Category Archives: boston terrier

So tired …

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Fran on Friday

031513_bkr_slpA few months ago I told you that Booker and I graduated to the Advanced Agility Competition class. We’ve been having fun in the class for sure – learning all sorts of new tricks and techniques. And while I’m not as adept as some of my classmates, I’m holding my own – most of the time!

What I didn’t mention was that the class is on Thursday at 8:30 in the evening. Most days I’d be nodding off on the couch at this time. But on Thursdays I spend almost an hour in traffic to lose sleep at agility class. Class is usually over at about 9:30, unless our amazing trainer really wants to drill home a skill, and then we’re let loose at about 10. Fortunately traffic isn’t usually as bad on the way home, so we’re home by 10 or a little later. (Chicago traffic is abominable!)

But I can’t go to bed right away – Booker is too wound up. He needs to expend lots of energy! He usually ropes Torque into wrestling with him. We let them go at it for 15 – 20 minutes and then physically separate them. Enforced quiet time follows. But then I’m too wound up to go to bed! So we’re usually really tired on Fridays!

The class is worth it, though – the skills we’re learning are invaluable!

Fun, but no ribbons

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Fran on Friday

booker_teeter_041716Booker and I ran in an agility trial last weekend. It was 3 rings of fun. Lots of very talented dogs and their people. Lots of great runs and some not-so-great runs. We couldn’t complain about the courses. For the most part, everyone seemed to enjoy them. (Except for one jumpers course that big-dog people were complaining about because it was a little tight.) Booker had a great time. I would have had a better time if we had qualified in anything. We’re still searching for that last Novice Standard qualifying run to earn Booker’s title. He loves running Standard – that’s the course with the contact obstacles. The ones that the dog has to touch the yellow part at the start and finish, like the dogwalk, the teeter-totter and the A-frame. Apparently Booker feels that they just slow him down. He loves to launch himself off the obstacle just above the part that he needs to touch. I must say, though, that both days he did the teeter really well, touching the bottom and waiting for his release cue. And even though he missed it on Saturday, Booker got his dogwalk on Sunday! The A-frame, on the other hand … Just too much fun.

We’ll keep practicing. One day …

Not on the agility course, dude!

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Fran on Friday

booker_play_bow_041616I’ve written about Booker’s training. My frustrations and successes, the endless hours of training and classes (well, it seems like endless hours!). Yet I know that no matter how many hours I put into training, something will happen that I don’t expect. It’s inevitable. You can’t plan for everything. You can think about any contingency, but something will happen out of the clear blue sky.

Case in point: Booker playing keep-away at the end of a run. Really? He’s 3 years old. I know he loves me and likes to be with me. Yet at the end of a run, Booker won’t let me grab him and put his leash on. We’ve trained so that he knows he’s not going to get treats until his leash is on, so I don’t understand it. Does he want to run more agility? Does he like the attention?

I tried to train him to play with his leash, but then he won’t leave it alone when I take it off of him. (You can’t run agility with the dog on a leash.) So I’m trying to train him to jump up on me on command. It works for my Tango – but he’s much lighter than Booker is. Hopefully we’ll figure it out. It’s a work in progress.

Booker graduated to Advanced Class!

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Fran filling in on Saturday

Booker graduated to Advanced class!Booker’s trialing weekend was far from perfect, but his performance was good enough to earn a new title! And he graduated to Advanced Agility Class! Of course, that’s mostly for me – to improve my handling skills.

Booker was like two dogs at the trial. In Novice Standard Booker was a devil dog! (The Standard AKC courses are those with the contact obstacles like the A-frame, teeter-totter and dog walk. The dog must run along the obstacle and touch the yellow part on the upside (except for the A-frame) and the downside.) Booker wanted absolutely no part of following the rules. He’d bounce on the upside of the obstacle and then bounce off. He ran around the course and would not let me catch him. Supremely naughty. I know Booker can do the obstacles, but he showed no indication of that at the trial on either day.

His performance in the Jumpers with Weaves  Open class, on the other hand, was almost flawless. In the Open class the dogs are allowed one “refusal” – the dog can refuse a jump or the weaves and then do it properly, and still have a qualifying run. On Saturday Booker was perfect and on Sunday he had one refusal. So Booker got 2 qualifying legs in Open Jumpers and earned his title (he’d gotten his first leg a few weeks before).

2 different dogs! Our agility instructor knows that Booker can do the obstacles, so we were promoted to the Advanced class. Like I said, mostly for me – I need the handling practice!