We interrupt this journey for a very important message...

Cherish your dog(s).  

Please.

This weekend, Spirit and I were at an Obedience & Rally Trial.  I will post about our continuing journey in next week's blog.  What I want to talk about in this post is something I saw that made me so incredibly sad that I had to fight back tears.

I will not state what class it was, only that it was an "A" division handler, and I will not state the gender of the handler or the breed or gender of the dog.  I will refer to the handler as "they" and to the dog as "it."  

Someone finished their obedience run, which had not gone well.  They left the ring, and the handler yanked on the dog's leash multiple times.  Basically they were giving a correction, even though the dog was doing nothing wrong at the moment.  They then pushed the dog hard into its crate and left it there while they gathered up their belongings.  As they left the building, the dog tried to walk beside them, and they repeatedly pushed it away, not allowing the dog to get too close to them.

I was heartbroken for this poor dog, who only wanted to be close to its human and had no earthly idea why they were being so cruel.

Their run was not the worst I've ever seen -- not by a long shot!  It appeared to me to be a run by a green dog and handler, who both just need some more practice and ring time.  Unfortunately, this dog will probably grow to dislike obedience or even be fearful of it should this type of treatment continue.

Choking down my emotions, I headed to the ring for our judge's briefing.  One of the points he made was that this should be FUN, and the dog should always enjoy what we're doing in the ring.  I got choked up again wondering if that handler had ever received the same advice.

We were first up following the briefing, and I tried to push the sad images out of my mind as I raced to get my dog and headed back to the ring.  Dogs are sensitive creatures, and Spirit needed me to be happy and focused on her when we walked in to compete.  

After the awards were presented, I told the judge that I was almost in tears when he was giving his briefing and explained why.  He was sad about it also.  And he made a point that I had been thinking about as well, "Someday, that dog will be on the table in the vet's office, and..."  Tears in his eyes, his voice cracked, and he could not finish.

Most of us know that no ribbon, title, or award is as important as the love in our dogs' eyes.  I sincerely hope that this handler learns that, too.  I pray it happens before they completely lose the trust of their beloved companion.

Cherish your dog(s).

That is all.
MDW

The journey continues...

Aslan and Spirit

Since my last post, "Signs," it's been a busy couple of weeks to record in this online diary.

The Sunday following the puppy match, Spirit, Aslan, and I went to an obedience match, an event which provided additional confirmation that conformation needs to be put on the back burner for now.  I had a fabulous time!

Spirit's recent training has taken place at home and at my local obedience training club.  I needed to know how she would do in a new location -- and after spending more time in the car than she was used to.  I also needed to see how Aslan's obedience would hold up in a trial setting.  The obedience match was our testing opportunity.

Beautiful weather made the trip enjoyable.  However, in the morning, there was just the slightest chill in the outside air, and the temperature inside the building was downright cold.  The longer-than-usual car ride and the climate seemed to negatively affect Spirit, as she was stiff and slow during our practice runs.

An experienced competitor suggested that on trial day I should get Spirit out and warm her up for a long time before we go in the ring.  On one hand I agreed, but on the other hand I knew this would present a problem.  Due to her age, Spirit needs to warm up -- but not too much, or else she gets tired.

Another trial-day problem would be the driving distance.  Our first trial was about 2-1/2 hours from home.  I decided that my best course of action would be frequent, short warm-up sessions for Spirit.  Aslan, on the other hand, requires a fairly long warm up before going in the ring; otherwise, he's too wired up to concentrate and perform well.  He's quiet, calm, and well behaved in his crate, but when I get him out, he's like, "Mom, mom, mom, MOM, MOOOO-OOOOM!  Oh boy, oh boy, it's MOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!"

On the day of the match, I had quite a long wait before our first turn, so I hadn't yet warmed up Aslan, when the organizers decided to practice the group stays.  I quickly grabbed Aslan and took him for a fast potty break, and then we hurried inside to join the group.  Given the circumstances, I wasn't sure how well he would stay but figured it would be a really good practice opportunity.  He surprised me by staying, despite other dogs breaking, handlers moving in and out of the ring, and doing a five-minute sit stay while the other dogs were doing down stays, and a three-minute down stay while the other dogs were doing sit stays.  (Most of the other people were practicing for Open B class, in which the stay order can be reversed from the usual sit-first-then-down routine.  Because Aslan has had problems lying down during a sit stay, I opted to keep him doing the usual order.)

