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Stories of Spur: Dogging it in competition

Stories of Spur: Dogging it in competition
Spur competes in AKC obedience trials. He is a miniature schnauzer. This will chronicle his life on the "campaign trail" as he and his handler compete against dogs of all breeds for high titles.
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Michele McCormick
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michelemc - > Stories of Spur: Dogging it in competition
Let the Campaign Begin . . . .
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!
Topics: miniature schnauzer, Spur, obedience training, dog training, michele mccormick
posted by michelemc on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at 03:57 PM
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