Jazz Earns Coaching Certificate

While Jim and Tess were at agility this weekend, Jazz and I traveled to Springfield, OH, to the home of Cindy and Tom Gootee for a Dalmatian Club of America sanctioned Coaching Certificate test.

The Coaching Certificate test is sort of a precursor to the Road Trial and evaluates the dog's ability to coach. Each exercise is only about 200 yards in length, so there is no real endurance involved.

Jazz and miniature horse Clockwork. Clockwork was used to acquaint the dogs with a horse and later pulled a cart.

We met lots of great people and Dals at the Coaching test. Here's the whole group who participated in the test and the fun run. There was also a vet tech available who was taking blood samples from the Dals for the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) DNA Repository at the University of Missouri-Columbia, so Jazz also became a CHIC DNA donor!


Here's me and Jazz after passing the Coaching Certificate test, with our driver Steve and Monte and Rudy, the team of horses who pulled the wagon for the test. Steve is a very skilled driver, and Monte and Rudy were an awesome team, great around the dogs.

After the test, we were able to relax and enjoy a picnic with everyone. Jazz and I really enjoyed our trip to Springfield and the opportunity to meet all the folks who brought their Dals out for this event.

I have video of Jazz taking the Coaching Certificate test, and as soon as I figure out how to edit and add some descriptions of what you'll be seeing, I'll post it. Right now, though, I have to get caught up on the piles of work that I neglected while Jazz and I were out having fun this weekend!