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In October of 2006 I had an important decision
to make- to continue in competition Obedience or retire from
the sport. My GSD partner, Cairo, had promise and a solid
foundation but I had never trained a dog for Open or Utility
before and book research wasn’t motivating me enough to get
the job done. I tried several different classes, but couldn’t
find an instructor that would both respect my personal training
philosophy, and show me how to use it to train for the higher
exercises.
Then I found Julie. She did as much for my flagging
morale as she did for my inconsistent timing and uneven technique.
It was an hour’s drive each way to her class every week but
well worth the effort. I could start the drive there tired
and achy, but feel completely energized and motivated on the
way home. (Too bad you can’t buy “Canine Learning Center”
in a bottle)
The purpose of this letter is to let you, the
reader, know how Julie helped Cairo and I be the very best
obedience team we could be. Upon reflection, it really boils
down to this – Julie is an excellent teacher as well as an
outstanding dog trainer. For example she didn’t just see that
Cairo needed to learn the Broad Jump, she saw that I needed
to learn to be confident in the ring. I dreaded the stays.
She helped me to learn to trust my dog and the last time we
competed in Open A, I had the confidence to know that we had
qualified long before the stays were over.
Cairo and I had many training adventures between
October 2006, when I first started working with Julie, through
October 2007, when I basically retired Cairo for health reasons.
I can’t compress a year of process into a few paragraphs,
so instead, let me share with you the titles and honors we
achieved during that time period:
AKC - Rally Excellent Title
UKC-Companion Dog Excellent Title
AKC-High Scoring GSD (twice) at our breed specialty
AKC Companion Dog Title
AKC-Companion Dog Excellent Title
AKC-High Scoring Dog in the A Classes (twice)
and an unbelievable First Place at the GSDCA
Nationals in Open A.
This year a new puppy will join our household.
With a solid foundation, and Julie’s guidance, who knows what
adventures lie ahead?
Sincerely,
Wendy Beshoar
UCD River vom Adel Haus CDX, RE, CGC, HIT (a.k.a. Cairo)
Countess Windstorm Willow HSAs, CD, HTDI-s, PT, CGC
Plus a new Royalair puppy coming in Spring.
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