Nikon got his CGC on 10/24! He had passed 9/10 items in July (10 months old) but the 3 minute separation has been the thorn in our side. Before our second try, we spent more time working on that exercise than all other nine combined! I still owe Nikon a new Kong that I promised...
On 10/17 he got his first SG ("sehr gut" = very good) rating at a show in Illinois from SV Koermesiter Hans-Peter Fetten of Germany. The SG rating is the highest rating a dog 1-2 years old can receive, so it replaces his puppy VP ("very promising";) ratings. Show picture (he's stacked a little post-y and the ground slopes down in that ring so he looks more roached than he is):
[img]http://www.chicagoschutzhund.com/images/2009%20Show%20Photos/12-18-m-3.JPG[/img]
He's also doing great in Schutzhund. Our first track was mid-July and he is now doing Schutzhund 2 length tracks with 2-4 corners. No articles yet but we've started those at home. The Schutzhund article indication *must* be a down with the object between the front paws, so we are training this behavior separately doing basic positive reinforcement. His obedience is also really coming along. I've taught him all the positions, finishes, recall, out of motion exercises, etc, just working on the insanely long heel pattern for the BH and fading the rewards. In protection he has made huge HUGE strides over the past 2-3 months. He was doing great for a while, but then when we tried to transfer from the rags to the sleeve, he did not really see a sleeve as a prey object. He has insane prey drive for his ball and toys, but in protection, it needs to be "real". In my opinion, this is good, because I'd rather have a dog that is serious and real in his courage and protection than one that is only obsessed with the sleeve as a prey object and sees it as a game. Luckily, I have a great helper who knows how to work this kind of dog without using too much pressure too soon. Two weekends ago, Nikon went in the blind for the first time and was a little conflicted since it was a new thing and also a new thing for me with the line handling involved. Yesterday the helper setup a back-tie to take inexperienced line handling out of the equation and got the result he was looking for from Nikon. He came in with some really serious aggression. The helper said the routine is now changing so that instead of him kicking the dog's butt, the dog is ready to come in and kick his butt. He is no longer biting to quickly win the sleeve but is bringing the fight and keeping it there. What also impressed me is that this was the first time the helper has asked me to "sit" my dog (which means he has to sit AND be quiet) before sending him and Nikon did the best of all the dogs, including his titled mother! Self-control is not exactly Nikon's strong suit so I was not expecting much but he pulled it off.
Video from yesterday's bitework, Nikon is 2:07 - 3:12 (and his mother is Kira, the first dog): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tle-wC0aRtY