Just Belly-aching

Two days before a trial, a big one since it is local and I know a lot of the participants; (which is scary since we run better under the veil of anonymity); DISASTER!  Well, not total disaster, Layla’s in good shape and my legs and arms are working fine, but my belly has been attacked by a stomach bug.  Fortunately this one doesn’t make it likely that I will foul the course (I know it’s an NQ if a dog barfs on the course, but what about the handler?  I’m not sure the AKC has addressed that?).  However, after an aching stomach for 3 days and finally a REALLY aching stomach with weakness and chills, I’m still not 100%.

I took off work yesterday to lie flat and consume massive probiotics, liquids, and a glorious meal of white rice (bland rocks right now).  My little, furry nurse applied toe licking and bed cuddling, which are wonderful, holistic therapies she instinctively developed on her own.  I can now walk around without chilling and hurting so much.  But I’m worried about feeling a bit weak, and I know that my much-loved, big, soft pretzels will be off the trial agenda at least for tomorrow.

I missed agility class last night too, and it was the night the new dogwalk appeared, according to the Best Friends listserv buzz.  No use belly-aching about it.

I am going to drink a big cup of my chamomile and green tea combo, which seems to help too.  Chamomile for the soothing stomach effect, and green tea so the chamomile doesn’t cause my head to smash onto my keyboard.

I’m really excited about running my little girlfriend tomorrow, even if I fall flat at the end of all three runs.  A handler passing out after a run surly isn’t an NQ, even if it’s aggravating.  Enjoying that time with my spectacular little buddy is what it’s about, but maybe someone might have some smelling salts handy?  Anybody?

Come on, let’s talk

Am I the only person who has ever Googled to the point of finger exhaustion only to never find anything but the happy-happy written about dog agility?

Where’s the criticism?  The “this makes me mad”?  I guess it doesn’t and shouldn’t exist.

I don’t want all this fun to be torn apart, much, I just wonder what would happen if people could express various, small issues they have on the very rare occasion (when the big pretzel eaten at the trial probably didn’t agree with their belly) anonymously?

I’m not saying there are ever actual issues that aren’t solely the fault and misunderstanding of the individual (though there might be), I wouldn’t say that because it would be like crapping on a Christmas tree.  I did have a quiet conversation at a trial with someone though who said something about a particular process bugging her and I said “me too”.  Then we admitted we had each thought we were the only ones with this issue.  What would it be like to have an online forum where people could gripe about agility biger picture issues (though of course no one would ever do that) and get it out of their system, or even find solutions without being blasted for bringing it up?

When I say “griping about agility” I don’t mean the ever popular (with me) “DAMN THOSE FRONT CROSSES!”’; but more like “This _____, (venue), does X and I don’t know why and don’t see the point of it.”  And yes, I am familiar with the ever-popular saying “IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT YOU SHOULD QUIT”.  Which doesn’t apply since I absolutely “like it”.

Trust me; I’m not volunteering to set something like this up!  I don’t have anything like the experience it would take to make this OK.  I’m risk-taker enough by even having a silly blog.  But I’m fully convinced that a little anonymous blood -letting wouldn’t spoil anyone’s fun.  It certainly won’t demotivate any dogs, we can just tell them “no treats” if they read it (we are talking a lot of Border Collies in this group).

Weavies and Parts

We don’t have much green-space where we live, just a tad, but there will still be canine exercise and there will still be funky weave entrance fun; can be one in the same.

My agility instructor, Merinda, said early on that I didn’t know how lucky I was that Layla had great weave entrances (she also once told me in class that Layla had pulled off a jump after getting confused by my on-time cue; I cannot dispute that observation). 

I did have to survive a short spell last spring when even the weaves turned up some deficits.  Layla would do ten then, TUNNEL; or eleven then, JUMP.  Those were times that needed help.  I got off my cheap rear, planned my usual Lowe's/Home Depot fix, and added 6 electric fence poles to the real 6 weave set that I already had; admitting even art needs maintenance.  

Then we put weave games into the rotation of our small scale practice.  After a while we got this game going where I send Layla through the weaves while I just stand there with a ball in my hand.  Saves wear and tear on my shoes and gets her to not worry about where her slow human is.  Just at the exit, I toss the almighty Chuck-it ball (preferably a "Whistler"); her toy from heaven, and happiness ensues.  I’d never do that in a trial (no ball, too much excitement) but it keeps her honest on doing all 12.  Ten or eleven doesn't play ball.  I am hoping for her to maintain a doggie memory of finishing the twelfth weave and seeing a blue, rubber ball flying straight at her head.  It’s what dreams are made of; doggie and human.

Repentance Repercussions

One week until our next trial.  I always say I can’t wait then get there and realize that this is it, my stomach is turning loops and why-oh-why didn’t I wait?  It passes, if nothing else I buy some Reece’s Cups, get a sugar high, and move on.  (Always works, trust me.)

This trial is in the sauna that is normally a soccer center in Louisville.  It is not air conditioned but it is “climate controlled”, along the same lines as the planet Venus.  But the surface is wonderful and they offer FAST.  The opportunity to run FAST with Layla makes up for a lot of my picky, whiny issues with any location, usually.

Last June I swore off this Louisville trial.  My mind was just oozing out of the food processor that was the trial I attended before June’s edition of Derby City, and the effects were obvious on every run. It is amazing how much chaos can explode into a tight relationship just by one party being mentally in that “bad place”.  Layla and I were basically non-communicado.  We hadn’t actually had a falling out, but I tried to change our entire approach to agility and poor Layla had no clue why I would do such a thing.  At this point I don’t either (there’s that dog smarter than people deal again).

