So I qualified for Crufts. What next?  It was a nine whole months away.  Surely going to more shows would be pointless, right? If our aim this year was to get to Crufts, I’m already there.

Not so fast, everyone!

There are things I need to improve upon.  There is always time to learn.  And the best way to learn is to *do*, so Mummy took the decision to enter as many shows between now and next March as possible, to give me practice, to learn by doing.

Knowing that my second championship show was early June, we found a local(ish) Open Show a few days before Southern Counties to give me some practice.  The Reading & District Open Show.  There was no Welsh Terrier class (there rarely ever is in county open shows) so I entered AVNSC (Any Variety Not Separately Classified) Postgraduate and Open.

Funnily enough, it appeared that others had the same idea – to use this Open show as a test for Southern Counties two days later (same venue, you see).  There was another Welsh! We’ve never ever come up against another Welsh Terrier in a local AVNSC class.

Ben the Welsh beat me twice, but neither of us won the class – I came 3rd and 4th.  Disappointing, but a good lesson – I’ve never really come anything less than 2nd before!  A dose of reality and a warning for the Championship show at the weekend….