Category Archives: dog agility

So tired …

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

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 …