Sept. 10 - Lisa's Musings (on agility trials) and Every Day Life

Today was the perfect day for an agility trial, so I headed to the Ann Arbor Dog Training Club to take some photos and find some friends I hadn't seen in a "dog's" age.

You see, it's been a long time -- probably about four years -- since I've shown at an American Kennel Club agility trial. In fact, the last time I trialed was in Wisconsin at the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever National Specialty and Widgeon, my first Toller, got his third and final qualifying score needed for his agility excellent title.

With his untimely death not too long thereafter, I haven't had a Toller who loved agility the way Widgeon did. Consequently, I haven't competed.

I'm a believer of the "agility is fun school" and Ryan, my dear, dear Ryan, doesn't share my enthusiasm for the sport. With me at least, so I never showed him in AKC.

Driver, on the other hand, is very game to play this agility sport, but I've been so busy being a reporter, I haven't had a chance to really show him all the skills he needs.

And, I don't show my dogs until I'm sure they know their part in this team sport and, I've never shown a dog in agility until they're at least two years old. He's just 18 months old at this point, so his turn will come.

But in the meantime, I've put on blinders and ignored the whole thing. Until today.

All it took was one look at all those dogs out on course running, jumping, zipping through tunnels and weave poles to remind me what I've been missing.

I came home, edited my photos and vowed that this fall and winter Driver and I would do some training and be ready to play this spring.

So, today, not only was I able to reconnect with old friends, but also I reconnect with a sport I love and was reminded of the bond that dog and owner form while playing in agility.

Sometimes, when I least expect it, I'm reminded of the really fun stuff in life. And it's time I partake in a little more of it.

June 4 -- Lisa's Musings (on an agility show) and Every Day Life

I entered Driver in an agility trial tomorrow – even though when I wrote the check, I knew he wasn’t ready.

I’m not sure what possessed me to plunk down my money this early in his training, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with work.

If I'm at a dog show, I don't work and because I work all the time, I've been using dog shows as an anti-work crutch of sorts.

I need to figure out other ways to save myself from myself.

But back to agility. I’ve trained a number of dogs and lots of students in the sport of agility and the golden rule for all of them is: You don’t show until you know (and I know) you’re ready. Then you will succeed and qualify.

I’m not so much about break-neck speed or showing to win; I’m all about having fun and walking into the ring confidently, so you’ll have a good time. And, of course, because I want you to be successful.

Success in the dog show ring breeds more success in the dog show ring -- especially when it comes to performance events.

So along those lines, I’ve never shown a dog in agility before he was 2 years old, because generally, with the methods I use, it takes that long to be ring-ready.

Driver’s 15 months old. Even with my poor math skills, I know that this is a far cry from 24 months.

And, I know that although he’s getting the hang of this sport of agility – he’s not there yet. Plus, we’ve been spending our time getting ready for the stand-and-eat-food ring, which believe it or not, does take some training.

When I compete in agility, which is my favorite dog sport, my pooches are generally not the fastest ones in the ring, but they are usually the most consistent – because that’s how I train.

I take lots of time to teach the fundamentals and I don’t enter an agility trial until I’m sure my dog is ready to rock and roll. Then we pretty much blast through all the levels for our titles and have a good timing in the process.

So why I decided to enter Driver this soon in the training? I haven’t a clue, but I'll use the work thing as the best excuse I can find.

So, as tomorrow got closer and closer, I was pretty much dreading it.

Hello, this is a sport I’m supposed to enjoy with my dog because win or lose, qualify or not, agility is supposed to be fun.

Yet I KNEW we weren’t ready, so it was becoming really un-fun in my head, and try as I might to laugh off all the things that I KNEW would go wrong tomorrow, it wasn't happening.

In fact, I was stressing out about something that's supposed to be fun.

So I decided late this afternoon that if I knew we weren’t ready to show, and I knew we weren’t going to have fun, and I knew all sorts of bad things could happen when it was our turn -- why in heaven’s name was I insisting on showing?

I was forcing myself and my dog to show because I’d paid the entry fees.

Well, ya know what? Tough ‘toogies’ – I’ve wasted lots of money before on things, and although I’m trying to stop doing that now, this is one instance where I’ve decreed: It’s OK.

Because when we are ready to show, agility WILL be fun and we WILL have a good time and chances are pretty good that we WILL be successful and quality.

So there.

Chalk up another smart decision for the future of my young agility dog.

We’ll find something else that's fun to do tomorrow.