Pasadena Kennel Club Dog Show 6/3 & 6/4

Sorry--again no pictures. I've been really bad about taking them, and even worse at uploading them to my computer!! After the drive up to the Pasadena area Friday night, we had an 8:45 ring time. Good thing, too--it was very warm and was going to be over 100 degrees on Saturday!! We showed and got our tails out of there! Payson did pretty well in the ring. It's apparent, however, that my lack of working with him is not a good thing. I will have to work him daily up unitl our next show (Bahia Sur in San Diego) on June 17 & 18. I will keep all you SD people posted as to ring times once I receive them. Back to Saturday--Payson got 1st place in Puppy Class (he was the only one as usual) and then got beaten, so we got to leave. We spent a lovely day together driving around Pasadena and going to a nice park in Arcadia right by where I was staying. My room overlooked the Santa Anita Race Track. Too bad it was off season--I could have seen some races! Sunday we had another 8:45 ring time, so packed up again and headed over to the show place. This time he fared better. He got first in puppy class, then advanced into the next category and beat another dog--so he received a point and a "Winner's Dog" ribbon. He went into Best of Breed category against a little bitch (Dusty) who won, so he got "Best Opposite Sex." Had he won Best of Breed, we would have stayed for group competition, and that would have proven to be a VERY long, hot day, so I'm kind of thankful that Dusty beat him. Plus, now Dusty got a point as well. That's fine with me. Even if Dusty's owner didn't stay for group, being Payson's first time making it to group--I would have stayed just to lose anyway, but would have had the experience of doing it. After Payson and I got home on Sunday, I loaded up all 3 boys for another trip to the dog park. They have really been enjoying that. Payson has 4 points total now, so he needs to get 2 major competitions under his belt before he can finish out as a champion. Most of the shows coming up this summer are far away, so I will keep everyone posted as to when our next one is (after Bahia Sur)--it may be several weeks/months.

Cabrillo Dog Show 5/20-5/21

Sorry,no pictures this time. On Saturday, Payson got "best puppy" so moved in to puppy group competition. He was judged again later in the day and got fourth in the toy puppy group. Sunday was a big disaster. Not because of anything he did, but because the judge said the scar on his left rear leg looks like a surgical enhancement. I told her that it was just where his mother in chewing off the umbilical cord had taken the fur off, but she basically called me a liar with her attitude and dismissed him. I guess you win some, and you lose some. I had a couple of people say really nice, encouraging things, and then there was this other lady that said a whole bunch of stuff I really didn't like to hear. We'll have to see how he gets judged in the future. I know I'll have to avoid that judge in the future, but if others have the same opinion, well...this could be a career ender for him. Guess we can always switch to agility. Sorry for the bum news (and late--I am in Chicago just trying to get this out quickly before my conference starts). Thanks to everyone for your support!

Rio Hondo Dog Show--Pomona 5/6 & 5/7/06

Our little man is moving up in the world!! On Saturday, he won his puppy class, then beat another dog to become "winner's dog." That threw him into the "best of breed" competition, which we did not win. He, did, however, receive a point for beating that other dog. The judge said he looks really big and that I need to measure him, but other than that he is very pretty and has a very nice ear set. So...took him home and measured him. I tried it alone and eyeballed it, and almost panicked--thought I was going to have to saw his feet off to put him within breed standard of 11.5" or shorter. Once I got some help, however, he is within standard. Whew. He would look funny without feet.

Sunday went even better. He's still a little bit puppy-brained in the ring and on the table--he got all excited because someone else had dropped bait on the table and he had to check it out. I got him all stacked up and the judge went over him. Best in puppy class (as usual the only one), then he went on to get winners dog again, and back into best of breed competition. This time he received a "best of winners" ribbon. (Still didn't win best of breed, but picked up even more points!) I need to continue working with him--I can see my challenge will be when the table smells good, so I'm going to have to bait a table and not let him investigate. These small triumphs are helping. I also know he can't win every single one we enter, so have to be happy with small steps and learning what needs to be worked on. Next weekend we don't have a show, and the Show in San Diego is on May 20 & 21.

