Results 1 to 8 of 8
  1. #1
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Central NJ
    Posts
    2,603
    Thanked: 2277

    Westminster Obedience

    I spent the day there (Westminster Kennel Club Show) yesterday. I went to both watch the Obedience portion, and to help a friend out. The top ten dog go on to what they call a “freestyle” portion where the handler has to make up a routine which entertains the crowd yet contains certain required elements. Most people chose a theme for their routines (there were several Border Collies retrieving stuffed sheep over the high jump for example). My friend (who shows a Toller) did a Canada themed thing involving stuffed Canada geese and hockey puck scent articles. Some of these routines were quite elaborate with costumes and many props and since they are given a 2 minute limit to get their rings set up, most people brought along assistants (I was one for my friend).

    SO fun to watch. The winner, Linda Brennan with Heart (black Lab) did a very entertaining freestyle with a magic theme. One of my favorite parts was when she sent her on a directed retrieve to a top hat, out of which Heart pulled a stuffed rabbit. My friend managed to come in 4th, despite her dog completely screwing up her freestyle by deciding that retrieving stuffed geese was more fun than doing what she was supposed to. She still managed to get all the required elements in though, and the crowd was VERY entertained as it was obvious the dog was having a great time not doing what it was supposed to.

    All the dogs competing were among the top in the country (had to be to be invited), so it was fun to watch some amazing performances as well as to see that even fantastic OTCH dogs make mistakes sometimes too (makes those of us not there yet feel better!).
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

    Hidden Content

  2. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Annette47 For This Useful Post:

    Charlotte K. (02-14-2017), Tanya (02-14-2017)

  3. #2
    Senior Dog smartrock's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Carolina in my mind..
    Posts
    6,391
    Thanked: 4178
    That would be so much fun to watch. I'm pretty sure I've seen some videos of Heart doing her routines. seeing how unwaveringly attentive the dog is to the handler is impressive to me. Nice that you had a chance to be there to help so you'll know what you need to think of aside from the routine when you get there some day!

  4. #3
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Central NJ
    Posts
    2,603
    Thanked: 2277
    Quote Originally Posted by smartrock View Post
    That would be so much fun to watch. I'm pretty sure I've seen some videos of Heart doing her routines. seeing how unwaveringly attentive the dog is to the handler is impressive to me. Nice that you had a chance to be there to help so you'll know what you need to think of aside from the routine when you get there some day!
    LOL .. I was there with my friend and our trainer. They were both saying they thought Chloe and I had a chance to be there next year. I was not so sure!

    ALL of the dogs there have that kind of attention - it’s necessary for them to perform at that level. That was part of the fun of the freestyle - many were more relaxed and less attentive because it didn’t feel so formal to them. Fun to see them act like normal dogs for a change!
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

    Hidden Content

  5. #4
    Moderator
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Greenwood, Delaware
    Posts
    7,348
    Thanked: 7148
    Quote Originally Posted by Annette47 View Post
    .

    All the dogs competing were among the top in the country (had to be to be invited), so it was fun to watch some amazing performances as well as to see that even fantastic OTCH dogs make mistakes sometimes too (makes those of us not there yet feel better!).
    Back when I golfed I always took great pleasure when a pro shanked a shot. Made me feel much better about myself!

  6. #5
    Best Friend Retriever Java's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    580
    Thanked: 329
    Quote Originally Posted by Annette47 View Post
    LOL .. I was there with my friend and our trainer. They were both saying they thought Chloe and I had a chance to be there next year. I was not so sure!...
    That would be fantastic!

  7. #6
    Moderator
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Greenwood, Delaware
    Posts
    7,348
    Thanked: 7148
    I was able to watch Part 1 of the obedience, but could not find Part 2 with all the freestyle. Anybody got a link?!

  8. #7
    Senior Dog
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Central NJ
    Posts
    2,603
    Thanked: 2277
    Quote Originally Posted by barry581 View Post
    I was able to watch Part 1 of the obedience, but could not find Part 2 with all the freestyle. Anybody got a link?!
    I don’t know if it exists as an entire thing. People were mostly posting on FB individual routines that someone in the crowd shot. Apparently, the live-stream both lost video frequently and wasn’t archived anywhere (from what I’ve heard).

    I do have a link to Linda and Heart’s routine though .... Linda had been looking for one and had trouble, but finally found this one that someone had taken.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUx1...ature=youtu.be

    Here’s the only other one I have a link to - Dave Mauer’s with Buster:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65vC...&feature=share
    Annette

    Cookie (HIT HC Jamrah's Legally Blonde, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015
    Sassy (HIT Jamrah's Blonde Ambition, UDX, OM2, BN) 6/4/2015

    Chloe (HIT HC OTCH Windsong's Femme Fatale, UDX4, OM6, RE) 6/7/2009

    And remembering:

    Scully (HC Coventry's Truth Is Out There, UD, TD, RN) 4/14/1996 - 6/30/2011
    Mulder (Coventry's I Want To Believe, UD, RN, WC) 5/26/1999 - 4/22/2015

    And our foster Jolie (Windsong's Genuine Risk, CDX) 5/26/1999 - 3/16/2014

    Hidden Content

  9. #8
    Moderator
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Location
    Greenwood, Delaware
    Posts
    7,348
    Thanked: 7148
    Quote Originally Posted by Annette47 View Post
    I don’t know if it exists as an entire thing. People were mostly posting on FB individual routines that someone in the crowd shot. Apparently, the live-stream both lost video frequently and wasn’t archived anywhere (from what I’ve heard).

    I do have a link to Linda and Heart’s routine though .... Linda had been looking for one and had trouble, but finally found this one that someone had taken.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUx1...ature=youtu.be

    Here’s the only other one I have a link to - Dave Mauer’s with Buster:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65vC...&feature=share

    That's too bad, as it was a lot of fun watching last year. Heart is one amazing dog!!!!

 



Not a Member of the Labrador Retriever Chat Forums Yet?
Register for Free and Share Your Labrador Retriever Photos

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •