All-Around Quintessentially IWS

At my first Specialty in Auburn, Washington, I had no brain space at all to pay any attention to what was going on around me. I had Cooper, a real handful of a young Irish Water Spaniel boy. Bathing, grooming, feeding, walking, keeping out of trouble – all that, and trying desperately not to be nervous about showing my dog.

My second Specialty, in Frederick, Maryland, was much more relaxed. My girl Tooey was there, but she’d been transported and cared-for by her co-owner. So I could have noticed more of what was going on, but all I really remember was meeting a whole bunch of wonderful people, watching the dogs work at the WC/X test, being so pleased that Tooey and her handler Carl won 1^st in Junior Showmanship, and absolutely loving the fact that a Gun Bitch took Best of Breed. Everything else has fallen away.

This time – my third Specialty, the 75^th Anniversary Irish Water Spaniel Club of America Specialty in Wilmington, Ohio – this time, I have no excuse for not remembering everything. I had no dog of my own there, and only one borrowed puppy to show. But when I had people at home asking me, “What were the conformation results?” — I realized that I was still not able to give a full report.

So, even though I don’t have a lot of specific memories of the things that people want to know, I do have more personal memories about this 75^th Anniversary Specialty that have stuck in my mind.

For me it started with rushing from the airport to the show site to make it in time for the club’s General Meeting, after having had little sleep in the previous 24 hour hours and less food. I really did want to learn about changes that have come and are coming to the club, and to hear what the various committees are doing. After an hour and a half, though, I finally had to take a bio break. I came away wishing that the meeting had been just a bit shorter, and that I’d been there at the end when there was apparently a mention of a link between cancer and Symmetrical Lupoid Onychodystrophy (SLO).

Then there was the buffet banquet and silent auction. I shared a drink with Tim and Ruth, and then wandered the tables, my eye falling on one item that included a book and three leashes. I wanted those leashes, so I kept bidding up. It didn’t take long to realize that I was pretty much just bidding against Pam. We both kept hanging around that particular table, and finally Pam mentioned to me that she really wanted that book. She’d met the author in her childhood and had fond feelings for him. When I told her that I didn’t care about the book, I just wanted the leashes, we both laughed. By the end, Pam had the winning bid, and very generously gave me the leashes.

Not much later, I fell into bed. I was lucky. Susan had very kindly offered to let me share her room, so I had a place to sleep. And the fact that the hotel and the show site were all in one large complex made getting back and forth so easy.

Next morning, I’d intended to go to Mary’s tracking seminar. Perhaps that seems kind of silly without a dog, but I wanted to go anyway. Tracking looks like a lot of fun, and maybe I’d learn something. But the weather had other ideas – cold, windy, and pouring down rain. I don’t think any of the other tracking-hopefuls ventured out into the nearby but soggy soccer fields, either.

So instead I went to the Judges Seminar. Colleen, Florence, Deb, and others gave the one judge and a bunch of spectators like me the commentary based on their decades of experience, illustrated with slides taken from the club’s new Illustrated Standard. I’m not a person who particularly notices conformation, but this time, the information about tail set and what “rectangular” means finally stuck. Maybe if I keep going to these Judges Seminars, I’ll get the whole dog together in my mind.

After lunch, I got dressed in my show clothes, and then walked to the grooming area next to the show ring. What I sight! Some people already in their show clothes, some not yet, and some changing into show clothes right out there in the middle of everything.

And all ages and stages of IWS! Some being made ready to go into the ring, and others getting ready to go to new homes. Some just hanging out, having done the WC/X, Obedience, Rally, or Agility earlier in the week. I was there to help Linda by showing one of her stud dog’s puppies. Puppy Ellie and I needed time to get to know one another. Ellie was a sweet girl, but nervous, jealous when her best buddy got taken out of his crate, and not at all interested in any of the different kinds of treats offered. So instead of concentrating on the other dogs in the conformation ring, I spent my time helping Ellie get groomed and accustomed to me at the same time. I even borrowed some Rescue Remedy from Greg, hoping that would help calm her.

Too soon it was time to go into the ring for the Puppy Bitches 9 – 12 class. Ellie was in first, and didn’t much like all those other puppies being in the ring behind her where she couldn’t see them. I couldn’t get her to face front and stack for more than a few seconds at a time, but once we got going, I could get her to gait nicely. The judge was kind and patient, and even called me Ma’am, as he directed us to the go-round and the up-and-back.

I did take a short break to watch a bit of the Best of Breed ring, and admired how methodical the judge was in winnowing down from about 28 dogs. Some dogs moved like they were floating, others couldn’t help but bounce, and some raced their handlers around the ring. All were beautifully showcased in the large blue-carpeted ring, lit by an elegant crystal chandelier.

I don’t remember who all won what. I remember that Riley won Best of Breed and that Porter took Best of Winners, because I know their owners. I remember that Joey got Select Dog because I love it when Gun Dogs do well. I noticed that none of the dogs looked very much like my Tooey, who was imported from England. And I remember Ellie, the squirmy little puppy that I borrowed and tried to coax around the ring and into a stack. All the other dogs in the ring…? I wish I remembered each and every one.

The part of showing that I am the most stressed by is grooming, so I did notice all the different styles of grooming. Some groomers left a lot of fringe on the belly; others scissored the belly coat up tight. Some dogs had sculpted, blown-out legs; others had legs with natural curls and ringlets. Some had long flowing locks on their ears, some were trimmed somewhat, and one dog had ears that were sculpted and shaped so precisely that every hair stayed in its exact place. None did what I am sorely tempted (but have never had the guts) to do: take my two hunting IWS, clip their coats into an short easy field cut that still somehow does not obscure the curl, and show them that way.

