FCRSA 2010

Sharing this photo of Mac (just three years old!) from the 2010 Best of Breed ring in Indiana.  We were only there for a short time, but it was worth the drive to see some old friends, as well as make some new ones.

Mac & Jess - Photo by Chris Butler

And not to leave out the real Yahtaris superstar of the 2010 FCRSA, here is a photo of Joyce Krueger's Bea, winner of the Open Bitch class!  Bea also passed her Working Certificate and earned a JAM in the Unsteady Singles competition this same year.

Bea and Joyce - Photo by Chris Butler

So, Chris takes lot of great photos at many of the FCR national specialties...as he is making more photos available, I hope to take some trips down memory lane with them on this blog. 

Urban Field Training

When you live in a metropolitan area, sometimes field training requires a little creativity.  Especially when it comes to water retrieves.

A few weeks ago, it rained 4" in Farmington...so here is an Instagram photo of us making the most of a flooded spot near the elementary school.  The best part was Mac came out soft and clean from all the fresh water and the grassy bottom underneath.  :)

Steady, steady, steady!

And in typical Mac fashion (friendly,) I lost him for a brief second between set-ups, only to find him wagging his tail, and nose-to-nose, with a little fox kit in the culvert.  The kit watched the whole second set-up drill, which was an easy triple with two water marks, one land mark, and a whole lot of emphasis on steady.

Why are you retrieving those white bumpers?  Where is my mommy?  Why are cell photos so crappy?

I love training Mac, he is an absolute dream on every level for me.  He is the most honest dog I have ever met, making the same errors at 20 yards as he makes at 120, responsive to a raise of my eyebrows, always willing to try again. 

I am so very, very lucky to have a dog who allows me to learn beside him with such forgiveness and joy.