Discover Dogs 2010
One of our members, Sheila Croft, and her dog Smudge took part in Discover Dogs on 14 November at Earls Court. Sheila has kindly written a piece about her experience and what we might all strive for!
After many years training at Warlingham, Smudge and I finally won a Kennel Club Special Pre-Beginners obedience competition last summer, and qualified for the southern semi-finals at Discover Dogs. A fellow member of our training class qualified at least three years ago, so it has certainly taken us a long time to get there, but I hoped the extra experience might help us on the day.
I visited Earls Court on Saturday to watch the collie semi-final. I had a good look round, and I also discovered it was really easy to get there by train. So the next day Smudge and I and my wonderful daughter Ellie (carrying all the gear we needed) caught an early train. We decided to take a portable crate with us, to give him some privacy, as the benching area is quite small, and other people do let their dogs wander about on the end of their leads without thinking about the possible consequences.
The judge was very nice and briefed us fully on the round, and how he would mark it. He told us to enjoy the day, as getting there was an achievement in itself. Just after 10 am we processed around the ring, which gave the dogs a chance to get used to the surface and what the arena was like, and then the competition started. I felt that Smudge did really well - he enjoyed it without getting over excited, and he concentrated well.
Each section gets marked, and the lowest total wins. Smudge went clear in the recall and gate exercises, had a half mark for the play exercise, three marks on the heelwork, and one a half marks on the body check. I realised that I had not held onto the lead for that exercise, even thought the judge had warned us he would mark it harshly. We ended up finishing halfway down the class, which considering my error was very good.
We had a great day out despite not qualifying for Crufts. I would urge everyone who is at the appropriate stage of obedience to enter a few special pre-beginner classes next year. It is amazing what you learn by just getting in the ring - and who knows - you may end up at Crufts!