After Best of Breed, it was time for me and Ellie to go back into the ring for the Stud Dog class. She did a bit better this time, and her owners were happy. It’s so much easier to show someone else’s dog – I was even able to breathe the whole time.

By this time, it was late Friday afternoon, so I opted to skip lunch and just chill out for an hour or so until the Awards Banquet. I perused the vendors’ tables, looking at snoods, glass art, books and prints, embroidered T-shirts, the printed Illustrated Standard booklets, and all the other merchandise. Along the way, I chatted with Carolyn, Marilyn, Susanne, Lynn, Sharon, Wendy, Helen, Debbie, Deb, Wayne, Susan, Deb, Brenda, Rebecca, Lois, Judith and Jim, and so many others. That was a major goal for my coming to this Specialty – to meet and talk with people I only know through Facebook and the various Yahoo groups.

For me, the highlight of the Specialty, my real reason for flying out all that way from Oregon, occurred Friday night. Not the banquet, although my glass of bourbon was welcome and the beef and the vinaigrette dressing was very tasty. And not the auction, even though Greg makes giving money to the club about as fun and funny as it can be. I came out for the Awards.

For weeks before the Specialty, I debated about whether or not to go. It’s a lot of money. I wouldn’t have my husband or dogs along. I would have to miss two days of work. I would be spending a lot of hours stuck in an airplane or waiting for one. I wouldn’t get much sleep, and I’d probably eat too many carbs. But then I realized that I would always regret it if I didn’t go to the Specialty and pick up Cooper’s AKC All-Around IWS award myself.

Last year, Cooper won the Top Retriever Hunt Test IWS award. I was surprised and pleased that he got that, but I didn’t regret not being there to get it myself. But for this All-Around award, I really wanted to be there, to share the experience with all these other people who can truly appreciate what that award means and what it takes in love, money, time, and effort to earn it. My non-dog friends (and yes, I have some) don’t get it. Cooper is Russ’ and my first purebred dog, our first performance dog, our first Irish Water Spaniel, and our first experience with training and showing our dog ourselves. This is our first All-Arounder. And I knew that if I didn’t go to this Specialty, to receive this award among the people who really do get it, I would very much regret it.

So I flew out to Ohio, and went to the 75^th Anniversary Irish Water Spaniel Club of America’s Specialty Show. And on Friday, when Karen called out Cooper’s name, I walked to the podium, and shook her hand, and received the award. People applauded, as I applauded for them. I’ll never forget that moment, even when my memory of much of the rest of the show falls away.

And then, to top it all off, Cooper also received the new and beautiful art-glass Quintessential Versatility Award for having 5 titles in 5 different venues. For Cooper, that was the three All-Around titles — show championship (CH), a retriever hunt test title, and an Obedience title of CD or better — plus his Rally Novice and Junior Hunter Upland titles.

Thank you, to Karen and her Specialty committee, the Awards committee, to Rosemary and Tammy, and all the people in the Irish Water Spaniel Club of America, for making it possible.

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Titles on both ends

First, I want to congratulate the 6 Irish Water Spaniels who have been invited to pre-enter the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club show in 2013. As in the past, for 2013, the top dogs in each breed in breed point standings are invited to pre-enter.

In Irish Water Spaniels,  6 dogs were invited:

• GCH Cat N Pats Luck Of The Irish
• GCH Nawedshoe Dawns Early Lite O Freedom
• GCH Stanegate Slippery When Wet
• GCH Whistle Stop’s Wind On The Water
• GCH Whistlestop’s Fire & Ice
• GCH Whistlestop’s Riley On Fire

I’ve met several of these dogs, and they are lovely, beautiful dogs who present very well.

Even so, take a look at this list of Wirehaired Pointing Griffons (WPGs):

• CH Stonehenge Spontaneous Will-O’-The Wisp JH CA
• GCH Bear Hug Fire In The Hole JH
• GCH Fireside’s Riding High SH
• GCH Fireside’s Rio Grande JH
• GCH Flatbrook’s Heir About Him MH

I don’t know what you notice first, but the first thing I notice is that all 5 dogs have titles on both ends of their names. What this means is that not only do they have show championships (CH) or grand championships (GCH), they also have titles on the right sides of their names. The list of American Kennel Club titles on the right side of a dog’s name recognizes achievements in “performance” events — things like obedience, rally obedience, tracking, hunting tests, agility, and other events in which the dog works with his person to do some kind of work.

In other words (and being extremely simplistic about it), they have brains in addition to all that beauty.

But take another look at that list of WPGs. Notice that every single one has a hunting test title: 3 Junior Hunters (JH), 1 Senior Hunter (SH), and 1 Master Hunter (MH).

Sporting dogs, like IWS, WPGs, and others, were bred to hunt: to help the hunter bring game home to the table. These hunt test titles show that the aptitude and ability is still there in those dogs, whether they actually hunt for birds for the table or they do it in the hunting simulations that are hunting tests.

Many breeders of sporting dogs do their utmost to ensure that their breeds are not divided into “show” lines and “working” lines, and it looks like these WPG breeders have succeeded.

Many IWS breeders do the same, which is why you’ll find a high percentage of IWS with titles on both ends of their names. For just one example, go to the RealtaIWS website’s Achievements page, to see the list of IWS bred by Rosemary Sexton (Cooper’s breeder) who can show off their their beauty and structure in the show ring, as well as do the work in performance events.

