Finally, Jake ("Famous Jake" as I heard someone call him!) and I entered our first trial. We started Nosework at the beginning of the year and this UKC trial in Stevens Point Wisconsin was the first trial in any venue that was within a 90 min. radius of home. Saturday, Jake passed the first 3 PTs (Pre-Trial tests in birch, anise and clove) and zoomed on to the Elements offered (Containers, Interior and Vehicles - no Exterior) He successfully sourced the odor in all 3 Elements in both Trials that day earning him 3 titles: NC (Novice Containers), NI (Novice Interior) and NV (Novice Vehicle) with 2 First Place ribbons and 4 Third Place ribbons. Sunday we successfully repeated the PTs (because we could, not because we had to) and then proceeded to garner enough legs for 2 more titles, AI (Advanced Interior), AV (Advanced Vehicles), and a leg towards Advanced Containers with a 1st place, three 3rd places and a 4th place finish. All in all a GREAT weekend! Awesome, competent, helpful judges (Sharon Jonas & Joanne Soyke), beautiful weather, friendly competitors and and efficiently run trial will bring me back next year! A special thank you to Renea L Dahms at Pawsitively Unleashed and all the hardworking members of the Central WI Dog Sports Club!
"Jake" earned the first RATCHX in the history of the Barn Hunt on July 27, 2014, at Waukesha, WI. Rat Champion Excellent requires that a dog earn 25 Master legs total, including the 5 earned in the RATM and the 10 earned in the RATCH! He subsequently earned another 10 legs to earn his RATCHX2 (CLICK HERE to see the facts of this journey) in October 2014 and his RATCHX3 in July 2015! In 2015, our focus turned to Dock Jumping and he is competing in the venues of Dock Dogs, NADD and Pier Pups where he has a personal best of 16'6" in Big Air (earning a Junior title and an invitation to Worlds) and 9.330 seconds in Speed Retrieve! In 2016 Jake earned his RATCHX4 in Barn Hunt, a Speed Retrieve title from Dock Dogs and is now a Nosework junkie where he has earned in 2 years his UKC Elite title!
