August/September Novice Trials

We have done four Novice trials in the last four weeks.......

In the first two trials at our home club, BDOC, Peep was sitting on 189 and 190 and both times she went down on her sit-stays. NQ x 2.

I was SO disappointed. She hadn't blown a sit stay before. So i gave this new behaviour some serious thought - the 'only' thing that was different was the weather - it was a sunny 13 degrees that Saturday and hitherto we had done all our training at night in temperatures of about 4 degrees.

Her stays were so solid in training that i hadn't practised them during the day in the spring sunshine. And i hadn't practised them at all in the week before the BDOC trials.

Black dogs are like solar collectors when the sun comes out.........and we need to practise!

What was i thinking?

BAD Trainer!!

So we practised doing our sit stays everywhere - in the hallway while i loaded the car, in the training paddock in mild spring sunlight, while waiting for dinner to be served........ we practised stays alone and stays in company, stays with Unkie Harpo and stays with our Novice class buddies.........

And then we travelled to Wagga Wagga for the Kyeamba trials in early September.

Eepie won the first trial with 192 points and came third in the second trial with 186 points.

The difference in her points was, again, a trainer/handler malfunction. i was so nervous in the second trial that i kept anticipating the judge's commands and the judge was not impressed. We were docked for my lack of attention.

Bad Handler!!

I have learned some valuable training and handling lessons and my dear, patient, clever pup has earned two legs of her Novice title despite her klutz of a mother.

Our last trials for the year are in about ten days. We are entered in two Novice trials so we have two chances to finish her CD in 2010.

I'm hoping it won't be too warm and sunny on the day and yes, we will be practising our stays beforehand.....