Category: Conformation

Making Choices

I am trying to make different choices this year.

First I started with a lot less drinking and snacking. I am down 10 pounds and seem to be stabilizing there which is ok by me!

Next is to do more fun things with the dogs and less long trial days. This one is harder.

I start looking at the trials coming up and want to enter both days. Or enter two trials in a row. Because despite not enjoying the early mornings that much, I do enjoy the thrill of stepping to the line to tackle a new course. The accumulation of titles and seeing what kinds of times we can lay down. I don’t really enjoy having to cheerlead Twitch around the course though.

So I am trying to choose other activities for the summer. I am committing to two trials in July and August. Both USDAA and both outside. Otherwise I want to go camping and hiking. I want to go to new trails and get up early-ish on a weekend morning and go some place new at least twice in July and August.

May is already full though we could plan a hike on one weekend.

June I am currently planning one trial and one conformation show.

See? Not enough weekends for all the fun things!

Conformation

Vader and I are going to enter a conformation show in March. Our first one.

We have attended 3 handling classes and had a friend come over once to practice in the barn. Vader is doing well in classes but he finds them pretty boring. 🙂 Except for the treats. He does like the treats.

Kris asked me what my goals are in this conformation thing. I don’t know that I have any other than to not be an idiot in the ring. 🙂 I do want to see what a judge thinks of him stacked up against other dogs. That may be harder than I expect just because there are not many Icies around!

Other than that, just more ring experience and exposure. Gail got to see him tonight and she thinks he looks great. I am hopeful a judge will also think so. I am planning to attend the next few weeks of handling classes to get more practice in before the end of March. It will be here before I know it!