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Saturday 28 May 2016

No Hunger



Today is the first of two days for MD and I (with Doggo in a supporting role) at the massive Nottingham dog show at the Newark Showground.

It doesn’t start well as we get eliminated on the second jump of our very first course doing a ‘go behind’ which MD normally does for breakfast. Perhaps that was my mistake, giving him breakfast before we left home. No hunger.

We continue on with the course until he gets totally flummoxed by the fact there are only nine weave poles. Back in the day, Doggo’s day, nine weave poles was dead common. Perhaps one course every day in the higher grades. These days it’s always just six or twelve poles. I don’t think MD has ever faced nine poles and he is now in his seventh year of competing, although he is less than a year into Grade 5. 

The problem with nine weaves is that the dog comes out at the end facing right not left. MD cannot get it but we redo it and redo it until he does, which takes ages. So after that we then abort the rest of the course to not waste any more of the judge’s time and before testing our contacts before tomorrow’s team run. Which was the whole point of coming today.

The thing is, he then shows me he didn’t need the practice and goes clear on the next course including all his contacts. The only problem is we'll now have to wait until the rest of the 193 dogs have run to see where we’ll finish. 

Then he goes clear again on the jumping course, so yay, two out of three's not bad. There’s 'only' 150 in this one but it's still another long wait and we end up with two rosettes for 11th in each.

We stay in later to ensure a clear head for the team event tomorrow. Not necessarily for the competing aspect as for the management of the four teams I’m responsible for.

(Saturday 28th May)

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