Spirit and Aslan each had two runs.  Spirit's heeling was "laggy" (instead of staying right by my side, she was lagging behind me a lot) because, as previously noted, she was stiff and tired.  Aslan's heeling was fantastic except for one particular corner of the ring when he was unsure if he should remain in heel position or go jump the agility tire jump that was in that area.  (I think that if it had not been set up against the wall, he might have given it a go :-)  I must admit to a feeling of pride when I heard some experienced handlers comment on his nice heeling.

The highlight of my day, though, was when Spirit held her sit stay for BOTH of our runs!  In Beginner Novice, the sit stay exercise is done with the dog sitting in the middle of the ring while the handler walks around the inside perimeter of the ring.  We have struggled so much with that exercise, and I was incredibly happy that she succeeded TWICE!

A couple days later, in class, Spirit again held the sit stay multiple times.  I was elated and had high hopes for our upcoming trial.

. . .

As I mentioned in my blog post, "The Dog's Out of the Bag," I had arranged to leave work early at least once a week so that I could get in some private training time before evening classes at the club.  However, I work at a church, and the weeks leading up to Easter are very busy in the office.  Holy Week is a "blackout" week, meaning that no one is supposed to take any time off.  Therefore, I knew we would be unable to get in a last Thursday-afternoon practice before Saturday's obedience trial.

For the first Friday evening in a while, both my calendar and the club calendar were free, and I considered taking the dogs over for a quick "run-thru," but then decided against it.  I was afraid Spirit would be too tired if we went out Friday night and then were also gone all day Saturday.

So after surviving Holy Week at work, I got up early on Saturday morning and hit the road with my furry traveling companions.  Our first stop was to meet up with my best friend, who was going to ride up and spend the day with us.  Even though we live only a four-hour round trip apart, we see each other much too rarely.  This was a wonderful treat for me to have her go along!

I had two dogs entered in three classes in two rings under two judges, all scheduled for "after noon."  It was great to not have to get up at o'dark thirty for an 8:00 a.m. ring time.  The only drawback was not having any kind of estimated start time.  "After noon" could mean 12:05 p.m. or 4:00 p.m., depending on whether or not the morning classes were running on schedule.

Not knowing exactly when our classes would start, but knowing that I needed plenty of time for Aslan to soak up the environment and chill out and that I would need to warm up Spirit early and often, we arrived and got set up before noon.  

I watched the judging and checked the schedule, and I figured that the timing would work out just fine and that I would have no conflict showing between the two rings.  However, as the afternoon went on, the time I had estimated between the two rings was growing smaller and smaller.  I should have asked to move Spirit to the beginning of her class, but I figured I would have time and that I was just being nervous for nothing.  And then, as Spirit and I were waiting for her turn to go in, I saw that the other ring, the one Aslan would be in shortly, was moving along quite quickly, and we were going to be lucky to make it!

I made myself focus.  SPIRIT was the real reason I was here.  If Aslan didn't get to compete in one class today, it was not the end of the world.  And Spirit's number was called to the ring.

We entered the ring, and I was filled with confidence that she could qualify and get the first leg of her title.  Her heeling was laggy and even worse on the figure eight, but I believed we probably still had enough points to qualify.  She did the sit-for-exam exercise perfectly.  Deep breath.  Here comes the sit-stay/walk-around-the-ring exercise.  Whew!  She did it!  Recall is the only thing left.  "Spirit, come!"  Okay, it's Beginner Novice, so we can still qualify if she comes on the second command.  "Spirit, come!"  Well, we've NQ'd now.  "Spirit come."  Sigh.  I clapped my hands and opened my arms wide for encouragement, "Spirit, come!"  Finally!  (Yep, should have gone to the club Friday night for that one last run-thru.  Sigh.)

The judge was encouraging, and I told her that Spirit was nearly 13 years old.  She said, "I could tell she was an older dog.  Good for you for getting her out and working with her!"  

Connie, who had been video recording our run, came to the gate to meet us, reached out to take Spirit's leash from me, and said, "I'll take her.  You go get Aslan.  You're next."  Bless her!  I thanked her and sped off.

Aslan had the shortest potty break and warm up that he has ever had, and then we rushed back into the building.  We had just a few moments before it was our turn.  I was concerned because he tends to be overly playful without a good warm up.  On-lead heeling and figure eight were better than I had expected, though.  

