Tia yesterday

Tia at Thames Ch Obedience yesterday - hmmm!!

For some reason yesterday I was totally not with it and did not watch the round properly... I also didn't do nearly enough heelwork practice with Tia before I went in the ring. So we are mid heelwork and she's going nicely, until the steward said about-turn-right-turn. Now, for some unknown reason I had absolutely NO idea where I was supposed to go, my mind went completely blank and I went the wrong way, what an idiot!!! So we lost marks for that. Then there were several left turns and left about turns in normal pace and I nearly stood on her and so for the next few lefts she wouldn't turn properly as she was concerned she may get crushed.

She did a lovely sendaway (a box sendaway much to Tia's joy) and she only last half a mark for a wide pick up on the recall in to heelwork - I then had to go and train 4 sendaways in her C as she wanted to keep dropping herself before she got to the back marker naughty girlie! Clear distance control, I am really pleased with this as have gone back to the way I was taught to do it in April and it's worked! Lost half on retrieve for her finish.

Then scent, she sniffed one decoy, then found the right clot and picked it up, dropped it, checked a decoy, ran back to the other end, checked another decoy, before running back to the right cloth and picking it up! Grrr! Her scent is SO SO much better than at the beginning of the year, we just haven't got that last bit of confidence that she needs if she finds it quickly - she doubts herself. Still, its a HUGE improvement on running out, getting to the first decoy and bringing it back!

Then stays, did the sit, then in the down she got up at 1min 32secs for a scratch and then laid back down again! I think her and Ricky have fleas and they were both scratching yest, grrr! They weren't frontlined long ago but they will defo be done tomorrow!!!

So, to compare Tia's score with the dog that won it. she'd have been on 14. Looking at how far away from the leader she was, it was won on either 11 or 11.5... so had I not gone the wrong way she'd have been on 12. And had she not dropped the scent cloth she'd be on 11. I know there are a lot of 'if onlys' here, but she CAN do it, it's just a matter of perfecting those little niggles and most of all sorting out my handling!!! I have got to start having lessons again but at the moment I'm not sure who with, as the guy I want to have lessons with doesn't do private lessons and the training days are on week days which I can't do. Oooh the problems that working full time bring, hehehe!