upon sober reflection...
The nosework trial was actually quite good. On Monday I went to a review of the video from the trial. The NACSW prohibits videoing by anyone other than the official videographer whose video is becomes the property of the NACSW so they can presumably review the runs and make sure everyone was safe and that the challenges were appropriate, etc. However, this leaves the competitors unable to actually see what they did unless there are special arrangements. Shelley has made a point of holding 'seminars' (for money, of course) that you can go to after the trial to watch the videos as a group and get feedback from Ron.
In the past, my recall of our runs has been that they were better than they are on video. Not so this time! The video showed me in vivid color that our runs were only a hair away from qualifying. That's not at all what I was feeling on the other end of the leash!
Specifically...
He's entered in a trial in December in Denver. I don't know if we'll be able to go. We'll have to fly. But I figured I'd enter and then decide just before I have to scratch for a full refund depending on how fit he is. I'm really excited by the thought of trialing in a place where the environment would be so totally different. It would be a very cool challenge and definitely a learning experience.
In the past, my recall of our runs has been that they were better than they are on video. Not so this time! The video showed me in vivid color that our runs were only a hair away from qualifying. That's not at all what I was feeling on the other end of the leash!
Specifically...
- He WAS checking the luggage. No, not very thoroughly, but certainly enough to know if he should investigate further. *I* called the alert too early on a half-assed alert like the kind he throws one box away...and yup, he was one bag away.
- I held my ground on the interior doorway hide just fine. *He* chose to go on into the room. I could definitely have saved this element by asking him to recheck the entry and will absolutely do so if I see that kind of blow-by again!
- On the exterior, HE DID ALERT...and I MISSED IT! I was standing behind his left hip and he alerted with his right front and because of the coat and his whole body in the way, I didn't see it! I remember standing there thinking "alert, damnit!" and then he gave me a disgusted look and kept going. In future, I will back up and be sure I can see his right front paw which is the one he uses to alert, especially if the hide seems to be in the ground where I can't see the shoulder move like I can when his head is up.
He's entered in a trial in December in Denver. I don't know if we'll be able to go. We'll have to fly. But I figured I'd enter and then decide just before I have to scratch for a full refund depending on how fit he is. I'm really excited by the thought of trialing in a place where the environment would be so totally different. It would be a very cool challenge and definitely a learning experience.