After an 8-month wait, I got to lure course this weekend. I had a blast and earned 4 more Qs toward my UKC CAX (Coursing Ability Excellent) title.
We also tried the new sport of UKC Nosework for the very first time. We had no formal training and no idea of what was expected but decided to give it a try and had a great learning experience in the process. Thanks to Oxford Dog Sports for putting on another great weekend of events. Thanks to Judge Nicholas King for patiently explaining this new event to the complete newbies and for holding a post-trial training demonstration. With a steep learning curve ahead of us, we now have a great framework within in which to start our training.
My first exposure to the first-level scent of Sweet Birch was on Thursday with a few games of hide and seek at home. On Saturday, I earned my Pre-Trial Level 1 (PT1 - Sweet Birch) title. On Sunday, I attempted my first "Interior" search and Qualified with 2nd place (Mom incurred a Handler fault and nearly failed us!). I attempted 2 "Vehicle" searches (must find the scent on the correct part of one of 3 vehicles within 4 minutes). On Saturday, I identified the correct vehicle but Mom alerted on the wrong side of it. On Sunday, again, I identified the correct vehicle but Mom didn't wait for me to zero in on the exact spot and called Alert @ one foot away from the scent location. Oh well, you know what they say:
GREAT DOG! SHAME ABOUT THE HANDLER!
Considering the exhilarating thrill of lure coursing, so proud that I was able to participate in two vastly different activities back-to-back with success.
