Last Sunday saw Shona and I compete in our first Open working test, held at the Bishopsdale shoot, which is a superb venue for a competition, with the shooting lodge looking over the lake, and some varied and testing ground.
I really didn’t feel ready for this big step up, with both of us a bit rusty after Shona’s litter of ten pups, and having only managed to fit in a couple of lessons since she came back into work, then she did nothing the week before because of a cut foot.
The competition was a qualifier for the UGS finals in June, so the tests were set accordingly, and I thoroughly enjoyed my day out, feeling that Shona did very well to complete all five tests, one of only twelve dogs to do so. This has given my confidence a bit of a boost, along with highlighting where the weak points are, so more hard work at home will hopefully improve our performance.
Shona’s daughter, Riska, is now 15 weeks old, and proving a delight to work with. She is doing some nice heelwork on the lead, and is starting to really engage with me, as well as having a pretty reliable recall and sit/stay. She looks just like her mother, and behaves like her too, either sitting quietly, or travelling at a flat out gallop, with nothing in between, which suits me fine, as I like a fast dog.