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Trip to the dog show, in Wales

One of the many pleasures of our recent trip to Wales was going to the South Wales Kennel Association Championship Show. It wasn’t at all a large dog show — it was more like the many small shows I’ve been to in western Oregon and Washington, held at county fairgrounds. In fact, this dog show was held in a livestock pavilion at the Royal Welsh Showgrounds in Builth Wells (Llanfair ym Muallt), Wales. It was a multi-day show — we were there on Sunday, October 14th.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised by how similar this dog show was to the ones here at home. As the AKC notes, “Early American shows followed precedents set in England with respect to the championship title…” There have been many divergences since, but the basic running around the ring to show your dog to a judge looks really similar.

Like all the dog shows I’ve been to, this one started with last minute, day-of-show grooming. First in the parking lot (been there, done that)

Martyn grooming Rowan in the parking lot

and then inside the pavilion (ditto).

Rowan being touched up in the horse pavilion

Patrice getting a lesson in topknot trimming

Then there is the waiting for the Water Spaniels’ turn in the ring. This part was a bit different from what I’d seen before. I’d heard of benched shows, but I’d not been to one until this show. Dogs wait for their ring time on an assigned bench, separated from each other by divider walls. This allows spectators and hangers-on like us to look at several breeds throughout the day.

Irish Water Spaniels on the bench, waiting for their turns in the ring

Then there’s the running-round-the-ring part. The was much the same as at home, with just a few differences. The main differences I saw were that in addition to the dog and handler running in a circle around the judge and their running away from and back to the judge (the “up and back”), there was kind of triangular pattern, with the dog running in a right-hand diagonal away from the judge toward the right corner, then a left-facing run across the other end of the ring at 90 degrees to the judge, and then a diagonal from the left corner back toward the judge.

The judge taking a look at today’s selection of IWS bitches

Judith and Patrice watching the bitches show their stuff

Judith showing off Merlin, today’s Best of Breed

Also, the handlers’ clothing was much less formal than what I’ve seen in America. The Water Spaniel handlers were actually quite nicely dressed, compared to what I observed one ring over, with the Spanish Water Dogs. Over there, I saw lots of jeans, T-shirts, and tennis shoes, which I think is quite sensible for a horse arena, but not what you’d generally see here.

The classes seemed to be a bit different, too, but that could be because there was a relatively small entry of IWS. I don’t pretend to understand the KC’s classes, so I won’t attempt to explain them here. But here are the results of the show for IWS:

results published by Fosse Data

This show’s Best of Breed was (no surprise) Merlin (SH CH/AM CH Whistlestop’s Elements Of Magic CD RN). It was a pleasure to see Merlin in the ring, and to visit with Judith, his owner and handler, and also Tooey’s breeder. We also were pleased to watch Martyn show Rowan (CAN CH Luckpuddle’s Weekend Warrior), his recent import from Canada who took Reserve Best Bitch.

I did have to wonder why anyone would exhibit at this show. As I understand it, to get a show championship from the Kennel Club, a dog or bitch has to get three Challenge Certificates. But not all shows offer Challenge Certificates, and this show was one of those that did not. I asked several people why they were there, and it appeared that some were there to give their dogs practice in the ring, others were there to show off their dogs to breeders and puppy buyers, and at least one was there to show his two American guests a good time.

The one type of exhibitor whose presence made sense to me were the ones hoping to get Best of Breed. The BOB then competes against other BOBs in their respective Groups (IWS are in the Gundog group), and as Judith explained to me, dogs that place in the Groups can move up in their breed rankings.

Dog shows are not all about showing dogs, though. Just like at home, there’s the shopping, too. I toured all the booths, hoping to find something different than at home. But, with one exception, it was all the same. The same shampoos and conditioners, the same kinds combs, brushes, clippers, and matt cutters. The same food, toys, bait, leashes, collars, and dog beds. And when I say the same, in many cases, they were not just the same kinds of things, but also the same brands.

The one exception was the collection of Wellies for sale. Cheap, too. At that price, I could have bought a pair for the field trial we were going to later in the week, and then just left them in England.

Wellington boots for sale at the dog show

And, of course, I can’t neglect the dog show cuisine. We had a decent coffee and croissant for mid-morning snack, and for late afternoon lunch, we had a choice of pulled pork sandwiches or toasties. It was cold, so we chose the toasties. Mine was tomato and bacon. Russ and Martyn had bacon, sausage, and cheese. To make the toasties, the cook put the chosen ingredients between two slices of bread. He then placed the sandwich into a device that squished everything together, heated the contents, sealed the edges, toasted the bread, and embossed a logo onto both sides. All served them up with a smile. It was cold, we were hungry, and so the toasties were tasty.

Toasties served with a smile

Fed and satisfied with the day, we all headed back to the car for the drive home and a delicious home-cooked dinner.

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IWSCOPS Field Dog

Cooper isn’t the only Irish Water Spaniel to qualify for entry into the Field Dog class at the IWSCOPS regional specialty conformation show. It’s open to dogs who have earned an AKC hunt test title or a working (either WC or WCX) certificate. But for the past several years, you wouldn’t know it. He’s just the only one who ever gets entered in the class.

But that’s OK. It means I get to show him off out there on that grassy stage, all by himself. We don’t have to share the proverbial spotlight with anyone else. He gets a polite round of applause as we take our last run around the ring. And he gets a nice rose ribbon for taking 1st place in the Field Dog class. Which, of course, he has to, being the only one entered.

Because he won that class today, he got to show also in the Best of Breed ring, where he hadn’t a hope of winning anything, what with all those beautifully groomed show dogs, with their long flowing leg coat, manicured curls, and perfectly shaved faces, each one trained to gait and stack to show themselves to perfection.

Now, I don’t mean to sound too snarky (although I admit it might come across just a bit that way). Those dogs in the Best of Breed ring are truly beautiful. They move with grace and power, and they’re built well with nice balanced structures. And many of them are truly nice dogs and bitches with lovely temperaments.

