Lessons about Winning

Well - it was fun to win last weekend - 97/100 is a good CCD score. It tells me that when the Peep is ON - she's ON. Winning was a lot more fun than popping the stay and not qualifying at the trial the weekend before - but what lessons can i learn from a win? And - where did we lose those three points?

First - i learned the useful lesson that We Can DO It! its good to know that we can - one of the keys to competing successfully is "appropriate training history" - i can store this successful trial as a reminder that we can, indeed, do it at a high level of accuracy.

Secondly - i need to ask, What did i do that helped us get it right on the day? and what can i do to shore up the weak spots in our training? Where can i practise a down stay with a dog doing a fast seekback twenty feet away? Where can i practise precise heeling with dogs being interesting just - over - there???

I couldn't rehearse/train on the Q&DDTC grounds because we are not members of that club - so i went early to the trial and walked both dogs around to let them read this new area and get familiar with it. By the time she was due in the ring she had met and spoken to a few dogs, walked around with Harpo and just with me and she was relaxed, alert and ready to work.

She didn't have breakfast but i took some lean braised 'roo steak cut into tiny pieces and while we were familiarising ourselves with the grounds i rewarded her for checking in and paying attention to me.........i paid her for working - that was the only way she was going to get food that morning! (of course i'd have fed her if she didn't trial well and qualify - but i didn't tell her that)

At home during the week i asked the Peep to practise her stays all over the place because i didn't want another POP - this was a good strategy because in the sit-stay last weekend, the Dalmatian bitch next to Peep got up and walked at snail's pace towards her handler. It was the longest sit stay of my life and i found myself standing there breathless watching the Dal and just WILLING my pup to sit still while the Dal crept forward. It was a very long minute.

So we have reinforced our Wait command (i use Wait and not STAY) in lots of places and with all sorts of rewards - Wait sitting while i put Harpo in the car - reward is its now YOUR turn to get in the car and go out. Wait down while i fill water bowls and prepare dinners - reward - hopping into your crate for dinner - YUM, Wait down while someone interesting goes past the backyard fence - reward for quiet attentive waiting in a down is "Aff - GO!" and she is free to run again

This week i have also asked her to wait in a down while i play with Harpo - getting him to be bouncy and happy while she has to lie still and watch. This is a handy skill to develop - as it seems lots of CCD dogs have trouble on the stays........last weekend one ran out of the ring before the judge had finished giving his orders for the sit stay - and a couple more just bolted off the downs - we need to be able to ignore such behaviour, Eepie!!!