Tip does it again: CD in three straight shows!

Tip continues to surprise me.  OK -- so I knew when he was ready to show in conformation.  And I told Suzanne and Colleen that he wanted to show in conformation.  And they didn't quite beleive me until they took him to a big weekend of specialty shows and he brought home either WD or RWD every day.  Then he only needed one more weekend to finish his title:  with three majors.  Yeah -- that Tip!

Then a couple years ago I showed him in Preferred agility jumpers, and he Qed every run adn finished his title  bam bam bam!  Like that!  Then last year I showed him in Beginner Novice Obedience (doing the bad handler thing of scarcely training her dog before she entered him), and Q got 3 Qs and a new title.  Then a couple weeks ago I showed him in agility (not preferred) and he Qed almost every run (the NQ run was handler error).  And the there is obedience.  Much to my shock, that little dog Qed every time he stepped into the Novice Obedience ring.  It wasn't always pretty, but that little valiant heart did its darnedest to be good.  And his stays were perfect.  I don't think he has ever lost anything on a stay (stand, down, or sit).  Its like he freezes into place and just turns off.

Tip finished his CD at the Hyattsville DTC trials in Beltsville Maryland on Sunday September 23, 2012.

The huge newly minted CD smile, with Tip gazing lovingly at judge Don Levinson.

On Saturday, people said he was heeling quite nicely (even the judge), but he got a fairly abysmal score (173) because his "Sitter was broken".  Yup -- I had a handsome little dog who stacked every time I stopped on heeling and who stacked in front on the recall. On Sunday, I got a decent number of sits in heeling, but I lost him partway through the heeling pattern (he caught up with me after I executed the about turn after the fast, and finished nicely in heel position.  With a sit, as I recall.  He does have a lovely wait and recall, except he ends up stacked in front of me looking slightly confused.

Working out technical difficulties in the photo shoot.

Finally, Tip is facing the correct direction and the humans are not being silly!

 Here's to a valiant little dog:  CH. Waytogo's Walk This Way BN CD NJP!

MX for Bo!

Well that went far better than I had hoped.  Bo and Tip brought home a stash of ribbons and rosettes. 

Bo and Tip with their satin haul from the Belgian agility trial (September 2012)

I am not sure:  Was the high point the fact that Bo had a perfect start line down-stay on every single run (6 all weekend???)  Was it how spectacular Bo's runs were?  Was it Bo finishing his MX with a 4th place run that earned him 29 MACH points in a class of 22 8"Exc B dogs?  (A run that had the judge stop me later to comment on it?)  Was it the fact that Tip came home with 3 first place rosettes from Novice?  Decisions decisions.... I have no idea -- it was all good.

I realized the command "wait" on the start line actually means "jump up and down and bark madly".  Funny what you unintentionally teach your dog.  In all other instances wait actually means ... quietly hold position until I tell you otherwise.  But I put Bo into a down and a stay and he ... held his down until released.  I even did lead-outs!

Then there was little Tip.  He didn't Q in T2B, simply because he cannot do 12 weave poles in trial setting yet.  But he gained confidence all weekend.  I flubbed up our final run, because otherwise he would have finished his NA title.  However, despite my handling blunder it was a great run -- lots of energy and a fair bit of speed, and quite a bit of assurance.  Once we have those weave poles down, I think he will be meeting up with Bo in Excellent quite soon.  And I fear he will be quite consistent (unlike Bo who is so very brilliant).

Bo = Ferrari (Italian, flashy, fast, breaks down, but everyone wants one the second they see it!)
Tip =  Audi (German, machine-like, well engineered, reliable, very functional)

OMG! What was I thinking?

I remember entering the trials.  All I really thought was "Let's just make sure I am not entering agility and obedience trials on the same day, right???"

Well, I succeeded.  Agility trials next weekend.  Two dogs.  Weekend after?  Obedience trials, two dogs.  Then I go on travel for a week and a half, come back, host dinner for 40-60 ravenous teenagers, then promptly go to another 2 days of obedience trials.

Its a real pity my dogs' handler is insane.

On the good side.  I went and practiced with Bo and Tip at Capital this morning.  Both dogs were insanely excited to work.  Especially Bo.  Bo was (of course) brilliant.  Had a bit of that "I am so excited about the gloves that I will not picot to heel position but hunker down insanely behind you".  So I actually gave him a pretty stiff "THIS is heel" correction.   

Tip was Tip.  He was clearly trying.  Heeling is not really sunk into his bones thorugh, and he still has a tendency to stack in front and look at my face when confused.  And sometimes thinks he ought to stack and pose while I walk away.  And his fronts are far too far away, off center, and often stadning.

But besides that he is great...  Talk to me in a couple of weeks, and we shall see what really happens.