Winter Dogfest 2010

Each year one of the dog training groups near us has a Winter carnival. This year one of the staff had a baby so it was pushed back to mid-March. Unfortunately all the snow has left, but it was still fun. There were various demonstration (retrieving, sledding/skijoring, tracking, rally-o, agility and more). Balsam got to try a few things out and even placed in a few contests.

Balsam got Third Place in the tail wagging contest. We each had to choose a fruit or vegetable and could only use that one word, and no touching to get our dogs excited. We were beat out of two Aussies (those nubby tails go a mile a minute!)

Our team also won the Sock Relay. Each person had to put 4 baby socks on their dog and walk past a certain point. Some of the walks were hilarious. We had an advantage by having quite a few big dogs on our team. The socks didn't fit nearly as well on the small breeds.

In the outdoor rings, Balsam got Fourth Place in the frisbee retrieve, and Third Place in the ball retrieve. I was very proud of her. She's not a huge fan of retrieving but has enough drive go get them and followed directions well enough to bring them back.

We also tried out a few peices of agility equipment. It was neat watching her experience new things and see her confidence build as we practiced.

Overall it was a very successful day. I'm sure I will be back next year with a new trainee.