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Well his first obedience "show" was good and bad. It was a non-sanctioned match, so it wasn't an official AKC show, which is why I could have him judged before he is 6 mo. old. He did manage a "score of 135" which is in quotes because all the Nov A dogs NQ'd and so the judge awarded scores and prizes anyway :-) So he got third place out of 4 dogs.
His heeling on leash earned a 37.5 out of 40, so I'm thrilled with that! It was all "tight leash" 1/2 points so if I had given him more leash, he might have had a perfect score! He did get a bit distracted on the about turn near the Open ring where dumbells were being thrown, but came right back to me. Here's the heeling pattern we did, which I thought was a bit long but what do I know :-) The pattern actually re-traced the lines, but for clarity sake I drew it without re-tracing the lines.
He did a perfect stand for exam. His heel off leash also earned a 37.5, but some of those points off were my error for too slow of a pace according to the judge. As I said, all the dogs in Nov. A NQ'd (Non-Qualifying round) because they all failed to recall on the first cue. With Dazzle, an instant before his name came out of my mouth, a dog/handler came in the back door just to his left and he was staring at them when I called his name. He did not respond to me, but then I waited till he was looking back at me, called his name and said "front" and he returned immediately. Unfortunately, he went directly to heel. I have purposely NOT cued him to go from front to the heel position, but his heel cue is so strong that he skipped the front position even after all the practice we have been doing. In hind sight, I should have gotten him into front position since we were NQ anyway on that, but I let it pass and when the judge said "finish" we both just smiled since Dazzle was already there. :-)
On the sit stay, he got up once to check out the arm band number I had to place behind him. So that was another NQ and the reason he got third instead of 1st place. He also got up on the long down after a LOT of thought and attempted self control, but the dumbells being thrown in the next ring were just too much for his young brain to resist. :-) He stood and moved closer to that ring gate (which was right next to him since he was first in the ring.) When I started walking toward him, he saw me, and got an "oops! I just couldn't resist!" look on his face and went back to the down position. I just had to smile at him. The judge didn't NQ him on that, so the 30 points were counted for the long down, not sure why, but I appreciate it!
I'm kicking myself for not getting a video of his first run because it looked so good! But I was the first to go in the ring and I was called about 5 minutes after we got settled and I needed to get him in working mode, not worry about finding someone to film.
His second run (not for a score- exhibition/training only) was a disaster! I think he was stressed out by not having gotten any reward during the entire first run, so then he was wondering if he was correct? Of course THIS was the run I got on video. LOL He seemed a lot more stressed and worried on the second run but I can only guess about why. Even though I had treats on me for this one, I had a hard time keeping his focus and he kept trying to stop to scratch (stress) which he didn't do during the first run. I should have just quit, but in hindsight that might have rewarded the unwanted behaviors, so I'm glad we continued. His heeling is "ok" for most of it, but he did get a lot more distracted by things outside the ring and I was going too slow and waiting for him, which only made it worse. The judge also commented that I was anticipating her cues. Then Dazzle got frustrated and started jumping on me and biting at me trying to play tug with my sleeve. I was able to get his focus back, but during the fig 8 he decided he was going to visit one of the people acting as a post and I had to gently remind him he was supposed to be with me. The stand was great although he seemed to forget what his stand cue meant at first and it was clear he was stressing out (yawning, lip licking.) Heel off leash was worse than the on-leash and he had a few melt downs. When I was setting him up for the recall, he decided he HAD to have the piece of tape that was on the ground marking the spot for the exercise. So I had to cover it with my foot. He did manage to recall to front, but was crooked even after I attempted to re-adjust it. And when I did cue him to heel, he didn't quite get there.
Video of his worst run:
So over all, a mess for the second run, but he was stressed out and tired and fussy. I was still VERY happy with his performance for such a young dog! Especially his first run. He continues to amaze me! I practiced his long sit and down just outside the ring when the second group went in to do theirs. I didn't take him in the ring just in case he would get up and be a distraction for the others. He literally fell asleep on the down, so I know he was really tired. We got our "3rd place" prize ($2) and score sheet and then packed up and headed home. He was asleep by the time I left the parking lot and slept the whole way home. I wonder if he slept much last night since I left him out of the crate. For all I know, he was playing outside! Mike said he heard him woof at the cat in the dining room during the night and told him to quit. Then Dazzle went to the place by the door where he had slept the previous night and flopped down. He's currently napping while I type this (though he did have a play session with Buster when we got home.)
So, I know what we need to work on now the most:
Distractions of thrown dumbells and things set near him :-)
Stays
and "fronts"
I plan to try and back chain the parts together, with his reward being on a chair outside the ring. We have an advanced class tomorrow, so that's what I'll be doing then. Tonight, we have a party to go to, so hopefully he gets his rest :-)
