Utility B and Open B Oozing!

            I have a fairly green UB and OB golden retriever that is experiencing what I might call oozing.  What is oozing you might ask?  Well, have you ever noticed that they seem to master one exercise and then seem to forget another that they knew very well?  The problems seem to plug up in one area and disappear, only to ooze out in another.

            I mention this, as sometimes when we are so focused in getting our dogs ready for competition, we seem to feel that everyone else’s dogs are so well prepared.  It is only our own dog who has those oozing problems.  As a judge of obedience, I get to observe the same number of dogs in the UB/OB competition quite frequently.  I get to see them when they are green and watch them through their seasoning in competition.  I have seen some of the top exhibitors in my area (the Midwest ) season their dog, so the exercises become almost automatic.  Now there is a rare dog or two, who finish their UD and have their OTCH a couple of weeks/months later, but for us average handlers with their average dogs, it seems that the oozing of problem areas happens for quite some time, until the dog gets comfortable with the whole routine in both classes.  Just so you don’t feel all alone when this happens to you, let me tell you how my girl Sabrina has oozed;

            Sabrina got her CDX in 2003 fairly easily and seemed to understand the routine.  Scores were in the mid 190’s.  Continued her utility training and obtained her UD in 2004.  Articles always seemed to be her hardest exercise but finally she mastered it.  Could really see her scenting at last.  Then she forgot how to do the broad jump, started walking through it for a few weeks.  Trained the broad jump – going back to the basics, and then she forgot the moving stand return, well, what she oozed was such a slow return that she could crawl faster, saying all the while – this just can’t be right.  Now she has the broad jump and the moving stand back, and she has just oozed the drop on recall.  What, you said come the first time?

            To cure oozing we have each time, taken a step back to the basic training of the exercise and put in a game or two to break it up, and voila, it will go away in a training session or two.  I have observed that it really takes about a year of training and showing before the comfort level takes over and the oozing goes away. 

            Sabrina has 4 UDX legs now, with limited training……  ever notice how the oozing happens as you are facing a show next weekend?

            Happy training….see you next month.

  Keep those emails and questions coming!

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