Rule Changes and Match

Jolene and I travelled to Cowley this morning for an info session about the new CKC Obedience rule changes, and a match afterwards.

The CKC has changed quite a bit this year- apparently trying to follow in the AKC program... here are just a few things that stood out for me. I am going to download the new rules and read them through. And the below is from memory and not be accurate. lol

1) You only have to be in Open B if you've earned a UD.
2) Open B exercises will be in random order. Announced only 30 minutes before the trial.
0) The judge will signal the drop on recall- no more telling people, or specifying an area
3) No leash for Novice Stand for Exam
4) Which means that you could use a 4 foot leash if you wanted to.
5) No pinch collars near the ring (woohoo! no more watching dogs be yanked around before they go in the ring!) The actual rule is somthing like "collars that are not permitted in the ring cannot be worn outside the ring either"
6) Food must be kept 3 feet from the ring entry. No feeding until you get to the ring, and leaving your food on the table for some other dog to be distracted by...
7) Dogs can wear tight fitting, plain jackets or sweaters. This is one that has caused lots of issues already. This means both for warmth, and for cool. So at an outdoor trial you could have a cool coat on the dog in the stays, or if it is cold the poor little IG's and the Weims won't freeze to death, shivering on the floor for three minutes... This does not mean Thundershirts. They were very explicit with that. Which is funny- because really- if a thundershirt works to destress a dog, then any tightfitting sweater will have nearly the same results. I know with Boone it does. He often will wear just a shirt on a walk, or his winter coat just to help him to be a bit more settled. Anyway, I found the whole rule rather interesting.
8) If a dog bites a person, or judge, or dog they will be disqualified. Which is VERY different than excused. To be reinstated you have to go before a committee etc.. I want to read up more about that to see what they mean exactly...

There were lots of other things- lots changed for prenovice, and the intermediate classes. And some changes for Utility aswell. I have the worst memory in the world though, so will have to read the rules again.

After lunch I judged Pre-Novice, and Novice. And I want to say that I wish that trainers would prepare their students better, or better yet tell them not to enter if the dog is not trained for it. I almost kicked this woman and her poor dogs out of the ring. Instead I just failed them both. But it was painful for me, and for the dogs. Mean people shouldn't have dogs.... Back to the match. After Novice (which had LOTS of great working teams), it was Pixels turn!

She did really great. She actually forged on her heeling! Which is a good thing! lol. She was up and happy, I loved it. She flubbed up her drop on recall though- she hesitated and sat. I asked her to down again and she did- so much improved than before. Her retrieves were good- she did attempt to veer off on the ROF on the way back. So I redid the exercise and she was better. And her broad jump was perfect!!! I was so excited we just ran out of the ring as soon as she came front. Yay!!!  Oh, and her finished rocked. She didn't miss one. ;)

Brit got to come out and play a bit too. She had never been to the Cowley Hall but wasn't phased at all- we worked on fronts, and attention, and played tug on the matted floors. She had good manners in the xpen and didn't make a peep all day.

So yeah, a great day. Tomorrow I am going tracking in the morning with Wicca, and I may take Boone too...maybe he'll like it?!