Here is a typical Down Stay practice in the grass with other dogs. One thing I liked to do to pass the time while staying was to chew some part of my body that has an itch, Here I display my phenomenal flexibility and extensive reach while chewing my right hip. Notice my use of tail lift for counterbalance.
Usually, staying is pretty boring. You just have to lie there on the floor waiting for something interesting to happen. Here we are waiting in an indoor down stay.
Sometimes, a dog isn't doing their job properly, and their person comes and takes them away. (I do not ever have this problem. I always do my job properly, for at least 2.75 minutes out of the 3 required minutes of down stay. No promises about not getting tired on the sit stay, though).
Sometimes I stay with many dogs. Other times I stay with one Corgi.
After lots of classes and practices, Mom decided I was ready for another trial in April last year (2014), She was wrong! But we had a grand time in Walla Walla because the grass in the Obedience ring was so nice and tall and smelly. I did some epic sniffing during the heel on leash and figure 8, and as soon as that leash came off I was off like a shot, romping around the ring with my tail wagging to smell all the wonderful smells. It was a sniffing festival! (This was before Mom got me going in Nosework, so I had to get my sniffing done somewhere!) The judge was not amused and excused me, but I got two more chances to sniff because Mom also entered me in Rally Advanced twice! Lots of wandering and sniffing time this weekend. No qualifying scores, but that's okay because there were no good prizes anyway.
Mom knew that I actually do know how to do Novice Obedience, so she was not discouraged (yet). Just a month later, she entered me in four more trials at Spokane and Cour D'Alene. These shows were indoors, with no wonderful grass to distract me, so she just knew I would do well! But you know, there are so many fun things to do in trials when your Mom can't correct you. Mind you, this was a year and a half ago and I was still rather immature, without the amazing work ethic I have now. Well, the three Rally Advanced trials were fun for me, but not so fun for Mom. While I was in the ring, interesting dogs were walking by and I had to watch them to make sure they were listening to their handlers and not goofing around. The broad jump looked suspicious so I carefully walked over it instead of jumping, just to be sure there were no strange creatures hiding beneath it. Some dogs were barking and whining in their crates (the nerve!) and this made it hard to concentrate. So I didn't qualify, in the judges' eyes, although in my eyes I did a fair job keeping Mom and all of the spectators safe, and preventing random dogs from breaking rules as they walked by the ring.
On the last day of these trials, Mom had entered me in Obedience again. Remember when I said that stays are boring, because you have to sit there and wait for something interesting to happen? Well, this is where the stays got really interesting! After I did all the Novice exercises, but didn't qualify due to my mother not staying close enough to me during the heeling/sniffing pattern, I went back into the ring for the group stays. There were 6 of us, all sitting lined up in a row, staying as we were told. All of us, that is, except for this other German Shepherd. You are not going to believe what this other dog did, DURING AN OBEDIENCE TRIAL. I have never seen such disrespect of rules in my life, and trust me, I work with poodles. Anyway, this dog was staring at me. I ignored him. So, DURING THE STAY, he got up and ran over to me and started SNIFFING MY FACE. Oh yes he did, and I was about to give him an obedience lesson he would never forget but my Mom yelled, "Leave it! Stay!" So I had to turn my head and stay there sitting, while this "dog" (and I use the term loosely) starts sniffing my other body parts and the Judge is yelling at the other lady to get her dog! (Yeah seriously lady, GET YOUR DOG!) I sat and stayed, I did not growl or move. I did not correct this overt display of DISobedience. And then when the lady grabbed her inconsiderate canine by his collar and started to pull him away, he had the absolute nerve to LUNGE at me and SNARL in my face! Mom again reminded me to "Leave it! Stay!" and so I did. I stayed until the exercise ended, and then the Judge congratulated me and my Mom and the other competitors applauded me for my self control. Yes, they literally applauded, and told my Mom what a great dog I am. Then I finished with a perfect group down stay. Alas, I had already gotten a non-qualifying score because of the heeling, but Mom said she was prouder of me than she has ever been, and she took me to play in the park and bought me an ice cream cone. Now isn't that better than any ribbon? I still would like to have a chat with that other dog about his lack of manners and blatant disregard for rules.
Over the summer, we did some more practicing in Obedience and Rally, and then in September 2014, Mom entered me in the local shows. Those are outside in the grass! I was thrilled. She entered me three times in Rally Advanced, during which I did lots of great sniffing (think she was getting the hint about Nosework yet?) The best part was when I was at the start sign with Mom and saw a figure 8 with food bowls way over on the other side of the ring. I was drooling in anticipation! Was it hamburgers? Hot dogs? Leftover lasagna? As soon as Mom said "Heel" I ran straight over there for lunch, but some rude person had put plastic grates over the top of the food! What a rude joke. How am I supposed to heel when there is lunch caged up in a bowl right in front of me? I got 3 non-qualifying scores. I also got 2 NQs in Obedience: one because I was still sniffing a lot, and the other because, after doing a much better job on all the exercises, I got tired on the sit stay and laid down for a rest. (I personally think a 15 second rest during the one minute sit stay should be allowed, even encouraged. Perhaps that will be one of the Obedience regulation changes in the future, along with removing the grates from the lunch bowls in Rally).
After all those NQ's Mom kind of gave up about the trialing for awhile. She stopped taking Obedience classes and stopped going to Rally practices. We didn't even do any run throughs or anything for almost 5 months. Instead, we started Nosework! Oh, that is so fun, and much more useful than stays! I am, after all, an expert sniffer, as demonstrated in all the preceding Obedience trials.
Mom finally decided this February to take me to a Fun Match and see if I remembered any Obedience. Sure I did! And no other dogs got up to sniff me this time. I kept an eye on them though.
We didn't do anymore practices or classes, but Mom wondered if maybe I was finally ready to give it a try again. So after over 6 months of almost no Obedience or Rally, in April she took me to Moses Lake for a trial. And all of that break time paid off! I got my first CD leg with a first place ribbon! I also got this cute squeaky toy as a prize:
On the second day, I got another CD leg and a 3rd place! Mom was so excited and I was just glad we were 2/3 of the way to being done with this Novice stuff.
The best part of the trip was getting to play in the park after the trials! I got to go down the slides with my girl...
...swim in the lake...
...and fetch sticks!
Well, finally Mom learned her lesson about what this Shepherd needs to win in Obedience: way less practice, and way more time sniffing! Now that I was active in Nosework, I didn't really need to be so sniffy during obedience trials anymore. Plus, since we never practiced anymore, it wasn't as boring. Mom got the point and for the next 6 months we did no Obedience or Rally practice (one or two run throughs, that's all) and lots of nosework! I was one happy puppy!
Last month, Mom entered me in the trials at Cashmere to see if I could finish either of those titles. We did not practice at all; Mom just brought me to the trial, let me wait in my crate, and then took me straight into the ring when it was time. And I rocked it!
Here I am with my New Title ribbon in AKC Novice Obedience: Saber Jet, CD! (Companion Dog)
The next day I rocked it again, and earned my 3rd Rally Advanced leg for the RA title!
This has been such an adventure! Mom was so happy when we finished these titles and promised me she would never make me do Obedience trials again if I didn't want to. But you know what? There are jumps and dumbbells to fetch in the next level of Obedience... so game on! I'm ready!
Good job, Saber!
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