It's a Dog, Not a Toaster

As I mentioned earlier, Jedi and I are going for our Beginner Novice title. I'm not exactly sure when, but it's "on the list." Why Beginner Novice? Because it was designed for people just like me -- super green and scared as hell. Beginner Novice is a cross between regular obedience and rally, and a good jumping off point for either route. There are rally signs and it's not as rigid (read "intimidating") as regular obedience. It actually looks doable. Please note: I DID NOT say easy. Bless his heart, Jedi doesn't do "easy."

So, once I made up my mind I needed a plan. I went to my obedience club and asked when the next beginner rally and/or beginner foundations class was being offered. I couldn't get a straight answer -- maybe June, possibly during the day, not sure which day but definitely not on Fridays . . . Grrr.

My next stop was Amazon. There's not a whole lot of material available on competitive obedience. (Seriously, where are people learning this stuff?!) I couldn't find any DVD tutorials, but did find a couple books that sounded interesting. The first was It's a Dog Not a Toaster by Diana Kerew-Shaw. The book is a fun, quick read but doesn't have the nuts and bolts that I was looking for. Instead, it's a hodgepodge of the history of competitive obedience,  personal stories, tips and fun photos.

Meanwhile, I signed up for an online Rally Skillbuilding class with the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy. Class starts tomorrow. I'm super excited! I'll let you know how it goes. TTFN, -- K