He did it!!! Mick finally completed his Companion Dog Obedience Title on October 17, 2010. Mick is my first Pom and my first dog to compete in AKC obedience with but it has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl to title a dog with a CD. I read a book as a child called, Champion Dog Prince Tom and it is a story about a dog earning its' obedience titles. Well, that book still sits in my bedside table. Yep, I've always dreamed of competing in the "Dog World" but who would have ever thought I would start this hobby at the age of 52
Yes, this is the book that started my dreams. I actually think the dog in this book was in hunting competitions bbut it all seemed so fascinating to me to have a close working relationship with your dog.
I have always loved animals and did obedience with my dalmation named Sadie but she wasn't registered and therefore couldn't compete. We dabbled in showing dogs using a handler when we had Bouvier's but I personally had never entered any kind of ring with a dog.
I got Mickey in August of "05 as a "show prospect" and made an agreement with the breeder that I would try to show him as a conformation dog. Well, at ten months he was diagnosed with Legge Perthes and had to have the head and neck of his femur removed and he was neutered at the same time. There went my dreams of showing Mick but with the encouragement of new found "dog friends" in Washington I started training Mick in obedience.
Mickey on the day I brought him home at 8 weeks of age
It was in "06 that AKC Rally was really becoming popular and Mick loved it. Rally is doing obedience but you follow signs in kind of an obstacle course. There are three levels, Novice is on lead, Advanced is off lead with one jump in the course and Excellent is off lead with 2 jumps. Together Mick and I quickly completed his Rally Excellent title winning a ribbon in all but one trial.
Mick jumping in Rally Competition
Mick earning his Rally Excellent Title
I also began competing with Mick in Novice Obedience but he definitely preferred all the "happy talk" that goes on in Rally verses no praise during exercises in Obedience. However, Mick earned two legs toward the required three legs for a CD getting a First Place and a Second Place but in between , there were 4-5 trials where Mick would break a stay at the last 15 seconds, refuse to sit in the hot sun and walk over to the shade or just lag so bad he lost points so the last leg evaded us. Mind you, Mick is smart and knew what he was doing when he broke a stay or lagged, he just always seemed to have his own agenda.
In 2008 Mick injured his bad hip so I had to pull him from competing because a dog can't enter the ring limping.
So , finally, on October 17 Mick and I competed in the Bakersfield Obedience Club Trials. I only entered him one day because I really didn't have high hopes and it costs $28 for each entry. Mick and I practiced twice a day and he hadn't lost his ability to do the obedience and was really looking. When I entered the ring that day many of the members of my obedience club were watching to see if Mick would finally cooperate and finish his title.
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Mick during the on-lead portion of the competition. Check out that look he is giving me and his complete attention.
Mick did really good on the on leash portion of the course , completed every automatic sit and looked up at me each time with his cute little smile. He did the circle 8 without flaw , the stand for exam and now it was time for the off-leash portion of the competition. Mick was FANTASTIC! He did lag a little at times but he is a little guy and in order to keep his interest I have to keep a brisk pace to keep him focused. Mick did the Recall like a champ running to me as fast as he could and finishing on command like a well trained dog. Now it was time for the Sit and Down stays for 1 and 3 minutes. YIKES!! He had disqualified several times at this point so I was nervous because he had never broken a stay in training, only in competition.
Mick did it!!!! I love this boy, he helped me accomplish a dream I've had since I was a little girl reading about Champion Dog Prince Tom.
Now I have my own Serafina's Mickey Doodle Bug CD, RE. Thanks MICK, we are a great team and I love you little guy
5 comments:
your blog is good.
Great to read Mickey and your history. I probably read the same book. It looks very familiar.
Congrats on your first CD! I got involved with ob because of books also. The Susan Contant mystery books.
Also, I went back a few pages and see you also have a Belgian. Neat! I have Mals.
I read that book as a child too and loved it! I've always dreamed of showing a dog and I'm really enjoying your blog!
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