2009 Working Dog Championship - Page 3

Diane, Thank you!!!!!

Beautiful rolling hills.

UNOFFICIAL FH Results:

Al Govednik - Hex Aites Bohemia - 90

Chet Roberts - Enno von Haus-Klonne - 61

Andres Aportela - Franka vom Wallerhorst - 92 (FH Champion)

Daniela Bedenice - Olesko vom Sandstein - 43

Daniel Trevino- Ghandi vom Kassler Kreuz - 87

Andres Aportela - Benga aus Kingston Village - 82

T Floyd - Otty von der Salztal-Hohe - 90

Kevin Lanouette - Gismo von der Mohnwiese - PULL

Conditions were good, but not easy.  The tracks were VERY looooooong, I'm told to make up for a lack of much change in terrain.  In addition, the area is heavily frequented by wildlife (primarily deer and wild turkeys) so there were deer beds, tracks, and droppings to deal with.  Al Govednik finished his track and asked for a new one (jokingly) because his was "heavily baited" (deer droppings) LOL!  T's track had quite a few holes (probably gofers) but the track layer promised he "at least removed the rabbits" while laying the track.  It was about 50 degreees and warmed to mid 60's by early afternoon, and there was a 7-10 MPH breeze most of the day that made some of the hilly areas more difficult, especially when there were cross tracks there to contend with.   The 2 dogs that didn't pass both had problems with cross tracks and that's where they lost their points.  Chet's dog had a really long track and the problem was a cross track towards the end, so it was unfortunate he didn't quite make it because the dog otherwise tracked very well.  Daniela and Olesko had a cross track problem as well, but earlier in the track and hence the lower score.  Showing wonderful sportsmanship and making certain her dog still had a good day, Daniela completed the entire track after the mistake (very well, I might add) and her dog left feeling he was the best dog in the competition :-).   Olesko is a very good tracker, just one mistake that cost him dearly this time and it was a pleasure to meet Daniela and her dog.  Very nice people!   Ghandi and Daniel presented a very nice picture to ME, but the judge had to take points off for Ghandi's enthusiasm for the track causing him some "speeding tickets" along the way (a bit too fast starting after articles, a bit too fast overall, but still a very nice job and no big mistakes).    I really liked this dog/handler team because again the bond between them was very nice to see and Ghandi looked like he could track all day and never tire.    T's female "Otty" was also a very enthusiastic tracker and would have no doubt scored higher if not for a bit of a cross track difficulty early on (she worked it out, but it cost her some points).   I missed Andre's female Benga (arrived after she had tracked) and was there for Franka's track, but they were WAY away from the spectator area and all I can say is I saw them moving along at a steady pace throughout what I could see of their track.   I'm sorry I didn't get photos of them, but I don't have a good zoom on my camera and they just appear as small dots on the landscape. 

I learned a couple of things that I had never heard before during the judge's critiques and maybe they will be be news to others as well, so I'll post them.  First, if a dog does a false article indication, the handler can approach the dog to check and restart him, but you MUST restart the dog from the side you approached on, not change sides to restart him.  That was something even experienced people didn't seem to know before the judge mentioned it.  Second, the dog is not supposed to start moving until the handler has the leash held above his knee.  It's considered a fast or early start (and faulty) if the dog begins before

 Good luck to Mike Lorraine and his dog Sepp.They head for the track at 10:00 am today.

Diane thanks for the pics and valuable info....

Sorry, got cut off...  That was something even experienced people didn't seem to know before the judge mentioned it.  Second, the dog is not supposed to start moving until the handler has the leash held above his knee.  It's considered a fast or early start (and faulty) if the dog begins before the handler has the leash above the knee and I believe it costs some points (?).  Overall it was a great day and I admire all of the competitors who presented their dogs skillfully and showed excellent sportsmanship, without exception.

Diane

 

 Edited  to add:  My pleasure, Krieger!  I wish I was more experienced in tracking so I could give better info, but I did the best I could.

 Edited again to add:  VERY IMPORTANT!  I inadvertantly forgot to mention the fact that the organizers did a very good job of providing good and fair tracking conditions for all.  It went very smoothly thanks to the work of the track layers, Ronnie Hill and club, Gene England (who secured use of the fields and helped everyone find their way around) and others.  I think the competitors all appreciated  the venue provided and I wanted to be sure to mention that.

Congrats to Mike Lorraine and his dog Sepp on a job well done recieving a 100 pts. in tracking!!!!

Nothing posted yet on the website...GRRRR

 

Diane: Thank you for all the info and pictures. They are great!

Julie

Any more updates?  Seems like a lot of DQs....

http://www.usaawdc.com/page05.html

Link to Competitors /Results\

Mark and Joker:  99/96/95 290

Michael Lorraine & his dog scored a 100 point track!

Wow!