A question of time

I videotaped a friend's Open run at our trials last weekend. Guess how long it took her and her dog to do all five exercises?

Three minutes and thirty seconds.

That's all! Start to finish. Including set-up time between exercises. They were moving briskly but certainly not sprinting around the ring.

When you stop to think about how long you're in the obedience ring, sometimes it feels like forever. In reality, it's much shorter.

Although we've all lamented about not being able to take cookies in the ring, is it asking too much for your dog to interact with you for three minutes and thirty seconds without being bribed or "paid" constantly? Can you set a kitchen timer and play with your dog for 3:30? Could you play with him that long without using a toy? Try it.

Thanks to Michele and Cider for making me realize how short an Open run really is. I know the space/time continuum is different when you're INSIDE the ring.

Have a great weekend, everyone, and do something fun with your dogs!