My first A1 Entry at the PHV Hohenlimburg-Reh, July 2003
There is nothing special to relay to you about how we got to this trial. As always all the things one needs (or does not need) were packed into the car and this time we went to my friends Smokey and Medley to follow their trailer to the site. After arriving at the hosting club Mistress and Master lugged our things to the lawn and erected the tent. We made ourselves comfy and waited. Considering that this was our first "real" entry Mistress was very calm.
The Jumping course was build and soon Mistress went to walk through it. It did not take long and it was our turn. I think two or three poles fell and I made a mistake at the weave poles. Mistress was satisfied still. Her sole goal is for us to not be disqualified. But I know that should that happen the world will not stop turning and Mistress will part with her most beloved piece of wisdom: "The dog is great, but me ... !"
The beginning of the test course was nasty, or that was Mistress´s opinion after returning from the viewing. She was still trying to figure out how to deal with it when we approached the starting area. There is always more than one way. One option would have been for her to go ahead until the long jump, call me and show me the jump to the left. Our trainer objected that if I would not stay everything would go down the drain and I would have so much speed that I would surly go up the dog walk... To run with the dog from the beginning is also dangerous with a dog a quick as I am, because I would take the dog walk... Enough theory for today, I will tell you how we mastered the course...
The beginning looked as follows. After the first jump came the long jump and the in a 90 degree corner an other jump. After that jump an another one in a 90-degree turn and then the a-frame. Mistress sat me down at the start and when the judge cleared the course I pulled my head out of my collar. Mistress threw the leash away and her starting signal "hopp" came shortly after ...
I shot forwards and jumped. I did not need a command for the long jump and so Mistress had time to watch me closely and just when I landed I saw her motioning for a turn. She was far behind me but that way I can show off my working distance ... The motion for the turn made me take the jump instead of running up the dog walk (as I had planned). Her hand shot forward and I understood that I should take the jump to my right instead of going straight. I was just scaling the a-frame when I heard Mistress´s "eeeehhhhhyyyy ... tack". I was lying on the contact zone when Mistress came running ...
Her command "go on" made me vanish in the curved tunnel. Next was the dog walk where the judge was a bit in our way and Mistress just saw my paws in the zones after the "eeeehhhhhyyyy ... tack" and I forged on. She showed me to jump number three again. Ahead was a jump "out side"; jump 10 was "inside" again. Mistress did not run far enough or better did not stand still and the weaving poles drew me magically. So I did not have enough drive and the pole fell. Mistress trilled "weave poles" and without slowing down I found the entry. I weaved quickly through the poles but suddenly I heard "no, wrong, again". Near the end of the weave poles I had let out a pole.
I did not understand the world. That had never happened to me before ... I was completely stumped and wanted to take the next jump. Mistress did not allow it and realized that I was at the verge of loosing it. I snaked around her and barked shrilly. She told me several time "calmly, calm down" (she was shaking wildly) and I followed her kind of circling to the beginning of the weave poles. Mistress trilled "weave poles" again.
This time I worked the weave poles without mistake and two jumps and the wall followed in a half circle. Mistress was still behind the wall when I vanished into the soft tunnel. Mistress was just passing the wall when she called "loop" and I jumped through. When I landed I heard her "run, run" and took the last jump. Since I know that I am allowed to jump obstacles from only one side I went around and ran towards her still on the course. She could really be quicker sometimes ...
Our "fans" (I am talking about our club mates) were deeply impressed: for one from the beginning sequence and next from Mistress staying calm enough so that I did not loose it! It was completely irrelevant that our time was not great.
We did not start in the game. Mistress always says that one should stop when it is good ... and I don´t believe her nerves would have held up. I choose at a good smelling vendor stall at the site for my treat in form of beef.
