Minet, la Petite Renarde UD, AX, AXJ, Can CD, UCDX

To my husband, she endeared herself with a sweet glance in his direction. To me, she sold herself by soaring wildly over her littermates to get my attention! Minet (mee-nay) became a member of our family in the spring of 1999 as a family pet. Living up to her name, la Petite Renarde (French for ‘the little fox’), she was clearly going to be a handful. It seems she knew early on that she would be much more than a family pet, but I had no idea!

Since Minet had the potential to run our household, at the advice of our breeder, I enrolled her in pet classes. She blossomed into quite the performer and tormented me if we missed a class. Pet classes became competition classes, fun matches became obedience shows, and the rest is history! Our relationship was growing as we developed a strong bond. Training was our cherished time together. Minet proved to be a wonderful first competition dog; she certainly trained me well!

From her CD to her UD, Minet took 1st or 2nd place for all legs earned! In the competition ring, she had my undivided attention so was eager to work as a team showing what we’ve learned. Many judges and observers have complimented us on our skills and, perhaps more importantly, our positive teamwork. I attribute this to the fabulous on-going training we receive from our instructor, Laurie Weaver of Canine College. Learning to heel neatly was, and still is, the toughest skill for us to master. First I had to learn to walk the precision obedience walk! Much to my surprise, a half-inch off really does matter! Then Minet had to learn to trust me as her partner and handler. Putting the two together was more difficult than I had expected, but proved rewarding in the end. Laurie taught me that insisting on perfection early in learning a new skill is a lot easier than attempting to change the behavior later. I had no idea this was such a precise and competitive sport!

The competition became much tougher as we moved into Utility A. Small imperfections became the difference between 1st or 2nd place and even passing or failing. To remain competitive, Minet and I continued to attend to the minute details of training before diving into the Utility ring. Our very first attempt in Utility A resulted in her first UD leg and 1st place! Continuing her streak of success, Minet earned two more UD legs at the 2006 Seattle Kennel Club shows. I never dreamed we would pass two days in a row and complete her UD title so quickly. And in only 9 total attempts! All the teamwork and training were really paying off.

Proving to be a steady worker, Minet continued to amaze me two weeks later at the Washington State Obedience Training Club shows. Without skipping a beat, she earned her first 2 UDX legs! She’s now on a roll with 4 consecutive Utility legs! Once again, she has convinced me to continue training and showing as a team. I’m very proud of her accomplishments.

Minet la Petite Renarde is a consistent, happy competitor. Training together is the highlight of her day, and mine. She makes me look good, too! An added bonus is that through the sport of dog training, we have made many wonderful new friends, both human and canine!

To see Minet's winnings in detail, click here.