I was very concerned because we haven't been able to practice for quite some time due to my health. But in all fairness to Boogie, we didn't practice that much ever.....maybe five or six times total.
He was in a great mood and ready for whatever fun thing was coming his way.....until about two minutes before his turn. Someone in the neighborhood just next to the rings started shooting off fireworks.
His little ears went back and he hunkered down. Then he jumped into my arms. He was as still as still can be just pushing his body into mine. I held him until it was our turn to walk in the ring then told him he was one brave puppy!
Here we are at the beginning of our Obedience career. We were so extremely lucky as we got a super nice and friendly judge. She really made the day fun...no stress at all. (Remember, this is July 3 just after noon. Notice how we are dressed! It was cold! You'd have thought it was February or March.)
One of the exercises is to heel around two people in a figure eight. We'd only practiced this twice....using Wazzu as one of the posts!
Little Boogie was so busy looking at me that I don't think he noticed it was two people instead of one person and one dog! What a good little boy. Mike took a lot of pictures and in the large majority of them, Boogie is looking right up at me. I just want to pick him up and hug him.... but he'd rather just have cheese.
Look how nicely he is heeling! I'm thinking we have this in the bag!
But just then....more fireworks go off! He was afraid to move....he slowed down to a crawl. Too bad it wasn't the "slow" portion of the exercise.
The very next exercise was the recall....his best exercise. I had him sit, left him and went to the other side of the ring. Just as the judge raised her arm to signal I should call him, fireworks went off again! He wouldn't move. Too bad this wasn't the sit stay exercise! But I couldn't blame the little guy. I know you're supposed to proof them to many different things....but we certainly never proofed for fireworks. Just happened to be bad timing for us.
But overall, I was extremely proud of him. Especially after looking at the pictures to find out he was staring right up at me the whole time when he was in heel position except the one time when the fireworks scared him.
He was a perfect little statue during the long sit. All nine dogs did great except for one border collie that decided he needed to lie down and take a nap.
As I expected, he was a perfect little boy during the long down as well.
I really couldn't have been more proud of him even though we didn't pass. Under the circumstances I thought he was a super star. Just imagine how good this little guy could be if I could actually train him!
On our way home, we stopped at my friend Shari's house to visit her dogs again while she is in Hawaii (bet it's not cold there).
The dogs were very happy to see us and were pretty much in heaven when they saw we brought some of our dogs with us again.
Wazzu and Slick love each other....always have. So right away Wazzu had to start flirting with Slick. Wazzu won't let any other dog play with her the way she lets Slick play. I just love watching them.
Slick and Ozzie both really like 2iggie.
Boogie is usually the one playing with Ozzie but since she was enamored with 2iggie, he decided to smell the flowers....or eat the roots....I don't know.
Then he realized there was a bird inside and we couldn't get him to leave the door the rest of the time we were there.
Being a boy, Mike had to play in the tree house. Of course, where a boy goes so does his dog.
Debbie
7/3/10
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