was fun.

Our next trials will be Memorial Day in Kalamazoo. Time to go fill out entries!

Cleveland Trials

Gryffin and I got a 3rd place in UB on Saturday December 12 at the big IX-Center trials in Cleveland, winning a runoff, earning a 197+ (1st & 2nd places had a 198). Gryff worked superbly :-). 2 more points, so now we're down to single digits (need 9) to finish his OTCh..

In OB, he sadly failed the DOR again. This time, there was only a slight hesitation. On reflection, I'm really not sure he heard the command. The rest of the class was grand. I did not do stays. I didn't want to waste them and frankly, my left leg was aching so badly (that's another story), I was sure not feeling tippy-top.

I am really, really happy with his attitude and how he's working. His fronts and finishes were excellent that day - only 1/2 off for one bad finish in Utility, and zippo off on fronts.

We didn't get any more OTCh. points on Sunday, but did manage a Q in UB, which gives us 3 UB Q's in a row. Gryff made two dumb errors - he spit the glove out on my foot when the judge said 'Take it' on the Directed Retrieve. That cost us a point. Then, for some unknown reason, he skipped the front on the signal recall and went right around to heel. While AKC recommends 5 points off for an auto finish, not all judges take that much, and fortunately for me, today's judge took off only 3. When I released him after that, I gave him what I thought was a little goose in the ribs, and he barked at me (he tends to talk back when I correct him - guess he maybe thought about his goof?). So I went in to the awards ring hoping we earned at least a 190, and ended up with a 193.5. I was very pleasantly surprised, I have to say.

He worked a very nice Open class, but went down on the sit at 1:55. It was order 5 again (same as the previous Sunday's), which has the down stay first. He lost 2 points on the individuals, so would have been in contention for at least being in a runoff for a placement (a 198.5 won the class). I don't think I was as disappointed as last Sunday, but I may just bag doing Open. It is just getting so frustrating to have him work such a fine class and then to fail the stays. Since he has his UDX and OM1, he really doesn't need to ever show in Open again.

In spite of two OB NQ's, I really, really enjoyed showing Gryffin this weekend. He was his fun, jolly self in all 4 classes, and I felt very confident walking in the ring with him. He was a fine teammate, and I felt like we were really clicking.

Next up will probably be several UB classes at some local trials in mid-January - there will be 4 days of trials, Th-Su, with 2 trials both Sat & Sun. I certainly won't do all of those, but 2-3 days most likely.

2009 FCRSA Obedience Day #1

Day 1 of the FCRSA National for me included Utility B with Gryffin and Open B with both dogs. The day dawned chilly and breezy but bright and sunny. Gryff was scheduled to go 4th in Utility, with the class starting at 9:00 AM. The first 3 dogs all Q'ed, which can be a good omen or a bad one :-).

Gryff had a nice solid performance - very much how he performs inside - and won the class with a 195.5, good for 6 more OTCh points (his total is 88 now). The UB ring was pretty decent, with ruts only in one corner. Of course, we had to heel into and out of that corner, and that's where glove 3 was placed, fortunately not in the rut, but on the grass above it. We did have to do the fast up hill, and that was also the go-out direction.

Open B was scheduled to start at 10:45, but didn't actually start until 11:30. Ty had very nice individuals EXCEPT for the Retrieve over the High Jump. I accept 75% of the blame for that, because my throw was not very long, and it bounced a bit to the left. She jumped out, picked it up, turned left, and 2.5 strides later, was past the jump. It didn't look like it even occurred to her that she was wrong. I was far more disappointed with myself than with her. But she was in good company - all 7 dogs in the first group NQ'ed the individuals! Ack. We petitioned the judge to skip the stays altogether, but he wouldn't go along with it :-). Ty held her sit stay (hurray!), but when the boy dog next to her came over and invited her to dance, she accepted the invitation. Oh, well. The judge said he would be willing to rejudge her, but since Gryff was in the one and only later group, I declined.

Gryffin was as poor in Open B as he'd been solid in Utility. He did a sit on recall, had a hideously long sniff instead of retrieving over the high jump (this in spite of me hollering FETCH... NO! FETCH... GRYFFIN GET IN HERE! etc. to absolutely no response). I was admittedly really PO'ed at the boy. I actually had enough time to wonder if he was going to pee :-(. Thanks god he didn't! And to cap it off, he went down on his sit stay. However, a very bright spot for the stays was that he was next to my friend Chris's neutered male Eagle and never looked twice at him. Two years ago, Gryffin was next to Eagle, fell in love with him, and broke the down stay to visit him. Ten months later, when we got together to train, Gryffin had not forgotten his unrequited love. Neutering is a wonderful thing :-).

HIT went to Chris McCluer and her OTCh Remington Twelve Gauge Shot Gun OA NAJ, with a 198.5 from Open B, and HC went to my friend Chris Van Byssum with her boy Eagle.

Last night was the annual Ring of Honor, in which special dogs are honored. Past winners of BISS, BOSS, HIT, and our Steady Singles competition are invited, as are new and former inductees into our Hall of Fame. Since both of my dogs have won a Specialty HIT, they were both included.

