Wow, what a weekend!

Took Elton to the Papillon (Butterfly Dog) Club's Championship Show yesterday. Solei came as well, but he wasn't showing.

There was something very odd going on....I have no idea what, but a number of the dogs were being really freaky, even some that are usually bombproof. Some of the others were just being really awkward.

Elton was in Post Graduate Dog, and he was being a real pest! But he moved well, and stood decently...just under some duress, and thus without his usual spark - though thankfully it had just about been there when the judge came for her initial look, so at least her initial impression was ok! He won the class :-D I'm absolutely over the moon with him. This was only Elton's second time in a Post Graduate class, and it'll be his last as from his next champ show (27th May) he's going up into Limit. One of his breeders has said to me that if she was showing him she'd be expecting CCs this year, and she's wanted him up in Limit since he came out of Junior in November. I've held back a bit because although physically he's mature (good coat, nice fringing - good "finish" in general) mentally he isn't, and his movement has often been somewhat erratic and "babyish". However, I did say to her I would once he's two....and he'll be two on the 14th May, so that time has now come! Although yesterday he wasn't right, he has actually been showing better in general (as long as dogs are in the ring before bitches - which they are at champ shows) so fingers crossed he does well once he's in Limit Dog and hopefully we might have a green and white card (CC or RCC) or two coming our way this year :-)

He was also in the Phalene Dog class, but by that point he REALLY didn't want to know. He stood there looking (to me - don't think it was obvious unless you got up close - but of course the judge does!) as if the world was ending, and he REALLY didn't want to be there. I think what the problem was was that he'd found a smell, and all he wanted to do was sniff it. He wasn't amused at being "made" to stand - so he was being obedient, whilst letting me know exactly what he thought! :-P I have to be careful with him anyway, he's not the sort of dog you can pull about or tell off. He had a 2nd in that class, which was all he deserved given how he showed - though I'm not sure if he'd have won or not anyway, but it would have been interesting to see! I was disappointed because that made him a beaten dog and I so wanted him in the challenge for the CC.

I hate seeing him like that in the ring, and it worries me that he'll be the same next time....I think he's done it once before and then was fine (as I say, it does seem to be linked to him obsessing with a particular dog or smell and wanting to get to it), but it still worries me! Especially given how difficult things have been over the last couple of months; I desperately want the Elton I had a few months ago back.

They do the annual awards at this show (Top Dog, Top Bitch, Top Puppy, Top Breeder...etc) and I am absolutely delighted to announce that Solei is Top Obedience Papillon 2010!

So both boys came home with trophies, and I came home so proud of both my boys.

I've entered nothing else this month, so it's back to concentrating on Ria and baby steps with both boys...Elton I do the very occasional bit with when he's in the mood (not often - thus very occasional!) and Solei and I are still working on the dumbbell....we get it out for a couple of weeks, then put it away because he's making no progress and I don't want to keep on. However, this time I think we may be making tiny baby steps...he actually lifted it half a mm off the bed! So we'll keep on a bit longer, and see if we can get more progress :-)

I forgot to mention Solei's agility class last Thursday....someone brought a bitch in season. To a class of beginner dogs off lead. And didn't tell anyone. Yeah, smart. She got blood on the weave poles, at which point all was revealed! Luckily we got away with it....we were in two groups and she and Solei were in different ones, coupled with the fact he ought to know what he's doing and she obviously (by his reaction) wasn't ready....once he got over his love affair with the weave poles and checked out a few dogs to make sure it wasn't them I was really surprised at how he recomposed himself! Most unlike Solei :-)