Well, the time for the Penn. County Fair has come and gone, but not without swelling our collection of ribons and trophies! We entered the 4-H dog show on Wednesday morning, and also the Open Show that same afternoon. Kiara received Grand Champion and one trophy for her performance in 4-H Showmanship as well as a Reserve in Obedience. In Open Show, she took a grand in both Obedience and Showmanship.
Josiah and I had a more difficult time of things. We’d been working with our dogs part of the summer, then his dog had pups and mine got run over (a dislocated elbow was the only negative result) so both of us started over with pups under a year old. Still, Josiah took Reserve in Open Show Obedience, and I took Grand Champion in 4-H Rally and Open Show Obedience, and Reserve in Open Show Rally.
Explanation anyone? The Obedience division is a basic test of how well your dog knows the commands heel, sit, stay, come, stand, down, and hold. For the lower levels, you need to have your dog heel by your side in an L pattern. When you stop, the dog is supposed to sit. Long sits and downs (sit-stay and down-stay) are 1 and 3 minutes respectively for beginner levels. There is a recall exercise: sit-stay, come.
For the upper levels, the long sits and downs are longer. Kiara (Tanner) was required have Tanner perform the heeling L pattern off leash, and to leave Tanner for 3 and 5 minutes, and walk out of sight while he was doing his long sits and downs. She was also required to provide a dummy for him to hold for 10 seconds.
Showmanship is much different. Instead of showing how obedient your dog is, you show off your dog to the judge. Everyone goes in the ring together in a line (as opposed to one test at a time in obedience.) The Judge walks down the line and examines how well your dog stands. Then, individually, you take your dog in either a L or a triangle pattern. Here the rules are to keep your dog trotting and to keep the dog between between you and the judge. Remember, it’s for showing off the dog! The judge will also ask you – before you run the little pattern, a question or two about where your dog’s breed originated and a question about the dog’s anatomy. This are is also based on knowledge!
And finally: Rally. Rally is a series of exercises borrowed from obedience, but easier. They could include weaving cones, having your dog lay down and walking around it, stepping backwards and calling your dog to the front of you, turning left via a 270 to the right, doing a 360, etc. The biggest rules here are to NEVER touch your dog, and the keep your dog happy. It’s less difficult than Obedience, and a little more fun.
Thanks for reading!
Like our Facebook page!