Preparation for Our First Trial

April came and with it a clinic with Alasdair Macrae at Dal and Kate's. Alasdair knew Data fairly well. When I brought Data out, Alasdair commented that Data was already better. What I recall most from that clinic was that I had to do all I could to build Data's confidence in himself and in me. Keep everything fun.

I have a wonderful habit of thoroughly embracing each and every one of my lessons. I kept everything fun alright. To a fault. I didn't understand that I could keep things fun but insist on him doing it correctly as well. Five years later I think I understand it now. The key was to work faster with him. Get him to lie down then give him a flank straight away. The problem was [and still is to a certain extent] that I wasn't good with my flanks. I would get him to lie down and then had to think about which flank was which. While I was thinking, Data was lying there... waiting... wallowing. My thinking made lying down a punishment for him. In very short order I taught Data NOT to lie down by asking him to lie down.

Back then, the sheep at Louise’s were allowed to graze up on the hill behind her house, and we would work the dogs up there. Louise was at my side on more than one sunny day up on that hill, walking me through some exercises with Data. We would let the sheep start to run away and let Data go and catch them. That was fun for Data. We worked on stops and flanks and just spent time having fun together. It takes quite a while to get working with a started or a trained dog. They say about ten months and I would have to agree. I'm sure there are exceptions to this as there are always exceptions to every rule.

There was a trial in Milton and we were going. Louise with Kit and Clare, me with Data. It was in June 2003 and there were only a few weeks to prepare. Data and I were going to be stars! I didn’t seem to remember that I had had this exact thought twice before and, even if I had remembered, I believed that this was going to be different.

One afternoon before the trial, I was working with Andrea. Seemingly out of the blue, she asked me if I knew how to turn the post. Excuse me? Do what? Clearly, I had no clue. Andrea explained it, I tried it. She explained it again. I tried again. I didn’t get it at all. I’m sure I drove her insane that day. She was remarkably patient with me, repeating herself a billion times or more. I think I got close to kinda getting around the post and that was where the lesson ended. Once we had gone inside for a drink Andrea tried to show me with coins and salt and pepper shakers. I am relatively certain the question marks above my head were visible to her and everyone else sitting around the table.

Turning the post is surprisingly difficult to do well. I have been to clinics where we have spent the entire two days working on just that. At the time of my upcoming debut with Data I really felt as though I should have been able to comprehend something like this.

This sport has a curious way of making one quite humble and feel quite stupid. Kate has said, on more than one occasion "My name is Kate, DVM, PhD and I can't get this exercise." Well she says it a bit more colourfully than that but, the point is the same.

The weeks passed, I practiced, Louise practiced and before I knew it, I was headed to my first dog trial.