Just before these two trials, I stupidly got myself into a situation where I was slammed pretty hard by my Vet, not for improper care of my canine buddy, but because I let it out that we don’t use a start-line stay in agility.  There it is, I said it, my unforgivable sin has been admitted!  They’re lighting the grill in Hell right now (they think I’ll taste like chicken).  The unfortunate thing is that my (fmr) Vet badgered me until I caved and decided to try the “getting THE stay” process again.  This attempt ended after the next trial, when frustration set in on both of us and neither knew what the other was up to until Layla stayed, THEN ran to the nearest obstacle and was OFF.  I immediately forgot how to handle her at all and pulled her out of the ring.  It was a terrible experience.  I know the good people commit themselves to the proper stay devotion, they will spend anything and everything in time and money to get “the stay”, it’s probably more important than enjoying agility or taking pleasure in training your dog either one.  It might be more important than replacing bald tires before hauling off to Murfreesboro.  More important than a clean run, said one friend, with whom agility is no longer discussed by ME.  And far more disgraceful than the minor sin of running contacts, which aren’t a bit more errant than a traffic ticket, now that Susan Garret will teach you the skill for like a gazillion bucks.

I was so NUTS from all this by the time we hit the city limits of Louisville, that I had no confidence, lots of fear, with a big helping of "I am USELESS".  Layla would be thinking agility and I would be thinking "we couldn't we learn THE STAY!"

I’m not putting us through that again.  It took forever for Layla to even calm down enough to learn in class when we started.  She had a fear of most of the obstacles but not of running around like she needed a doggie strait-jacket.  Her mind was everywhere and nowhere, our teacher had patience, while I had no clue.  Really, only I and folks close to me in classes and practice know how hard I’ve worked; and they’ve tolerated my low agility-IQ. I have no excuses for my aberrant start-line behavior but I will say that I don’t make enough money to spend it on ensuring that agility is as miserable as possible for me and my dog for the lengthy time (if ever) that it would take to become a saint.  Maybe we won’t work out at this hobby, but maybe we will.  “Not ideal, but there’s work abounds” is a great quote one very skilled handler told me.  I’ll take that and see what mischief we can find on every course at every trial!  I don't even like the word anymore, but we'll HAVE FUN! (gag)

My mind is not puree right now, and training is a blast.  So who knows?  Maybe Louisville will be good to us (or us it).  Here’s a salute to the Derby City and the August, AKC agility sweat-lodge; if nothing else I might walk out thinner after three days.  And by God, we will have run FAST!

ZOOOOOMMMM YAP! YAP! YAP!

When I take Layla for our morning constitutional, I sometimes pass a guy that lives in my neighborhood that I ran into at Best Friends Obedience a few times, (where I have Competition Prep Class and practice on Saturdays).  He has this cool little Aussie Mix that looks built for speed.  I remember him looking rather bewildered at open practice one Saturday while some of us had our dogs running courses (and blowing contacts, in our case) while he had just finished Agility 1. The teacher assigned to punch cards and take fees that day really tried to get him comfortable and give some good tips on working with his dog.  I haven’t seen him back much though, I guess he didn’t get as hooked into agility as some of us.  For me personally, I swear to God it’s crack!

He really should have stuck with it, at least his dog could wait for a command as a novice!  Layla would lay eyes on the agility field, and especially other dogs daring to DO AGILITY in her presence, and close her ears.  The leash would come off, I’d say jump, and “ZOOM yap yap yap yap”, as she would stop about two feet in front of the nearest dog telling them off for existing.  I’d get her back, get her to do a few obstacle and ZOOOOOM YAP!

The response from other handlers tended to be “You shouldn’t accept that”; and I’d think “HOW?”, or “You can’t let her do that!”; me, “what is this fabled not let?”

Folks were consistent in telling me what my dog shouldn’t be doing (NEWS FLASH: I had a clue), but people forgot to tell me the secret of fixing it.  I’m sure they didn’t mean to upset me, and seriously, all but one of these folks I really like now; but the sequel to ‘not let’ is more helpful than part one.  I didn’t dare take the plunge and buy a ticket with five practices for $20, I paid $5 per Saturday and people wondered why; heck, I thought we’d be kicked out at any minute and I'm to cheap to lose punches!

It got barely tolerable, but not much, as she got used to going there every Saturday; me still not in on the secret.  Then she went all wild-child at that agility trial and I ended up in obedience again (not the Pet Smart variety this time).  It helped that Layla’s best doggie friend had also shown some occasional canine delinquency and he was in the same class, distractions-distractions!  It was great.

What I didn’t realize is that not only would my crazy pup learn to have better self-control after a run in agility, but that it would rub off in a big way in practice.  Layla started ignoring the dog running the course.  She will bark at me demanding to be run, but that’s my tough luck, not some random stranger’s.  When we take a break from practicing I can say “go to your little house” and she will go back to her X-pen and start trying to find the opening (yea, I know, but she’s not full BC, so some smart genes got left out). "A" for more than effort Girlfriend!

If that’s the only secret I ever discover in this agility world, I’m still going to spread it far and wide; when someone wants it that is.  When I hear somebody, and I did, waiting with me to run our dogs when we were in novice AKC, talk about their dog tending to go wild after a run I tell them how much obedience training helped us.  Same with practice field fiascoes; I tell them that their dog can’t hold a candle to Layla’s former insanity out there, then what helped her get so much better.

It’s easy to forget part two when you’ve not suffered such humiliation in a while, or ever; but my dog still has too much over-drive, and I’m haunted enough by worst days to let someone in on the secret.