Toe got his CD title!

We showed Saturday - I got there an hour early - it's IN a hotel. Which I thought was weird but they are small dogs and I've been told a lot of small dogs have shows in hotels. 

The hotel saran wrapped the carpeted ballroom floor! And on top of the saran wrap they had placed those mats for dog shows with a ring gate around that....   Next to the dog show ballrooms there was a medical convention with medical talk and slides etc. going on.

I didn't know where to set up my kennel.  No one had kennels in the room with the ring.... there were grooming areas but I hadn't paid for a grooming area because I didn't need one. 

I asked a guy who seemed to be in charge... he put me in a storage room... mostly Toe was going to be with me but if I needed to put him in a kennel for some reason I wanted to have it there.  The store room was an empty ball room with behind the scenes dog show things like more ring gate stuff, extra gift bags, misc. equipment and there was my one solitary kennel for Toe!

I took my Rescue Remedy for nerves... warmed up... Toe did seem really focused on me and happy to work...so I was hopeful. We went in the ring - the on lead heeling was pretty good. Lost focus a couple times, felt the leash get tight a couple times...I stepped on him once when he was not paying attention and I had a left turn... maybe that's good for him to pay attention!!!

He did his stand for exam really well... even tho' he had wiggle butt for the judge... he did his stays nicely.... he came when called with such enthusiasm that people laughed and he sat in front... he finished and sat so his sitter wasn't broken this time like at the Mountain States show.

The off leash heeling? Started out GREAT! and then we did an about turn.

The room was small enough that people were sitting next to the ring - so close their knees were almost touching the ring.  All the shows we've been to, no one really sits next to the ring and I hadn't thought to proof him or expose him to that sort of scenario.

The about turn in my heeling pattern put him next to the people and he thought... "Oh! They are here to see ME!"  He stopped to visit.... walking along the ring gate looking at all the people and wiggling his charming little stump tailed butt.

I had to call him to heel again cuz I had lost him. 

We were in another part of the ring for the off leash heeling pattern, he was distracted by people and went visiting again.... I was halfway across the room and called him to heel a second time... his face clearly said, "Oh yeah! I forgot!"  He came running and was near heel position and then it was over.... shew.

Everyone laughed cuz he was really funny about the visiting.  Hey, at least he was entertaining!


I thought they allowed you to call your dog once but if you did it again you flunked.... and someone said to me after I went - "too bad you had to call him a second time".... so I figured I flunked.

But I passed!

And then I felt guilty. (hello, Catholic schooling for 12 yrs!)

Thought because the judge is a woman I know from tracking and it was a specialty and I know they are more lenient at specialty shows but thought maybe I was an outright cheater cuz of the 2nd call to heel and I still passed  - tho' I didn't ask anyone to pass me... but still, I was more worried about that than the fact I qualified if that makes sense?

Afterward, on my way home,  I called a woman I'd taken a private lesson with to tell her about his qualification and title.  I asked her about the call to heel ... she said yes, at specialties and nationals they are more lenient but you CAN call your dog to heel more than once.

Normally you don't if you want to get a good score but it's not an outright flunk if you do, it's points off and the judges discretion about how many points off.. shew.   I felt better about it.

Wonder if he'll go visiting on Tues now that he's been in the ring and done it and seen how it is??  Will still show Tues. cuz they can't take the title away!  I'm holdin' onto that sucker with both hands!  Grin.

I could see he had improved from his last show at Mountain States and someone told me Saturday,  when he was on, he was spot on... he just isn't on all the time for heeling in the ring.  That is the time thing with me rushing it and thinking he was ready when he just quite wasn't.... so I'm cool with it.

He had improvement and I was happy with that!  His sitter wasn't broken, he wags the whole time he's in there and he had some really nice moments.  Yay Toe!

I wasn't sure what to expect at the show cuz I wouldn't really know anyone... Toe's breeder's, B and T,  told people if they saw a brown dog to introduce themselves to me.  It was funny because people I had no idea who they were would come up and say, "Is this Toe? Hi, I'm so and so...." and we'd chat for a moment.  It was very nice of everyone to do that, I felt very welcomed and everyone was so nice to us.

B and T showed up in the afternoon and I hung with them, watched the conformation dogs go.  Fun to see the English Cockers groomed to the nines.  I would have hung out to watch anyway and was nice to spend some time with such fun people.... 0

B helped me strip Toe to take the fuzziness away and leave the hard coat....I can't seem to get it... he spent 10-15 min showing me and using a stripper on Toe...

Anyway - it was a very nice day, I had a good time and Toe got his CD honestly which makes me feel a lot better!  I dont' want to be a cheater!

The woman from the Mountain States show posted a YouTube of us if you want to see - this is the show we were in May 7 and 8.  Here's the link if you can't see the video:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krV9lryF6gg