Not your everyday obedience group

Yesterday evening at training it struck me how wonderfully diverse our group is. When we were doing the "Long Down" exercise (leave your dog in a down position and stand across, or out of, the room for five minutes) I took a look at the line-up.

• Miniature Poodle
• Black Lab
• Shiba Inu
• Yellow Lab
• Sheltie
• French Bulldog (Dax!)
• Scottish Terrier
• Doberman Pinscher
• Papillon
• Sheltie
• Cocker Spaniel
• Dachshund
• Australian Shepherd
• Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier
• Saluki

Not exactly the group you'd think of when you're thinking "obedience," is it? I guess that's why I enjoy it so thoroughly. My dog may not be the fastest to learn the exercises, but we're having fun. I particularly love Dax's "Recall." That's when I leave her in a sit, go to the other end of the room, and call her to me. When I leave her, it looks like she's not paying much attention to me; looking around, staring off into space. Then, when I call, she zooms as fast as she can down the length of the room and sits perfectly in front of me. A friend of ours does a running commentary of Dax's Recall: "Clear the runway. Flaps (ears) down. Take off!"