The end and the beginning

Ok so I said in November we were through competing for 2014 but there was a local Barnhunt trial at our favorite barnhunt venue so Bailey and I went and got a jump start on the 2015 goals. This was the first trial for our run at the Senior level barnhunting title. For Senior the dog must find 4 rats and complete a tunnel and climb element. Tunnels are wicked with twists and turns, they can be on multi levels and the climbs can be 3 bales high. At least two of the four rats are hidden in the bales off the ground. There were 4 trials this weekend and so we had a chance at 4 qualifying runs. We were 1 for 4, Senior is a lot harder than it looks! On Saturday Bailey found all the rats but failed to go into the twisty dark tunnel prior to time running out. We were in good company since of the 24 scheduled Senior runs on Saturday there was only 1 qualifier. Sunday was a better day, in trial #1 Bailey sucessfully found all 4 rats and completed both the climb and tunnel elements. She was the only Senior Qualifer in the 1st trial so she was award both 1st place and High in Class. Trial #2 was an excellent hunt for Bailey but her horrible handler (aka ME) didn’t trust her and didn’t call the final rat before time ticked away. You can bet I was disappointed in myself, but not my dog! She was great! First rule of Barnhunt, trust your dog!

The second weekend of January saw us once again in completion but this time it was obedience. I have been involved in dog sports for 20 years. I started all this at an obedience club, I have served multiple terms on obedience club boards as President and other positions. I have chaired and stewarded at multiple trials but I had never entered an obedience trial. Now that isn’t to say I haven’t done any of the dog sports, Stoney earned a Novice agility title and PJ, Frost and Fifi (Phoebe) all earned their Rally Novice titles but never obedience. Can’t say that anymore!

After a fun event over the holidays where Miss Frosty did a great job doing the obedience exercises games I crazily decided that despite Frost not having a reliable stay I would go ahead and enter our club trials, we could train a stay in 10 days, couldn’t we?

Well, that wasn’t exactly what happened, we worked on the Stay but alas as the trial started Frost still didn’t get exactly what I wanted from her. We had nice heeling and we managed one of the three required stays. The next day the same except we mange two of the three stays and then
today she understood what I wanted and ta da a Q! Good girl Frost!

She did a great job every day, she is like all my dogs, handler challenged and she makes me look good. All my dogs do, thank goodness!