# I May Throw Up :)



## Sroodle8 (Dec 23, 2021)

At the risk of insulting your mama on Mother's Day Weekend...take the long view here. Maybe you won't win this weekend. Maybe it will be a fiasco. Maybe your dog will pee in the ring or you will forget the meaning of the signs or your dog will yap incessantly or you will forget to pack a sandwich. The next day you will wake up, pet your dog, and have some things to work on. 

How about setting a few goals for the weekend? Get some ring experience for the dog. I don't know anything about Rally, is there a particular move that you have been working with your dog? Maybe a sign that you think the two of you can nail? Make it through the weekend without throwing up? Have the dog settle in the crate for 30 minutes (or 10 or 2)? Build on this experience so you can earn the ribbons in the July trial.

Your mama may be right, but YOU define the win.


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## Dianaleez (Dec 14, 2019)

That feeling of nausea? A sign that you're alive and challenged. After the past two years, that's not a bad place to be.

We mamas sometimes try to inspire our offspring to reach their potential. Perhaps we should just be encouraging them to enjoy life.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Hey Martha I think I showed to the rally judge once. Since he is from Texas (I think) he probably isn't in the Northeast too often. It was not the best, but also far from the worst time I have had in a rally ring. As long as you can get someone to help keep Otter a bit on the chill side while you walk I am sure you will be fine. It is on leash and as long as you don't have tons of tight leashes it will be okay. Novice signs are not all that hard and not all that different from the old days.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

mashaphan said:


> The big hesitation-My mama said, if you aren't gonna win, don't bother to play


If you followed that advice you would never get out of bed. Think of all the fun you would miss not taking chances.

I would think your goal is not a Q but to just be there with the crowd and getting him comfortable with the process of showing. A second goal is getting yourself comfortable with showing a different dog - Otter instead of Che. 

I have a group of scent work students that I'm preparing to compete in upcoming trials. I'm setting courses of the type they can expect in the ring. But I'm also setting expectations and helping them focus on 2-3 small details instead of whether or not they get a Q and to not worry about placement ribbons. If you have 2-3 small goals that you achieve or are happy with what you did - then you win and can leave the ring happy and cheering on your dog. It's our hobby to participate in dog sports. It's our responsibility to make it fun for our dogs too. When you take care of those little details, the Q's will come.

Whether you earn a Q or not - all of us here will cheer on team Otter for getting out there and trying.


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## mashaphan (Sep 4, 2014)

Well, I filled out the entry form-didn't mail it yet, but...Catherine, I would feel much better were the judge Karen Wrey! Also just saw a video of my Sunday trainer winning her CD w/3 HITs...this is where I want to be, and I cannot HOPE to attain that level with this WildMan. Does not help that we never practice on lead, either, I suppose.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

Tell you what... 

I am currently procrastinating on submitting Annie's entry for her last leg of CRN... We did her other two in a location familiar to us, but this will be a bunch of people I don't know and a facility we don't know, and we haven't been in classes since last year, and I don't want to drive that far, and what if I spend all that money and we don't Q... And ... well (more excuses). 

If you submit yours, I'll submit mine!


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## mashaphan (Sep 4, 2014)

If you submit yours, I'll submit mine! 

Well, I did it;mailed Monday,so has until May25 to get 50miles. May not end up GOING, but ..step 1 completed


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## SandyTopknot (8 mo ago)

Congrats on mailing your entry! May I offer an alternate way to think of doing performance competition with your dog? I've had Siberian Huskies for 4+ decades, and this mindset completely changed my feelings about doing it and also completely changed - for the better! - the results we had in the various rings. (agility, obedience, rally, barn hunt, canine musical freestyle, working pack dog, etc.)

1. I will always go home with my most favorite dog, no matter what.
2. The satin is green and it isn't embossed with the score. Anything over a passing score is a win, and anything less is a learning experience for me. 100% of the time the handler is the problem - either I didn't socialize the dog enough, didn't train the dog and myself enough, didn't proof the dog for weirdness enough, didn't prepare my dog properly that day, and/or didn't prepare myself mentally that day.
3. The judge is a dog person. I can guarantee you that no matter what you and your dog do in the ring, they've seen it before and maybe even did it before when they were competing.
4. Most judges WANT you to succeed.
5. In the ring, ignore the judge (as much as possible - if they're calling moves, pay attention to that part) while you and your dog are working. You're dancing a beautifully choreographed dance with your partner - that's all that matters.
6. Stuff happens - let it go. Kids will be at ringside with chip bags. Someone will bring a bitch in season too close. The judge will drop their clipboard. Your dog will get stressed and may eliminate in the ring. Stuff happens. Nobody died, hopefully, and everything else is fixable. When stuff happens, refer to the list of handler problems in tip #2 - which one did the "stuff" point to that you need to work on?
7. I will ALWAYS go home with my most favorite dog, no matter what.

Good luck...can't wait to hear how it goes!


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## mashaphan (Sep 4, 2014)

Here is the update

Got the final confirmation, nearly passed out again. Wednesday class was a disaster-match Sunday before trial, not so bad. Still nervous, but people I knew judging, so I survived. Saturday trial, pounding heart but we entered the ring. First sign Stop and Down, Otter;s front feet and NOSE hit the turf, back stayed up-well, this is new-I hate turf! After that i got so frustrated with him, I blew past a RIGHT TURN (!), and NQd

Sunday, first dog didn't show, so we were first in. I had a major meltdown, but luckily Che's trainer was there, and kept saying "You can do this"-Somewhat harder course, and it was not pretty (Otter is the NOSIEST dog I ever had-had to watch scent articles in the next ring)-repeated 3 signs , but scored 82 and earned first leg.

