KALLEMANN...... gets ambitious



To
Tall Oaks Mr Bodean

America



Dear Daddy!

I haven't written to you for such a long time that I must tell you now what a lot has happened in the meantime:

On a Saturday in November, we got up early and after our round through the neighbourhood my mistress had taken me to the dog training club alone - Chico had to stay at home. Missy had a different scent that day - excited somehow, and she had forgotten my breakfast, too! I wondered what we wanted at the dog training club as early as 8 a.m., and there so many people there, too. But then I suddenly realized that my mistress had put me on the list for the companion- dog test! No wonder that she had trained that much with me! We were one of the first to start, together with the Cocker Moritz. To begin with, I had to lie down and keep away from my mistress an watch Moritz. The examiner was supposed to shoot twice while you accompany your master without a lead but he forgot that totally. As I am so small, I just sat down to look why he didn't shoot. But somehow I noticed that I had done something wrong, when missy came to get me, so I lay down again, just in case.

Then it was our turn: First, we had had to run up and down the field on the lead, with different speeds backwards. Then a few hooks, stopping once and running through a group of people. As we had done this a thousand times before and missy wasn't excited any more, everything went like a clock-work. Then Missy took off my lead and we had to repeat everything. Now I nearly had enough of it, on a Saturday I normally still sleep at this time. So I started dreaming around and when Missy shouted "By Foot" for me to run belong her, I had not paid real attention and had sat down. Lord, how furious she looked when she called me! So I pulled myself together again and quickly ran to her left-hand side. During the Sit-and-Lie excercise where Missy goes away 20 steps after the command, I showed to her that even small dogs can do everything the right way!

At the end, I was supposed to show a few things in the street, namely that I do not bite any joggers or run after bicycles, bark at tied dogs or even start crying, when I am tied myself and Missy goes away. That all was as easy as that. I passed the examination in spite of the two mistakes and even got a cup - though it is smaller than Chico's, Missy has put it in a special place!

At the dog training club they told me, that the document of the companion- dog exam might be useful if I wanted to take part in an agility tournament one day. Since September, we finally have agility obstacles and an extra training lesson to go with them. I go there once a week. Missy is always proud on me if I jump over all the obstacles without throwing off a bar. I have lots of fun there. I like it so much that I jump even higher as would be necessary (as I am that small, I have to start in the mini class, how embarrassing). Chico needs more effort, because the obstacles are quite a lot higher for heights of shoulders of more than 40 cm. Then there is a tire that you have jo jump through, with a wide jump, a pause quadrangle, a tunnel, a slope (quite high, when you stand in front of it), a narrow high plank to run over, a seesaw (a narrow board that turns over as soon as you reach the middle) and a table that you have to jump on. The slope, the seesaw and the plank are painted red at both ends - these are the so-called contact zones. You must touch these zones with at least one paw, otherwise the score will be reduced. 
If we go with real high speed, they are difficult to reach, so we have to be very carefully. Here we small dogs have an advantage - bigger dogs often miss the contact zones in their fussiness. Well, and then there is my favourite discipline - the slalom posts. There are many posts in a row and you have to run between them alternately from the left or right side (as in Slalom) and be sure not to miss a post - otherwise you have to start anew.

Already at the beginning of October we started at a beginner's tournament in Flörsheim and my mistress told me that I did not perform too bad (as if it wasn't naturally that I always do my best!). Only, there tey had an apparatus that started as a tunnel and then there was cloth all over and no exit! That was too scary for me so I drew back. They diminuished my score for that, but missy was not angry with me. Among the other from our club I finished best because I didn't make any further mistakes!

Later we got such a tunnel of cloth at our club and my mistress held one end in the air, so that I could see the exit - I have gone through it since.

It's a pity that my brother Kyang doesn't come to our club any more, he would have much fun, too. But I think he is not allowed to - they forbid him a lot. But apart from Chico, we Tibet Terriers build a majority, and we even train the four Tibet Terriers from Erzhausen. Perhaps we'll be even more in the future!

Do you have Agility in the States, too?? If not, you should try it and tell your friends: we really have la real lot of fun here!

Many hugs and kisses

Your ambitious sportsman 
KALLEMANN

  

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