Today is for fun - Versatility with Gryffin to start us off, then Brace with the pair of them, and then Team this afternoon with Ty. Unfortunately, it's shaping up to be a much warmer day, darn it, but at least all stays will be in sight and shorter!

What to do between exercises in the obedience ring

I was in Gonzales, Louisiana last weekend to teach a "Balancing Act" seminar. Because I flew there, I didn't have any of my dogs there, so I prepared the following video to take along to show the variety of ways in which I release and interact with my dogs between exercises in the obedience ring. You can tell from the video that all of the dogs enjoy my touch, which makes it easier to reinforce them in the ring. In how many different prop-less ways (i.e., no food and no toy) do you release your dog? There is one particularly looooong stretch - a full minute - between finishing the UKC Open Figure 8 and starting the Drop on Recall. The judge had to wait for the Honor dog's handler to return, and then she had to give instructions to a steward. What would you do for that length of time in the ring? Practice and find out!

Detroit KC March 1, 2009

I can't remember the last time I showed a dog in obedience at the Detroit KC show at Cobo Hall. I have been there with both Gryffin and Ty in conformation, but I'm pretty sure I never showed Java there, and he's now 12. In any case, in my search for the Open B 1st that Gryffin needs for his OTCh., I decided we'd give Cobo a 1-day try. Except for being a dunce and not looking at the directions before leaving home (and thus went well beyond where I should have gotten off I-94...), our trip there was pretty uneventful. Hauled our large pile of stuff in on my crate dolly from several blocks away, found our benching spot, got everything set up and Gryff settled.

As everyone (all 4 of us) did who showed in Utility B, we NQ'ed. We had order I. Gryff's heeling was poor and unfocused, and he sneezed during Signals and didn't drop. Passed everything else, but had "all the way in the right corner to check out the mat rolls" go-outs. He DID jump the jumps properly, which was a bright spot in an otherwise pretty dismal performance. So no UDX title for us today.

In Open B, also order I, he did redeem himself, although it certainly wasn't the wonderful performance from two days before at the Collie trial. We had a runoff for 2nd, which we won. Too few dogs for any OTCh points at all. He earned a 196.5.

With our showing done, it was back to the bench to hang out, socialize, and talk to people about Flat-Coats. I had Gryffin out several times for the "meet and greet the public" and he thought it a splendid way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

I put up a table with my display board that is full of pictures of NDT staff members and their dogs, along with info on what we do. I put out some of my brochures and schedules, as well as some for Dr. Smith and Annarita's Mrs. Doolittle's Pet Sitting Service. I also had a business card rack out. It felt great to see people picking up not only my information, but my colleagues' information.

I'm hopeful that a few new people will head out our way for classes because of my efforts. Before BNI, I would have thought about it, but I don't think I would have been organized enough to actually set up the display.

Will I go back next year? It's hard to say, but it was a good marketing opportunity.

Ingham Co. Kennel Club 11/30/08

Have you ever heard the term "Bad school, good show?" It's a phrase
that I learned when I showed horses, and it means if the schooling
(aka training) goes badly, the show is likely to go well. Gryffin was
a case in point for that phrase this week.

I hadn't shown since the Marshbanks trials in October, and while I've
been training with some consistency, it still wasn't as much as I was
able to put in in September and October. Gryff's been working slower
than usual without his much more typical enthusiasm, especially when
compared to little rocket Ty. Yesterday with only one other person
around (and she wasn't even doing anything), he couldn't do Signals -
got the old "deer in the headlights" look. I used a toy behind him
some for proofing and then to reward him when he was successful. I
also did some go-outs proofs with the toy and the results weren't
stellar - he was heading for jumps on his go outs, veering off to the
side, etc.. I considered not going to the trial today, but it was my
last trial for the year (boo hoo). Only Gryff was entered, since I
figured it was too busy a place for undertrained Joker, and I'm still
waiting for Ty to come in season... After lugging 3 dogs and their
gear, a single dog was EASY!

We showed first in utility and except for a major struggle on the 1st
article - I think he was literally working the pile for 30 seconds -
all of which cost us 2.5 points, he had a nice class, and got 1st
place of the class of 9 with a 194.5, netting us 6 more OTCh. points.
He now has 57. We left Utility, got to our crate, I gave him a couple
pieces of cheese, grabbed the dumbbell and went into Open. He had a
nice class there, finishing the individuals by 8:45 (!). All 6 dogs in
the group survived stays, hurray! There was a single runoff, which was
for 1st place. They each had a 198 (Dave Tucker and Maddy ran off),
and we got a 197.5, so we were again close to earning that elusive and
needed-for-his-OTCh. Open B 1st. After the way he's been training, I'm
completely thrilled with the results :-). That was his 5th UDX leg,
and for frosting on the cake, we earned High Combined, his 2nd one.

So it was a far finer finish to the 2008 trial season than our 3 NQ
finish last year!

