The wind kept the showers at bay as thirty members enjoyed the training at Atterby. This is always a popular venue as it offers water training in a large reservoir with easy access for puppies at one end and a steep bank for the more experienced dogs at the opposite end. Sue Lowe trained the puppies and Julie Campbell the inexperienced novice dogs. Andy Slingsby and Ray Newell trained the novice 2 and open groups respectively.
At lunchtime we were delighted to welcome the East Midlands Representative of the Teenage Cancer Trust who came to receive the cheque for £1215.00 that had been raised at our Charity Working Test at Raithby on Sunday 15 March. She thanked the members and friends who had been involved in raising this incredible amount and described the work of the Trust in researching into the types of cancer that are prevalent in young people and, particularly, in supporting teenagers with cancer.
After lunch there were four tests. The puppies had exercises at each station that involved a single mark together with either walking to heel, sitting and staying away from the handler or sitting beside the handler.
The more experienced the dogs, the longer the retrieves and novice dogs retrieved marks before blinds, whereas open dogs picked the dummies in the opposite order.
Test 1 was beside the reservoir with a mark on the bank and a blind along the edge, enticing the dogs into the water.
Test 2 was a walk up in long grass followed by a mark on the edge of the grass field to the left and a blind in the grass to the right.
Test 3 was a mark beside a hedge and a blind under a tree.
Test 4 was a double mark.