First of all I am sorry it took so long to make this post! I HAD TO THAW OUT! I am not even close to kidding!
We had a blast this year! We had a great turn out, 22 entries in all! People came from Upstate New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Long Island NY, and all the way from Florida with a diverse group of breeds. Malinois, Dutch Shepherds, GSD’s, AB’s, APBT’s, Presas, a few mixes and even a French Bulldog!
The novice and intermediate levels saw some quality dogs and some out of the box handling. The scores reflected this! This years scores in novice and intermediate were more consistent than in years past. In the advanced level, the scores dropped out. The “Sequestered” and “S.P.I.D.E.” took its toll on control and handling skills. Personal protection gets a LOT tougher when you have no idea what’s coming! Everyone had fun and wanted another shot after they had been through the first time. Sorry! You will have to wait for next year. It is always a joy to see that the quality of training improves each year.
Saturday was great weather wise. Sure it was a bit cold but we had almost no snow on the field. The traction was good and the novice and intermediate competitors got spoiled. Saturday night just as the first day’s events were coming to a close we got hit with a real New England BLIZZARD! Nearly 1 foot of snow fell in less that 12 hours and the temperature dropped into the single digits and people still came out to play on Sunday!
We saw some new faces in each level this year. We also saw some dogs from Schutzhund, Ringsport, PSA, ASR and other bite work venues. New spectators and personal protection dog fans like Schutzhund boy (my new adopted son) and Butterball (He has a thing with butter! Don’t ask!) were on hand to show support. These guys did some great decoying after the events in the training building! Come back anytime guys!
The judges did an excellent job this year and should be commended for standing out in the cold for two days! Their pens actually froze during the scoring!
Keith O’Sullivan was always ready to offer information to everyone present. He was willing to give his views on training and decoying to the handlers and decoys that were here. Keith was enthusiastic to decoy for dogs after each days events. Thanks for everything Keith! It was great to finally meet you.
It was an honor to have Nelson Rodriguez as one of the judges. Nelson tells it like it is! His theories and philosophies on canine training are refreshing and eye opening. Always willing to help anyone with a decoying, training or behavior problem no matter the level from novice to professional. Soft spoken and polite with years of knowledge and experience on tap, Nelson is a true teacher. Working with Nelson was refreshing and productive. If you get a chance, have Nelson come to your club for a seminar!
As always our decoys were safe and dependable personal protection decoys. They followed directions and kept everyone safe and happy again this year.
Curtis Bolden AKA “Ice Cube” never lets us down. One of the fastest big men you will ever see in a bite suit! Curtis always keeps the competitors and crowd laughing with his “Real” dialogue on the field. No “Hey you” or “Get that dog out of my yard” from Cube! I would love to let you in on some of the dialogue, but I would not do it justice over the Internet. Thanks Curtis!
Mike Artiles who called us up a week before the FROSTBITE and asked if he could decoy the tournament. Mike is extremely eager to learn and has the correct mindset to go very far in the dog world. Not only is Mike an up and coming decoy with a lot of potential he is one of the most polite gentleman and the nicest human beings you will ever meet. It was a pleasure to have Mike and his lovely wife Marlene here at the FROSTBITE.
Mike Connors as always did a tremendous job decoying the Advanced level. Mike has come so far so fast in his decoying. Mike has the ability to see something once and not only do it, but understand it. This is a rare gift to have as a decoy. Mike also makes the (difficult) transition from trial decoy to training decoy in the blink of an eye. Thanks for everything Mike! See you Wednesday! Yahooooooo!
We would also like to thank the following organizations and individuals for their generosity and kindness.
Kelly Wernsdorfer of Somersworth Treat Company
Leri Hanson of California K9 Services
Pet Paradise Rochester, NH.
Alaskan Dream Dog Equipment
Alyson Abramson of Skipton Kennels Pet Center
Todd and Susan Swass
Michelle Palazzoli for her beautiful photographs.
M.A.D. Club Members
It would be exceedingly difficult to host a winter personal protection tournament with out you! We thank you from our hearts for your continued support!
The Scores and pictures are posted on the FROSTBITE web site. Please feel free to take a look! http://www.thefrostbite.com See you all in May for the Swamp Stomp!
Safe training,
Chris and April Fraize
Canine Solutions Training Services
Maine Association of Dogsports (M.A.D.)
http://www.k9sts.com