It’s baby steps in Elite for Team Pink. Olivia and I are completely opposite in nose work, so Mom and I need to find our own groove. It is going to be a slow process, but we are not quitters and don’t intend to give up. I love sniffing and we will get better and better as a team. Sunday I had my second Elite trial in Houlton, WI at the Fred C Anderson Scout Camp. It was super foggy in the morning, thus the hazy look in the background.
Elite is all about the points. A dog accumulates points and earns titles at 150, 400, 650, and the Elite Champion at 1000. In order to keep the points you earn at a trial, you must have at least 43 out of a total of 100. Olivia earned her 1000 points in just twelve trials. Mom and I might need more like twenty. It’s alright as there is no rush, and honestly, Mom and I never thought I would even make it to Elite.
My first Elite trial was in June and it was a complete failure/disaster. First of all, it was in the 90’s and humid. We were parked in the sun on asphalt. The searches were big and complicated. Our day started with a “no” and that was about it. I found eight of eighteen hides which is pretty bad, but we also got a couple “no’s”, each of which takes away half of a hide’s points. My afternoon went pretty well, I only missed two of seven hides but with the “no’s”, we earned 38.89 points for the day. Since it was below the 43, we went home with nothing.
My second Elite trial went a little better. My first and last searches were not too bad. In the exterior searches we really struggled. At the end of the day, we had one “no”, but I found ten hides out of eighteen. My points for the day were 52.78, so I now have some points towards my first Elite title.
Olivia and Mom are both very competitive, and they run around like crazy creatures all the time. I prefer to take my time with almost everything and enjoy the moment. This makes it hard to clear large spaces in Elite trials. We are going to keep practicing and hopefully will do better with each trial, one hide at a time.
Mom is happy that I have so much fun and am really happy to go to trials and sniff. It is hard for her to not do well and move faster, but speed isn’t everything. If I can find most or all of the hides that is all we need. Olivia can have the speed ribbons, I’m happy with some nice finishes and titles. We are resigned to baby steps in Elite for me. Stay tuned to see how it goes. An FYI, we take photos a lot when we are waiting to search because it relaxes us, thus the sometimes odd shots!
My GBGV Life is happy, so we’re joining Comedy Plus for Happy Tuesday!
You will get there, Madison. Practice makes perfect!
We will keep working at it and trying. I know how to sniff, but each of us is different in how we work.
Great baby steps!! Mom said a dumb joke this morning: how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice. (she laughed..) Either way, we are impressed with your perseverance! And if we know you all… you will practice! Have a great day. your friends Chester and Lilly
We practice. It has always been a struggle with me because I like to keep things to myself but I need to tell my mom or she can’t find the hides. Now with bigger more difficult searches, it is even more important. We will figure it out, it will just be slow going for a while. I don’t mind, it does bother my teammate. Love the Carnegie Hall joke, it is a good one.
we love to follow your pawprints on the way to da sniffer-top… and we look forward to many many adventures… and ribbons, of course…
I hope to make it to Elite Champion, but Nelson may get there before I do. We shall see how our team learns to work better together.
It’s really all about the game. Sometimes it is good to just enjoy the sniffing!
That is the problem, I am a stop and smell the roses girl, no sense of urgency. Mom says I need to speed it up, work, and smell the roses later, LOL!
Well done. Fantastic news!
At least I am on the board now, right?
Madison I’m with you it is all about the journey not the destination.
I’m a big fan of stopping to smell all the posies.
Hugs Cecilia
It is about the journey and each of us has our own journey. I’ve never been a speed dog (except in FastCAT), so it is just taking me longer to get to my goals. The main thing is I have a good time and I do know how to sniff.
Always room to improve, and enjoy the journey.
I’m enjoying it. Mom is learning to enjoy it in a different way.
Well Pink Girl, be your own dog and strut your stuff! You will get there! and the weather will get cooler too! We’re pulling for you, Madison!
One thing about Mom, she never gives up. The worse we do, the more challenged we are, the more Mom has the desire to fix things and win.
Well done. You and mom know what you need and you both have fun that way. Excellent.
Thank you for joining the Happy Tuesday Blog Hop.
Have a fabulous Happy Tuesday. Scritches to all the furbabes and my best to your wonderful mom. ♥
We will keep working on the puzzles and hope for more improvements as we go along. Spending time together and seeing how happy I am makes it all much easier to deal with for my mom.
We can understand why you would want to enjoy the moment Madison. Hopefully you and your Mom can come to a compromise on speed. Plus, like you mentioned…it’s all about having fun with your Mom!
xoxo,
Sunny & Rosy
It is a challenge but we will get it figured out in time, I’m sure of it.
I’m glad you have fun, Madison. Keep moving forward and enjoy the trip.
I do enjoy it all a lot. Mom is the one who gets stressed. She could learn a lot from me, but it isn’t in her nature to take her time and do things slowly.
You are a good team so you will get there. We all admire your patience and dedication!
We will need lots of patience and time but we will persevere!
GO PINK!
We are moving forward at a snails pace, but moving forward.
With more practice, you’ll get better and better. So long as you enjoy it, that’s what counts the most, right?
I love it and I really love seeing all the people too.