It’s just that most of them don’t do the work the breed was bred to do. Some may have hunt test titles and some may have the aptitude for it, but at least this year, I don’t believe any of the other dogs in the Best of Breed ring actually hunt. And I guess deep down, I wish a judge would really look at Cooper, truly value the fact that he’s a field dog, and recognize him with something. Not Best of Breed, not Best of Opposite. I know that’s never going to happen. Probably not even Select Dog. But an Award of Merit would be nice. Dream on…

Anyway, Russ took some pictures of us in the show ring. Cooper loves having his picture taken — he always has. So he can look like a dignified show dog gaiting around the ring.

Or he can look like a goof, hamming it up for the camera.

And he’s not at all subtle about being a ham. The camera clicks and his head swivels. The judge even noticed it, thereafter referring to Cooper as “Photo Boy.” I am still not quite sure if I think that’s funny or not. But then, that describes a lot of things Cooper does. Gotta love him, show him off when I can, and then take him hunting.

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Cooper, All-Around IWS

Well, it’s official. Cooper qualifies.

The Irish Water Spaniel Club of America awards a Certificate of Recognition called the “AKC All-Around Irish Water Spaniel” to IWS that are AKC Champions of Record (CH), have earned an AKC obedience title of CD or better, and have earned an AKC hunting title of JH or better.

And today, the AKC officially recorded the last of the necessary titles to recognize Cooper as an All-Around IWS.

He earned his JH first by qualifying in the Umpqua Valley Retriever Club 2010 June Hunt Test on June 19, 2010.

Then, after more than three years of showing in the conformation ring, he got his second major and last points to earn his CH at the Dog Fanciers Association of Oregon show (part of the Rose City Classic set of dog shows) on January 22, 2011.

And finally, he qualified for the third leg of his CD at the Mt. Hood Keeshond Club Obedience and Rally Trial on March 18, 2012.

Like all owners of All-Around IWS, I am very proud of my dog’s achievements. But I am most proud of the fact that Russ and I — 1st time IWS owners, 1st time show dog owners, and 1st time performance dog owners — did it (mostly) ourselves.

• Russ handled Cooper to all 4 of his JH legs (and all 4 legs of Cooper’s SH, too).
• I handled Cooper to 11 of his 15 conformation points and both of his majors (of the remaining points, 2 points were won when handled by a pro, 1 by Jayme, and 1 by an available stranger when I couldn’t be there).
• I also handled him in all 3 of his Obedience legs.

We did it ourselves, but of course, we didn’t do it by ourselves. We had help, and lots of it, with training, grooming, transportation, housing, more training, more grooming, and untold amounts of emotional support.

So a lot of thanks are in order.

For the JH, thank you to Andy Fontenot who trained both Cooper and Russ in the ways and means of the hunt test game. Thanks also to Tellus, Hank, Holly, Janice, Norm, Matt, Christine, Rod, Renae, and Martyn, and all of our hunt test friends, training groups, and members of the LCHRC who helped Russ and Cooper with training scenarios, advice, stories, real hunting experience, commiseration, and encouragement.

For the CH, thank you to Tammy, Colleen, Jayme, and Rebecca for their skills and hours of grooming help. And to Jayme, Tammy, and Emily Fish for training Cooper and me to run properly around and up-and-back in the conformation ring. And to Dorothy, Liz, Colleen, and Sharon, and all the other IWSCOPS and IWSCA members who applauded our efforts at shows and specialties.

And for the CD, my gratitude goes to my teachers Joan Armstrong and Cindy Leung. And to Tammy who encouraged me and let me cry on her shoulder, and to Jayme and the trainers at the Academy of Canine Behavior. And to Rod, Renae, Russell, Jayme, and Paul for their help at the dog show that tried to kill me. And to Dee and Lee for letting me practice with them in their back yards, to Donna for letting me join in her practice sessions, and to all the members of the Sherwood Dog Training Club who set up matches and played judge for Cooper and I to practice on.

And most of all, thank you to Rosemary and Tammy, who placed Cooper with us. And to Russ, for everything.

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Ring nerves visualization

I’ve been searching around for ways to handle my nervousness at dog shows. I love this quote*, which I just found in the Yahoo group, Clicker Competition Obedience Training:

…Any time you start to feel nervous, take a nice deep breath and picture three images in your head. First think about the first time you ever saw your dog. Next think of something your dog does that makes you feel proud. Lastly think of something your dog does that makes you laugh. Practice it now. I bet when you finish you will end up with a great big smile on your face.

I am inspired. I’ve starting sorting through my mental list of Cooper images. Most of them are just in memory, but others are actual photographs.

The first time you ever saw your dog

I first saw Cooper at Tammy’s parents’ house. I had met Tammy only a couple of times before, but she had taken the trouble to fly out from Minnesota with my Cooper, her Mowgli, and Amy’s Maggie. When Russ and I arrived, Tammy’s mother directed us into the laundry room, where Tammy was giving a very wiggly 8-week-old Cooper a bath.

I commented something like, “He doesn’t like the water? I thought he was an Irish Water Spaniel.”

“He’s a water spaniel,” Tammy replied, drying Cooper off, “not a bath spaniel.” Something your dog does that makes you feel proud

Cooper’s hunting and retrieving skills and his intense enthusiasm for the work makes me proud every time we go out to hunt or train. He found the thing he loves in life very early, when at 9 weeks he first retrieved our morning paper.

Since then, Cooper has pursued field work with the kind of passion that makes me snort when I hear people say, “My passion is…” or “I am passionate about…” They (and I) would be very lucky if they felt 1/10th the passion Cooper exhibits when he’s hunting.

