2011 ME Regional Championships

[lhczth]

Trial Results

[luvsables]

Mike's dog Irmus is a SUPER dog, very few like him anymore.

[lhczth]

And he is off to a good start. Some nice tracking scores so far for the first two flights.

[wolfstraum]

sigh - drove all the way out there so I could visit a few people and see Mike's Irmus....unfortunately, my knee is really screwed up - and together with my twisted ankle on the opposite leg, long walks are a challenge.....I drove the Surburban instead of the zoom zoom because a sports car is just not as easy on the legs!! But 2x or more the gas...plus another 20+bucks in tolls.....

Parking was way down the other end of property....two club members told me oh well - too bad - you have to park down there....so - knowing there was no way I was going to compromise my knee with that walk over a bumpy uneven former hay type field - I turned around and drove home....waste of nearly $100 in gas and tolls, plus no $$ spent on T shirt, food, or vendors....

Not really pleased right now....Regionals are SUPPOSED to be held in stadiums of some sort, as they are meant to prepare you for bigger events....and incidentally - where there would be adequate facilities for issues like this...

Lee

[dianejseaman]

Sorry that happened to you, Lee! What a shame to have gone all that way and then had to turn around and leave. Judging from the scores, you missed some pretty nice routines! According to what's posted so far:

Gabor S. and Frodo : 97/95/99 Just back from FCI with NICE SCORES!

Mike D. and Irmus : 99/92/97 Also nice scores for Irmus's first big event!

Dominic s. and Bo : 98/91/98 Way to go! Very nice work!

Ronnie W. and Zorro: 96/94/97 Young dog with big scores too!

Pete K. and Pongo : 98/93/96 Another young dog with super scores!

Looks like it was quite an exciting day. Congrats to all competitors, including those not mentioned above. It's a strong competiton this year! These aren't the final scores, but all very well done so far and I bet there are more nice routines today.

I saw Irmus when Gary H had him and he was nose to tip of tail ENERGY!!! He did a very short distance courage test when I saw him and nearly put Patrick on the ground even without getting to full speed. He oozes with drive and that's probably an understatement! Few could handle such a dog the way Mike does, so I expect we'll be seeing a lot more great things from them in the near future.

Regards,
Diane

[wolfstraum]

Yes - I specifically went to see Irmus - had planned to use him with Hexe - but it did not work out this heat for us! I am really perturbed that the parking people just blew me off!!! I have an mri scheduled this week for knee - no way was I going to walk/hobble up that old hay field...they could have at least offered to get someone to park it for me!!! A real stadium would have had adequate parking for any issue like this!

Lee

[WarrantsWifey]

Thats amazing!! CONGRATS!!

[Smithie86]

Very proud of Gabor; 291 (he and Tommy tied in total score, protection, tie breaker was OB). He just returned from traveling and competing in Germany for the FCI on late Monday PM, one day off, re-scheduled work and drove to the MER on Wed and on the field for tracking on Friday :-). No break - straight to work - focus of true compeition.

High HOT dog (handler owner trained). Excellent control and power in the protection.

Lee - they should have let you park up by the vendors. It was a long hike from the back parking area.

Lisa's dog Donavan - what can I say. OMG, he has matured into an incredible looking male. Bone, head, confidence. Full black with beautiful lines. Best full black I have seen in a long time. And her Javir female puppy, who decided that she like to use my arm as a full bite teeting toy :-). Gabor really liked her attitude, drive structure.

[dianejseaman]

One point, two or three points difference...the fact is probably at LEAST HALF of the dogs at this competition were/are capable of winning and are EXCELLENT. There were some really great dogs there and very skilled handlers too. ALL are deserving of praise and congratulations for participating in the event and showing what a great region this is! When you have (I think it was) THREE dogs score 99 in protection, and 9 total V in protection, that says a lot for not only the region's dogs and handlers, but helper work! We can't forget to thank and praise the helpers as well. Without them, none of this would be possible!

It looks like Tommy and Carolyn Daniel were the only 2 "V"s in obedience, and they deserve special praise for that. That's where the dog/handler relationship shows the most, though even that usually takes a team effort (club support) at this level. Again, though, a point here and there on a given day is just that...a small point deduction on THAT DAY or something that went just right on THAT DAY can make all the difference in placement, but overall these top teams are certainly ALL great and I am happy for and respect ALL of them.

It was Tommy's day this time, though, so CONGRATS TO TOMMY!

I found a video of Joe B and his dog Yogy in C at the event. Yogy won the award for "helpers favorite":

Yogy Policia Slovakia IPO3 Protection - YouTube

Yogy Policia Slovakia IPO3 Protection - YouTube

Does anyone know of other videos online?

[Smithie86]

Yes, the people that do train, compete and step on the field do deserve praise. They are the ones that put themselves on the line. Full circle. And yes, a few points do make a difference - depends on timing, draw, conditions, timing of the training for the dog and where they are at (week or two off can make a difference).

So many variables – that it why trainers and competitors do not make a set decision on a dog’s work and ability on one situation, excellent, OK or so-so…. Consistency in the work over time under varied conditions, locations (how does travel impact dogs), time, etc.. is what to look for.

Surprised not more people from the clubs in the regions were there. Some people that were not competing made the effort to come down for the day on Sat and watch and support. Missing a lot of clubs from the Regional meeting.

Joe’s dog was very strong in the bite work – the secondary OB hurt a bit. Definitely deserved helper’s favorite.

Caro has a great dog and is excellent in training and handling. The judge was very impressed that it was a USA bred dog and was bred by Mike Diehl as well as carries his kennel name. Very strong and impressive dog (true power – you could see the power both in the OB and the protection) and Caro is an excellent handler is being able to handle such a truly strong and powerful dog. Not many people could do that or understand what they power is and how to work with it. And full time job as well. Having not seen Grant in a long while, it was really nice to watch what he has developed into and the relationship. It flowed. HOT dog for her.

Nice to see Ronnie Weiss on the field again. He did very well and very nice work on the dog. Look to see more from him soon.

Mike Diehl’s dog is young and did well for such a young dog. Same thing as Gabor and a few others in OB – lost points on the second command on the send out. Something was verrrrry interesting at the end of the field for some of the dogs. Both dogs were over in Europe and just came back Monday night….Hmmmm J. Lee – I did get photos of him in the bitework.


Another high point was Stan Just. 89 years old. Recovering from a stroke. Did his SCH 3 on his HOT dog. He is the person at the club that is out there rain or shine, injured/etc or not. He is there. That is a testament to focus and determination. He does not fuss about training, not liking to trial – he likes seeing the results of his work that he has done. That is a testament to the club as well – the focus on the handlers, the training, no matter where the dog is from, what the breeding – that is a great definition of a true club and correct people.

Tracking was high grass.