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The Truckee Meadows Obedience Trials were a lesson in themselves for Spur and me. 

The past few months have been a dry spell, with disappointing NQs at our own specialty in Long Beach and at more local trials in Vallejo.  It's all about perfection, and both Spur and I have had some challenges in putting the big picture together.

The good news is that Truckee Meadows offered some much needed encouragement - with qualifying scores in Open and Utility we earned our first Utility Dog Excellent leg on Friday.  Only nine to go!

The bad news was that our scores were barely qualifying.  And the learning is that the big problem is one problem:  automatic finishes.  After our Open class the supportive judge Mary Lou Just took me aside and pointed to my score sheet. 

"Look at this," she said sternly.  "You finished this class with a 183.  And I took 15 points off for automatic finishes."

This problem isn't new.  when I look back at our Utility A classes, the problem was also there, but in my mind it was overshadowed by other issues:  Spur's consistent failures in go outs, his problems with articles, and his inattention on heeling.

Now we're narrowing things down.  His goes and heeling at Truckee Meadows were very good.  His scented retrieve felt more solid. 

Distractions remain an issue.  We failed Open on the second day when there was a loud noise just as I gave the drop command, but he was too startled to pay attention.  So we will work on that for sure. 

It seems that the more we conquer, the more new issues loom ahead.  That is the way of dog training.  We're going to do our best to tackle them all.

At the Trial, we got great support and some good ideas from helpful fellow competitors.  Today we trucked off to a match at American River College, and got in some excellent practice with meaningful distractions.  Of course there were no automatic finishes in the match ring - why would there be? 

That is the way of obedience, and I guess the constant challenge is a bit part of why Spur and I both love this sport so much.

Our next trial will be at Carson City in late September - but I am sure there will be tales to tell in the meantime.

My girlfriend just got a puppy - adorable Border Collie named Hank - and I've been sending her a few ideas for him every now and then.  It suddenly occurred to me:  others might be interested!

Here's the note I sent her this evening . . .

Was brushing doggies' teeth tonite and thought of you - are you training Hank to accept the brushing of the teeth?  Just pretend for now, but when he gets the real pearlies you'll be glad you did. . . dog tooth care later in life costs a lot and is no fun.

I brush 'em regularly (less often than I should) and I also have a real dental tool to scrape away the tartar that forms.  Small infections can build up around untreated teeth, get into bloodstream and cause death.  Yes, this happens.

On another topic, be sure and touch him regularly on all his little body parts.  Then,  sometime when you have to check for an ear infection, or remove a burr from a footpad - he'll be accustomed to that handling.

Finally, once in a while when you give him his dinner, take it away for a moment and then give it back.  Praise him, build his confidence that this is OK, and reassure him he will indeed get dinner back quickly.  Make sure he will give a toy or dog chew back to you.  Once in a while, take things he likes from his mouth gently, praise him, then give it back.  This is life saving training for when he gets a chicken bone or other foreign object and you need to get it out of his mouth.

I can reach into my dogs mouths and retrieve anything, no matter how wonderful (but my hubby can't, afraid he'll lose the finger)

And that's my dog note for tonite! 

Location: Folsom, CA

I've just been reading an interesting book called The Winning Edge.  While the book is mostly about showing in Conformation, I took away a few good tips on the obedience side as well.

The point that caught my attention was the author's insistence on the fact that the dog has to think it's fun to be in the ring - there has to be some genuine enthusiasm for getting in there, and showing off.

There's no doubt in my mind that this is the real key to competitive success.  Teaching the "tricks' of obedience competition can be a challenge but it is really just a first step.  Spur knows all the exercises, and he can do them in a variety of settings.  Some he likes more than others, but he is  always eager to head out for a training session or a class.

It's when we step into the trial ring that things change. 

We exhibitors often believe that this is due to our own attitude.  We're nervous!  After twelve years of showing, I still get a fluttery stomach when it's time to enter the ring.  Certainly Spur knows that I am nervous.  And so he is nervous as well.

But the fact is, I have to do far more than conquer my own nerves if he's to become a winning competitor.  I have to convince him that being in the ring is about as exciting as anything that could ever happen.

Since treats aren't allowed, and praise only happens between exercises, this can be a challenge. 

