Reply To: Which NW3 Element concerns you most?

[Deb (De) FrostParticipant]

I USED to ENJOY Containers – for three trials in a row Baxter had aced them every time. Even got Pronounced twice. 🙂

THEN, our first NW3 trial … and Baxter FALSED on a blue suitcase with absolutely nothing (no distractor) in it. And I mean he POUNCED onto that box, big nose snuffle, tail wag, head snap and “Here it is Mom! Feed Me!” alert behavior. Full fledged – I would have called that alert confidently anywhere. It was our very first “No.” OMG, I was flummoxed. From what they told us later on, it wasn’t even near the bag with the odor in it. They couldn’t explain it, I couldn’t explain it – so, of course, I am now dreading Containers. 🙁

Other than that; yeah, the not knowing how many hides is still a bit of a stress-er, but I think I am better prepared to deal with that than I was last time. We’ve had four months to practice and to just plain think about it. I’ve been practicing reading my dog(s) and we’ve done quite a bit of practice in a LOT of different environments and hide scenarios (thank you, Kim!). So I’m not as nervous going into the NW3 trial as I was the first time. We still may not title, but I think I’ll have a much better trial experience.