The Spaniel Annals

Last weekend kicked off the first “cluster” of dogs shows for the new year.  In our area, they begin at the Puyallup fairgrounds in mid-January, and then during the following weekend move down to Portland for 4 days of shows.  Because these two weekends cluster several days of shows, many professional handlers and big-name dogs come to Puyallup.

The obedience trial, a sport dominated by amateurs rather than professionals, is held in a different building than the conformation rings.  Here’s what it looks like:

The various rings are divided by baby gates, and in each ring a different class level is competing.  In the ring closest to the camera is the “Utility” ring, which is the highest class and certainly the most difficult.  Here’s another angle on the Utility ring.

The person wearing the dark jacket in the ring with the dog and handler is the judge , and he (or she) calls out the various commands and scores the team.   

Kani and I competed at this trial over the weekend, as well as in the “Open” ring, which is another advanced class.  By competing in both these classes, we have possibilities to earn points towards an Obedience Trial Championship (OTCH) if we beat other dogs.  Another opportunity is an advanced title called “Utility Dog Excellent” or UDX, which is earned by passing both classes on the same day.  It’s more of an award of consistency; the OTCH is an award for outstanding performance.

Right now, to be honest, Kani and I are struggling with both.  Dog trialing certainly has its ups and downs, and we’re in a down.  Saturday she passed Utility and earned 4th place.  But 4th place wasn’t enough to earn us any OTCH points.  Then she flunked Open, by incorrectly performing one of the exercises that she usually does a great job with, the drop on recall.  Sunday she was only entered in Utility, and flunked that class, although some of the exercises she performed quite well.  (You have to pass each exercise in the class to earn a passing score, so if you flunk one thing, you’ve flunked the class.)

Issues for her seem to be concentration and stress.  Certainly they go together.   My job is to sort out what is causing her stress, alleviate it in the ring, and increase her concentration.  The impulsive nature of the spaniel makes this more challenging.  But if obedience trialing didn’t have fascinating challenges, I wouldn’t still be doing it!