Greatest Trial Moment For 2008

[ness]

Stole this idea from the show ring and thought since they have there best show moment for the year why not one for us triallers .

To get the ball rolling I have to say without doubt mine would be Ness's performance at the Adelaide Royal Show in Open Obedience. She worked the round of her life to be sitting in third place on a score of 189 behind two absolutely stunning Western Australia dogs (also owned by two people who I greatly admire for their dog training and handling ability and who have taught me plenty - you guys rock and you know it). Unfortunately she broke her down stay so ended up not qualifying but I still take heart in the fact it would have taken two interstate dogs to have beaten her on the night and she put in a performance worthy of matching it with the best of the best. She would have placed ahead of a number of SA's great dogs and handlers many of whom are UD and even OC titled.

The two dogs who would have beaten her are the same two that had great success at the Obedience Nationals - winning classes. For my girl to have worked the round of her life under such distracting conditions as an Adelaide royal (and also to have backed up after a UD round the night before) would probably be one of the special memories of the year. None the least bit to do it in such wonderful company. Even the judge was nearly in tears for me when she broke her stay and we certainly got a special mention at the presentation.

Edited January 2, 2009 by ness

[MrsD]

For me it would have to be coming 3rd in the Dances with Dogs competition at the Ekka (Brisbane Royal) . They held it in the main dog pavillion at lunchtime & the crowd was HUGE, they were packed in so tightly there was hardly room to move. Jarrah & I were on last, we went out into the arena (which was where the show dogs had been all morning, bitches in season, bits of food dropped on the floor etc ;) ) & they had problems with the music & we had to stand there for over 30 seconds in our start position & he never batted an eyelid at the crowd etc or took his eyes off me, even if we had come last I would have been proud of him just for giving me so much attention in such distracting circumstances. The reaction we got from the crowd was unbelievable, I've never felt anything like it before , they literally ROARED when we had finished our routine, it was really & truly amazing ;) . For a dog who had only started DwD training seriously in the beginning of April (Ekka is 2nd week in August, we'd only done a few tricks & very very basic obedience eg sit/drop before then) I was so proud of him .

Close second greatest moment would be being invited back to the Royal a week later to perform our routine again as a demonstration just before Best in Show on the last Saturday and getting the same reaction from the crowd - what a buzz!!!

[Sayreovi]

Mine is winning our division at the flyball Nationals last year.

Both my dogs were in the same team, Nova was frequently handled by someone else as it was the fastest combo with both dogs, some races we were literally just getting out of one ring and had to run straight into the other so no break, plus both dogs achieved personal best times!!

[Miss Squish]

For us it was a small goal but we got there

All I wanted was a title after all the hard work & my girl Asia did me proud with a 3rd CCD pass in 2008 on New Years Eve! Title after 4 trials is not what I ever expected & Im sure there will be more to come with a breed uncommon to Obedience!

Her first trial & pass was at the Adelaide Royal in Sept which was huge for us!

Congrats to all on the dedication & hard work it takes to trial a dog of any breed, good luck for 2009! ;)

Edited January 2, 2009 by miss squishy face

[Ptolomy]

HMM tough question - tossing a coin here

Winning UD at the National Obedience Championships and coming second in open was definitely the highlight - I was so excited I kept phoning and texting family and friends back home. Then being able to compete in the winner of winners with a dog I woke up, got out of the car and then reved him up with twisties, and have him perform his little white socks off still makes me smile.

But the one that blew me away .......would have to be Blaize taking out Winner of Winners at the State Obedience Championships - she is either brilliant or bloody awful and that was her night.

[caffy]

Winning UD at the National Obedience Championships and coming second in open was definitely the highlight - I was so excited I kept phoning and texting family and friends back home

It was like being there and as exciting..and so well deserved

Mine would be my little baby dog taking out Open Agility at last year's States...maybe because it was so unexpected considering the other dogs in the Finals.

[kathq]

Havent posted in this one before..

Best trial moment was my young GSP Coco going Best in Trial at this years National in Melbourne after travelling all the way from Brisbane and not being the worlds best car dog. Terrible trialling conditions and a handler (me) suffering from the worst case of nerves she worked like it was a practice run at home in the backyard. Only a novice that gave her her second leg in CD and showed me there is hope for us yet.

[J...]

Definitely the Agility Nationals here.

Thinking that maybe, just maybe, if we went as clean and clear as we could, we might scrape ourselves a place in the finals

To come out with 2 passes in JDX, a 2nd and a 4th and our JDX title, and to have qualified not once, but twice for the finals was incredible.

To come in fastest but with one dropped bar and a 4th in the finals, was far more than I ever could've dreamed for.

I have goosebumps just thinking about it

[biker girl]

A few for me................

firstly scoring 194 in novice under a local judge who apparently has never given over 190 in novice before here in Tassie

when we poped over to Adelaide for some trials. One of those trials, my girl passed open & her son passed Ccd, both with first placings At the next trial in Adelaide

qualifying 191 & first & Cdx under a Gsd judge, who is retiring at the end of this year, who was my very first judge 25years ago with my first trialling dog ;)

And at our last trial of the year I had Seven pass open (again ) & this time her daughter passed Ccd, again both with first placings ;)

Lastly when I was in Adelaide, meeting Ness & her gorgeous furbabies & watching the boy I bred & her pup playing hard. And catching up with all those Adelaide triallers

who I have known for a long time

[ness]

Biker girl - Kenzie sure had fun playing with the boy you bred. I have another great trial moment for Ness which would probably come close to her obedience performance at the Royal and that would be her two masters passes - one agility and one jumping at our club trial earlier in the year. The masters jumping pass was the final pass towards her title and what makes it more special is that I had badly sprained an ankle and for my little girl to manage 2 passes in the one day with me hobbling around would have to high up there on the list of 2008 great trial moments.