At the run-through tonight...

[selzer]

I took two of my girls to a run-through tonight.

Heidi is 4 1/2. When she was a puppy, I was training her, and her two litter sisters, Whitney, and Tori, and Rushie who was about eight months older, and babs and Jenna who were a year older. And I was titling Arwen too at the time. So I was working a number of dogs and working full time. So, I trained about once a week on good weeks. But I got her through her CGC, and titled her at the Classic when she was just over a year old. I then moved on to working with Milla and Ninja, and did nothing with Heidi for about a year. Last year, I went ahead and started taking her to some advanced obedience classes, and placed first and second with her in the show here in town beginning of April. I meant to finish her in May at the specialty, but she went into heat, and I bred her, and she had a false pregnancy, and I did not do ANYTHING with her since then. Not anything. No classes, no walks, no anything. I bred her again, and she had another false pregnancy, but that was it. No puppies in December. So she has been out of everything for a full year.

I signed her up for this show three weeks ago, expecting to get her brushed up in those weeks. Then, I got a temporary job 2 hours each way away from home, the weather has been awful, and I have had some family concerns and illness, and well, I have not done ANY training in the past three weeks. So I went to this run through today without much hope.

Heidi came in, sat next to me, did not act idiotic about the other dogs, was great with the people, listened to me, and worked off lead in Rally Advanced wonderfully. She did better than me. She went over the jump and stayed right next to me. I was floored at how well she did. I expected her to be a total flake and need some reminders about what we were there for. Nope. She did wonderful. I am starting to think I have a shot at this tomorrow.

Babs on the other hand had been worked in December just prior to the Classic. Since then I have done nothing with her. She did pretty good tonight, but we may not stay for the stand for exam. That seems to be broken now (after the crazy lady in December). And we broke the down stay, but in all fairness, that was because the labrador was circled right into her while they reset him. He kept crawling toward her owner, and her owner circled him right into Babsy, and she decided as she was up, she should come toward me. I reset her and she stayed, but I do not think that is nearly as broken as the stand stay.

In fact, now I know that she will come to me if a dog comes visiting. I am ok with that. If I fail because another dog interferes with her, I suppose we will get over that.

Her recall was good today with my hands down at my side, and her finish was not bad. Her heeling was fine. If we could only get through that stand. The thing is, she does not want anyone touching her butt. I really do not blame her. So she skitters off a step or two. I suppose if we flunk, I should take her back to classes and work directly on this.