Had to use a lil bit of leash pressure to remind her to sit - I don't want to cue the sit verbally, as that can be a distraction and we're still working for fluency of behaviour - but as far as I'm concerned, Freyja absolutely nailed this.
The hide wasn't visible, despite that, Freyja had no issue to find and indicate on it, and while we're using Sweet Birch for scent this time around (we use pieces of kong a lot), Freyja didn't time waste once she located it.
All in all, I'm thrilled.
Can't wait to trial her in a few months. It's going to be brilliant!!
ANKC did an online (mock) trick dog trial. I entered 85% to provide support to the idea of online trials.
They ran it really well. Your entry had to be one single entire video without any editing. This was pretty difficult because I decided to enter 2 days before the deadline and neither dog was feeling keen, so motivation was low.
Plus I haven’t trained many of these tricks to the ANKC requirements, so if I go forward with ANKC trick dog interests, I’ll need to brush up on their desired criteria versus my stuffing around.
Uploading the video and receiving the judge feedback has been pretty straight forward - their website was super easy to follow.
Tick Tock (Thyme) - final score of 51 (out of 60?)
Trick - Points - Deduction - Comments
1 ( Go around ) - 8.5 - 00.00 - The dog started beautifully but lost concentration and hesitated on its way back
2 ( Circle handler ) - 4.0 - 00.00 - Nice start to the trick. Unfortunately the dog did not go back to the starting position so truck incomplete
3 ( Circle spin ) - 9.0 - 00.00 - The dog did not quite complete a full spin but still a worthy trick
7 ( Step up ) - 10.0 - 00.00 - Lovely display of the trick
11 ( Take a bow ) - 10.0 - 00.00 - A well executed trick
Thistle - final score 50
Trick - Points - Deduction - Comments
1 ( Go around ) - 8.5 - 01.00- Thank you for removing her so carefully from on top of the tyres!
You lost points because she stopped working and you had to give another cue. Just be careful that you finish your tricks fully; even pause for a second, before you break off to praise and go to the reward station. The 1 point deduction is for the dog putting her feet on the reward station. You just need to work to ensure she doesn't do this in a real test.
2 ( Circle handler ) - 9.8 - 00.00 - Nicely done. A little slow but although she appears to be young she is a larger dog so I made allowance for that.
3 ( Circle spin ) - Sorry but that was a 'Trick Incomplete'. She did only a little more than half a spin. Just try to make sure you allow her time to finish each trick before praising her. For the circle spin, you may find it easier to ensure that she completes 360 degrees by doing it while moving in heel (similar to Rally O if you do that sport).
4 ( Leg weave ) - 9.7 - 00.00 - Well done. Yes, she is tall and you are 'shortish' but you did really well. In a formal trial, ensure that you step your feet apart before you cue her to move, rather than doing both at the same time.
7 ( Step up ) - 9.8 - 00.00 - Very nice. Just refine your hand signal a little for full marks. She did particularly well given that the perch was a little unstable. I would also glue a bit of rubber onto the top of it, as I think the ceramic surface could get slippery in damp conditions and some judges may consider it unsafe.
15 (Sit Pretty) - 10.0 - 00.00 - Wow, that was great, especially for a larger, deep chested dog. Congratulations on your runout and for your commitment to her and having fun with her, despite her anxieties.
I got bored and made a tableau chart of ANKC dog registrations since 1986!
It’s got some nifty little search features. For example, did you English Springer Spaniels ranked 36 in 2016? That is 475 dogs! Or 0.67% of the total ANKC dog registrations that year! Of which I have one ;)
(and out of all spaniels the ESS ranked #3!)
Also contrary to what some of our local dobie breeders keep claiming, nocropping and docking being banned in 2004, (and 2010 WA) didn’t decrease dobie popularity. They were already reducing:
There’s a sudden drop in 1990 to 1991 for rottweilers. Apparently there were quite a lot of rottie attacks in the 90s, so that might relate to the decline of a few thousand in a year?!
I was surprised mostly by the sheer amount of GSDs. I wish I had more years of data. A check in with the local forums reckons it might related to the eplosion in popularity after the GSD ban on import was lifted.
Penne is so good at playing! Just look at how she can raise one paw, without even falling over! But oh no! What was that scary tap tap tapping noise! Better growl at it and run to human for protection <3 Penne is the first Australian born puppy from the beautiful Bongo owned by @chieko.matsuzaki #tinypuppy #papillonpuppies #papillonsofinstagram #ANKC https://www.instagram.com/p/B8IWsbdjrio/?igshid=9nyxzqf038m6
What will be the most popular dog breeds in Australia in 2017?
Australian has an estimated canine population of 4.8 million nationally and 52% of all owned dogs are purebred. What’s the favourite breed? Well, there’s one breed that Australians are still barking mad for – the loveable, family-friendly Labrador Retriever! But these large dogs may not be ‘top dog’ for long, as smaller canines are…
