Finnish Nationals, Putkisalo

Warning for self-pity!!

I thought it was gonna be cold... (c) Silja Alamikkotervo

The flat trial field concisted of two different fields, one with grass and one stubble with big straw bales in the end of the stubble, about 400m outrun.  Judge was Chris Caerts from Belgium. Two days qualifying, the 15 best results counted together from both days would go to the double fetch final on Sunday, weather and organizing were brilliant.

Walking the course in the morning (c) Silja Alamikkotervo

Friday I run first with Coel, but still not until afternoon, so it was really warm. The first day we run on ewes and lambs. I decided to send him to the right, afraid he could be too wide otherwise...some dogs went via the other field to check out the bales inte the middle of the upper stubble field... Didn´t command him at all before the fetch, I have noticed that he is at his best when I leave him to decide where to stop and lift, that worked out good again. We had a quite good run, judge gave us 95p which was enough to win the qualifying day.

I sent Rhy to the left, with one incall whistle, that he took. We lost points here and there, especially at the pen, he pushed all too much so the sheep bolted. It seems that I don´t run him as I should, the Coel-mode seem to be hanging on...75p.

Rhy in the shedding ring (c) Silja Alamikkotervo

The pack of Ilovuori (c) Silja Alamikkotervo

Saturday I run Rhy first, lost points here and there again...time out in the single I think....75p. Blaah.
With Coel a bit better, but not good bad fetch...84p.
I got to the double fetch final with both boyz, with Coel winning the total qualifications!

Rhy like an alligator at the pen  (c) Silja Alamikkotervo

Sunday. I would have preferd a proper df-final, with the other outrun far on the other field, it is the Finnish Nationals after all...and IF one gets to the final in a big trial some day, you`ll have more selfconfidence if you have done a big final before. Well, it was a double fetch with 10 sheep in both groups, both outruns only on the grassfield.
First out with Rhy. Good first outrun and fetch, almost perfect (in my eyes) look back, good lift (even if the judge had thought he nipped, outletting people told me he did not that it was a nice lift) ,beginning of the fetch a bit too fast, he kept pushing on the heavy side in the end of the fetch, before uniting the second group to the first which had drifted to the side. The drive was heavy, but Rhy worked really well, we had 16 minutes left to shed and pen, so we had been really quick. Still I felt unsatisfied an irritated when we came to the shedding ring. You are supposed to shed off 15 uncollared and keep 5 collared sheep, and pen them in the end.

Rhy, both groups together (c) Silja Alamikkotervo

Rhy  (c) Silja Alamikkotervo

I couldn´t concentrate...shedded of 3-4...noticed that a couple including a collared one was going to join them behind my back...I remember I thought you better let them go and start over, then a devil inside me called "hiiit!!!" even if it was all too late and dangerous...Rhy came to stop them like a racket...I shouted "stand" but you can´t stop him anymore at that point...so he gripped because there is no other option if you are Rhy and the sheep aren´t turning. Thank you and good bye. Shit shit shit, I wanted so much to do the international shedding...why did I do this to us, again?!
Our beginning had been very good, the judge said at some point "well, I can´t let you win if you don´t wanna win!"...meaning exactly that only me myself is the one standing in our way. I don´t care about the points, but, the fact that we would have been 4th even without the shedding and pen...tells a lot about the points we had before I ruined everything.

Rhy, beginning of the int shed...just before the disaster (c) Silja Alamikkotervo

Coels turn, this was his first double fetch trial. Good first outrun lift and fetch, two extra commands for the second outrun. The drive started quite good even if they were really heavy now, after being so long in the outletting pen they really wanted to graze...I knew he could nip one if he thought they were too lazy... I had some problems after the first gate on the cross drive, to focus and see how the sheep where drifting in relation to each others...couldn´see if some where 3 or 10m higher than the others...so I just whistled Coel to walk on. Then suddenly he nipped a ewe in her but, she didn´t even react more than took a faster step, and it was all over.
Well, what can you say, he only did the same thing he would do at work...and that´s what he is allowed to do, to hurry things up if needed. If the sheep in big bunches aren´t paying any attention or are too lazy etc, he´ll nip them to get them moving. I don´t know if I could have done something different...maybe if I had flanked him...but when I wasn´t sure I just gave him the line and asked him forward. A huge dissapointement, I disqualified two good dogs...and missed the opportunity to do the int shedding. I still get a big lump in my chest when I write this.
Nilla Salonen won with Ukko, they had done a shedding without loosing one point. Kari and Sammy were 2nd and Elisa and Bell 3rd, congrats to all !

Chilling

After I wrote about all this on facebook, about how I often feel after I have won or got good points that I didn´t deserve to win...or after something didn´t feel good in the run (even if points would be high) I couldn´t let go of that feeling, which lead to I didn´t concentrate in "what I´m doing right here and now!!" All this leads to lacking in concentration, which shows immediately
I got responses from one world-class obedience triallist and from one who works with mind control. Now with their help and advices, I´ll start to train in a different way and work with my own mind.

When I´m writing this, I have just came home from the Continentals in Italy. No success in the results, but I could trust my dog in hard circumstances and could control my mind almost to the end. I hope I´m on the right way now...