I decided to enter Alvin in a breed show when he was 6 months, 3 days old for the experience of eating and playing in the ring. We practiced the breed ring moves at our obedience classes for about a month. At his first show Alvin won BOW for one point and off we went! His showy, confident attitude made it easy. He quickly finished his Championship from the puppy classes with my amateur handling, both of us learning as we went along. Meanwhile, he officially started his obedience career, earning an all-breed HIT to finish his CD with 198.5 at ten months old. He won another HIT with 198 in Novice B on the same day that he finished his breed Championship.

Alvin the AKC Breed Champion!

At that point I retired him from breed competition and had him neutered so we could really focus on obedience work, my first love. By the time he was 26 months old, he had earned his AKC OTCh and UDX, Canadian CDX, United Kennel Club CDX, and six Dog World awards (for titles earned in 3 shows, all scores 195 or higher, 200 is perfect); along with multiple High-In-Trial and High-Combined honors. His showy attitude has helped in obedience, too, and we continue to show for more advanced titles in the different registries.

Next we tried agility, a first for me. We started classes when he was 2 1/2 years old. The first night he was confused and I felt like I was all thumbs. A few weeks later he was "getting it" and obviously enjoying the sport. Again, food rewards work very well with Dals! After some studying on my part, I entered Alvin in a few local trials four months later. Right away, he was successful, winning his first class with a perfect score. He finished his first two titles in 4 and 5 trials (3 "legs" or passes are needed for a title, as in obedience); scoring perfect runs in both NA and NAJ. We are just beginning in agility but with his athleticism (a great outlet for all that Dalmatian energy) and the control he learned from obedience, I look forward to fun times ahead in the sport. If only I could run faster........

All along the way, people have not expected a Dalmatian to do as well as Alvin has; but why not? Dals are energetic, people-oriented, and smart as a whip! They thrive with jobs to do, especially for their owners. Alvin has the good physical structure, normal hearing, and mental abilities to do almost anything I ask of him; and he has such a good time his tail is always wagging. Just show your Dal what you want him to do and hold on tight for the ride!

Since I wrote this article in last year in 2001, Alvin earned his 7th Dog World Award while earning his Canadian UD/ OTCh. Last spring he became the first Dal ever to earn his Can MOTCh (Master Ob Trial Ch) and did this with all first places, undefeated, never failing a class novice through MOTCh in Canada. He earned his UKC OCh with a perfect 200 in Open B. He is the first triple OTCh Dal, AKC, UKC and Canadian Kennel Club. In 2002 he earned a Conformation Performance Certificate versatility award from DCA. He has been the #1 Top Spot, according to the DCA obedience rating systems, in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He placed 7th in the Superstar class (all breed) at the 2003 Allstar Performance Dog Association Championships in New Jersey, the first Dal ever to compete at this level. He has the most AKC OTCh points ever earned by a Dal, 582 and counting. He has over 100 UDX legs and counting. He earned his OA and OAJ in AKC agility and has one AXJ leg with a perfect score, first place. He is now 4 years, 2 months old as I write this on 8/14/03.