Kota and I showed at the "Thanksgiving Cluster" of AKC shows in Springfield, MA, an environment known for it's noise and myriad distractions! On Thursday, I only entered her in Utility. That's the class she likes the best (probably because a) I spent more time training it and b) there are no group stays involved :) ). She was pretty happy but definitely more distracted than usual and apparently didn't hear me when I called "Sit" on the first go-out. A handler was throwing a DB for the retrieve on the flat in Kota's general direction, so that may just have been part of it LOL. Lacking perceived direction, Kota turned back eventually and stood there, looking bewildered. She took the jump as directed.
The second Go Out and cued sit were spot on. However, just as the judge signaled me to send her over the next jump, a handler in the ring behind her through a dumbbell over the high jump. It landed right at the go-out stanchion and that proved too tempting. She looked away right as I signaled her and missed the signal. NQ :(. The rest of the class was pretty good, but I knew we had some proofing to do!
Luckily, Nutmeg Border Collie Club was hosting a match following the show, so I called my waiting husband and told him we were going to be later than expected. He's a patient soul :). The match helped a whole lot. I mostly practiced ring entrances followed by play, and we did some general distance attention games. Friday, we were in both OB and UB and Kota was much happier and more attentive. A couple of little things NQd us in each class, but I knew I had my girl back.
Saturday, she pulled out UDX leg #5, qualifying in both classes with nice scores. There's a link to Saturday's Utility B class at the bottom of this post. Aside from a no sit (my fault) and a near anticipation on the first article (mostly not my fault lol), she had a great class. Those two hits were enough to keep us out of the ribbons in a very competitive class (4 dogs scored 198.5 and had run offs for placements), but we ended on a good note and she was happier at the end of the weekend than at the beginning, which always makes ME happy.
If you're still reading, I wish you happy training and thoughtful, fun proofing with your own dogs!
The second Go Out and cued sit were spot on. However, just as the judge signaled me to send her over the next jump, a handler in the ring behind her through a dumbbell over the high jump. It landed right at the go-out stanchion and that proved too tempting. She looked away right as I signaled her and missed the signal. NQ :(. The rest of the class was pretty good, but I knew we had some proofing to do!
Luckily, Nutmeg Border Collie Club was hosting a match following the show, so I called my waiting husband and told him we were going to be later than expected. He's a patient soul :). The match helped a whole lot. I mostly practiced ring entrances followed by play, and we did some general distance attention games. Friday, we were in both OB and UB and Kota was much happier and more attentive. A couple of little things NQd us in each class, but I knew I had my girl back.
Saturday, she pulled out UDX leg #5, qualifying in both classes with nice scores. There's a link to Saturday's Utility B class at the bottom of this post. Aside from a no sit (my fault) and a near anticipation on the first article (mostly not my fault lol), she had a great class. Those two hits were enough to keep us out of the ribbons in a very competitive class (4 dogs scored 198.5 and had run offs for placements), but we ended on a good note and she was happier at the end of the weekend than at the beginning, which always makes ME happy.
If you're still reading, I wish you happy training and thoughtful, fun proofing with your own dogs!
_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oftRkgMyDI