A Fun Agility Weekend

We had a great weekend at the agility trial!

Mimi was showing a lot of stress on Saturday but I figured something out--tentative handling on my part makes her more stressed. I discovered that when I run all out, as fast as I can, just like I do in class, she has less time to think, less time to worry about the ring monsters. On Sunday, she had a wonderful Open Standard run, earning a Q and placing third in a competitive class of about 20 16" dogs.

My little 'gility queen, Gracie, cleaned up in Novice Standard, earning a Q and first place both days. She also picked up her first Open Jumpers Q and third place on Sunday (technically, she got a double Q on Sunday but in different classes so it doesn't really mean the same thing). The Sunday Jumpers course was very fun to run--and Gracie's weaves were fabulous all weekend!

I thought a lot about my goals for every run and decided to keep them very simple: to run every course like I would in class, just as fast and with all of the proper handling that I would use in class. This last bit sounds strange but, sadly, Novice/Starters courses can often be run with no handling at all (and we saw plenty of that over the weekend). But the important point is that not once did I think of a Q. I focused on the doing, how best to get the girls around those courses.

I know that back when I was competing with Iz, if she knocked a bar or took the wrong obstacle, I would discombobulate, fall apart, often have to just end the run there. But that sort of thing hardly registers now. Ooops, it happened, not part of the plan, but no matter, there's some more fun stuff to handle over in this part of the course. The girls rarely know that there has been a problem at all. Every run ends with treats and praise and much joyous jumping around--no matter what. Even when I pulled Mimi from her Standard run on Saturday for leaping off the top of the Aframe, she still got praise and treats back at our crating area.

There is another trial this coming weekend, a three-day event, at the same arena in Fort Worth. I'm looking forward to it! I spent a whopping $6 this past weekend (not counting gas) because I bought a soda and some small smoked femur bones for the dogs. Yum! Cheap date! Plus, dare I say it, there's some titles to be worked on!