The illustrative event that sticks in my mind is Cooper’s 2nd AKC Junior Hunt Test. This was a very hard test: Only 31 dogs passed of the 56 entered. The retrieves were long, the marks were launched against a dark backdrop of trees, and the many shadows, dips, shallows, and tall cover made the test difficult. (Not to mention the pink flamingo line markers.) But Cooper succeeded and brought back all 4 of his birds.

In fact, in all the hunt tests he’s ever entered, even the ones he’s failed, he has never failed to bring back his birds. And in all the hunting we’ve done, he’s brought back all his birds except for three: two of these were not found even though multiple dogs and multiple people looked for them, and the other was finally located by another dog after two long searches.

Something your dog does that makes you laugh

Cooper has a multipurpose relationship with his toys that makes me laugh every time.

One is that he uses his toys to express his understanding of value and fairness: He trades a toy for something he wants that is not his. We’ll walk into the bedroom and find, instead of two shoes, one shoe and a toy. Or, in the bathroom, we’ll find a toy instead of the washcloth.

Another funny toy thing is, we’ll say, “Want to go for a ride in the car?” Tooey will race to the front door, but not Cooper. Cooper runs first to the toy drawer so he can grab a toy to take along for the ride. I wish I had a video of this, but when I’m getting ready to go for a ride with the dogs in the car, my hands are full of leashes, keys, a coat, my purse, a couple of treats, and several plastic bags.

*Credit where credit is due

The quote was most recently posted by Libby on July 31, 2011, but she said she borrowed it from a previous post on the list. Later I heard that this probably came from Leslie McDevitt, who includes a similar classroom exercise on page 67 of her book Control Unleashed (2007):

When the dogs and handlers look ready, I ask each student to close her eyes, and while keeping her hands on her dog, remember the first time she saw her dog. I’ll give her a minute to take in that memory. Then I ask her to think of something her dog has done that makes her laugh. Lastly, I ask her to think of something her dog has done that made her proud. I love to watch my students, beaming and chuckling and petting their dogs as they’re doing this exercise.

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Rose City Classical Conditioning

Almost one year ago today, at the Rose City Classic dog show, Cooper got his show championship. And that’s the last time I spent any time near a regular conformation ring. (I did show Cooper at the IWSCOPS specialty show in August.)

Today, even though the sun was out, our field training group was flooded out of its training grounds, so Russ and I decided to go to watch the Irish Water Spaniels at this year’s Rose City Classic. We left the dogs at home, hopped in the car, and drove the few miles over to the Expo Center.

About half way there, the area around my solar plexus got tight, I found it harder to breathe, and my stomach started to churn.

This went on for a few minutes until I realized, “Hey! I’m feeling nervous. Why am I nervous? I’m not showing any dogs in this show.”

Hmm…

I guess that I have been nervous driving to dog shows for a long time, ever since I started showing my dogs. So some part of me has made this dog show = nervousness into an automatic connection, one that I seem to have no control over.

It’s like watching Tooey start to drool when I start getting out the field training bumpers. She often gets treats when she retrieves those bumpers, and some part of her brain has made the connection bumpers = salivation.

We’ve both been classically conditioned.

I am beginning to realize that if I’m going to keep showing my dogs at dog shows, I had better deal with this. It’s understandable to be nervous when there is something to be nervous about. But when I start reacting for no reason based in reality, well, that needs some attention.

I think it’s connected to the high rate of failure at dog shows. Conformation shows are the worst at this — only one dog and one bitch can get points toward their championship — everyone else loses. I lost a lot — it took more than three years of regular showing for Cooper to get his championship.

And for Obedience, the problem has been me. Every dog who passes the trial, earns a leg toward the title. But the dog and handler have to be trained and ready to pass. I’ve been eager for Cooper to earn his CD title in Obedience (for a lot of reasons), and so I started showing him as soon as I thought he remotely had a chance — as it turns out, before he was ready. Resulting also in a high rate of failure.

So mostly my experiences with dog shows have been uncomfortable, linking a strong desire to succeed and a fear of failure, with the regular experience of failure.

So. What to do?

I am taking some steps. I haven’t shown Cooper in Obedience for quite awhile. And all that time, we’ve been taking classes, going to private lessons, attending matches, and practicing at home. Am doing my best to make sure we are prepared when we go next time.

But I am puzzled as to what to do with that extra layer of nervousness that appears to affect me without reason. What to do with that nervous feeling that arrives just because I am driving to a dog show. It’s got to be a mental game of some kind, but what, I don’t know.

Perhaps you do.

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Late lesson (hopefully) learned

I learned a lesson today: Be at Obedience matches and trials much, much earlier than I think I have to.

You’d think that after the nightmares I’ve had about dog shows, I would already have internalized this lesson.

But apparently not.

This morning I was scheduled to run in an Obedience fun match put on by the Sherwood Dog Training Club. I try to go to as many matches as I can — they are the closest thing to a real Obedience trial you can get. But because they’re fun matches, and not real trials, there’s all sorts of things you can do in the ring. You can re-do exercises, correct your dog, give treats, play with toys, whatever you need to do to help your dog and yourself learn all the right moves and behaviors.

For this match, I thought I’d given myself a 1/2 hour buffer. I counted the number of people scheduled to run ahead of me in the Novice class, multiplied by 6 minutes per run, added that to the start time, and planned to be there 30 minutes earlier than the resulting time.

But reality interfered. As if often does.

I’d forgotten my entry fee money, and had to stop at a cash machine. That added 10 minutes to my travel time, leaving me with being there just 20 minutes ahead. And then, it turned out that about 4 people who were supposed to run before me were missing, and that right there equals about 24 minutes, putting me now 4 minutes behind. And then, some of the people ahead of me were faster than expected, adding probably another 3 or 4 minutes to the time hole.

