Western Schutzhund Regionals - great tracking and trial reports!
Subtitle: ...and a bit about Caden's progress at the end...
Ali and Dan on June 5...I laid this track! She is such an awesome tracking dog, the best I have ever seen. They just got a score of 96 at the Western Regionals...a V-rating (excellent).
My "mentor" in SchH Dan Waters earned a "V-rating" with his dog Ali in tracking at the Western Canada SchH Regionals last weekend with a score of 96 / 100. A V is anything higher than 95 and means "excellent." Dan is President of the GSD SchH Club of Calgary and last year, he and Ali came in at #5 in the Nationals.
Ali fetches her own start flag after tracking! And check out Ali's daugher Cilla! Like mother, like daughter, Cilla is fetching her stake. I posted a video of Cilla's puppy track a few weeks ago.
I laid a track for Ali a few weekends ago and she was just awesome. She is the best tracking dog I have ever seen, in any venue. So I am very, very happy to hear this report from Dan. Ali also placed 2nd overall at the regionals. And Dan's male Bronson placed 1st in SchH 1. Yay Bronson! The overall winner was Jean Fisher.
Bronson tracking on June 5. He placed first for Sch 1 and had a tracking score of 91 at the Western Canada SchH Regionals last weekend.
The Canadian SchH Nationals are in Edmonton on the August long weekend. I am quite excited about seeing all of the top dogs in Canada here, and also excited to meet new people and see old friends.
By the way, Jacki Barnes, the President of the Thunder Bay SchH Club got a high score in tracking at the Western Regionals with a 97!! And, my friend Marly Desjardins who has Bouviers, earned a 99 a few weeks ago at the Thunder Bay SchH trials. WOW!
Caden at 5 months in Thunder Bay. This is more or less how he looked when we attended the Wallace Payne SchH seminar. Wallace Payne really made me feel good about myself and my dog, and as a result I decided to stick with SchH although the move to Alberta caused a pause in our progress.
The Thunder Bay Club had Wallace Payne come give a seminar in 2008, the year I got Caden. I attended the seminar and helped get tracking locations. It was the most awesome tracking seminar I have ever attended and a turning point for me in my approach to tracking. I see his advice has been useful to my Thunder Bay SchH friends!
6-month old Caden back in my field in Thunder Bay (*when I had a small hobby farm, sigh)
I would LOVE to go train with him when I am ready with Caden to soak in some of his advice. When Caden was a 6-month old puppy, Wallace Payne told me he felt I had a future in the sport with Caden and that he was the kind of pup he would look for, for competition. And then he added that if I was ever in a trial where he was entered, to look out, because he might have to "pull a Tonya Harding" on me, LOL. It was a great compliment and because of his interest and kind words to a newbie, I have pursued the sport.
Hey Wallace, look! (LOL)...Caden on June 13...we have a long way to go, but we have the best help at the Calgary Club! (that's Training Director Wade Waters and Caden's first time off the post, it was quite a thrill).
Category Article Caden, German Shepherd, Schutzhund, Schutzhund tracking, Wallace Payne
