22/06/2025
I haven't been to a NASDA trial but I've bred multiple dogs that have competed in it and Voodoo has titled in it as well with a handler. I decided it was time to take a look for myself. I saw that they offered Puppy Aptitude Testing (PAT) in all 4 sports they offer. Perfect.
First up for the day was shed hunt. Venom does have a rubber training shed that we play with on occasion so I felt like he would recognize a real one if he saw it. He was pretty sure I was crazy when I told him to "find your antler" because he hasn't seen it all day. I throw, he gets. Now I was asking him to find something I never threw. He did the puppy version of a shrug and was off to humor me. You could see him catch the scent of the antler and he proudly showed me where it was and took a quick taste to make sure it was on the up and up. SPAT title earned. His second run he took a little time to work out where the wind was telling him the antler was, versus where it physically was but he got there. Another pass. His 3rd time out, he timed out because his teenage dirtbag gene kicked in and he REALLY needed to bark at some kids having too much fun without him. He did find his antler, but only after time was called.
Next up was trailing and locating. He liked this one. He could smell crushed grass and a new animal and that's all he needed to be off to the races. His expression when he came face to face with a box of rats was hilarious and his curiosity and desire to win them over was very Venom. Pass. We now had a TPAT. His second run he had a lot of fun and seemed to get the hang of what we were doing. He found a new box of rat friends and life was good. 3rd run he was mostly interested in convincing the judge that he needed pats. He did find his rats, but only after time was called. Who can blame him? He knows he's cute.
Then it was on to Lost Item Recovery. In the puppy level I got to provide his item. We retrieved his squish ball from the car and the judge took it to hide. Venom was quite put out that his new friend was shady and stealing his toys, but he was happy to be released to find it and find it he did. LPAT earned. The 2nd run he was a dedicated searcher and found squish ball just as quickly. By the 3rd run the real trend of the day presented itself again and the petulant little brat followed the scent, got within indication range of his squish ball and then promptly sat on the ground and stared at me. Clearly communicating that THIS game sucked and at 92, it was too hot for games that suck. Point taken, little man. Times up and it's time to spend a few in front of the fan with a bully stick.
I honestly wasn't expecting much out of him for Urban Locating. It was hot, he had worked a LOT and there were kids everywhere. I couldn't focus with all that noise so I figured we were probably done achieving anything else for the day. I couldn't have been more wrong. He turned in 3 passes, one right after another, and took an average of about 11 seconds per run. He was on FIRE. This was clearly his favorite of the 4 and he happily found and indicated rats with a quickness and efficiency that I didn't expect from a puppy. He was a little rock star. UPAT earned and a definitive statement made.
After ribbons and a chat with the judge, he held it together long enough to earn his CGC, CGCA and CGCU. We will of course repeat these all when he's over a year but yesterday he was the little puppy that could and he was all in for a day working and learning with me. I'm lucky to have such a puppy and while I can't wait to see all he can do, we're going to spend the rest of the summer swimming, hiking and having no responsibilities. Plenty of time for accomplishments when you've got a lifetime ahead of you. Thank you, Venom, for exceeding every expectation and wildest dream I come up with for you.
Venin vom haus Huro, **SPAT** **TPAT** **LPAT** **UPAT** TKN, VHMP, VHMA, **CGC** **CGCA** **CGCU**