On the stand-for-exam exercise, I discovered something we had not proofed for.  The majority of Novice competitions I have observed and been part of, the judge pats the dog on the head, the back, and the rear; and that is how we had practiced.  However, this judge placed her hand on the dog's head and ran her hand downward along the back to the rear, keeping her hand in constant contact with the dog's body.  Aslan turned to look at her like, "Huh?  What's that about?" and moved his feet as he turned.  I assumed we had NQ'd at that point.  

We finished the class with the off-lead heeling and recall exercises, which seemed to go well.  We then left the ring, but only for a moment, as we were the last team in the class, and the group stay exercises were next.  Aslan was still pretty wired up, and again, I was concerned about his enthusiasm level as we re-entered the ring.  Additionally, Aslan was at the end of the line, directly next to the open ring gate.  Even with the ring steward standing there, it was a tempting distraction.  One-minute sit stay.  Whew, he did it.  Next, the three-minute down stay.  Yes, success.  

Aslan with his placement ribbons
from yesterday's obedience trial.

As the handlers picked up their armbands and leashes, the judge prepared to call the numbers of the dogs who had qualified.  I was sure our number would not be on the list, so I was incredibly surprised to hear her say that ALL of the dogs in the class had qualified.  When the placement awards were presented, my surprise exponentially increased when she called our number for the 3rd place rosette!

At the conclusion of the Novice class, the Preferred Novice class began.  There were only two dogs competing in this class, so Aslan had only a few minutes before we went back into the ring.  This time he held the stand stay perfectly, but his off-lead heeling was horrendous.  The other dog heeled beautifully, so not surprisingly, Aslan ended up with second place. 

The scores are posted at the end of each class, and I was not surprised to see how many points we lost  for both on-lead and off-lead heeling exercises.  His final score in Preferred Novice was a 182 (out of 200).  

However, I was excited to see that he had earned a 192 (out of 200) in Novice.  The stand for exam, which I thought had NQ'd us, was only a two-point deduction.  Most shocking to me, he lost only one point on off-lead heeling.  Way to go, Aslan!

Another high point of the day:  I was able to spend a few minutes talking to the owner of Aslan's late sire.  I am happy that she was there to see Aslan's obedience debut.  She was very complimentary of his performance and his attitude and encouraged me to continue his training into the next levels of obedience.  Thanks, Fran!  

When I checked to see what Spirit's score would have been, I discovered that she had lost only 8-1/2 points on the heel-on-lead and figure-eight exercises.  Had she properly done her recall, her score would probably have been in the 190s!!

Spirit

Despite her NQ, I am exceptionally proud of my girl.  She may be old, but she walked into that building like she owned it.  She was comfortable among all the controlled chaos of an obedience trial and greeted all the people she encountered as though they were old friends.  And she was willing to walk into that ring with me and give this a valiant effort.  

I'm not sure what happened on the recall, though I wonder if it was the brief deluge hitting the roof that might have distracted her somewhat.  In any case, I believe it was merely a fluke thing, and I'm sure she'll get it next time.  In order to finish her title at the National Specialty, she will need to earn two legs before then, and she is entered in two more trials before then.  The show is some distance from home, but not as far as yesterday's, so I'm hopeful that the trip won't be quite as tiring for her.  Additionally, we will be able to get in our regular practice time this week, which should be helpful as well.  

No matter what happens, whether she earns all or none of the legs for the title, I will always remember this journey with her in her senior years.

-----

With trials next weekend followed by National Specialty week, I probably will not be posting again until the end of April or the first of May.  Wish us luck, and, as always,

Hug your dogs!
MDW

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PS -- Some of you may be new to the terminology of obedience training and trialing.  Please don't hesitate to post any questions you have in the comments section.  I will be happy to explain! :-)

Signs

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign.

I Saw the Sign.

Aslan - January 2017 Rally Trial
Dick Clark Photography

Last week, I wrote about the signs pointing me to go for an obedience title on Spirit.  

Today, the signs indicated to me that I should not show Aslan in conformation -- at least not any time soon.  

Aslan and I have been training hard for Rally and Obedience lately and have not spent much time practicing for the Conformation ring.  There are some upcoming shows in which I had considered entering Aslan, and I wanted to gauge how he would do, so this morning I took him to a B-Match.  (These events are often called Puppy Matches because, even though there are classes for adult dogs, the majority of the entries are puppies.)  

Actually, today, the signs suggested that I should have stayed home in bed!  The first sign was that I overslept.  Then, one thing after another wasn't going right.  Okay, well, because sometimes that's normal around here in the morning, I ignored those signs.  I finally got out the door, much later than I wanted, but still within the realm of making it to my destination on time.

