Performance Newsletter
July, 2005

By Jane Eno

For me, July has been a whirlwind of activity, despite the heat. I’ve been to two agility trials and one obedience trial. Keeping your dog cool in the heat is a very important part of competing in any performance event. I’ve found that for outdoor shows, my dog does best in a mesh crate placed in heavy shade, but with access to as much open air as possible. Leaving him in the car with his heavy coat is not an option like for some dogs. I actually leave my Shih Tzu at home when the temperatures climb into the 90s, since there is no way to safely keep cool a short nosed dog in those temperatures. My Kerry Blue Terrier seems to fair much better and just slows down a great deal.

Another helpful thing I’ve found is a terry cloth jacket for my Kerry. I soak it the night before, and stick it in the freezer. Then it goes in my cooler with frozen water bottles and snacks. As the day gets hotter, I pull it out, let it defrost a little, then put it on Jessie, and he goes back into the crate. Just before his class, I pull him out, take it off, and have him do his stretches. Then he’s off and running. His skin feels cool under the fur and the thick curls seem to hold in the cold. Often he still feels cool after our run. Now I just need to find one of these for myself.

Be careful about misting the top of Kerry Blue Terrier with a water bottle. Their thick coats will not let the cool water into the skin, and instead the water forms another layer that actually heats them up. If you do wet them down, either soak them completely (swimming in a pond or a kiddie pool works well) or only spray their belly, throat and the bottom of the feet. Dogs mostly sweat through their feet. Go look at the mats after the sit stays and you’ll see lots of nervous doggy foot prints from the sweat all along the line. Cool but not cold water, (you don’t want to make them sick to their stomachs), is another way to keep them from over-heating. They should always have water available to them.

A wet nose is also important for scent work. Make sure you dog is well hydrated for tracking tests or scent article work in Utility Obedience. A dry nose can not process scent as well. So provide water, and keep an eye on the dog. Pinch their skin to test for hydration, and keep an eye on the color of their gums. Mostly let them set their own pace and you should do fine.

BRAGS From Virginia Barishek, Philadelphia, PA
Andy (Garryowen's Smarty Pants, UD, NA, RA) and I competed in our first United Kennel Club (UKC) obedience trials on July 23 and 24, at Hilltown Dog Training Club in Quakertown, PA. Since it's a different registry, you start over again in Novice. However, UKC Novice includes a Recall over High Jump, and an Honor Exercise (a Long Down) while another dog is performing the Heel on Lead and Figure 8. The Long Sit is done as a group. We qualified on both days with a score of 194 each day, so he now has two legs toward his U-CD. We placed third on Sunday, and he was also Highest Scoring Terrier in Novice B. He was also Highest Scoring Veteran each day. Finn was also entered in Novice B on both days. He tried very hard, and just missed qualifying on the second day. I really enjoyed the UKC trial experience. The exercises are interesting and challenging, the atmosphere was very congenial, and the people were very pleasant.

From Susan Coliton
Eidenbock's Jamison Lee, CGC, CD, RN now can add RA to his list of titles. Completed july 23rd at Napa Dog Training Club rally and obedience trial with a nice score of 96. Again attained in 3 straight trials.

From Jane Eno
Big month for my Kerry, Jessie. He got his Novice Jumpers title in Agility, plus a leg in Standard Agility. Then, the last two days of the month, finished his UDX with two legs in a row including a forth place ribbon. He is now Primrose Jessie James UDX NAJ.

I’m also noting that at the Lackawanna Kennel Club trial where I finished my UDX, Evelyn Gansfuss finished a UDX2 on her Tantara's Cosmic Phoenix UDX2 NAJ. Congratulations to that wonderful team!

Last Updated: 08/05/2005, 9:21 am