Being kind and resourceful people, instead of eliminating me from the run order, some fellow club members filled in ahead of me. And when I walked in the door, I discovered that the person ahead of me was already almost through her run.

That gave me only about 1.5 minutes to get my dog out of the car, persuade him to pee outside, and be inside at the ring gate. Gagh!

I’m usually a very responsible, on-time type of person, so this is completely embarrassing. I hope it’s sufficiently embarrassing that I won’t do this again. Reality can bite in just these same ways at real trials, too.

I guess I can just be glad that I had an opportunity to learn this at a fun match, rather that at a real (and much more expensive and less forgiving) Obedience trial.

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Team Cooper back on track

During our visit to my doctor’s office last week, Russ asked, “Can she go to the next dog show?” The doctor had just finished examining me, following up on my collapse at the previous weekend’s dog show in Enumclaw. After doing some tests and ordering some others, she first looked me in the eye, then at Russ, and then at me again, and said, “If you feel up to it, then you can go. But take care of yourself. No stress.”

Fortunately, as dog shows go, this year’s IWSCOPS specialty was pretty relaxed. I had my husband and my friends surrounding and taking care of me. People brought me water and offered to groom my dog. I even got offers to take him into the ring for me. And besides, since Cooper already has his show championship, taking him into the show ring was easy and not stressful. I knew we weren’t going to win, so I simply got to enjoy showing my beautiful hunting dog off to the crowd.

Cooper in the Field Trial Dogs class, IWSCOPS specialty 2011

Cooper mugging for Russ's camera

The obedience ring was a bit more stressful (don’t tell my doctor), but on Saturday, we had a few advantages. The trial was held indoors, which led to fewer distractions (all the bitches in season were not allowed in the building, and that helped Cooper concentrate on the job at hand). The professional photographer agreed to not photograph while Cooper and I were in the ring (Cooper thinks all cameras are held my Russ, and that breaks his concentration, too — see the picture above). Plus the crowd was quiet while we worked and burst into applause when we finished — I think they wanted Cooper and me to pass just as much as I did.

The judge was incredibly kind and helpful — she even gave Cooper and me another chance at the Long Down exercise, in which the dog has to stay down in place across the ring from the handler for 3 minutes. During our first try at it, the dog next to Cooper stood up and walked over to Cooper, and the other dog’s handler ran across the ring to get her dog. With all that distraction, Cooper stood up, too. The judge decided that this was unfair interference for a Novice dog, so she gave Cooper and me another chance at the Long Down.

I was surprised because I’d assumed we’d already failed. I knew we’d had lots of points taken off already. Cooper didn’t sit when we halted during the Heeling exercises. I also had to give him an extra “Heel” command when his attention lagged during the off-leash Heeling exercise. And, instead of standing still during all of the Stand for Exam exercise, he moved in a very small circle when I returned to him at the end of the exercise. Plus, during the Recall, he came to me at a nice trot, but instead of coming and sitting immediately in front of me, he came around behind me and sat, perfectly straight, facing my rear.

But even with all this, we hadn’t failed yet, making his extra chance at the Long Down was very fortunate. We passed that, and that kept us just enough points to qualify for Cooper’s first leg of his Companion Dog (CD) obedience title.

Christine & Riki, Patrice & Cooper, Lois & Bonnie, Judge Carolyn Wray
photo by Richard Liebaert

Cooper's first qualifying score in Novice A Obedience, IWSCOPS specialty 2011

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Killer dog show

Dog shows are stressful. You wait your turn to go into the ring, and you try to remember to breathe. You go into the ring, hope your dog will live up to the hours of training you’ve put in, and try to remember to breathe. Sometimes you shake a little with nervousness, and your friends outside the ring make breathing motions at you. You look at them, smile, and breathe. Then the judging is finished, and you leave the ring, either pleased or disappointed with the results, and you try to remember to breathe.

In the past, between breaths, I have joked that someday a dog show would be the death of me. But I never really thought that one day a dog show would actually try to kill me.

All morning before my slot in the Novice Obedience ring at the Eunumclaw dog show, I complained to Rod and Renae that I felt bad. All three of us thought it was nervousness. That makes sense — I’m usually nervous at dog shows. And then I got into the ring, and couldn’t breathe easily. Also usual. And then my hands started to shake. Well, that’s not usual, but, after all, this was my first time in Obedience, so maybe not unexpected.

When we got out of the ring (Cooper didn’t pass — he walked away during the Stand for Exam to go check something out in the next ring.), I gathered up my lightweight crate, Cooper on his leash, and started to walk over to Jayme’s RV, where she was going to do some grooming on Cooper for me (bless her heart). It was hard walking over there. I had to stop every 15 steps or so, put down my stuff, rest, and then pick it up and take 15 more steps. Well, I thought, it’s hot (90 F), I’m still nervous, and I don’t feel good. But I didn’t suspect that I had anything to worry about.

Finally, I got over to Jayme’s RV, and over the next couple of hours, I felt worse and worse. Dizzy, lightheaded, unable to stand up for more than a few seconds. Had to sit down, and then I had to lie down. I sweated profusely and then stopped sweating. Paul came over, looked at me, told me my face was all white, and suggested I drink something with sugar in it. He brought me a Coke. Jayme gave me water. Russell made me a sandwich, but I was too nauseated to eat it. All the while, I felt worse. Finally, I asked Paul, who had been a medic, what the symptoms of a heart attack in a woman are. What he described, after checking with his clinician wife Paula, sounded like what I was going through. Except I never did suffer any chest pain or pressure — but I guess that is not unheard of in women.

