Weekend report...

Gimme did as well as could be expected on Friday and the judge was too kind. She came away with her first rally leg and a 2nd place.  Since it was a specialty, I got a professional show photo taken.  Here is a short clip of where Gimme pulled it together to do her better work for the day.  Many of her errors were, as Denise Fenzi calls them, errors of enthusiasm.

We spent as much time hanging out after we showed, as we had before.  My friend Nadine helped me fit Gimme for a dumbbell.  She showed me the kind she likes best and I've purchased the stuff to make them in just Gimme's size.  Interestingly, when she brought out her dumbbells to see how they fit, Gimme just grabbed them and really held them.  I'd been using a plastic one that I had and Nadine said she's known a number of dogs that didn't like working with plastic.  So I'm wondering if that is the reason we've had problems with shaping a retrieve.  Once I get these made, we'll see how that changes. 

Later that evening we had an agility lesson.  It was very discouraging.  Not because Gimme did anything wrong.  Rather because the instructor and I are clearly on very different pages as to what is appropriate for a dog with Gimme's age and experience level.  I do feel I let Gimme down, not standing up for her sooner.  In any case, that mistake will not happen again.  I may discuss this experience in greater detail at a later time.

On Saturday we hung out at my parents' house and I did the usual small home repairs, maintenance and yardwork.  Gimme had fun playing and being her usual goofy girl self.  In the early evening I tried to do a training session on "grape", but we didn't get very far.  She did work with me briefly, but it was clear that she wasn't very focused, so I didn't persist.  I should have realized from this attempted session that Gimme still had residual stress from the day before (keep in mind that the stress hormones can take days to dissipate).

Sunday was not successful. The Sammamish Kennel Club show is huge and the site is a nightmare.  We got there very early, which was good, since the hike from unloading to the obedience area was very long.  It took me three trips to get our stuff down there.  Unfortunately that meant that Gimme had to walk through the crowds around the breed rings six times (three trips both ways) which proved too much for her.  My strategy next time will be put Gimme in Michael's crate in the car and walk him on one trip and then put him in Meaggi's crate and walk her for a trip.  They will enjoy the walk and that would limit Gimme's exposure.  Plus I can then scope out a less chaotic route for my walk to the obedience rings with Gimme.  Of course if I bring my roller base next time (couldn't fit it in the car this weekend), that would get it down to one trip.  So next time it is coming along if I have to bungee it to the roof.

The drive from unloading to parking was so long I was afraid I was going to need my passport to get there. Then we had a reeeeeally long walk back to obedience.  By then Gimme was pretty overwhelmed by it all; even I found it chaotic.  I've forgotten how "busy" conformation shows are. We were there hours early and I was hopeful that plenty of quiet time and peanut butter bones would help her recover her wits. Before our run, she was starting to work with me again. I did get a lovely sit at the start line, but then some large dog nearby started a barking fest and that was all she wrote. Even so, the judge had some nice things to say about her.  I'm writing down her name as I'd like her to get to see Gimme again some day when she can do better.

Walking back to the car after we showed, Gimme was admired at length by a terrier person who thought she was "quite possibly the nicest Dal I've ever seen". She said she got her start in dog shows with Dalmatians. She was very impressed with Gimme's structure, lovely head, spotting and great type. In other words, the whole wonderful Gimme...

Closer to the car I ran into Nadine, who was parked near my car. We sat and talked and at one point she asked if she could work with Gimme. She had a special cookie that really intrigued her. Gimme worked nicely with her for a minute of heeling, but that was all her little puppy brain was up for. Nadine had lots of great comments about how nice she was working and lamented that she hadn't gotten near as far with her dog, who is 6 months older. So it was very nice to have her recognize what a special girl Gimme is and how well she's taken to training.

So we have much more work to do so Gimme can be comfortable and function in show/trial environments.  The classes with Ursula were a great starting point, but we have to go on from there.  My plan is to search the AKC events and find nearby shows and trials, and the local events for fairs and the like.  And we'll just go (at least twice a month, more often when I can) and hang out for starters... with the goal of getting to where she can work in that environment.  I'm not in a hurry - though I'll miss showing her off; we are again setting our sights on PSDC, this time next year.