Keeper's first Rally Trial

One of the local dog training clubs had an obedience and rally trial. Two shows on Saturday, one show on Sunday. We did not place, but we qualified 2 out of 3 shows with a 79 and an 84 out of a possible 100. We missed the first leg because along with a number of other deductions, I miscounted the 1-2-3 steps back, which dropped our score below qualifying.

We need to get out around more canine distractions, and I need to work on having men follow us. I think she was handling the show scene better the second day (and her scores improved), but it's currently very stressful for her. She did play with me a little out by the cars, but ringside (and in the ring) was where her biggest troubles were.

Keeper with her two green qualifying ribbons. Not counting gas and time, ~$40 each in entry fees.

Also, because she tried to hold her pee a ridiculously long time, I think she might be starting a bladder infection. I've started her on Cranberry Comfort, and to get her to push fluids, I'm dropping a few Cheez-its into a bowl of water so she'll drink the water to get the crackers.

Some of that stress carried over to work today. Nothing too bad, just a little extra drool as we got in and got settled. I think cortisol takes days to clear the bloodstream, so she'll likely be a bit more prone to being stressed throughout the week. It was a quiet night at the library, so this is the face she wore most of the evening:

I'm adorable. That means I get cookies, right?

You'll notice she's tucked under the desk. The checkout computer is directly over her head. Having her "hidden" like this greatly cuts down on the number of questions I have to answer. Sometimes, though, I go out to shelve or help patrons find books. I get a lot of questions then. Some people know that there are guide dogs, but don't know about service dogs for other disabilities.

Since I'm an evenings and weekends person at the library, I don't know when we'll next be able to go to a rally trial. It may be a long while before we finish the Rally Novice title. Since she's returned to her "day job", I'm okay with not getting the title this weekend.