Project Mimi Continues (2)

So I think we all need to do a bit of catching up. The incident that created Mimi's fears in the agility ring happened during this trial. At the time I thought she would shake it off and be fine. It turned out to be much more severe than I ever expected. I really want to blame someone for this and it was indeed thoughtless of them not to check the volume on the PA before the judge turned the mic on. As a result of this incident, I will NEVER be in the ring before I need to be. Never.

I otherwise have little control over the reality of our competition environment.

There are few to no outdoor trials in this area. Her class is outdoors and of course my own training field is outdoors but for the most part trials in these parts are held in horse arenas, all of which are metal buildings with endless possibilities of random loud noises.

All of the venues out here use PA systems. AKC uses them to give a recorded "GO!" to let the handler know they can begin their run. No, they won't turn it off for one handler when all other handlers use it. USDAA uses them when judges call points in Snooker, for example. No, they won't turn it off either.

So I'm now reduced to spending hours clicking Mimi for positive body posture and hoping I can get her to do a couple of obstacles before she totally loses it. My beautiful agility partner turns into a panicked, trembling creature as soon as she thinks we are heading for an agility ring, all because of a freak accident with a speaker.


I purchased a new training tool that I hope will help her: a small portable PA system with a wireless mic. It runs off AC or batteries. It's the black box behind Mimi in the picture above. Once she gets used to it at home, I plan to start taking it to class. For now, she will just get to do some tricks in its vicinity while it is safely powered off. I did test it to make sure it all worked but it is far too soon to expose her to this scary device.