It has been a while since the last Ringo update, mostly because I only manage to get myself to post after shows and there haven’t been any of those since September. We have, however, been training weekly up at the local working dog club, and some improvements have occurred. Though, some things have gotten worse, too, like Ringo’s attitude about other male dogs. Its definitely turning into a little bit of an issue, and I had my hands full at the MyDog show in Gothenburg on Monday and Tuesday of this week.
On the first day, Ringo was a little hellion. Not as bad as last year on the first day, but bad enough that the rather strict British judge gave us a 2 even though he also gave him a pretty good critique. Properly speaking, I don’t think it was quite proper to have him get a 2, since it seemed to be based rather heavily on the judge feeling he wasn’t handled well. However, it is pretty common to get a 2 for that even though the rules technically don’t leave room for it.
The critique was: Very well made square brindle. Well balanced in outline. Good mover. Head is typie, just a touch over done. Handler must learn to show and move him better for the judge.
On the second day, Ringo behaved a lot better overall, and especially in the ring. He posed nicely in the first lineup, ran well with the rest, ran well on his own and posed fairly well on his own too. We got a 1, and then we ended up placed 4th. Dogs 1 through 3 got CKs, and I think the judge may have considered Ringo for one as he gave him a close look before deciding the placements. Then again, he seemed pretty set on 1 through 3.
The critique this time was: Correct size. Typical head. Correct topline, deep chest, correct front angulation. Good coat. Good movement.
There won’t be any more shows for a while again, I expect (not until the outdoor ones start, most likely), but we are looking at signing up for a class to prepare for working dog competitions. Its not going to be easy to start with him at this age, but maybe we can manage to compete in a year or so and perhaps have his working dog merits by next summer. For now, though, he just needs more training to be less hyper-active.