Trial

Saturday April 28, 2007

Under a gray, overcast and drizzling sky several members of Schutzhund clubs from eastern Canada met at the “Club Schutzhund Rive Sud”. Although the fun-match was cancelled, that didn’t stop the group from having “fun” meeting new people, catching up with old acquaintances and doing some informal obedience and protection work.

We spent the morning practicing obedience training on the newly green but very wet field until 1:30 PM when we all took a well deserved break and sat to enjoy a tasty meal of BBQ sausage and summer salads.

Raffle tickets were sold for a 50-50 raffle and the lucky ticket holder was Paul Dethyse. Congrats Paul!

We spent the rest of the after-noon on protection training.

During both the obedience and protection practice sessions Raino Fluegge took the time to discuss and show us what judges look for in a dog and its handler during a competition as well as providing some tips from his considerable experience as a handler and a judge.

Our very own head trainer and apprentice judge, Frank McEniry and helper Anthony Hartelaub were on hand to share their trial expertise and lend support to the candidates.

Everyone walked away with some new, insightful and practical knowledge. Thanks Raino, Frank and Anthony!

It’s Day Two of the trial and the gray, overcast drizzle of yesterday is now a full-fledged steady rain. Despite the dreariness we started tracking nice and early. The dogs were up to the challenge and aced their first test. The positive start brought smiles to the handler’s faces as well as calm their heart rates if only temporarily. The group headed back to the clubhouse for refreshments, warmth, rest, conversation and a chance to dry.

The next round was the BH trial. Four dogs entered and one was for a BH and Fun Match. Congratulations to Gaston’s Landerville for achieving the BH milestone and to Isabella’s Picasso for his pass at the BH fun trial.

The rain paused long enough for the group to have lunch and hold a generous raffle. There were a variety of donated gifts from wine to Royal Canin dog food to tugs, collars, GSD encyclopedias and baseball caps. Thank you to Danny who manned the BBQ and Pierre who managed the donated gifts and the raffle. We had some very happy winners!

We kicked-off the afternoon’s activities with an obedience trial: all dogs competently displayed their obedience. Jim’s Unor received encouraging comments and a good score from the judge on his performance. Ding’s Anjy had to deal with a nervous handler and although she displayed many fine qualities she did not pass the obedience test. Ding’s Quattro fared much better and received a good score and positive comments from the judge as did Jocelyn’s Ede.

The protection trials’ helper duties were shared between Benoit and Anthony. Benoit started the routine and Anthony handled the courage test. Both performed their duties with integrity and professionalism. The protection trial ended and the overall assessments bore out two winners: Ding’s Quattro and Jocelyn’s Ede who both displayed their unique talent, which drew favorable comments from the judge.

The afternoon ended with a break in the clouds and a few rays of sun to accompany the trophy and certificate ceremony. While some people left with a feeling great satisfaction, others left with greater determination to accomplish their personal goals at the next trial.

The 2007 season has just started and the members of the “Club Schutzhund Rive Sud” want to thank all the participants and visitors for a successful trial and wish you all a productive and successful year ahead.