Then my Irish Water Spaniel friends saved me. They called the medics. They encouraged me to go in the ambulance to the emergency room. Jayme, Russell, and Paul took care of Cooper and my car and all my stuff. Rod and Renae met me at the hospital. They picked up Cooper and my car, and took it all to their house for the duration. They even missed a wedding the next day to take care of me and my dog.

So here I am, three days later, not dead. After days in the hospital, many tests, blood draws, and checkings of vital signs, they don’t know what went wrong. Several signs and my family history point to a heart problem. Could have been dehydration. Could have been an anxiety attack.

So, I’ll be off to my physician this afternoon to see what my next steps are.

The question is: Do my next steps include my going to the IWSCOPS specialty dog show next weekend? I’ve been looking forward to it for months and months. Everyone thinks I’m nuts, but I still really want to go.

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The trip to Enumclaw begins

Here I am, doing it again. Going to a dog show. This weekend is the Olympic Kennel Club shows, and Cooper and I are entered.

Not in conformation, though. No, this time I am getting really brave/foolish. I’ve entered us in Novice A Obedience. “Novice” because I’d like to get a CD (Companion Dog) title on Cooper, and a team needs three passes at the Novice level to get that. “A” because I’ve never, ever earned an Obedience title on any dog before.

AKA “rank beginner.”

I thought we were sort of ready. We’ve been working, practicing, and going to fun matches. But then, the hormones around the house changed.

Tooey went into season, and Cooper is distracted. He’s not eating. He is obsessed with knowing where Tooey is at all times (one of them is always in their crate). He’s whining in his crate when Tooey is out of hers. When he’s outside and she isn’t, he’s sniffing and licking and pissing on every spot she’s peed on.

And this show in Enumclaw is about an hour south from where Colleen, Tooey’s co-owner, lives. So I’ll be driving both dogs north with me. Colleen will come  down to Enumclaw to pick Tooey up, and Cooper will be perhaps even more distracted because he doesn’t know where Tooey has gone to.

She is his, he thinks. And he takes those responsibilities and his hoped-for (but never-to-be-realized) benefits seriously.

Eventually he’ll calm down and accept that Tooey is gone (she’ll be back, but he doesn’t know that). But that won’t be for awhile.

And in the meantime, I was really hoping we’d pass our first Novice A Obedience trial.

Oh well. I’ll guess we’ll do what we do.

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Pre-show summer portrait

The last time I wrote about Cooper’s grooming, I was very much enjoying his new short field cut. It was March, and I was looking forward to months of less debris and less grooming time. Not to mention improving Coop’s ability to see.

Well, now we’re getting ready for Cooper’s (probably) last conformation show in about 3 weeks. So we’ve been growing his coat out, with the idea of sculpting it back into dog-show condition.

It’s not sculpted yet though. Take a look:

For the show, we’ll probably clip his muzzle to get rid of the muttonchops. And we’ll shape the topknot. The ears, though, are the interesting issue. The ear fur seems to have grown a lot slower than the topknot fur, so it’s unlikely that they’ll be grown out to their full length to the show.

Which is OK. Part of me is sorely tempted to give him a modified field cut. He’s a hunting dog, after all, and I’d like people to see him in all his hunting-dog style. But I don’t know just yet.

And fortunately, I don’t have to decide right now.

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It’s official: Now we can get out the clippers

It’s really true. Cooper’s a champion. And this week, we got the two pictures that tell the tale.

Cooper, Best of Winners and New Champion, Rose City Classic 2011
photo by Steven Ross

proof from the AKC website

Now that it’s official that Cooper got his championship, I don’t have to maintain a show coat any more, at all, ever. Unless I want to. Which is unlikely. If you listen hard enough, I’m sure you can hear me cheering.

After the next bath, we’ll get out the clippers and the scissors and give him a nice short field clip. I’ll leave a little on the topknot and some on the ears, just so he looks like an Irish Water Spaniel.

Let’s hope the new hairdo will put Cooper in mind to succeed during this 2011 hunt test season.

Go Team Cooper!

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Thoughts on Cooper’s championship

Cooper at 14 weeks

We asked for a pet, and we got Cooper. Like other excited puppy “parents,” we sent lots and lots of pictures to Rosemary. When Cooper was about 14 weeks old, Rosemary sent us an email saying something like, I think we sent you a show dog.

Rosemary told me that Cooper would get his championship easily, Tammy said she would help, and I had a lot of encouragement from other friends and owners of Irish Water Spaniels. So I agreed to Cooper’s being shown and going for it.

It took 3 years, 4 months, and 29 days. If I had known how long getting Cooper’s championship would take or how hard it would be, I wonder — would I have started down that path?

Cooper and Tammy (middle)

Cooper’s first conformation show was the 2007 IWSCOPS Specialty when he was just 6 months old. Tammy groomed and showed him. (His armband number was 13 — that should have told us something.) He did 2nd in his puppy class. That wasn’t so bad. And all Russ and I had to do was watch. (We also had to hide so that Cooper wouldn’t see us and be distracted).

Jayme, Cooper, and Patrice

It took 10 months of showing for him to get any points. He got his first two points, having been groomed by Tammy again and shown by a professional handler, at the Canby dog show in June, 2008.

Since then, Cooper’s record has been mixed. He came in dead last a couple of times and placed reasonably well other times. He even got Reserve Winners Dog at an IWSCOPS Specialty.

But sometimes he behaved like a twit who couldn’t stand still, or jerked his way around the ring. A couple of times he even jumped over the ring gates and out of the ring. Once he broke a borrowed show lead trying to get away. Another time he pissed on my skirt while waiting at ringside. Sometimes his coat was thin and lifeless, or the winning dog had bigger bone, a squarer muzzle, or just presented better.

