CDSP Trial- Signal Test
CDSP obedience trial for the boys! Such great timing being a week before the next AKC show. Fingers were crossed that all the work put into Lance's down signal would pay off. My plan was for a missed signal to give him a verbal, then immediately praise and call him into me, and give him a treat.
Turns out I didn't need to do that! Lance was entered in utility twice and did all his signals both times! I even made sure not to give him any treats in the ring until after the signal exercise to try and replicate more AKC trial like. The first trial signals were last so we did the whole things sans treats. Trial two I think they were 3rd.
Of course Lance still had to fail somethings, so this show he picked gloves. There are 2 glove sends in CDSP for a total of 4 sends in the two shows. Send #1 Lance didn't go so I needed a 2nd command. Send #3 Lance marked glove #1 and then shot off to get glove #2. Send #4 Lance thought about doing the same (I asked the judge to give me #1 again), but veered back and was a good little corgi.
Many great things though! Lance did 4 lovely go outs, and even physically touched the stanchion on 3 of the 4 sends (No way I wanted to stop him "short" in CDSP!). Fingers are crossed he remembers that next week.
No moving on either exam.
Very nice glove pivots, no cheating and not wanting to pivot all the way!
Only other crap thing was fronts. Very little effort given on most of them.
The Toller was entered in utility C for the 2nd trial only. Very excited in our warmup and really had amazing focus and drive. And then we withered a bit as I looked at the clock and we were waiting for a solid 15 minutes before called in. Vito was the first dog of trial 2 and several times it looked like we were starting, and then we weren't. No one's fault, just the wrong dog to have it happen to.
So our squish and subsequent ring entrance had a lot less drive than the practice squishes I had done while waiting. Still good focus though!
Vito wasn't a fan of the steward table being right by the go out, articles, and start of the moving stand. But worked through it well.
Go outs were first which I find very hard for new utility dogs. Vito actually did a very nice job on both but his 2nd go out was way more confident and speedier than the first one.
Moving stand was very nice with a much better stop than the corgi :)
Gloves he also failed the first send like the Corgi. Unlike the corgi I don't think Vito ever saw the correct article and I kicked myself for not holding the mark a bit longer.
Signals had some nice heeling as well. And then he froze on the down signal. Not unexpected for green utility dogs. Odd though that when I gave a verbal Vito still sat.
Articles were nice! I had to think about what method to send him with as I hardly ever practice formal sends. Chose to send after a sit to make sure he knew where the pile was.
