Silaria
Forums Sage
Unless you are a seasoned handler (more than one dog, more than a few years), I'd recommend starting in Level 2. The games in CPE are so much fun, but do take awhile to understand, even for many CPE people. Many require the handler to "design" his/her own course that best suits his/her dog (Snooker, Fullhouse, Jackpot). Sometimes it is best to try to learn the games at the lower levels when "getting enough points" is less stressful. It only takes 2 Qs in the games to move up (4 Qs in Standard) in Level 2, so most people move up relatively quickly anyways.
Dayle, these are good points for anyone to consider when they are moving into a new venue and want to start at a higher level.
For Sharon, starting at Level 3 really shouldn't be too much of a problem given her experience in AKC and USDAA.
She should be able to easily run Standard, Jumpers, Snooker (in USDAA) and maybe Jackpot, since she's done USDAA Gamblers, at level 3.
The other games are pretty straight forward: Full House - 23 points at level 3 and make sure to include 3 jumps, 2 rounds and a joker, which really is NOT difficult to do; Colors is just a variant on Standard (numbered course) which the challenge of 2 different courses intertwined; Wildcard is another Standard variant and just a matter of remembering 2 2s and a 1 for the points on the course where you have the option.
