Fun Match

It was supposed to start at 9:30am, and I like get there about 30 minutes early so I got there at about 9:05am. Got his crate set up, signed in at the #2 spot and paid the $6, then brought him in. We did a few seconds of heeling then started playing tug with his frisbee. Then the lady came up to me and said they were ready for us! Okay... he hadn't even been in his crate yet. I had planned on having someone video me, but obviously going to happen today =(

I think I've discovered that Red is better with little or no down time before the run (complete opposite of me!!). The longer he sits around, the more energy saps out of him and the more lackluster his performance. But when he can have like 10-15 minutes in his crate after arriving, and then pull him back out - he's great! I don't know how I would work that for a show though... that's cutting it way too close for my comfort. Anyway, I didn't wear my treat pouch in this time. Instead, I packed hot dogs bits into my both sweatshirt pockets.

Heel On Leash: Good. Ok attention - he got a little distracted on an about turn near the gate separating the next ring and gave him a slight collar pop, but other than that, I thought he was decent. I tried to keep my head up and didn't talk. I think he pays better attention to me if I'm not looking at him. Our fast and slow paces were better this time and were noticeably faster/slower than normal pace. The judge said he bumped me a little a couple times, but nothing major.

Figure 8: Better! Not as much bumping as usual, though they used cones instead of people posts. Not sure if that makes a difference to him or not. He had better sits this time and paid better attention.

Stand for Exam: We did it twice. The first time, he stood sort of cock-eyed in front of me, which put him out of position, but he did great for the (very thoroughly touchy) exam and didn't move his feet when I returned. The second time, he stood straight, but moved his feet when I came back around him.

Heel Off Leash: Great! He always seems to do better off-leash than on. His attention was great, and he stayed with me and wasn't distracted at all. Even though I was trying to stay silent like we were in a real trial, I couldn't help letting quiet excited praise words slip out. LOTS of treats after that one!

Recall: Did this twice as well. He tarted out the first time, and sort of danced around in front of me before finally choosing a thoroughly crooked position far away from me. I guided him into a front, and didn't finish. The second time, I used my hands and said front as a reminder as he was coming in. It was better but still not very straight. Didn't finish that time either.

All in all, except the recall, I was happy with the run! The judge liked him and said he would definitely qualify. We didn't do sits/downs - I'm not worried about them and we will be in class tomorrow morning and he can do them there.