Another Day, a Little More Hope

Okay, I'm less whiney today.

We are starting agility class today. It's beginning agility. The instructor couldn't talk the owner of the facility into advanced or intermediate. We're a little beyond beginning, but any chance to hit the equipment helps. Besides, I am a clutzy idiot, so any work with basic "don't trip over yourself while signalling the dog backwards with the wrong hand way to late for her to make the obstical" helps.

There was the standard problem of Weasel's obsession with the instructor's dog. The instructor's dog is also known as "the Idol dog" because of Weasel's obsession. The instructor leaves the dog running loose in the field we are working in, and Weasel spends the entire lesson staring at the dog and bouncing up and down, while the idol dog finds tennis balls and lures people into throwing them for her. It wasn't at all helped by the little girl who spent the entire class playing with the Idol dog, throwing balls, running around with her and making squealy noises. I kind of wanted to bite her myself. It wasn't the child's fault, though. I was at the point where I was trying to think of a way to quietly sneak out of class because it was such an impossible situation.

However, the instructor realized the problem and eventually caught the dog and kept her on leash, so I was able to get a little work out of Weasel. She did the teeter beautifully, kept missing somewhere in the middle of the weaves, did the tunnel fine, did the table fine, did the jumps fine (when I managed to give her a decipherable signal, that is.) Honestly, I was expecting a lot less after months and months of no agility work at all.

However, I was most happy with the way she was beginning to respond to my focus exercises when the other dog was out. I was doing "Look at me" and the standard doggie torture of putting them in a down, placing a treat on one of the feet, and making them wait before they take it.

So, it was good, after all. Hopefully, next week will be better.

Agility Class

Weasel had her first agility class after a break. She's reverted to her obsession with her idol dog and was completely distracted. After most of the class, I was getting some few seconds of attention from her. I amy have to enroll her in a class where there is no idol dog, again.

Unfortunately, I also have reverted, and gotten sloppy in my handling. A lot of stuff to work on.

So, agility was frustrating. But, I was able to have some impact on her, eventually. She did the weaves fast and off leash. I was able to call her back from distraction several times. She did fine on the obsticals.

The new pheasant and duck haven't arrived yet.

I'm tired and frazzled by a lot of other things. Probably, that explains Weasel's distraction. Blasted border collies pick up too much from their handlers. She's a sweet dog, though.

Hope I can get the shirts for the team up by this weekend, so that people can order them in time for the tournament.

Tired.

Weasel's Gotcha Day

I'm a bad owner. I didn't do anything for Weasel's Gotcha Day. It actually happened about a weekago (and two years) on June 22 2006 I brought home this teensy, soggy little puppy that was all ears and mohawk. Actually, those are still pretty noticable features, but she's grown into a greyound like body and some elegant feathering. Anyway, I remembered on the day and told her I was glad I had her. I'm afraid that was about it. I am so anxious for her to go to a tournament and run as part of a team.

Alas, no flyball practice. To many team members vacationing and whatnot. Our team has been somewhat decimated of late. One team member moved to another state - she had our height dog and our up and comer. Another team member has been preoccupied with work stuff - he has our start dog and one of the team dogs. So that left, me, the team captain, and a whole bunch of green dogs and puppies. There is a lot of promise in the newer dogs, but I wanna tournament! Wah! Maybe I can talk one of the newbies whose coming along well into a pairs race in Texas.

And the agility drill card has run out, so no agility, either. They were doing pretty well, too. Weasel was doing the obsticals and weave poles and sequencing. Spoiled One was doing it with treats, except he has to be babysat through the weave poles. The dogs have practically lapsed into a coma. I'll have to scare up some entertainment for them. However, it's so hot, it's hard to work up the energy. Whine, whine whine. We are all going on a car trip to Lake of the Woods. Four dogs, three people, one car. Fun. I hope I can figure out a way to get the dogs to the beach when I'm there. Weasel needs to see the ocean, and it's been so long since spoiled one got to run on a beach.

So, that's it. We're boring right now.