AKC Day 2

So proud of my spotty boy! I really think he's starting to get the hang of this trialing stuff...we had some really great moments today and although we had a few little issues, I'm just really happy to see him running a little more like he does in class!

I'm going to start with novice jumpers because I was so pleased with this run. He ended up qualifying with only one refusal and took 2nd place. He had so much speed and I even heard him make some little growl-like noises as he was going through the weaves...he was very intense and his focus was great.



We actually started the day with novice fast and it was kind of a train-wreck from the start. I'm not very good at thinking on my feet and when my plan went out the window, I just couldn't recover. It wasn't a terrible effort, but I think Peyton ended up handling me more than I handled him. :) He also didn't hold his contacts, and I should have worked harder to make sure he did, but I think I must have been running in la-la land!



Our final run was novice standard and even though we had a few bigger issues during this run, he handled the majority of the course well. On the opening he didn't hold his contact (naughty spotty), but he responded to me quickly and we got back on track. THEN came the table. We clearly have some table issues, which isn't too surprising since it's our weakest obstacle - he did get on it after a little hesitation, but as I was trying to get a sit the judge stepped in and Peyton hopped off barking. I tried to get him back on, but with no success. He was clearly very uncomfortable and I should have moved on a little earlier than I did, but I was hoping we could work through it. No such luck. I see a lot more table work in our future, but honestly I think it's just going to take some more experience to work through. Hopefully once he realizes the judges are NOT out to eat him, he'll become more comfortable. On a good note, the second half of the course rocked, and he had a very nice teeter contact.



On the handling front, I think I too made some good progress today. Our fast run was a great reminder that I really need to be more aggressive with my handling. Not aggressive in a negative way, but I just can't be a weenie. :) Not that Indy is a slow dog, but with Peyton there is very little room for errors on my part...especially when he is taking long jump lines with just one stride in between.

What a long, but fun day! We'll be back at it tomorrow with novice standard first thing in the morning. :)