Mike's turn at bat or dog in this case

Mike is pinch-hitting for me in agility while I am on the bench with a knee injury. Sadly I cannot say I was hurt in any other way but a stupid way. Anywhooooo...Mike suffered the front crosses like a pro, well like a pro in training. He was nervous but pulled through like a trooper. I am counting on him to actually GET front crosses so he can teach me. Lady was fabulous. I love watching that dog jump. It is an interesting dichotomy that the dog is ready for the course, but we are not. Lady knows what to do and is waiting for the cue to initiate her run. Things to work on: front crosses. If you see me run in front of you and guide to another area, I am practicing front crosses. If I fall over a dog or another person, odds are that I am drunk.

Dog Sailing

We had our "make-up" class last night because it actually rained in Phoenix and we couldn't have our class last Tuesday.

This photo is of Lady "sailing" over a 22" jump. Mike and I were talking about how far she has come in her training and it dawned on us that she has only been doing Agility for 3 1/2 months. Jumps never pose a problem and after her muscles are use to 22" we will move up to 24". Lady is at the perfect age for all this activity. For a dog her size, it takes 2 years for her growth plates to close up. From what I understand, larger dogs take longer. I am learning quite a bit about dogs in MY three months of agility.

Lady spent pretty much the first 2 years of her life in her crate and had virtually no training. I often wonder if she considers living with us "Boot Camp". I do feel somewhat like a drill sergeant, and have learned not to utter the "W" (WORK) word around Lady.

Sadly, Lady has to put up with an incompetent handler, I will call her Diane. She's a good sport and if a hot dog bit is coming her way, she is most forgiving. I, on the other hand am starting to dream about front crosses and rear crosses. I do not execute them accurately in my dreams either, in case you are wondering!

Level 2 Agility away we go

Last week Lady had her first level 2 agility class. The work we had to do just to get there. Not resting on our laurel's however, more hard work ahead I fear (or Lady fears since she hates to work).

We arrived at our class last week full of high hopes and excitement. Kama handed me a map and all excitement went flying over the field. I had flashbacks of the time Mike got me "Speed Kart" lessons for my birthday. My feelings were pretty much the same, sans the helmet. If I am nervous, I forget pretty much everything except being nervous. FC's and RC's - Whaaatttt are those? I had only done an FC (Front Cross) once and the RC (Rear Cross), well I had read about them, but hadn't put theory to practice. Crickey. Add to that, a whole course - geeze. Add to that Lady had not gone over an A-Frame and Dog Walk in weeks. With my panic and Lady's general "I hate to work" attitude, humiliation was going to be my evening.

I was listening to all the other dog wranglers and they were talking the talk and sounded like they knew so much more than my dog and I - we were toast. Proof is in the pudding my friends. Lady didn't have a great first run, but neither did any of the other dogs. Well perhaps the first dog that went, she was "okay". I felt so much better once it became evident that no one had perfect dogs. Lesson learned: Lady likes jumps and the A-Frame. No hesitations, she really had fun. Our second run was pretty darn good, not flawless by any means, but I was happy.

This dog has come a long way since March 8th (the day we adopted her). She works hard despite the fact that she would rather lay around the house. She works to please me. I am so happy that I can make a difference in this dog's life. She is a good dog; a sweet dog and she deserves to have a life of fun and happiness.

Current struggle - Freaking poles. It is hit or miss and all we do is practice, practice. Arrrrrrrgh! I love that dog!