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I got Dusty when he was a four month old pup. Sammy had got me interested in dog training and in Obedience Shows and I started training Dusty and took him to the local dog class. Although officially a toy dog the Papillon is deceptive. It has an amazing amount of stamina for its size. Dusty was desperate to please and he learned quickly and I was soon working him at shows. But there was one problem -- the Heelwork. A small dog like tiny Dusty does not work as close as a big dog. And certainly not like the main Obedience breed, the collie. When we started Obedience the rules stated that a dog had to win its way through the classes to qualify for the advanced classes. Because of this it seemed that Dusty would not get a chance at the advanced -- and interesting exercises of sendaway and scent discrimination. And then the Kennel Club made a slight change in the rules.
Dusty
with his little dumb-bell and his fringes blowing in the wind.The rules were changed saying that a dog had to be entered in the lowest class for which it was eligible and in one other class. In other words the classes did not have to be consecutive. We took advantage of the new rules and I had the experience of working in Class A and Class B. I found out what it was like to work without talking to a dog the whole time -- without the extra commands. I also found out that Dusty was good at scent discrimination and reasonable at sendaway. I had also taught him to jump at home. After a season in A and B I decided to try Working Trials.
Dusty learning to jump at eighteen
months. Just for fun.
Working trials is a civilian event but it is loosely based on police dog work -- in most cases without the manwork. Small dogs can only go half way because the jumps are not lowered after the second stake. There are four stakes. We just tried the first one -- the Companion Dog stake. Thre are prizes in Working Trials but most people are just interesting in qualifying. If a dog gets a certain percentage of the marks it gains a qualification -- which is registered with the Kennel Club. There are four groups in the CD stake -- control, search, agility and stays. The last one was the worst for Dusty. There was a ten minute down stay with the handler out of sight and Dusty used to insist on doing a ten minute sit and would lose all his marks but on one never to be forgotten day he did everything right and qualified C.D.Ex.(After more than twenty attempts).
Dusty
practising the long jump.Together Dusty and I travelled the length and breadth of the country. From Aberdeen in the north to Tunbridge Wells in the south. I met many people and saw many places which I would not have done otherwise and I really appreciated the experienced. And Working Trials are often held in out-of-the-way places -- like forests and moors.
Retrieving a "Bucket of Water"Dusty also heped me with my writing. I wrote an article about him for "Dog Training Weekly" and then a short story -- "A Papillon Ghost Story." Later he gave me ideas for my stories and helped me to explore the settings for my books. Filey in "Ghost Dog of the Solway" is based on Dusty, even although Filey is a Yorkshire terrier. And the descriptions of the Solway coast in "Ghost Dog" owe much to our long walks along the Solway beaches. Above all Dusty gave me lots of love and affection. We had some great experiences together. Dusty has left me with many wonderful memories.
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