our first competition

[misamala00]

I don't think I ever mentioned that Misha and I alreaddy passed our exam on basic obedience. While training for obedience we have also tested her nose with some tracking. She was good in it and seemed to enjoy it, so we carried on with it. And now after half a year or instructor thinks we're good enough for a competition.

I don't know how we'll do - I belive in Misha, just hope I won't make some stupid mistakes. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Mirjam & Misha

P.S. We will be quite an attraction on our competition - it's not very common for a newf to do tracking. She'll be compeating mostly against german shepeards. That's why I would really like us to do good - and break that belief that newf are just a lazy couch-potatoes.

 

[Jeannie]

There is a lady here near town that imports GSD from Europe. She is really involved with tracking. In fact she has been contacted many times to search for lost people in our area. She told me one time that a Newf can out track a GSD because the GSD tends to be too fast and will miss a lot. She said the Newf will go slowly and do a very good job. Hope you do well at your competition. Show them what a Newf can do

Jeannie and the rescues
Sara, Sam and Panda

 

[misamala00]

We had a strange weather on the day of our competition. The whole summer it was dry, but on the day of our competition it rained heavily. I wasn't quite pleased with that as Misha can do good on dry land but tends to be a little negligent in good conditions (when the land is wet). But we did good - we've got 94 points out of 100. Others did good to, so no trophy for us, but a lot of praise anyway. Misha was the first newfoundland to ever attend a state tracking competition in Slovenia.

She loves tracking. If I make a track and she sees it, she's so eager to do it - she starts pulling towards the track if I don't take her there. And her nose is excellent - in our case she's the one who's to fast. I have to hold her back but she doesn't like that - she tracks the best if I just let her go on her own paste (but she does make those small mistakes that cost us some points on the competition

). Still I'm very proud of her.

Mirjam & Misha

 

[Jeannie]

I am so glad to hear your competition went very well. I have wanted to get Sam into tracking because she loves to have her nose to the ground. I have stayed away from it only because I have been showing obedience and a nose in the ground is a no-no. I think she would love tracking much more than she does obedience, I have been thinking of switching


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Jeannie and the rescues
Sara, Samantha and Panda

 

[misamala00]

We are also doing obedience, but only as a second choice. Misha does it well enough, but not with such an enthusiasm as she does tracking. Maybe Sam would also love this kind of "work" more.

Mirjam & Misha