Yes, I've stooped to Walmart, so sue me

Far removed now from the horror that was “Crate Games” in the pre-agility seminar I took Layla (and my husband) to a few years ago; Layla is now pretty well-behaved in trial crating areas.  (And so am I).

She has one issue though, a bit of boredom.  While her classmates happily gnaw on their antlers; she will reject even a bully stick, which won’t last an hour with Godzilla-mouth at home, but apparently has no appeal outside the confines of 3 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths (it’s for sale).

There is one chew though that somehow appeals to Miss Picky even in her "little house"; and the darned thing comes from Walmart (PLEASE don’t tell me it will kill her for being less than $20, just nooo). She will go at this knobby, plastic deal, with a hard treat in the middle, until it is absolutely worn out (and becomes a sharp, painful booby trap in the path of human feet).  These things chew up but don’t shed plastic into the dog (I’m looking at you Nylabone).  I continue to hope that the actual treat part isn’t pure poison, since it comes from Wally World.  But she’s survived the joy of many, so far.

I need to order a case of these things from Hartz, since we have a three day trial coming up over Labor Day. 

The moral of this story is that dogs don’t judge on the base plane of cost or purity; theirs is a more ethereal thinking.  One we can’t comprehend, but on which we should reflect.  After all, our little companions will scarf cat poo before we can get out a leave-it.  Can’t fly off our plane more than that.

Teetering on "American's Best Value Inn"

I have begun to meditate on how to rig my mini-teeter to the top of my Honda Insight for trials.  I'm guessing I would still get at least 40 mpg; and some seriously confused truckers.

All seemed well and good with Layla psychologically earlier this summer, as teeter-phobia seemed to be just bad memory of a grim, Open Standard, past.  But during the first Standard run in Murfreesboro a couple of weeks ago, she was rather slow across great Satan.  (Layla and slow are like two magnet poles repelling each other before they can ever come close).  Of course it was I who caused a refusal NQ; so I dismissed the anomaly into the waste-bin of me trying teeter distance, creating a doggie "WTF?"  The next day she faced the teeter with a decided HELL NO, before I baby-talked her back across and we were summarily dismissed by the judge for pup paws hitting the thing twice.

Otherwise this trial was a Layla showcase.  She got her Excellent JWW title, and a Master JWW Q despite me, and only NQed on that first Standard run because of me.  I plotted to practice the teeter before the last day, even if it was pretend.

At the hotel it dawned on me that materials were present, always present on the road, to construct a kind of teeterish practice obstacle, kind of.

I have re-created my madness visually for this blog.  First I stacked my tennis shoes, dirtiest pair on the bottom:

Then I put my rolling traveling bag on top (I won't call it a suitcase, it's not that official-looking), soft-side down:

Not a suitcase!  Not really.

Then add treats, dog, and mix thoroughly:

And, in my case, I say "totter; GOOD TOTTER!" (Cram treat in appreciative canine mouth).  REPEAT!  And repeat, and repeat....

Next day!  It was me and ONLY me that kept Layla from achieving that first Ex Standard Q, and only with one little piece of handling suck.  I went ahead and later threw in a tidy portion of handling suck on JWW as well, getting back to my well-honed handling authenticity.

Still thinking, there has to be some way of getting the mini-teeter in the Insight with the crate, x-pen, captain's chair, dog trial bag loaded with God knows, a giant case of bottled water, my snacks and food.....  Why can't it just be a Tardis?

Thanks, Clean Run, my trust is broken.

And so is my good agility leash.  Last night we were in Pat’s agility class out at Best Friends, and Layla’s turn was approaching so I took her out of her little house and latched on her leash, ready to roll.  Roll she did as my excito-girl was suddenly careening on an over the top trajectory into the face of an 8 month old Sheltie, who had only stopped in for the atmosphere.  And she said (translation): “WHO ARE YOU, WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?  DO I HATE YOU? DO I LIKE YOU? I THINK I’LL BARK AT YOUR NOSE!”

I assumed my own leash inaccuracy was to blame, so somebody else ran and I leashed her up again, click/no-click, disillusionment. 

I found a similar clip mechanism on eBAY:  but what’s the point in fixing it if my trust has been shattered?

Maybe Clean Run doesn’t sell agility products made to withstand the crazy of a mostly-Border Collie ready to run?  (Ugh........???)

I can just see myself in Harriman, Murfreesboro, God forbid LOUISVILLE; we are in line

for Excellent Standard, of course, (where we have yet to get a Q), I distract Layla with food until we are next, she gets that wild look in her eyes as she sees the dog in front of us on the course, she barks, jumps, pulls and BAM she’s out there chasing him!  The reek of my humiliation would over-power the basic dog smell of the place, Layla would be considered unruly, our dreams of someday getting a Q in Excellent Standard are smashed as we are kicked out of AKC Agility!  (God, my imagination is foul.)

I think I’m going to try the old tried and true slip lead again, the purple one with the gold swirls, got it from a vendor at Harriman, TN last winter.  It came in at $5 under this fancy-pantcy clip deal; and it’s still hanging around.