a wrap-up from a bad owner

So Saturday was the show, and it was HOT.AS.HECK. out there - I don't know whose bright idea it was to get to 90 degrees in April in NJ, but seriously folks... by 10 am, Rah was panting his fool head off, I didn't feel comfortable leaving the dogs in the car even with windows open, the hatch open, and my sun screen up, so with K's help we moved all the crates up to the picnic table area in the nice cool shade (where it was much more comfortable. Shame I couldn't show there...)

Clearly many of us do not train enough outside :) Some of the performances were just dismal, including my own... Rah didn't get into the ring until after 12, and right before he got into the ring he saw a big fat bumblebee and he started jumping and snapping at it trying to eat it. I got him in the ring and the heeling pattern started - wasn't so bad. Did the figure 8, also wasn't so bad all things considering - but he didn't sit at a single halt for the fig8 BAD DOBE. At this point he looks like he's going to have a coronary (good thing he's young and healthy, an older dog I would probably pull for fear of heat stroke, but I know my dog and know he's just a panter - his tongue is all the way out of his mouth, he's foaming, and his brain is GONE) - we do the SFE and it's a man and Rah is typical Rah and just shies away - I don't know why this translates in the ring to not liking men doing his SFE< but we really need to work on it. Problem is, when I train, he NEVER shies away, ever. DAMNIT.

Go to the recall and on the way there, Rah stepped on my shoe and untied it - so I had to stop and tie it, and during this time Rah started grazing on the grass. I stopped him, but he kept chomping. I left him in the sit, and called him front, and he came but then just leaned to me, way too hot to live. I finished him and left the ring, bad bad dog. I SHOULD have had him platz and then broken him out and UPPED HIM UP but by this point I think we both just wanted this to be over.

Long sit was ok, he held it... but the damn long down on the grass was too tempting and Rah rolled and rolled and rolled and rolled, and 2 minutes in he just stood up and walked to me. Not a willfull break, more of a "I just forgot I was doing a down" break. My bad for not training him more outside, and we've honestly never done stays on grass - and since he has no grass at home, he had to roll. NO sense in correcting him outside the ring, I need to actually train him to not do it. Bad bad bad bad bad bad handler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rah still took first in the class, but the score was ridiculous and his competition was ridiculous - but the judge originally placed him LAST and I had to see the score sheet and asked him (all innocent like ) why my HIGHEST SCORE in the class was last and the lowest score in class was first :) So we all had to trade ribbons.


Trained in the living room last night - I realize that I train Rah's utility stuff most because it's fun and new, and don't work the other stuff anymore because it's boring. That's bad! And I haven't trained berlin at all... abd bad bad bad bad bad bad handler again!

Worked go-outs for Rah, and he's doing really well. Because the kittens are in his training room, we did them in the living room and he did about 15-20 feet goouts and has a nice turn and sit. If I call him off before he gets there (I don't think his ready for this, mental note) he doesn't turn all the way to me because he's still trying to see if the food is there that he missed.

Worked some get closes, some left finishes (which were horrible, he isn't coming back far enough to come in straight - and while his right finish is NICE and WONDERFUL his left one really needs to be serviceable too!), and some auto-sits to keep him nice and tight and straight, which he wasn't in the ring at Harrisburg. Then worked week three of ATC , and he did the entire pile again even though mom screwed up kinda, but he still worked the entire pile just fine.

Today I really do need to work Berlin - and I'm going to bring out the BJ, the HJ, and the bar and work some directed jumping, some open work, and do some heeling outside and some basic attention.

Also going to take berlin outside and do attention work with her there. No sense in having two dogs with the same problem, right?