None of this is news of course - I've known all along that this is the approach.  But somehow it has now struck me more powerfully than before.  Spur has to believe that at any second he might get a treat, Mommy might start a new game or perhaps even - burst into song?  He has to be alert for the fun and exciting thing that I might do at any instant, and he has to believe that it could happen anywhere - even in the trial ring.

How do I execute this new emphasis?  I'm still figuring out the details, but it has inspired me to up the fun quotient of our routine, and perhaps to behave rather differently at matches. 

I am not instinctively a very good dog trainer.  Some people "get" it a lot more quickly than I do, and others have a terrific vision for realizing their dog's potential.  But I have a great dog with great potential.

Our next show will be our first ever miniature schnauzer specialty in Long Beach.  We'll travel a few hundred miles to get there.  I've no doubt we'll have a grand time.  It would be even grander if that fine time includes a ribbon . . . or two. 

Location: Vallejo, CA

The good news is that Spur was delighted with the new tug toy I picked up for him at this weekend's Coyote Kennel Club Trials in Vallejo.  The bad news is that he was not very deserving. In fact, he was a rather bad boy.  Or maybe mommy was not such a great handler?

The short report is that we failed both classes.  There are a series of issues we have been working on, but the bottom line is that they all boil down to the classic issue of dog training:  attention.

We handlers are often frustrated when our dogs do great in training, and poorly at trials.  We blame it on our own nervousness - that tension runs down the leash, is how the saying goes.

I'm coming to recognize that the problem may be something different.  In Spur's case, it's an award-winning lack of attention.  He is fascinated by the stewards who enter and leave the ring.  He is fixated on the people or dogs who stroll by the ring during our performance.  Once he enters the ring, he is like a goldfish in a bowl yearning deeply for the wide sea outside his curtailed world.

What to do?  There is much discussion about whether I should pull him from trialing completely.  Poor performances are reinforcing, because they teach the dog that when he is in the ring there are neither corrections nor treats, and so, perhaps, no real reason to obey.

But we are excited about our first-ever schnauzer specialty, coming up in Long Beach in mid-June.  So the immediate plan is to work extra hard for the next month . . . and take a chance.

What will we do?  We have two workshops on the books, conducted by a judge who has seen us and understands our problems.  We have lessons with Mary Vogler who has great ideas and direction.  We'll try to get to Alan Miller's weekly whirlwind of an obedience class.  And we'll work on figuring out other ways to work around distractions and temptations.

If it were easy, every dog would be an Obedience Trial Champion.  We may never reach quite that level of glory, but we surely have it in us to do a lot better than our recent results portray.

As always, we post other pix and more frequent updates on our Twitter site. 

In this space: more to come!

The last few weeks have been quite the learning experience for me - and for Spur.  As proud as we were to earn our Utility Dog title last fall, we've become prey to a syndrome that is all too common.  Perhaps a bit of overconfidence on my part?  And on Spur's part - a clear sense that he has too many jobs to do at once.

It became all too apparent at the annual Terrier Association Trials at Cal Expo that Spur's mind was on several things.  He did understand that he had a job to do, a series of exercises with which he is completely familiar.  That was well demonstrated in the warm-ups, as he heeled beautifully and followed my every move.

But once we entered the ring, a second, perhaps more important job took over.  That was the job of monitoring the rings around us, the noise in the cavernous building, the motion of every person.  The result:  we did not do very well.

We failed utility classes on both days, and passed open with scores too low to mention here. 

The experience was dispiriting to say the least.  Trainer Mary Vogler told me - it's time to start over.  Without Spur's full and complete attention, there's little hope of advancing further.

And so we are back to some basics.  I am trying to do a much better job of insisting on excellence in heeling during practice.  We are visiting Alan Miller's wonderful, tumultuous training class, when Spur must perform his exercises no matter what is going on around us.

We are moving in the right direction.  At the Mt. Diablo Trials, we failed utility once again - but I took heart from signs of improvement.  We passed Open with a score that edged into the 190's, and walked away with a nice prize for high scoring terrier.

Next, we'll be out at Vallejo on May 16, and then, in June - I am so excited - we'll travel to Long Beach for our first ever miniature schnauzer obedience specialty show.

Visit our Twitter site for the most immediate updates, but we'll also continue to post here.

