How Ccatti and I spent Saturday.

I had a wonderful day on Saturday, nerve racking and wonderful.

Ccatti and I competed in a trial for her "traffic safe" test. This is a pass or fail test that needs to be passed prior to continuing on to the next level of Schutzhund. It was a long day made longer by rain, mist, mud, and change in the normal order of what level dogs goes when. Ccatti and I made the trec of about 90 minutes to a dog club north of us. The test she was entered in was scheduled to start about 10:00 so Ccatti and I pulled in about 9:00 to make sure paperwork and scorebook was in order. When the judge returned from the other tracking portion he decided to do our section last, after lunch.

It was fun to watch the other dogs compete and talking with people as we waited. Even though in some places it was ankle deep water and mud.... As I waited some of the members of the dog club I belong to arrived to give Ccatti and I moral and emotional support. Even our Training Director who drove more then 2-hours came. That's a special club when so many show up from so far away to support one club member and her dog. :)

Lunch came and went. Ccatti and I were in the third group. There are two dogs on the field at a time. One doing the obedience routine while the other is on what is called a down under distraction. This entails the dog being placed in a certain spot at the edge of the field, after the leash is taken off, the dog is told to lay down, and the handler walks almost the length of the field and stands with their back toward the dog. The dog is not supposed to move from that spot until the handler returns, all while watching the other dog go through all it's obedience routine.

Ccatti and I did our obedience portion first and she was wonderful. Everybody has told me she had the best routine of all in her class. I was very proud of her. Then we went for her down under distraction portion. The other dog did fine until the handler removed it's leash for the off-leash obedience section. Then the games began. This dog decided it wanted to run around the field and not get caught! All this going on while Ccatti is laying down across the field from me, oh my...... Even though I'm supposed to have my back to her, I admitted I peaked a look to see what she was doing. Laying there very nicely! They got the other dog back on leash and decided that was enough for it. That was a very tough down under distraction for Ccatti but she did great.

Ccatti passed with flying colors and we can continue on with our titling.

A very wonderful Saturday.

A nice lady ran my video camera for me so I have much of Ccatti's routine here.