it's time to write.
so this weekend was interesting. learned a LOT. There were lots of sessions, and actually since I (conveniently) have a schedule in front of me from that day, might as well go over what I learned (so I don't forget later lol):
Heeling on & off leash- the lady who did this one was really... backwards, I thought. She had a few good pointers, like you can feed your dog treats just for staying by your side so that heeling is a default behavior for him, and he'll follow you around...
Fronts and Finishes- same lady as before, and she had this diagram thing that she drew on the ground for us to follow for each. She also showed us how we can teach our dog to "touch," so that they touch their nose to your hand. She showed us how just teaching them that one move can really help make a proper finish, and you can teach 'em all sortsa other fun stuff, too.
Showing on the Tables- this was for showmanship. (actually I ended up spending the rest of the afternoon in classes with this new teacher lady... she is a judge, so it was really helpful to see what she had to say) Garth is a rat terrier, so he can be shown on the table. Essentially you have to stack them on the table, with their front claws to the tip of the left side of the table (you're behind the table at all times).... this class was one of the most interesting. I had absolutely no idea what was happening, I had PMS like insanity, and, to top it off, a freaking REPORTER was there. He pulled out a videocamera whilst I was struggling to understand what the heck to do with this un-cooperative dog on the table and I just lost it. I burst into tears, the dog fell off the table, and yeah.
Success in the Show Ring- here the lady showed us some common patterns in the ring (not literal- it's actually a square. xD) like the down and back, and to keep the dog in the middle of the mat at all times, and how there are different turns you can negotiate. Also in showmanship the dog stands at all times, so that was a rather major annoyance. rolleyes Oh and she also showed us how to do courtesy turns to the judge, but she said they're optional, so you don't get points off if you don't do it, but if you do one incorrectly, THEN you can have points off. She also told us how to dress. We can't match the dog- we can coordinate, but not match. No black pants, or skirts, and comfortable shoes that you can run in. Also have hair pulled back and the pants can't flare out a lot to get in the dog's way. *sigh*
... so after that one I was really upset (the dog was NOT cooperating at all- he cried the whole time, and even struggled to go to mom a lot... *frustrated*), so mom made me skip the next session. stare
I Need to Know What?- we talked about questions that the judge will ask during the individual questioning. There's a lot of questions- you have to know the breed of your dog, it's country of origin, what it was bred for, things common in the breed, any faults your dog might have vs. the breed, what group it goes into in the AKC (ratties aren't officially recognized...), vaccinations, parasites- both internal and external, the parts of a dog, the respiration rate of a dog, the heartrate, the gestation period, common dog illnesses, etc...
then we had a potluck, then an AKC professional handler (everyone called him "Big D" wink came in and gave a talk to everyone. He talked about just having a good attitude in the ring- like he said once he was judging and he gave the first place to a really ugly dog because this particular dog wouldn't stay stacked, so, with a smile on his face, his owner put him back in place, and kept re-stacking him over and over again, each time with a smile on his face (and a tear in his eye). The guy also talked about how once when he was showing, his dog squatted and made ready to poop, and he knew that if any crap fell on the floor, you couldn't get it out, so he stuck his hand right under the rear of that dog and caught every last drop of poo. xD
~the next day- Sunday~
Errors in Obedience- we learned about how to do an easier and more fluid about-turn, and in the figure-8 (you have two people and you have to weave in-between them) it's a good idea to start out going to your right so that the dog is on the inside, so he does a good heel. It's when you go the other direction, when he has to turn wider than you, that he falls behind (and you get docked because of it). hmm what else... oh yeah and body language. When you do a sit-stay, you cross your arms as if to say "stay away from me", and then when you do a recall, you stand straight up (points docked otherwise) with your hands at your side. Also when the dog falls behind in heeling, you simply have to pull your shoulder forward a little, and back if he's getting ahead.
Dog CPR- (this was with a different lady from Ridgewater) actually, we barely covered CPR. We talked about what to do if your dog gets heatstroke, what to do if something stabs them, how to check their pulse, and how to muzzle them in case they get hit by a car. Actually I ended up reinforcing the muzzle learning because after that session was done, I had to muzzle him so he could get micro-chipped. sweatdrop he wasn't exposed enough as a puppy to people... and lonnie certainly doesn't help. stare
So after the micro-chipping, I was free!~ I ended up calling mom (they had just gotten out of church) and they came and picked up Garth so I could help clean up- ended up with some free food for helping out. xP
That night we also watched Gran Torino, which was dad's father's day gift from us. That was a good movie. x]
...... so. one of these days I need to talk about the chrysalis thing I'm heading into.. =l
for now I need to go. Garth and I have a lot of work to do. rolleyes
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