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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!