Phoenix, CDX!!!!!!!

U-CDX Carousel's Call of the Wild, CDX, GN, GO, AX, AXJ, RN

Yep, the Skinny Little Dog did it! He finished his CDX Saturday and got a security leg today. I am SO VERY PROUD of him. This has been a much harder title for us than I anticipated when we first started showing last March. 

I've learned a tremendous amount more about my dog since he first walked out of an Open ring on stays seven months ago than if we had sailed easily to this title. He's given me some very lovely work and some major WTF moments. There's nothing "easy" about Phoenix but he has taught me a tremendous amount in just a few short years and made me re-think things more than once.

It was a wonderful weekend, beautiful weather, good friends, watching awesome dogs and meeting new people. Here are a few of the things I learned (not necessarily having to do with dog training):

• If you check into a Motel 6 at 4 p.m. on Thursday, they tell you all the first floor rooms are taken. If you check into a Motel 6 at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, you get a first floor room without asking.

• Highway 157 and Interstate 64 are not the same road, no matter what Renee says.

• No matter how many times you drive up and down Highway 157, you will not find an exit to Fairview Heights.

• You will find about 17 bars.

• You will not want to stop at any of them for directions.

• Driving straight through downtown St. Louis on Sunday afternoon is actually a faster way home than taking the "less traffic" loop around the northeast/Illinois side.

• The Lotawata Southern Grill has the most amazing menu I have ever seen.

• I want to go back there and order one of everything.

• It is sooooo nice when a judge says something nice about your dog, even though you're obviously not going to be in the placements.

• Jamie and Phoenix  have ZERO concept of "sleeping in." Our motel was 5 minutes from the trial site and we were at the tail end of a 42-dog Open B class. I had a great crating place (thanks, Renee!) and there was plenty of parking. We did not need to get up at 5:30 a.m. to leave for the trial. Saturday, I managed to convince the Belgians we COULD sleep until 6:15 a.m. and no one would arrest us. Today, it was 6:08. To tell the truth, I wasn't really asleep either.

Nix and I have one more big obedience weekend (Halloween weekend), then we're going to take the winter off to get ready for a Utility debut in the spring. I have a ton of training ideas bouncing around in my head and can't wait to get started.