The Spaniel Annals

After four wonderful novice performances, Reardon and I bit the dust at the Olympia Kennel Club show in Enumclaw.  I just can’t seem to handle heat these days, and in 85+ degree humid heat,  with a swampy brain and sweaty legs, I couldn’t handle Reardon properly in his novice class.  We had 2 no-sits (which cost us 3 points each), and then some sloppiness on the off-lead heel,  stemming from my inability to get myself together after that initial no-sit.  A trainer I trust told me after our performance that I made handling errors that caused many of the problems.  Poor Reardon!

Although this is the first problem Reardon has had with halts, it’s been a problem with my other dogs, so I’m determined to get my halt cues fixed.  I have a master plan: heeling, heeling, heeling through all the commands (mostly by myself), and taping commands that I respond to as I practice.  If I’m ever going to accomplish my obedience dreams, this issue has get cleared up.  My dogs are too good to get a crummy handler.

I have to admit I not only came to this trial too hot and uncomfortable, but also with residual stress from a hectic summer teaching quarter and some major disappointment: my two bitches, Journey and Rozzie, who I’ve been training all summer to compete in the Labor Day Spaniel hunt tests, are both coming into season.  That means they can’t run in the test, and the next tests aren’t until next spring.  This also means Journey can’t compete in Open at the IWSCOPS summer specialty.  Aargh!

On an uplifting note, great news came from OFA:

This is Reardon’s OFA report, giving him EXCELLENT hips!  He also has normal elbows and patella.  Excellent ratings are not easy to come by, so this was an exciting bit of news.  Too bad Reardon had to be neutered due to an auto-immune disorder, but with his sister also earning a GOOD rating, and his brother’s OFA rating on the way, this shows good hip health across the board in this family line.