Hi all,
I've been out of touch this past week (I apologize)....however, I've been getting ready for the first east coast PSA trial of the 2007 season!!!
This weekend, I will be showing TJ. TJ is a "borrowed" dog. 10 years old. TJ was the first dog to get a PSA 2 title (in Feb 2002). He is also the only dog to title/get a leg every time he was shown (he was shown 4 times: 1st time he got his 1 Novice, 2nd time his 1 Open, 3rd time his first leg to the 2, 4th time the second leg to his 2).
He belongs to one of my closest friends (Dallas), and she has very graciously allowed me to "take him off the couch" (he is a pet that sleeps in her bed every night) and train him up for the 3's. We've been working together since October. I feel more comfortable with him than I've ever felt. But there are things he doesn't know that we might face in the 3's...unfortunately, I can try to prepare for everything...but it's all a surprise...the scenarios (both OB and Prot) will be different each day. It's luck of the draw: to have all the cards fall in place on a given day, and hope the scenarios are made up of components that he knows/understands (and that I know/understand).
But, we have a difficult road ahead of us: there are only 4 dogs in the country to have a level 3 title, and only 3 other dogs in the country competing in the 3's at this time. Why? Because it's very hard to get to that point...in the PSA level 1's, the obedience and control of the dog is tested. In the upper levels, it is all about the relationship between the handler and the dog, and the ability for them to communicate clearly. It is about the dog trusting the handler to make the right decisions at the right time. It takes a special dog to get a 3...I hope that TJ is one of those special dogs. I think, and I believe, he is...
This weekend will be the first time in a while that there is a dog on the east coast competing in the 3's (the last time was Jerry Bradshaw with Rocky and Ricardo).
So, please keep your fingers crossed for us!!! I'll let you know how we do!!!
THANK YOU!!!!