Payson's Second Show--Second Day

We arrived at the show ground very early to allow Payson plenty of time to blow off steam. We soon discovered, however, that our ring and ring time were changed. We were supposed to be in Ring #8 at 11:30, but were diverted to Ring #12 at approximately 2:00. Our judge for #8 had apparently taken ill so they had to shuffle us around. Kasey was asked yesterday by another dog owner if she would show his dog (that had tried to bite the judge on Saturday) and she agreed to work with her. I said I could try to show Payson myself, so that's what we did. When I saw the judge, I almost panicked. He was a very tall and large man, and he was wearing a baseball cap. I thought if there's ever a time Payson would flip out, this would be it. I took him into the ring and did our stuff--he was a little nervous on the table, but did very well. I have to credit the judge as well--he was very nice and gentle with Payson. We took first in his class (since he was the only one) but came in last of the three dogs, so he did not get to go in for Best of Breed. The good thing is--now I know it can be done, and I know I can do it...it doesn't have to be Kasey or someone with a stronger hand to keep him in check. I'll be completely on my own next weekend. It was good for me to know that he will respond to me. There was also a very nice lady there named Gail. She was SO ecstatic for me that Payson didn't come apart on the table. She is new to showing herself, and had gone to last weekend's show just to observe and this weekend was her fisrt show. Her little bitch did very well. She confessed that she saw Payson last weekend (both days) and said that he had come a long way. She said it broke her heart to see how terrified he looked last weekend, but that she was so excited for our success this weekend. I thought that was very nice. I also have come to realize after talking to a lot of people that what Payson did last weekend was not the worst that could have happened. In fact, today the little bitch that Kasey showed for that man panicked in the ring, wiggled right out of her lead and took off. She was recovered a couple of minutes later, but I think I would have DIED right there if that had happened on my first outing with Payson. Everything turned out all right, and that little girl just needs some work. All our work last week must have paid off somewhat, and I know I can't back off on that. I will be taking Payson out at least a few times this week to help keep him in line. I am so relieved that this dog might be just fine after all--even with a dork like me handling him! The good thing is that he is worn out...he's been sleeping pretty much since we got home!

Payson's Second Show-First Day

After last week's debacle, I took Payson to PestMart, Petco, the Harley store...anywhere I could get strangers to put their hands on him. I think it may have paid off. We drove up to Chino on Friday evening for a bright and early show time on Saturday 4/29. We blew off steam for about an hour and when the moment of truth came, Kasey said he was "perfect...that he didn't move a muscle." Thank goodness! I don't have to strangle my dog! He took "winners reserve"--he was beaten by another dog that went on to best of breed competition. But he got a "legitimate" ribbon this week and he stood up for the judge and didn't turn into the mutant furry contortionist I saw last weekend. Baby steps. There's still work to do, but at least we get to keep trying. Our show time on Sunday is at about 11:30, so will post those results soon.

Payson's First Show

Payson's first dog show was Angeles Canyon Dog Club on April 22 and April 23, 2006. On Saturday, I showed him. We went into the ring where everything seemed fine, even when I put him up onto the table for examination. When the judge approached, however, he became completely unhinged. No amount of cajoling or comforting would make him calm down, so we were excused from competition. This act to my feeling was one step short of biting a judge. On Sunday, my breeder, Kasey showed him for me. I had assumed that Saturday's problems were related to either me, or the fact that the judge was a man. When Kasey took him into the ring, he did fine. When he was placed upon the table, however, he had a repeat performance despite the fact that the judge was female. This judge took several minutes to allow Kasey to try to get him to calm down but to no avail. She awarded him a ribbon anyway (he was the only dog in the class) but excused him from competing in Best of Breed. On Saturday I was very deflated and dejected wondering what I had done wrong. To be quite honest, it was a bit of a lift to see him pull the same act with a different handler and a different judge. Not that I wanted it to happen, but at least I could know it wasn't me. Saturday I felt like there was nothing that could have been worse (aside from actually biting the judge). I have now come to realize that this is an animal, and animals are unpredictable, no matter how much you think you've trained. We have been attending conformation classes for months now, and the only indication I have had of a potential meltdown was that he was a little bit shy of the male instructor. He has since come to accept him, and I had mistakenly come to believe that he had overcome all hangups about "strangers." The reality is that all he did was make friends with this stranger. I have also since decided that there are many things that could have happened that could have been worse. I could have tripped over my dog and fallen in the ring. I could have gone in there with my skirt tucked into my pantyhose. Talk about mortifying. I could have left home and forgotten to actually pack the dog in the car. His collar could have broken allowing him to bolt and run for safety. He could have bitten a judge. That probably would have disqualified us from competition on a "forever" basis. This experience so far has been for learning, leading up to bigger and better things. Next weekend's show has 11 entries on Saturday and 9 on Sunday. That is much bigger than any I have seen so far. I have 5 days to get this animal to be NOT afraid of other people touching him. I have my challenges ahead of me, but hopefully he will be reasonable enough to overcome his phobia. I'll keep you all posted as he progresses (or backslides)!