I took Dylan with me last night as I was taking the class in Thornton Heath. He is nice and quiet when I am teaching, so that's nice. I also did a few bits and pieces with him and he worked very nicely... well, as nicely as he could on that floor. It was very slippery for him, so he didn't have any grip at all.
I am looking forward to the next competition at the end of August. I need to work on the turns though as he is wide at times and almost always drops his head.
27 July 2007
06 July 2007
Obedience show SATS Warlingham
24th June 2007
This was only the second obedience show in about 18 months (first one we did this year was Culverstone and that didn't go well at all...). This show in Warlingham on 24th June was my very first car trip on my own...! I had all three dogs (Dylan, Flash and Jesse) with me.
It wasn't a great day weatherwise as it didn't stop raining at all. I didn't think that neither Flash nor Dylan would do much at all... but I was wrong. Flash worked quite nicely... though the judge didn't agree, but then she doesn't know what Flash was like before and the progress he has made. He was still a little distracted, but nothing like he used to be.
Dylan however, despite the rain, put in some lovely performances. The heelwork still needs quite a bit of improvement, but at least he is with me now and is fairly concentrated. It is the turns mainly that need work now.
We did a Pre-Beginners round (which wasn't brilliant) and then we did the first proper Beginners round ever (I did one once before when Dylan wasn't ready for it at all and took off with the dumbell, so I don't count that), which of course included the retrieve. I was quite nervous as Dylan had never done a retrieve at a show! But he was lovely throughout. The rain didn't help of course with the heelwork... but we did it, lost a few points though. The recall was perfect, fast, precise, enthusiastic! Great! Then the retrieve. I threw the dumbell, Dylan waited nicely. I sent him, he went after it fast, brought it back fast... then dropped it just in front of me... Never mind, he picked it up again, sat for the present(crooked... but hey) and then was asked to finish... and finish he did... he came straight through my legs from behind rather than go into the heel position. I was stunned for a few seconds and wondered what to do, then burst out laughing and left it at that. The judge thought it was the cutest thing they had seen on that day... LOL
The stays were fab despite the rain and very wet ground. Dylan didn't break either of them. What an achievement for a lurcher.
Well, we finished with 7 1/2 points lost, 2 of which with the retrieve. I am more than happy with that. It was the first time that I was confident that Dylan would do his stuff in the ring... and so he did! I am looking forward to the next show now.
Someone (Dave Scott) took this picture at the show.
And this is the write up by the judge Christine Paris(though she thought that Dylan's name was "Vera"... ha ha...)
"No 371 Vera the Lurcher, a lovely boy who I could easily have taken home"
This was only the second obedience show in about 18 months (first one we did this year was Culverstone and that didn't go well at all...). This show in Warlingham on 24th June was my very first car trip on my own...! I had all three dogs (Dylan, Flash and Jesse) with me.
It wasn't a great day weatherwise as it didn't stop raining at all. I didn't think that neither Flash nor Dylan would do much at all... but I was wrong. Flash worked quite nicely... though the judge didn't agree, but then she doesn't know what Flash was like before and the progress he has made. He was still a little distracted, but nothing like he used to be.
Dylan however, despite the rain, put in some lovely performances. The heelwork still needs quite a bit of improvement, but at least he is with me now and is fairly concentrated. It is the turns mainly that need work now.
We did a Pre-Beginners round (which wasn't brilliant) and then we did the first proper Beginners round ever (I did one once before when Dylan wasn't ready for it at all and took off with the dumbell, so I don't count that), which of course included the retrieve. I was quite nervous as Dylan had never done a retrieve at a show! But he was lovely throughout. The rain didn't help of course with the heelwork... but we did it, lost a few points though. The recall was perfect, fast, precise, enthusiastic! Great! Then the retrieve. I threw the dumbell, Dylan waited nicely. I sent him, he went after it fast, brought it back fast... then dropped it just in front of me... Never mind, he picked it up again, sat for the present(crooked... but hey) and then was asked to finish... and finish he did... he came straight through my legs from behind rather than go into the heel position. I was stunned for a few seconds and wondered what to do, then burst out laughing and left it at that. The judge thought it was the cutest thing they had seen on that day... LOL
The stays were fab despite the rain and very wet ground. Dylan didn't break either of them. What an achievement for a lurcher.
Well, we finished with 7 1/2 points lost, 2 of which with the retrieve. I am more than happy with that. It was the first time that I was confident that Dylan would do his stuff in the ring... and so he did! I am looking forward to the next show now.
Someone (Dave Scott) took this picture at the show.
And this is the write up by the judge Christine Paris(though she thought that Dylan's name was "Vera"... ha ha...)
"No 371 Vera the Lurcher, a lovely boy who I could easily have taken home"