The show was in a nutshell a disaster...but the hotel was GREAT and Darrin was with me.

The show ring was outside and being outdoors worked against us. Saturday was cold and rainy. Little Aim warmed up well but I could tell I was losing her before I even stepped into the ring. Her on lead work was OK but she was looking all around and lacked focus. When we went off lead she started to run and buck around the ring like a rodeo pony. She was in high spirits saying "hi" to everyone nearby until she realized, "oops we were heeling". Her antics earned us a big zilch. Fortunately the judge excused us from the rest of the work so Aim didn't get to make matters worse. After the show was wrapped up, I got Aim out and we worked near the ring we showed in. She made a few mistakes but I showed her what I expected and she was trying really hard. By the end of our work session she was doing great and giving me solid attention. So Sunday I had higher hopes we could do it. It was a dry day but really windy. It was the kind of wind that makes every thing feel a little crazy. Any nervous dogs were skittish and the guard types were on high alert. One man had his sheltie pull free and it took off down the road towards traffic. Fortunately the dog was rounded up safely but it was completely undone and freaked. His owner scratched him from showing and now faces months of work to get his dog back into form. While one team was working in the ring a tent canopy took flight and was headed towards the ring. Everyone ran to grab it and held it down while to dog finished working and cleared the ring. A brief intermission was given while the remaining canopies were torn down and stashed. Soon it was nearing our time to show. Aim gave a big stretch and we warmed up. Warm up felt good and we were connecting. We stepped into the ring and our on lead work was great, our stand for exam was perfect and then it started to go down hill. The wind started to gust and soon Aim started to wander off from her heel free. She made a brief recovery and came back into to position. I no sooner thought "Whew that was close!" when she bounded off in a big gust of wind killing our performance. This judge did not excuse us from our ring work and we dutifully lined up for our recall (coming when called). By now Aim could sense my disappointment and was back in work gear but the damage was done. Her recall was good and her stays in both the sit and down were both solid. It was only that momentary lapse that cost us. With the local shows drying up we either wait for next year to try again or look at traveling to shows out of state. There is one in Seattle area in mid-November which may be able to be combined with a business trip for Darrin.

Many things played a part in us not being more successful. The weather was a big factor. I don't train much outdoor since I have gotten spoiled with an indoor training space. Also Aim's lack of maturity plays a large part. She is a year old but is on the immature side. If you are going to hit the ring with a pup you have to know that they are going to behave like puppies sometimes. I am concerned that she is developing a bad pattern of loose and inattentive off lead heeling in the show ring. Of course I proofed her before the show by working her outside and even in the rain. I proofed her attention by working her with people and other dogs. I even had people actually try to tempt her away, she was solid and stuck to me like glue. I have never had a dog with this problem before so I am having to move outside of my usual tricks to solve this one. One of my favorite parts of training a dog is to figure out how to work with them. They all are so different and need different things. Honestly I do enjoy the puzzle part of it even if it makes me want to pull my hair out at times.