April 9 marks a key date for me and Spur - The Northern California Terrier Association obedience trials truly launch the beginning of a busy season.  We'll be at CalExpo for four days for the terrier club trials followed by Sacramento Kennel Club shows.  Then it's off for a season that will find us spending weekends in Vallejo, Dixon, Reno, Carmel, San Mateo, Placerville and other places that host the trials we love to enter.

I have lots of thoughts for this blog, and less time than I would like.  Please check here if you're interested in my ramblings, but you can also find our quick updates on Twitter.

Here's hoping we'll have lots of good news to share, along with insights that may prove helpful to you, whether in a campaign effort or to help you nurture and enjoy your own relationship with that one true canine companion who lights your life as Spur, Petra and Axel do mine. 

We went to ClearLake and it wasn't pretty.  Spur entered the ring for his first competition at the Utility B level and suddenly . . . the dog I know so well was no longer there.  Instead, I was paired with an insecure and uncertain creature, intimidated by a new setting and a group of commands which all seemed utterly unfamiliar to him.

Uh oh.

Every dog handler has been there, and it is the perennial question we all struggle to address.  Why is our performance so terrific in training, so stellar at matches, but so frequently disappointing at a real trial?

I couldn't have asked for a better setting than the Lake County Kennel Club offered.  It was low-key, just a few dogs entered.  A friendly judge, a calm atmosphere, and virtually no distracting sideline activity.  Nonetheless, Spur knew that things were different.

One of those things must surely be me.  At a trial, I am almost certainly at least a bit more nervous than in any other setting.  And in the dog world, it's well known that those nerves run down the leash. 

Trainer Mary Vogler has also urged me to work hard to ensure I stay connected with my dog.  "Don't let him feel he's alone in there," she tells me.  And now that I'm more attentive to the issue, I can see that even a brief conversation with a judge or steward is enough to make Spur feel that he's been left on his own.

I'm also convinced that another issue is one of simple experience.  Spur needs to practice, match and show in as many different places as possible, until he realizes that no matter where we are, no matter what the conditions there are always certain consistencies.  The order of the exercises may change, but the expectations are the same, and he is solid in each and every one of them.

Above all, I must teach him that we are a team, we are in it together, and I will always be there for him.  He has such fun when we train.  The minute I figure out how to translate that sense of joy from practice in the park to the actual show experience - I absolutely will have a winning dog.

For Spur, a new phase of competition launches next week, the first Saturday in April, at the Lake County Kennel Club Trials in Clearlake.  We're looking forward to our first competition at the "B" level, and delighted that Alvin Eng, one of the AKC's most congenial judges, will be the person taking our measure at this early event.

We know that B level is a lot different.  We'll be out there with the "big dogs" now, and it will be crucial to overcome the little mistakes that troubled us in A levels.

B level is initmidating.  We'll find ourselves up against the best - competitors who have already won top honors in national competition, or who are fulltime trainers or active AKC judges themselves.  This is the bigtime, and we need to keep our performances, tight, lively and yes, fun. 

To make this entire experience even more interesting, the AKC has introduced new titles.  Until now, B level dogs were competing for the UDX - utility dog excellent, and OTCH, Obedience Trial Champion, titles.

Both are extraordinarily difficult.  UDX requires that a dog qualify in both Open and Utility classes at trials on the same day - ten times.

The OTCH, which is the holy grail of obedience competition, requires that a dog earn 100 points by defeating dogs in obedience competition.  Points are awarded based on the number of dogs in each class.

In the highly competitive environment of Northern California obedience training, earning an OTCH is an enormous triumph.

Now the AKC has introduced a new title series, Obedience Master and Grand Master.  To earn these recognitions, dogs must score 190 or above in Open or Utility classes.  The titles are a wonderful way to recognize superior dogs who may have difficulty qualifying in both classes on the same day, or who simply can't quite reach the precipitous standards set by the region's top OTCH dogs.

My own little miniature schnauzer Petra, for example, earned two UDX legs, but with scores that rarely topped 195, she completed a nine year career with only 24 OTCH points.

Spur and I enter this new phase of his career with high hopes and unlimited excitement.  I have no idea what to expect.  One year ago, I felt he was fully ready to compete for the title Utility Dog.  Yet it took us some 8 months to achieve a goal that proved far more elusive than I had ever imagined.

