9 Titles Earned at Kenai
Schutzhund Club's Third 2003 Trail
Acres of dew laden grass in Palmer, Alaska
awaited us for tracking at our last trial of the 2003 season. We are a bit spoiled
in the Land of the Midnight Sun and had forgotten that by September the sun was no longer up by 6AM. We passed time waiting for the temperament test to start by milling around in the pre-dawn light, drinking
coffee and stamping our feet to ward off the chill. Meanwhile, our Judge, Willie
Pope Jr., and FH tracklayer, Jim, looked over the fields and discussed track patterns that would be used the next day for
the two FHs and the FH 2. After what seemed an eternity, the sun rose over the
mountains and tracklayers found every type of grass conditions imaginable. Patches
of four-inch high grass were interspersed with sparse areas, 18-inch high grass and sections of grass whose thick blades were
lying over against the ground. Tracklayers, participants and our trial judge
slogged thru the field, wincing as cold dew penetrated clothing and drained into boots and shoes.
Jeanine and Prinzessin Zena Vom Schlacht were
first on the field for their TR 1 title and a 93 score. Liv and Nicko Vom Barock
Schlossle put in a good track for 84 points toward their SchH 1. Tom and Junior
Vom Haus Grossen Hund had an excellent track for their IPO 2 with 97 points and high score in tracking for the trial. SchH 3 competitor Chris and Chrilo's Kona Nut Jones bobbled at the articles and came
away with 82 points. Also competing for SchH 3, Jim and Kayoz Vom Diener (Oz)
did a great job for 94 points.
The day warmed to a comfortable 65 degrees
at Anchorage Kincaid Park's Hundeplatz Field, but with only a slight breeze it felt much warmer. The first two BH teams, Tanya with Chayanne Vom Haus Grossen Hund (Anne), and Kelly B. with Jakob Vom Diener
had difficulty in the obedience phase and did not pass. Apparently an animal
had scented an area near the center of the field because neither dog could leave that vicinity, preferring to lick the grass
and roll in the scent. Subsequent teams avoided that section of the field with
no further problems. Lada vom Haus Romtans passed her BH and traffic test
with only a little help from handler/owner Roman. Zena and Jeanine had a nice
showing in the OB 1 for 90 points.
Liv and Nicko finished the day with a good
performance in obedience (86). Protection also went well for them at 83 points
for a SchH 1 total of 253. Tom and Junior scored high in obedience with 91 points
and finished their IPO 2 with an 81 in protection for a total of 269. Veteran
team, Jim and Oz looked good in obedience, they scored 89, loosing most of their points on the go out and down exercise. Protection also went well with 86 points, which was high in protection and resulted
in a total score of 269. Although that total tied with Tom and Junior, Jim and
Oz had the higher protection score so took high in trial honors.
Chris and Kona scored a very good (88) in
the SchH 3 obedience phase. In addition, Kona's protection performance was well on the way to making high in trial. After an excellent blind search, Kona rounded the live blind and began the bark and hold with intensity. His consistent barking and rhythmic footwork almost resembled a wind up Schutzhund
dog and was a real crowd pleaser. Things continued to go well until the first
out after the courage test. At the first command, Kona fought the helper. Chris hollered a convincing "aus" the second time and Kona crouched down and continued
to tug the sleeve. The final "AUS" was bellowed which resulted in Kona more actively
trying to amputate the helpers arm. At that point the team was dismissed with
a disappointing 64 points.
The second day of competition started early
with Jim laying an FH 2 and two FH tracks. Dew covered the grass while the tracks
were being laid, but three hours later when they were ready to run, the grass had dried completely. Tom and Tygar Vom Haus Grossen Hund wowed everyone with an impressive 98 point FH 2 track. Tom and Junior, Tygars son, added an FH title to the IPO 2 they received the day before with an excellent
score of 97 for their track. Kelly B. and Kasina Vom Haus Grossen Hund, finished
their FH with a good score of 84.
The Kenai Schutzhund Club would like to thank
all our members who pitched in to make this trial a success. Thank you also to
Valerie Trial Secretary; Kelly B. SchH 3 Tracklayer; Jim FH, FH 2 and SchH 2 Tracklayer; Patricia Cross-tracklayer; and Hans
Helper. Special thanks to our Judge, Willie Pope, Jr., for his fair judging and
amusing anecdotes.
