Anyway, you might remember that I'd been back in obedience classes this spring with my favorite teacher of all time, Lezlie. She was my teacher when I was just a little STAR puppy and she has been my favorite teacher ever since. After the class was over, Lezlie kept working with Mom and a few of our other friends to help us get ready for some trials this fall. Then about two months ago, Mom became the club's Obedience Group Leader, and that means lots more practice for me! We get together with our friends at least twice a week and practice obedience. Here we are doing group stays in the park:
After lots of practices, Mom decided it was time to take me to Cashmere, Washington for a real dog show. I had so much fun in the Beginner Novice ring! First, instead of doing a boring old heeling pattern, I just tracked the dog who went before we did! It was a lot simpler than reading all of those signs, plus I found this great patch of smelly yummy stuff on the ground. I was on a leash so I couldn't stop and eat it, but don't worry. I ran over and ate it during the recall.
The next day I did a lot better. My heeling was pretty good, my sit for exam, sit stay, and recall were perfect! But there was this guy. He had big metal poles he was using like legs and he was walking right next to our ring! I had to keep an eye on him. He might have been thinking of chasing my Mom or throwing one of those poles for me to fetch. So I watched him instead of doing a figure 8. Mom said I didn't qualify in either show, but she hugged me and petted me so I guess I am still her best puppy! She took me to fetch sticks in the river afterwards. It was fun but I could not find any alligators or big metal poles.
On the way home we stopped at the Ginkgo Petrified Forest to see trees that turned into rocks. I did not like that idea. This stick, which is now a rock, is unfetchable. So sad.
They did have a nice water fountain at this park. There were also bighorn sheep, but Mom said they were NOT for herding. Bummer.
Back to obedience.
Today Mom entered me in the local trials in Beginner Novice. I was really excited when she drove up to the park, but when I got out, things looked very different. There were strange dogs and people everywhere! Mom said it was time to work, so we got ready and waited our turn to go in the ring. Someone told Mom that the judge had a sharp pencil. I was really glad to hear that, because he was definitely going to need it to write all the compliments and wonderful adjectives about me in his little notebook! We went into the ring and this time, instead of tracking I tried to pay attention to my Mom. There was nothing good to eat in this ring anyway. Apparently I did pretty well this time, because after we got done Mom was giving me a big kiss on the snout when the Judge said something to her. She looked up and said, "What??" and he said, "you qualified." Hey, that made Mom pretty happy and later we got some pretty ribbons. I got third place!
Later in the afternoon we went into the ring and did the whole thing again for a different judge. But this time, you will not believe what happened. It was RAINING and my Mother did not take me home! Instead, do you know what she did? She took me in the ring and in the middle of all these commands and this rain, she told me to SIT and then she left me there. Yes, she walked away and left this cold, wet, devoted German Shepherd in the middle of the ring while she walked around. I could not believe it. You see, we live in the desert. I do not go out in the rain unless absolutely necessary. We do not even take walks in the rain. Yet here she was, doing Obedience in the rain. But because I am loyal, I sat, unflinching, as the rain pelted my coat and dripped into my ears, stoically waiting for my Mother's return.
I should have a statue made of me in that park for doing that.
Anyway, in the end I got more ribbons and earned 3rd place again so now Mom says I have two legs of my AKC BN title. I know I started out with 4 legs this morning, so perhaps two of them melted off in the rain. I will cope.
Happy trials!
