Mulligan!

Jemima and I have been doing agility for 9 years.  I am pretty much relaxed when I step to the line with her, as long as it's not a Finals of some sort or another.  It took years, but I feel like we are a solid team.  Don't get me wrong - she was once a wild girl and I was clueless - still am sometimes.  Our wonderful, patient, positive Coach taught us both from the ground up.  It took me much longer to 'get it' than it took Jemima.

Jemima's pace has slowed a bit at almost 10 years of age, so now I feel like I can just run with her, give her cues on time ... or rather, early enough that she can respond in time.  In other words, I feel like we run well together now. 

What's really cool is when I forget to cue her and blurt it out or fling an arm up late, she often saves my butt out there.  That's the only time she'll bark on course - when I've given her a late cue.  RRWWHAAATTT?!?!

Teamwork!  (Photo by Olga Maderych)

She makes it easy for me - and as close to dancing as I'll ever get.  And I am no dancer.  My sister was the dancer.  I was the horse trainer.  I could sometimes make horses dance. But I don't dance. 

And as I alluded to earlier, it wasn't always easy.  Agility teamwork takes time to build, as do most good things.

I waited until Jemima was 6 before getting Vixen.  Besides looking forward to having and training another Woodstock puppy, I was dreaming of having a Mulligan Dog!  As handlers, we practice and train (in my case not nearly enough), go to trials, study the maps, walk the courses, strategize, imagine, enter the ring, try to remember the course, our plan, take a deep breath, release the dog, and sometimes it goes as planned, and sometimes ... MULLIGAN!!!  DO OVER!!!  DAMMIT!!  Why did I do that?!?  Good dog!!!  Praise the dog!!!  She just did exactly what I asked her to do.

Teeter shark (photo by Marci Thomas)

I've been doing agility with Vixen for almost 4 years, and she's a bit wilder.  Not quite yet my mulligan dog.  When I walk the courses before a run, I walk it with Jemima in mind, and I walk it with Vixen in mind. One a steady, choreographed pace; one NASCAR.  

Yep, kind of ...

However, I am learning the art of shark wrangling.  Vixen wants information NOW!!!  Before NOW!!!  NOW!!!  She does best on tight, technical courses because she has an obstacle to focus on - if I can cue her fast enough.  Wide open spaces are shark-infested waters.  Go go GO!!!





She is a total thrill to run.  More and more, I find myself smiling out on course while she's flying around, voicing her opinion.

The glamorous life of agility travel

Last weekend was great at the Bay Team December trial in Santa Rosa.  I had Friday off, so got up  before the gods and arrived around 7, as it was getting light.  Nine runs and 11 hours later, we crashed in our motel room.

Mmfffppphhhhh ...

Saturday was Team day.  Jemima already has her Cynosports Team Q's, so I just entered Vixen.  Her team - Criteria is for Sissies - won 3rd place!!!  I was so very happy.  We three even won the heaviest-rated Relay class at the end!  And back to the room to ... zzzzz ......

Sunday was regular titling classes and things went pretty darn well.  Got home Sunday night and back to work early Monday morning.  Feeling exactly like my dogs look above. 

ALL day long.  It's a short work week for me though.  Life is good.