Well, certainly the very last trial season for my Ruda. A bit sad finish as I really believed we could reach our goal which was an Obedience Champion title but realised now that probably we will never get there.
She can make all exercises very well, no problem with that. I am also very proud of her progress in both speed and accuracy made during last year. But all this work just does not show in competitions. We competed 2 times this season and both times she made 2 major faults or refused to perform twice which cost many points. She seems to understand that no rewards will come in trials and does not want to make an effort. She is a smart girl and I must be that stupid trainer that has not learned anything from previous mistakes… She is a reward addict and so am I…
I will give it a try of course few more times but I do not really believe in a single one excellent result anymore. But as long as she is not in heat we can try. Next year she will be a senior dog, I can see first signs of this already. She is slower and more comfortable in everyday life so maybe she is just getting old? We run all the possible blood tests today, just in case, and found no explanation there. She is healthy. Which is most important. She is my friend in the first place.
Prima, the Border Collie, gained her Champion title already. Yesterday we earned last qualifying result. She has been trained mostly the same way that Ruda but she is a completely different type of dog. She does not ponder so much, she just performs what she was taught. I do understand why Border Collies dominate the world of obedience. They are so easy in many ways.
I am very proud of her but…it would have tasted much sweeter with Ruda! She is a real challenge!
I hope I will be a much more clever trainer with little Brita, I don’t have a choice…
Well. Enough of that.
The summer has passed without any blog posts, I just did not feel like writing anything.
It has been a very busy summer!
Very hot July gave a chance to improve general physical condition for me and the dogs. Every morning, after a long walk we swam across our lake and back because it was too hot to do anything else. The rest of the days were spent inside until evening. We have been on the countryside few times and enjoyed long walks in the forest and playing in water as well. During the days the dogs were just lying and walking around in the garden while I studied some Spanish which has become my new hobby. We had summer guests and people just visiting shortly and the garden needed some attention as well.
Then came August with its moderate temperatures and we could go back to training.
Little Brita is showing good potential as an obedience dog but I am sorry to see that her paw is not completely restored. The good thing is that she does not have pain in the bones as she walks without any disturbance with her shoe on. However the part of the skin that has never been meant to be exposed to hard surface after amputation of the toe is still sensitive. I hoped it would get harder after so long time but now, almost 5 months after the accident it´s still a problem for her. Or rather for me as she does not seem to be bothered at all. She is always happy and enjoys her life fully.
I could compete with her in start class but I still hope her paw will be better. I think I give it time until next spring.
And now everything is back to normal. The summer guests are gone, the nights are getting colder and the garden wither. I train every day in different places.
Usually I always feel a bit depressed when winter is approaching but not this year! If everything goes well I will spend a major part of winter in Spain where we bought a little house and hopefully learn a lot more Spanish and find a place to train the dogs. At least the two which are going with me.
It has been decided that Prima will stay with one of my sons who loves her very much so I will never have to deal with fighting dogs again. It is a very hard decision and it will break my heart to leave her behind but I do not see any other way out. The fight will happen again, it´s just a matter of time. And I don´t want to experience this once more, I have had enough!
I believe she will have loving and active home but I am going to miss her terribly!