The Open Training Extravaganza was a huge success yesterday at the SOTC building. Numerous members and some guests all participated in plenty of dog activities - from puppy conformation training to agility and obedience. Many members from the Utica/Rome area of upstate NY made the short drive west on the Thruway to Exit 35.
The agility course was a nested combination of Excellent and Novice designed with many diabolical twists by Andie Lee. Dogs and handlers faced plenty of different turns from 180s to wraps to semi serpentines along with a number of tunnel/obstacle discriminations. Each team got 90 seconds per run and multiple runs were allowed. It was fabulous for so many people who have not had much opportunity to work in agility over the winter.
A group of six worked in the puppy conformation area. Stephanie Podjeko acted as judge so all the pups got a taste of a "real" dog show. With three small and three large dogs, it worked perfectly for gaiting. Each pup had a turn being the leader, the rear dog and the dog sandwiched in the middle.
Obedience followed the hour of puppy work in the side ring. Numerous handlers were working on utility skills and tuning up heeling.
Many thanks to Christien Fleishmann and Pam Murabito who organized this day. Virtually all the participants helped out so no one was overworked or had to skip training their own dogs.
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