Patrice and Cooper, photo by Liz Liddle

But other times, he won. His coat wasn’t always long, having been cut down for field work, but when it was curly, lush, and glossy, and he moved beautifully — then he’d be eye catching, showing off all the drive and reach needed by a dog who needs to swim powerfully to do his work as a water retriever.

On the negative side, I discovered new depths of stage fright. When I get into the show ring, I stop breathing, my mouth dries up, my heart pounds, I get tunnel vision. And while I got to be able to groom my Irish Water Spaniels reasonably well, I have never figured out how to bring out Cooper’s best features. The best I could do was to get him pretty close, and then find someone to do the finishing touches. And having to find that someone and ask for that favor was always a source of sleep-destroying stress that kept me awake many a night.

Cooper and Colleen

Cooper and Rebecca

On the plus side, I had a LOT of help. Tammy and Jayme both helped me with advice and training. Tammy, Colleen, Jayme, and Rebecca were often willing to groom Cooper to his best advantage. Tammy always made at least some time for Cooper while she was getting her two IWS ready for the ring. A couple of times, Jayme had Cooper live with her for several weeks so that she could train him, groom him, and then show him for me. Colleen made herself available more times than I can remember. And then when I decided to show him myself, I got a lot of free (and welcome) advice from people who had been doing it a lot longer than I have.

Fortune comes into this, too. Cooper was born within 3 days of the current #1 Irish Water Spaniel in America. Since we live in the same region as that dog, we showed against him many times. Cooper never won those competitions. It’s a hard thing to do, to go into a dog show knowing you’re probably going to lose. But as I’ve discovered, dog shows and dog show judges are not predictable — sometimes you lose when you’re certain yours is the better dog, and sometimes you win when you think you have no chance.

Chance did come into it again, and changed everything. With such historically mixed results, I had just about decided to quit. But then Colleen asked if I’d send Cooper down to California to create a major.

I knew that Mowgli, Cooper’s littermate, was going and needed a major. Tammy had been such a help to me that I wanted to return the favor. But if Cooper was going to California, I wasn’t going to send him down — I thought I’d go for a fun road trip with my friends, take Cooper and Tooey, and show them myself. Cooper’s coat was in a very short field clip, but a “point fodder” dog doesn’t need to look good. He just has to be there. So we went, and Mowgli did indeed take the major the first two days.

Cooper, after his first major win, photo by Holloway

And then it happened. Cooper took the 3rd day’s major. I was so shocked my mouth fell open. Literally. I was completely unprepared for this development. Because, damn. With one major and 11 points, we had to keep going. All he needed was one more major and 4 more points.

Saturday, when Cooper won Winners Dog and Best of Winners, winning the 2nd major he needed to get his championship, I started to cry. The judge even asked me if was OK. I could hardly wait to call Russ and Rosemary and hug Tammy. The honor his win gives to Cooper’s dam (Rosemary’s Nova) and his sire (Tammy’s Balloo) pleases me very much. Cooper has always been my Pretty Boy, a dog with great reach and drive, and I am so happy that he had the title that recognizes that: Champion.

At the same time, I feel like a heavy burden has been lifted off my shoulders. Standing at ringside on Sunday, watching the other Irish Water Spaniels compete, I told Colleen, “I’m never going to do this again.”

She laughed. “Famous last words,” she said.

So, if I had known in the beginning that it would take this long, but that it would feel this good at the end, would I have started down that path? I still don’t know.

And will I do this again? I’d like to think not.

But I have discovered that what I think I will do and what I actually do are often not the same thing. So, who knows? (And as my friend Alan used to say, “Who is not telling.”)

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Champion Mr. Cooper!

We did it!

Cooper, 1st in AOH class, Winners Dog, and Best of Winners, plus two Rally Novice qualifying scores, Rose City Classic, 2011

Yesterday, Cooper took 1st in the Amateur-Owner-Handler class (not hard, since he was the only one in that class). That turned out to provide a kind of a good omen. After we ran around the ring for the last time in that class, the judge pointed her finger at Cooper and said, “You are #1.” I thought (but didn’t say aloud), “Please, just keep that comment in mind …”

Then he went back into the ring to compete against the other dog, where he took Winners Dog. (Perhaps the judge read my mind.) After all the bitches were judged and the Winners Bitch chosen, we went back into the ring and took Best of Winners, winning over the Winner’s Bitch. And because he did that, he gets at least the number of points that the Winner’s Bitch got.

And (this is the best part), this was a major for bitches. Meaning that there were a significant number of bitches competing, enough to earn the winner 3 points.

To get a championship, a dog has to have a total of 15 points including 2 majors. Cooper got his first major down in California last October, and Saturday’s win gave him his 2nd major and his 15 point total.

All this means that Cooper is finished. He got his championship, and we never have to go into the conformation ring again.

Always a retriever

We also competed in Rally Novice B. That was fun. I like Rally — if you qualify with a passing score enough times, you get the title. You don’t have to compete against other dogs to win. We got a score of 94 (out of 100) on Saturday, which is really amazingly well, given that Cooper has practiced in a realistic practice ring only a couple of times. Mostly we’ve been practicing in the kitchen and living room.

Sunday in the Rally ring, he was goofy. Russ had come to watch, and Cooper knew that Russ was there. So Cooper kept losing his concentration on the task, looking for Russ as we moved around the Rally course. (And this is exactly why I asked Russ not to come on Saturday — I was afraid Cooper would lose his concentration in the conformation ring.)

We earned a score of 86 on Sunday, but he passed. So now we just need one more qualifying score for Cooper to earn his Rally Novice (RN) title.

Here’s a video of our second Rally run:

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