Viewing Single Post From: Working Trials

Viewing Single Post From: Working Trials
RJL	Mar 4 2009, 12:19 PM
Chatterbox Posts: 1,387 Group: Full Members Member #179 Joined: January 25, 2006	:yay: it is enormous fun, isn't it? Brilliant to hear someone else is enjoying it as much as me and Dill :yes: We went to a trail a fortnight ago and :doh: just missed out on qualifying! Dill marched into the field confident and primed for his nosework - a retrieve and an article search and guess what little trick the judge had up her sleeve? The 2 minute sit-stay :yikes: to be completed while Dill's friend Sylvia who was stewarding set out the search square.... :hyper: Dill was aghast at being told to sit! I had to turn, walk away and stay for 2 minutes with my back turned! No way!!! I managed not to turn round, but I was convinced the rustling noises I could hear was Dill trying to 'help' with the square. As it turned out - it wasn't - but then I hard a HUGE sigh and a small thud :rolleyes: With 40 seconds remaining, Dill had staged his own little heeler protest and flung himself into a rather stroppy down :ph43r: The retrieve went really well (9/10) and we found 3 articles within the time (although we lost a few marks and he took it upon himself to have a speculative chew on the wooden one) Our heelwork was less then perfect - but the agility went as well as usual. We lost half a mark for Dill's attempt at sitting without his bottom quite touching the ground at the other side of the scale. The sendaway was not good at all - the object was a bath in the hedge and Dill had no idea where he was being sent! He trotted dutifully off and then turned and gave me a very blank look :unsure: before deciding a large tuft of grass looked an excellent place to cock his leg and forget all about the trial :P The 10 minute down out of site went amazingly well :yes: Right up until the time was up and teh steward said 'right, that's it' and started to come towards us poor handlers, hiding round the corner of a barn. Dill - being Dill - heard her - saw her break the stay and thought 'well, if she says it's over - I can find that :x: handler of mine' So just as a very relieved bunch of handlers made their way back to the field, a little black and tan head popped under the gate to welcome us :doh: So that was a fail - 10 marks down the drain (but a heeler who looked very pleased with himself 'just had to come and find you to tell you I did it!!!!') ;) I was actually really pleased with his work, in spite of the mishaps. He managed at least not to go bombing off investigating the square in his sit-stay and his down was so nearly right :rolleyes: His sendaways are usually really good - but so far we've always used tall, thin markers, so that is a good reminder to start to vary the objects. He did the best on the article search he has ever done. Anyway - it's only our 2nd proper competition... Heelwork :yikes: well - we are making progress and the fault is all mine here because I do :yawn: struggle with the motivation sometimes when we are being watched. Funny - we were good at it until that :x: obedience competition - in fact we got the highest marks in our first trial. We will get there though :yes:


Working Trials · Working dogs