Minutes after I got onto the highway, traffic stopped.  After a few minutes, I wondered if this was a sign that I should have stayed home.  Traffic began to crawl again, and I considered getting off at the next exit and going home, but I decided to go a little further and see.  I was relieved when traffic started moving again, but the relief was short lived, and again I considered going home.  Then, finally, we were back to normal speed.  Whew, we could still make it...

Justice - January 2016 Agility Trial
CSPN Photography

The next sign that I should have stayed home was actually one that I *didn't* see -- the sign for the exit to the next route I needed to take. I never saw any signs that it was coming up, and I never saw it when we passed it.  It seemed like I had driven on this road far longer than I thought I would, and when I glanced at my directions, I was correct.  At that point, I had no idea exactly how far past it I was and no idea whether it would be better to turn around and try to find the exit or to continue on up to I-71.  And, lo and behold, there was a sign for I-71 ahead.  

Since I hadn't planned on taking I-71, I wasn't sure which way the venue was from my present location, so I guessed.  Of course, I guessed incorrectly.  By the time I took the next exit and headed back the other way, I realized that I had less than 10 minutes before registration closed.  That meant less than 10 minutes to go about 20 miles, park the car, grab my paperwork (which I had, thankfully, had the foresight to fill out in advance), and get inside.  No way that was going to happen unless I was transported there by Star Trek's Scotty.  

When I reached the exit for the venue, I considered just driving on past and heading home.  Registration was supposed to close at 10:30, and it was already 10:40.  But my nerves were on edge, and I had to use the restroom.  I figured I would slip in and ask, and when they told me it was too late, I would use the ladies' room and then leave.

Aslan - January 2017 Rally Trial
Dick Clark Photography

I was quite surprised to discover that the registration table was still fully staffed.  "I suppose it's too late to register?" I asked the woman at the herding group table, my voice tinged with embarrassment.  "Of course not!" she replied with a smile.  Honestly, when I arrived, I was almost in tears from frustration, and then I was almost in tears of relief from their friendliness.  

Armband number in hand, I went back to the van to finish grooming Aslan.  Once he was ready, we walked inside, and I saw some other people registering.  I was quite glad to see that I wasn't the last one :-)  Spotting some other folks with Belgians, I walked over and hung out with them until almost time to go to our ring.

I've often heard that it's better to set your expectations high, but I disagree.  I think it's better to expect nothing, and then, if something good happens I am happily surprised.  This has been true in many instances in my life and was true again today.  Even being able to register falls into that category.  Having had no preconceived expectation that I would be able to register, I was happily surprised that I could.

However, I've often heard that it helps to go in the ring expecting to win -- and I did!  I was sure that my dog looked fabulous, and I fully expected to go in, show well, and win.  Not today.

Justice - January 2013 Rally Trial
Dick Clark Photography

Conformation showing has never really been "my thing."  I've never been a good conformation handler, but I've had some good teachers, and I thought I was improving.  Apparently not.

All that obedience training and lack of recent conformation training resulted in a lot of sits, no ears, and a general all around poor performance.  Someone posted photos on Facebook that she took at the match.  The shot of Aslan in the ring was not flattering, and it demonstrated how poorly I handled him.  I'm glad she posted it because I needed to see.  To top it off, the judge had a conversation with nearly all of the other Tervuren entrants, but me he just dumped.  

It's okay, though.  Truly, I'm not whining or complaining, merely musing on the events of the day.  It's not sour grapes or hard feelings or anything like that.  As they say, "it just is what it is."  I went to this match to find out if I should enter Aslan in any upcoming conformation shows, and now I have my answer.  

Sometimes a reality check is painful, but life's journey is not without disappointments.  Looking on the bright side, that's less money that I have to worry about spending on show entries -- or show clothes, for that matter!  LOL!  

At first I thought the signs were pointing that I should not have shown at the match today, but now I realize that this experience directed me back to where my focus needs to be:  obedience, rally, and agility.  

For the moment I am content not to think about conformation.  We can try again some other day after we've had more time to practice.  For now, the signs are guiding me along another path, one that I believe will be rewarding and fulfilling.

Today, instead of posting my own photos, I am including shots taken by professional photographers at agility and rally trials.  When I look at these pictures, I see the strong bond that we have built through training, and it makes me incredibly happy.  

Seeing the love in their eyes is always a good sign. 💕💕💕💕

Aslan - January 2017 Rally Trial
Dick Clark Photography