Page 31 - Online Spring 2022 Newsletter

‘Obreedience’ Team competing in stop and instruct the ‘move’ printed
Crufts. On our first dog walk together on the sign; up to 15 moves in all.
Brody showed them the way to our It was fun and inspiring to watch and
local park. Only the day before I had I agreed it was much more suitable
started ‘attempting’ to let Brody off for me. To my amazement before she
the lead in public places and begun left that weekend I was signed for in
the intrepid ‘Recall’ training. (He my first Rally competition, with my
loved other dogs far more than me at guest, the next month!
such times!) More than ever, I was Thus I began a steep learning curve
so grateful I’d researched a breed - from ignorance to competing - and
that is ‘treat’ orientated! So I self-trained in five weeks. When they
tentatively ventured to try Brody’s returned I was nervous with a million
recall around these two new doggy questions. We returned to that same
friends. I am not sure if I was more park, this time to run through the 25
surprised or relieved when he recalled
moves required for Level 1! All well
so well with these added distractions! and good with those…until she asked
But the best feeling was when my how my Level 2 moves were? My jaw
guest exclaimed, “Your dog is better dropped. She mirrored me. And thus
at recall than mine - and I’m began a rapid learning of 12 more
competing at Crufts tomorrow!” moves, from scratch, to compete in
followed by a most unexpected “You just a few hours! This was when I
should compete with him!” What an REALLY saw HOW amazing Brody is.
accolade! I thanked her graciously I hadn’t got a clue, neither had he,
(though was whoop-whooping yet he still grasped everything almost
inside!!) I didn’t have the heart to tell first time. Having never set foot in a
her that Brody hadn’t even been let dog competition in my life, rather
off his lead or ever tried recall until overwhelmed, we muddled through
24 hours earlier!
and duly collected our certificates
Also a dog trainer, and engaged in along with everyone else only to learn
th
th
several doggy disciplines, my guest we’d come 8 and 12 out of over
continued to encourage us to twice as many dogs. I later learned
compete. After hearing my reticence, this ‘qualified’ us with ‘excellent’
she suggested ‘Rally’ would be the
best fit, being more informal and
fun-feeling than some disciplines and
asked to stay in my Airbnb again next
month for a Rally competition nearby.
I made the most of her expertise and
the plethora of demonstrations and
experts at Crufts that weekend, with
a whole new interest. ‘Rally’ is a fairly
new discipline, purposely meant to be
‘lighter’ than Obedience or Agility.
I’d describe it more like an obstacle
course of fun obedience signs. Set
out randomly, you work your way scores which doubled our speed up
around a numbered course laid out the competition ladder. (Ohh AND …
on the floor. At each number you
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