At Clearlake, I hope to get a sense of what lies ahead.  Two weeks later, at the annual Terrier Trials and Sacramento Kennel Club Trials at Cal Expo things will become more clear.  I feel that Spur has grand potential.  It's up to me to help him realize it.

I hope to keep this blog more active as we enter this busy campaign, but for those who enjoy following the immediate news,  I'll also be posting updates and photos on our Twitter site. 

Thank you for your interest! 

Things have been a bit quiet during the winter months.  Between early darkness and my hectic life at work, it's been tough to find time to get in the training time I'd like to have.  But things are about to change.

Until now, we've been doing a lot of what is often called "doodling" around the house.  That means practicing our turns, working on the perfect front position, heeling up and down the hall, and doing a few little tricks inside the house.

On the weekend we work out in the driveway, or head down to Lodi for a session with trainer Mary Vogler.  We haven't been to a match since December. 

Yesterday we went to a workshop at Sky's the Limit in Vacaville - our first such session in a while.  Overall, I was pleased.  Spur remembered the basics, and most of the improvements needed seemed to be on my part.  I step out of the about turns a little too fast, and Spur struggles to keep up.  My "stay" command is a little awkward on the moving stand.  I tend to lift my arm directly in front of my body for the drop signal, making it more difficult for Spur to see from 50 feet away.

So there is work to be done and we definitely need to get on it.

We are in the "B" classes now, we'll be in the ring with the "big dogs".  And for us, the campaign starts in about a month.  We'll debut in B at ClearLake in a small one-day show with the warm and sympathetic Alvin Eng as our judge on this first outing.

A year ago at this time we were prepping for our entree into utility competition.  I'd hoped that journey would last a few weeks.  Instead, it took us about 8 months and 15 shows to get our three qualifying scores, and the title of Utility Dog.

March marks the beginning of a journey that could last much longer.  The title of Utility Dog Excellent requires qualifying scores in open and utility classes on the same day - on ten different occasions.

The new Grand Master title is based on points earned by scoring 190 or above.

And then there is the holy grail of all dog titles - Obedience Trial Champion.  To earn that one, one must consistently defeat other dogs of all breeds.

Our goal in our first trials will be to see where we are.  A few matches in coming weeks will begin to give us the picture.  But until we actually enter the trial ring to perform under all the pressures of a real titling event, we won't know for sure.

Spur and I are both ready to see what the journey brings next.  We look forward to reporting back!

Well, I have to admit - I have not been a very good blogger.  It's been a while since I've been here, and my hope for '09 is to get my priorities straight!

We have been working, but we have also been a little distracted.  My "other life" as a PR consultant has kept me a little busy.

But Spur has not been totally neglected!  In November, we went to a daylong workshop with the amazing Sylvia Bishop, here from England for the series of workshops she has offered for several years now.  Sylvia is in her early seventies, and I'm not sure how much longer she'll be crossing the pond to help us Yankees out, so I'm trying to absorb all she has to say.

The big lesson this time was that a lot of training can be done in a very little space.  In other words, early darkness and cold wet weather are not excuses to avoid training.  We can work our fronts, our turns, a little heeling, retrieves, signals and other exercises in the house quite easily.

Sylvia is also not a fan of overdoing.  If an exercise is done correctly, she sees no reason to repeat it ad infinitum.  Move on!

Spur's poor scores during our quest for the Utility Dog title were due to the things that happen on a small scale.  Crooked fronts, butt out finishes and automatic finishes robbed us of many points.  So it makes a lot of sense for us to work these details.

We also went to the Hangtown BOB match in early December, where we showed in Utility and in Open - the first time we've been in the Open ring in more than a year.  He wasn't perfect, but given that long absence I was very pleased with how he did.

And, I must say, I was thrilled with his go outs, which were essentially directed to a blank wall.  We've come a long way from the days when he had no idea what to do on the go.  Now he races with real enthusiasm.

I'm thinking it will be spring before we're in an actual trial ring.  In the meantime, we have a vigorous schedule with trainer Mary Vogler, we'll be looking for matches, practicing at least a few minutes most days - and I hope to be a better blogger.

We have high hopes for the New Year, and so we need to keep all aspects of the program on track.

Look for us on Twitter as well!