Oops - so much for tomorrow! I wanted to sort my camera out first, and then it's been mad. So, once again I'm playing catch up! But as I promised, for starters UK Toy :-)

Well what can I say....what a day. Solei just came along for one obedience class, Elton for two obedience classes and the toy breed championship show. I also took up four dogs for friends who couldn't make it. In the breed Elton had a 4th in the biggest class of the day (20 entered) and the other four dogs had a 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th.

It was very difficult to fit all the classes round each other, I didn't take Elton down for the obedience earlier because he is still fairly inexperienced with stays, and last year the lure of other Papillons proved too much and he broke to go and play!! So I thought I'd work him after stays and that way I could train if he broke. I managed to work Solei, who I didn't think was that good, but apparently he wasn't as bad as I thought!

Stays were later than I'd counted on, and then they broke for lunch. Just before they were due back his stakes class was called, so off I ran for that!

To my absolute delight, 18 entered in the class including champions and the Best in Show winner at SKC championship show and Elton WON it!! He went an absolute dream, felt just incredible. Just as well as our judge was hot on movement, and thus moved us all lots! This also now means he's qualified for the finals at Crufts 2013.

Elton 1st YKC Stakes UK Toy 2012

So then he had to go pretty much straight from there to the obedience. Everything conspiring again, he would have to work both his rounds one after the other. So we opted for Beginners first, I could tell he was starting to get tired but he was a little star - love that dog! No pressure for me - it was near the presentation time (he was last to work - thus needing to do one after the other) and so there were lots of people around and everyone was watching :-P His Novice round was nice, but heelwork was getting laggy cos he was really tired by this point. We had a hiccup with the retrieve because the first time I forgot to warn the judge about the end bit and then didn't like to do it without asking and so managed to confuse my dog. Then for Novice he was so tired he couldn't managed to jump on my feet, bless him! As neither went brilliantly, I hope that doesn't carry over to next time.

To my absolute delight, Elton won Beginners and Solei was 2nd to him! Elton also managed a 5th in Novice, which considering he could've done a lot better with more energy, I was really pleased with :-) and we won a small tub of dog food, salmon oil and fish treats respectively!

Obedience Winners (minus Pre-Beginners) Judge, Beginners, Novice, A, B, Judge

So yes, all in all a rather special day! I'm incredibly proud of Elton, proving he really does have beauty and brains.