Long show weekend!

[Annette47]

We showed in 3 trials over 2 days ... was at the show yesterday for 6+ hours, and today for 12+.

Utility didn’t go so well - she’s having go-out confusion; yesterday Open wasn’t bad - she was 3rd in Open B with a 195 and high scoring Lab in trial (supported entry). Today we had a long, exhausting, often frustrating day at the Trenton Kennel Club show. Two NQ’s in Utility B (go-outs are broken - we’ll need to do some glove to go-out drills in class this week!) and a mediocre Open B class in the morning trial. I realized that as the day went on both days she was getting more and more distracted and unfocused in the ring - every little breeze and she would turn her head - very unlike her. So for the last few hours of the day I tried something different. Instead of keeping her crated (which she prefers at indoor trials), I had her out with me laying on the grass while I waited so that she could take in all the sights, sounds, smells etc. before going in the ring. We went in for Open B and all of a sudden I had my dog back - she was focused, precise, eager to please etc. Held her stays, and 12 hours after arriving at the show site, and after four previous classes, gave me the best heeling I’ve ever had outdoors to win a run-off for first place in Open B! The run-off was against a Border Collie, so it was nice to win for breed pride as well!

For those who don’t know, the requirements for an OTCH are 100 points (earned via placements against competition at trial - the number of points depends on the number of dogs showing), and 3 first places. One must be from Open B, one must be from Utility B and one from either. Only one of those can be at a Specialty. The all-breed Open 1st is often said to be the hardest one to get and I have known many dogs who have fulfilled every other requirement and were just missing that for months or even years. So for her to get it this early is a HUGE relief. It was a smaller entry, and Open is always worth less, but it’s still 2 more OTCH points. So only 96 points and at least one Utility first to go! I’m not that worried about that - she’s definitely capable of it once she puts all the pieces together.

And the best part? I got to meet Barry yesterday!

[barry581]

It was great to finally meet you!!

I enjoyed watching a good bit of the Obedience, but was a bit disappointed with watching the Labs in the breed ring. While I saw some very nice, fit looking dogs, I also saw a lot of obviously overweight dogs. On the day I felt the bitches looked better than the dogs. The other thing I thought was a bit odd was how tall the grass was. It was also very thick, and you could tell it was having an affect on both the dogs and handlers when they were moving. It also made many of the dogs look short in the leg, making them look really out of balance.