End of the 2007 trialling year

Well - this has been quite a year for me and my crew. So this will be basically a brag post - summing up the year:

Leo
Starting off with 2 CCD passes for Leo and aspirations for agility. Kinta was the start of my venture into showing also. I think at the end of last year, I said that I wanted 4 titles for Leo - CCD, CD, AD & JD.


Obedience
First obedience trial of the year, and we are off to a good start - CCD in the bag - and some beaut work by Mr Leo. Glad to say he didn't stop there. Within 3 weeks of starting CD - he had also gained this title with some lovely scores too! I didn't quite expect him to get his novice so fast! In under a year, Leo had gained 2 of his obedience titles, which I was thrilled about. Rather than rush through, I decided to take time out of obedience, train him up for open, which also gave me time to concentrate on Agility and Kinta. We didn't enter obedience again until 17th November. First trial in Open (which is quite a jump from Novice) and we come away with our first pass (albeit, not that great) and 173. Today, we had our last obedience trial of the year. Considering the heat (30 deg) and that it was my first time as Trial secretary, I wasn't expecting too much from him. We ended up pulling off another pass, score of 189 and highest scoring Croydon member in trial!!!!! I couldn't be prouder of him, and considering the comments others have made about him, I should be ;-). So he has made a great end to the year, and set the bar high for our next trialling year!






Agility:
2007 marked the start of our agility career. Off to a shaky start, we had to scratch from our first trial due to Leo being lame. So we hit the rings in March sometime I think. First trial we did no good, but what can you expect! From there - we have pulled away one pass from each trial bar 1. Leo is a steady, consistent jumper, once he learnt to lift those legs (still a continuing issue!). By July he had attained his JD title in about 4 trials I think. Agility was a little harder as we like to do only ONE thing wrong ie: knock a bar, refusal etc,etc. As the saying goes, he does it great at training, but likes to stuff up at trials! Saturday was our last agility trial of the year and we didn't get off to a good start.... off with the fairies and just basically not focussed. A good novice agility run, but 2 bars down. PM was a bit better and we pulled off a Novice agility pass about 30 seconds under time!!!! I was even happier to hear we got 3rd place against some very tough (and fast!) competition!!!!

So we got 3 out of the 4 titles wanted, and some excellent foundation laid for next year - only one more pass to go for both our CDX and AD titles... and Leo is getting better and better for JDX too - so not far off for that! Every pass we have received has been a place! I'm just so proud of this boy.... for a 'dud' he isn't doing too bad ;-). Our hopes for next year? Lets set them high eh? CDX, AD, JDX, possibly ADX and some Games titles (SD, GD). Don't know if we'll get there due to the fact i'll be running 2 dogs! I'd love to be ready/ trialling in UD by the end of the year too ;-).

Kinta:

Showing:
Interesting start for us as it is a completely new venture. Filled with highs and lows. Everybody keeps telling me how nice she is looking etc,etc, but it was a long road before the points started rolling in. It wasn't until Kinta hit 15mths that the judges really started looking at her, but I feel it isn't far off yet. I have every confidence in her as I do think she is lovely and well 'designed' for a multi-talented career! Our year has included a:
Minor Puppy in Grp
Puppy in Grp
Junior in Show (ASCV Open show)
1st in Non-Champ sweepies
Reserve Challenge at our ASCV Open show
AND we finished the year with a 9pt BOB! Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come!

Obedience:
Although we haven't entered a ring yet, I couldn't be prouder with what I'm getting from her. She is a very enthusiastic, precise worker and is a lot more focussed than Leo. I feel we still need some exposure around unfamiliar areas/ crowds (summer project!) but I have high hopes for her. I am most proud of her heel-work (Thank-you Sarah!) and hopefully we'll be starting our obedience stint at the start of next year.

Agility:
Only started a few months ago and is going well. She is a natural at it, and while I think she will be 'competitive' I don't think she will be top-dog material. But who knows. I find with Kinta that her speed comes through confidence, and she isn't quite there yet ;-). On the 'known' she is quite a fast worker! I can't wait to get her out there competing!!! Seriously - though she is frustrating when she is just out of season (flat as) she is just delightful to work and live with at other times.

My hopes for Kinta - Hopefully - Aust Ch, CCD, CD, AD, JD. We'll see how we go ;-).

Adapting life to 2 dogs
Long story short I love it! I don't think i'll be a sole-dog owner again, I just love how these two get on - they really are best buds. I've found it a little hard to divide my time, as I really want to give each dog individual attention, and at times I find it slipping, but am able to pick up again real quick. Kinta has been a great addition - I just love her sweet 'mummy's girl' temperament, but at the same time, Leo suits me too - he just loves everybody and is so happy about life! Seriously - 2 great dogs!

Ok - I'll stop gloating now, but I just wanted to sum up my year :D :D!