Marshbanks Golden Retriever Club's 2008 Obedience & Rally Trials

There is so much to write about, it's hard to know where to start! There were lots and lots of legs and titles earned this weekend at the Marshbanks obedience & rally trials by many different folks!

I'm happy to report I was 6 for 8. The 2 NQ's were Joker going down on his sit stay in Open B both days. Dang, guess we need to train a lot more sit stays. I can't say retrain since I confess to very little work with him on stays. Ty was 2nd in Novice yesterday for her 3rd leg and CD title with her 3rd 198. Gryffin got his 3rd UDX leg, with a 2nd in Utility for 9 OTCh. points. Today, Ty had a 195 (we lost 2 points for moving feet on her SFE) and 3rd place. Gryffin lost a runoff for 2nd in Utility with a 196.5, got 2 more OTCh. points for that, and got 2nd place in Open B with a 198, for 3 more points. He's got 51 points now, and earned his 4th UDX leg and his very first High Combined! What a difference a week makes!

I want to say a huge thank you to Corinne Williams, who rounded up a fabulous bunch of ring stewards. And thanks to all of you who stewarded who are reading this!

High in Trial on Saturday was Kathy Sweet and her Brittany Vanna out of Open B with a 198.5.
High Combined was Laura Romanik and her Sheltie Flare.
High in Trial on Sunday was Marcia Johnson and her Golden Saber out of Open B with a 199.
High Combined was Adele Yunck and Gryffin.

Here are the very impressive total of legs, Q's, and titles from NDT trainers. Nice going, everyone!

Class Name Dog Leg/title Score Placement
Saturday
Rally Nov B
Helen Szostak Vega 2nd leg 97 2nd place

Rally Adv A
Barb Farrah Vegas 2nd leg? 99 1st place
Mary Kuhns Caitlin 1st leg 2nd place
Brenda Reimer Liza 1st leg 4th place
Kim Hundley Obie 1st leg?
Judy Bocklage Tally 2nd leg

Rally Adv B
Barb Farrah Oscar 98 1st place
Georgette Holst Esme 3rd leg RA

Rally Exc A
Dani Noto Gamble 3rd leg RE 97 1st place

Rally Exc B
Patty Boist Max 3rd leg RE 93 4th place

Novice A
Judy Bocklage Tally 2nd leg 191 1st place
Mary Kuhns Caitlin bonus leg 190 2nd place

Novice B
Jackie Takas & Monty 3rd leg CD 198.5 1st place High in Golden Specialty
Adele Yunck & Ty 3rd leg CD 198 2nd place
Barb Farrah & Vegas 2nd leg 197.5 3rd place
Nancy Stein & Reuben 1st leg

Open A
Linda Grzywacz Promise 2nd leg 197 1st place
Raissa Hinman Aura 1st leg 196.5 2nd place
Lynaia Bermann Lexi 2nd leg 194.5 4th place
Jay Mahler Golda 2nd leg
Belinda Tantalo Daisy 1st leg
Kay Braddock Hank 1st leg
Kathy Knol Casper 3rd leg CDX

Open B
Shelley Devereaux Gena 196.5
Belinda Venner Sparta 194
Adele Yunck Gryffin 3rd UDX leg 193
Eveyln Morga Ember 7th UDX leg 193

Utility A
Mercedes True Max 2nd leg 197 3rd place

Utility B
Adele Yunck Gryffin UDX leg #3 196 2nd place 9 OTCh. Points
Jay Mahler Sadie 185
Eveyln Morga Ember UDX leg #7 189

Sunday
Rally Adv A
Barb Farrah Vegas 3rd leg RA 98 1st place
Mary Kuhns Caitlin 2nd leg ?
Judy Bocklage Tally 3rd leg RA 96 3rd place
Kim Hundley Obie 2nd leg 88
Deanne Matthews 94

Rally Adv B
Barb Farrah Oscar 98 1st place

Rally Exc A
Dani Noto Gamble 97 1st place

Rally Exc B
Patty Boyst Max 95 2nd place

Novice A
Mary Kuhns Caitlin bonus leg 188 1st place

Novice B
Jackie Takas Monty bonus leg 198.5 1st place
Barb Farrah Vegas 3rd leg CD 196 2nd place
Adele Yunck Ty bonus leg 195 3rd place

Open A
Raissa Hinman Aura 2nd leg 195.5 1st place
Linda Grzywacz Promise 3rd leg CDX 194? 3rd place?
Jay Mahler Golda 3rd leg CDX
Belinda Tantalo Daisy 2nd leg 4th place

Open B
Adele Yunck Gryffin 4th UDX leg 198 2nd place 3 OTCh points
Shelley Devereaux Gena 197

Utility A
Bonnie Hornfisher Becky 1st leg 183.5 2nd place
Mercedes True Max 3rd leg UD 182.5 3rd place

Utility B
Adele Yunck Gryffin 4th UDX leg 196.5 3rd place 2 OTCh points (He now has 51) High Combined
Eveyln Morga Ember 190