At the TDAA Petit Prix reception I was honored by my peers, given a nice plaque and had conferred upon me a lifetime membership to the organization. My grandma would certainly approve that it has a monetary value! They made me make a little speech for which I was in no ways prepared. I find the whole thing a little humbling because I try hard enough out in the world to be just “one of the guys”. The truth of it all is, though I started the TDAA, the real champions are the small dog people out there that recognized that there is a venue that is designed specifically for them—and not for Border Collies—and oh by the way they’ll take your money anyhow. It’s tough times to be a champion of anything in dog sports because of the mindless regard the world gives to the AKC and the funny notion that when they get an AKC title they’ve really done something.

I remembered while in my gas guzzling Suburban heading home that I got a plaque the very first year as well. It occurs to me that it’ll always be true that I started the TDAA. Thus I’m calculating that every few years the TDAA will forget that they’d noticed already and will make me another plaque and throw me a bang up party. Well this is just the life! I think I’ll write a humorous and humble speech and stick it in my wallet. And then should I ever be called upon to be honored again I’ll have this prepared device of spontaneity, wit, and appropriate humility at the ready.

Proofing the Bottom

This is a variation of an exercise that I’ve done for years. I’ll arrange a series of cones beyond the dismount of the dogwalk. As a group we’ll do the exercise six times… in the first round each handler will walk around the first cone while their dog holds the bottom position on the dogwalk. In the second round the handler will walk around the second cone if he was successful in the first round. Otherwise the handler must attempt the first cone again.

I don’t much like ending in a failure so I will allow the handler to put the dog back on the contact if he breaks (though I allow no picking up of the dog or making pitiful expressions of the wounded inner child—“but he knows how to do this!” she’ll cry—“Evidence to the contrary.” I’ll reply).

In a more advanced application I’ll stipulate that if the cone is on the right of the dogwalk the handler must begin on the dog’s left; and visa reversa on the other side.

We might also make the stipulation that the handler run all the way to the cone for whatever step they are working rather than stopping at the bottom with the dog to get the dog under control and into a stay. This is surely the most important proofing step because it is evidence that the dog understands his job at the bottom contact without regard to the handler’s position or movement.