After several months of practice and competition, Lily received her Beginner Novice title in the first week of December. The Beginner Novice title requires that the dog compete in three competitions, under two different AKC judges. The exercises, each worth 40 points, include: Heel on Leash, Figure Eight, Sit for Exam, Sit Stay, and Recall. In and of themselves, none of these exercises are terribly difficult. In my experience, errors are more often caused by the handler than the dog. Practice and competition also are two different realms. The dog may do everything just find in practice, and then seem to forget everything in competition. Competition puts pressure on the dog. Just the mere presence of 50-100 or more dogs in an exhibit hall coupled with the hustle and bustle of people and strange noises, can be enough to throw a dog off his game. That’s why a person should expect to enter more than three competitions to obtain a title. In any case, Lily is now preparing for her next title: Novice Obedience.