RFE Entry Results

Just got the news and amazingly we passed with a fourth place, so Gimme got her first leg toward an intermediate title. My practice buddy J'Anna got first and third placements. Her third place dog finished her intermediate title and her score was just 11 points higher than Gimme's 137 (they need 125 to pass). Wild Glory got first place with a nice score of 164. J'Anna has been working a lot more on the intermediate behaviors than we have. I only just started teaching many of them a month before we entered - no sense in getting ahead of myself.

You can compare the scoring to the video if you like.  I've shown in parenthesis the score I would have given myself with comments in blue.
West 1 Regional RFE Intermediate video

Keep in mind the judging criteria is subjective, but is generally:
Performed with Significant Deficiencies - 1-3 points
Performed Adequate to Well - 4-7 points
Performed Very Well to Superb - 8-10 points
Points after a plus sign is a 1-5 point difficulty award on free choice behaviors.

• Back around handler - "Rear didn't maintain lead" 7 pts (5 because it was a two part behavior, which should be on the low end of "adequate to well)
• Free choice - "hand touch" 10 pts +1 (8 she wasn't back in heel before we moved off) 
• Right turn thru trx - "bit wide" 9 pts (7 she was distracted and more than just a "bit wide" by my standards)
• Pivot left 360 - "out of position, backing rather than pivot" 4 pts (2-3 this is the one we did the wrong behavior - my bad. I don't see how it can be considered "performed adequate to well" when it was the wrong behavior)
• About U180 - "wide" 8 pts (8)
• Free Choice - "leave to front, paw touch" 8 pts +2 (8)
• Back up in left heel x4 - "inconsistent position, hesitant" 7 pts (6 what she said, plus there was a second cue)
• Switch back - "loss of attention, wide, out of position, hand cue" 4 pts (4 Gimme knows this very well, but was momentarily distracted by squeak toy in the daycare, there was also a second cue)
• Free choice - "slight hand cue, handler aid end position, pivot pot" 7 pts +3 (5 this is the one that was supposed to be a send to "table" and instead I got "hands" and a partial pivot, I assume the bit she says about handler aid means getting Gimme back into position before moving off)
• Side pass right - "dog didn't execute the move" 3 pts (she really didn't do any side pass steps and so I wouldn't have awarded any points)
• Left turn circle trx - 10 pts (9 a bit wide on the far side of me from the camera)
• Free choice - "distance behavior, pivot pot, hand cue" 7pts +4 (7)
• 270 right - "partial pivot" 6 pts (7 this is a hard one to prevent Gimme from pivoting because she has such good rear awareness and movement, thus I have to make a HUGE 270 turn to keep her from doing any pivoting steps.  I think I need to ask about this is on the RFE facebook list)
• Front cross: dog - "Nice!" 10 pts (9 needs to be faster)
• Bow - "2nd cue" 8 pts (6 - 2nd cue and rear out of alignment 45 degrees)
• Heelwork-Attention-Teamwork - 6, 6, & 7 pts (agreed)

So she gave me 137 and I would have given me 126 - qualifying with just one point to spare. Judge's general comment: Your dog doesn't keep position through the course, which is a shame. There was quite a lot of distraction as well. But some moves were done superbly. Well done. Free choice at station 9 was a bit far from the sign.  Gimme can do better heeling, but she was doing well considering she's coming into her false pregnancy.  I certainly appreciate the judge noticing the distractions - even though I couldn't hear them on the video.  I don't know why she thought the free choice at station 9 was "a bit far from the sign"... if it had been closer, it would have been a temptation as we heeled by it.  Not sure why she didn't think of it as a distance behavior, like station 12, which was closer.