Agility Off the Back Burner
The jolt of the Agility Premium for USASA Nationals reminded me that I really need to start agility back up. After breaking my foot I had to take a break but looking at the schedule Bummy and I are going to compete in FAST and Standard in the Australian Shepherd only section.
So for all of you non-agility types, FAST is a course you make up. There is a time limit and each obstacle is worth a certain amount of points. There are two obstacles that are worth a bonus BUT (there always is a but) the handler has to stay on the other side of a line so you have to be able to send your dog.
This is a great class for Bummy because she is spacey sometimes and I can choose obstacles she likes. It is bad because she is SPACEY and the send obstacles need to be things she likes (basically everything but weave poles). And she prefers to stay on a moderate pace versus run full out.
Standard is a combination of jumps and contacts including our nemesis weave poles. She is usually good at this except we die at the weave poles. It is not that she cannot do them it is that she thinks they are dumb – I am still trying to find the key to making her decide weave poles are good. She will do them if I have a good treat but I cannot carry them in a trial.
We took a break in training this fall because she was frustrating me and my trainer and I decided that we needed to back off and come back different. She looks at the between run time as social hour so now we are going to not allow people to pet her or give her treats and instead make the run about HER. Make it the fun time.
The thing about Aussies are they are smart, that is a great thing. The bad thing is they are SMART and right now Bummy has decided weave poles are dumb so we need to figure out how to change her mind.
Luckily for me the boys are great. I learned so many things NOT to do with Bummy (mistakes I made) that they are already better than her. I think I could run a FAST course with either of them now. I hear that from everyone so I don’t feel bad. And in her defense trying to start a dog in agility at four is not an easy thing.
I would love to get an agility title on Bummy, if we don’t it is not the end of the world but it would be a great thing. So we are back in class and signed up for a couple of local trials. I think I am going to try some different things at home on poles.
The good thing is if we get a qualifying score we probably will win. Bummy is exactly 18 inches which means she jumps 16 inches standard and 12 inches preferred (I run her at Preferred). As Aussies are 18-23 inches tall most are not exactly 18 inches. And since 18 is the cut off for the 16 inch jump height chances are I will be the ONLY Aussie running that height. INSTANT champion ha ha ha
