The weekend agility report

Is it totally dorky to take a picture of one’s agility ribbons and score sheets?

NO! Not if you’re as proud of your dog as I am. I’m totally wallowing in the most successful agility weekend Phoenix and I have had since we started running in Excellent B. He Q’d 3 of 4 runs at Ames over the weekend and got his very first double Q. (Yeah, I know there should be a 3rd score sheet in the photo but I have no clue where it is. Go figure.)

I think video evidence of this feat exists, although not on my camera, thus strengthening my superstition that if anyone is videoing my runs on my camera, we will NQ for sure. If I can track down our videos, I’ll share them.

Suffice to say, running Phoenix in agility has come with a steep learning curve. We have spent a lot of Sunday afternoons driving home from trials empty handed for ribbons but richer for “experience.” I think maybe some of that is starting to pay off, but I’m sure there are still a lot of new mistakes I haven’t “experienced” yet. No doubt the learning curve isn’t done with us yet.

I think Nix and I are starting to read each other better. I’m figuring out what cues he needs and how they need to be timed for us to be a successful team, as well as what I’m capable of in terms of my own speed and often-questionable lung capacity. He’s figuring out what the heck I mean when I’m flinging my arms around. Or maybe he’s started reading the course maps ahead of time. Either way, it’s a great feeling.

It was a super fun weekend outside the ring, too, good time spent with friends and Hickory Park was delicious as always. Glad I got a motel this year instead of camping. I got to indulge my Weather Channel addiction for three hours both Friday and Saturday night. Seriously. This probably needs to stop.

We had the M*A*S*H 4077/Red Cross tent sitting ringside at the trial for the injured members of Team Orange: Tammy (recovering from wrist repair surgery) and Cider (recovering from ACL surgery). It’s probably a good thing no one who needed serious first aid actually showed up there.

This week’s training focus: go-outs, stays with tempting proofs and blind retrieves for gloves. From the looks of the forecast, I will do these things in between my work on building an ark.