SBDTC Companionship Show

Starters - heel on lead, recall, 30s sit/1min down stay
Stays - Jem did her sit stay!!! and her down. Elliot lasted 15seconds then went to say hello to the dog next to him then went wondering out the ring with it and then back in again until someone from outside the ring got hold of him. I then got them to hang on to him and didn't bother with his down

I didn't feel Jem did her best heelwork, when I asked her for a left turn she just carried on walking straight past me and then looked at me gormlously, she lost 3.5 marks. She was crooked on her present but straight on her finish. However she ended up being in a runoff between three dogs for 1st place but sadly I was working in another ring at the time so didn't get to do it and she finished 3rd.

I trained Elliots heelwork so just did little bits and rewarded him. It was good for him, especially as the judge made me do that little bit more at the end to push him and make sure we finished on a good bit and when I wanted and not him!! He was just very distracted with working outside, and has been ever since the first competition where he worked so nicely. On his recall he came in to me but sat next to me in heelwork position so I did it again but used his toy to guide him in and he did it better. He seems to have regressed and got more interested in everything else rather than working but we will get there.

Triers - 1 min sit, 1 min down
Jem broke her sit after 11s, I did a sit again in the down and she broke it as soon as I walked away.
I didn't do the heelwork round in this one, decided it was too hot and would have been too much for her.

Goers - 1min sit/2min down stay, heel on lead, recall, heel free, retrieve
Jem went down after 10s on her sit, I again did a sit the second time down and she went down after about 20s.
I did the round with her ball in my pocket so I could reward her after each section and she worked the best I have ever seen her work. She had some really nice tight about turns, lovely left turns, did a very straight present in her recall and finish. She even did a very nice second bit of heelwork and with her retireve she didn't chomp on it at all (despite holding it at a funny angle) and sat straight with it and finished straight. It was a good insight into what I need to do to get the best from her and where to take our training from now.

Good Citizens - Bronze
Jemma already has hers so this was just elliot. He struggled a bit in the heel work bit as he wanted to wonder off and say hello to all the dogs/people but she let us do it again and second time round he did half of it really nicely. He then tried walking round the gate and didn't go through it but did on the second time!! He was brilliant about me brushing him, didn't flinch or move at all. He was good when we had to walk between the dogs too bless him. For his recall I had to get the judge to hold him as there was a pushchair that he was very focussed on, however once I asked him if he wanted his bally he came straight to me bless him!! Then for his stay, luckily I was able to talk to him and remind him to stay as much as I liked and despite the fact there was another dog in the ring and a car drove past he stayed down for his minute.

So all in all it was quite a good day, just a shame about Jemma's stays but I am sure we will get there, at least she no longer does it in the recall *touch wood*.