Pluses-with the darkening cover, I was able to walk the courses and use the facilities with little noise-though over a soft sided crate, the cover made him very warm.Judge was super nice, courses were nice. Sadly, next shows are September!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Congratulations! I am glad you got your team out there. The darkening cover over his crate has made crating Javelin pleasant, not just tolerable. It has transformed him.


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## Sroodle8 (Dec 23, 2021)

Nice job! You'll be ready for those September shows. Otter will probably do some stuff right and then show you a whole new way to NQ--enjoy the ride.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

Good job Otter! 

Well, I ended up submitting my entry too and had a more-or-less successful June show.

It was the most disorganized event I've ever been to, they had lost my entry,but luckily still had my name down as having submitted an entry but as FEO (nope! Want to title!). They didn't have a trial premium so I had to email to figure out start times a few days prior.

Annie had a rather terrible rally run. 

The dog before us was excused for having a lunging barking fit, and was still having a lunging barking fit when we were entering the ring, along with another dog who we were standing next to, so I had to bring her into the ring past a dog who had lunged and snarled at her randomly 10 min prior while the owner asked me a question (she was sitting at my side at the time). Annie is reactive to barking dogs, but thankfully didn't bark. It was fairly tall grass, and mosquitoey, she's done classes only indoors. She came into the ring wanting to sniff for stress relief.

I'd basically done no trial prep because I was sick with COVID for 2 weeks and had just recovered enough to start walking for 5 minutes 1 days prior, (yes, I tested negative before going) and I haven't been in class since last fall. I did 4 practice runs the night before, and she did terribly, stopping to scratch away deer flies constantly. I went expecting an NQ, but figured it was $20 ring practice.

Setup was terrible. There were a bunch of dogs set up right next to the ring, so the first 5-6 signs were past a row of watching dogs, including the reactive dog who had just melted down, and 3 dogs rather rudely right by the ring entrance. I think there was another small squabble while we were in the ring. There was something really smelly and good beside by the start sign that all the dogs went for. And it was 30C, not a cloud in the sky, and Annie is black. Trial was supposed to start at 10, we got there at 9, were the first event, and it didn't run until probably noon. 

I got half way through, had said 'Leave it!' and 'look!' approximately 8000 times, and had her lose focus and hit the end of the leash another 1000 times, figured I hadn't qualified, decided to just speed up, keep going and have fun for practice. 

Got to the end, the judge said we'd qualified and I was shocked enough that I blurted out 'Really?"

So, despite a TON of tight leash deductions, Annie now has the last leg of her CRN. She is a far better dog than I deserve!

I don't have her ribbon because I wasn't going to wait for another 3 novice courses to run in the heat, but am very proud of her. And although a bit disorganized, the people were all very nice and we had a good time.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

FWOP just wow that sounds perfectly awful! Good for you on getting around the course. There are lots of things that could have been much better in the set up and running of the trial. You got a trial by fire there for sure. Anything that happens in the future will be a piece of cake.


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## mashaphan (Sep 4, 2014)

Took me awhile to get back here as I only have internet at the library, but WOW FWOP, that experience would have done me in! BIG kudos for muddling through! I am tankful my club does a GREAT job, by and large, though I preferred showing on mats to the turf that seems to hold smells. Ring entrance/exit are separate , USUALLY people are not allowed near the ringside, etc. I don't think I would try to show outside-tooo many distractions, and we don't practice outside. Just wow to your team; I am in awe and congrats on the hardwon title!


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## mashaphan (Sep 4, 2014)

premium just posted for our September Rally Only trials-here we go again! Tomorrow I am working the Freestyle event at the club (leash runner) which is my dream, but I want it to look like ice dancing, so won't ever actually DO it


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## Sroodle8 (Dec 23, 2021)

Go get 'em!


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## Charmed (Aug 4, 2014)

My sister does not show, but she has taken all of her Anatolian Shepherds through obedience classes, agility classes and therapy dog classes. She never gets frustrated, and maintains a positive attitude no matter what stunts her ASDs pull on her. And believe me those dogs have done a lot. One time a pup made a side trip on his recall to hike his leg on the instructor! So when I find myself wanting to use a sharp tone on a recall, I think of my sister.. and force myself to be cheerful, ha-ha! Kudos to you for stepping back in the ring.


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## mashaphan (Sep 4, 2014)

well, a literal hitch in the getalong-we have a (suspected) partial tear of the cruciate-guess there is such a thing as TOO MUCH enthusiasm. . Unfortunately,he now feels fine, and can't stay on the ground, even on leash, so this may be the end of a just begun performance career-don't want a complete tear, if we can help it. I am not even sure he can be groomed; appt is in a month. Feeling very lost this week


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## reraven123 (Jul 21, 2017)

So sorry. A friend's dog just had a partial tear, and after several weeks rest is now recovered completely. Don't give up yet.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

mashaphan said:


> well, a literal hitch in the getalong-we have a (suspected) partial tear of the cruciate-guess there is such a thing as TOO MUCH enthusiasm. . Unfortunately,he now feels fine, and can't stay on the ground, even on leash, so this may be the end of a just begun performance career-don't want a complete tear, if we can help it. I am not even sure he can be groomed; appt is in a month. Feeling very lost this week


This sounds scary. Poor Otter, I hope he heals quickly. i don’t envy you keeping him quiet and calm during convalescence. 

Once he’s healed you can discuss with the vet what he can and cannot do. The vet may say you can still train and compete but with some modifications like a lower jump height.


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

I’m sorry to hear, hope some rest and time helps.


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