Liz and Breeze graduate Handlers Plus class

We ran a super fun course this week in Deanna's class. It was a course based on an excellent course that Ann Croft did. I loved this course and I ran it the way that I first planned, which I noticed everyone else ran on the other side of the Aframe and had a lot of different choices, but I felt pretty confident. It turned out really nice. Deanna changed the course to go into the tunnel the second time around, but in the original course it called for going over the dog walk, through the tire and then around the three jumps to the teeter. That is how I wanted to try to run it, and the first time I yelled thinking that I would need to get Breeze off the tunnel, which made her drop the bar on the next jump. I retried it and just used deceleration and of course Breeze got the turn perfectly....TRUST YOUR DOG, right??? LOL. On the really plus side Breeze was doing marvelous on her contacts, AND SHE IS RUNNING THE DOG WALK AND KEEPING HER FOCUS AHEAD, we might be trialing in standard soon after all.

I have been really watching when Breeze will drive ahead and when she spins and stops and one thing I an considering is could this be because of the path being into fences or areas where there are chairs, or things like that? She understands so well how to go on sometimes and then sometimes will just STOP, and this week anyway the two places she would not drive ahead were the table that went into chairs/crates/the fence, and the last triple which had a chair/crates and some dogs. OK someone has told me I need to throw the toy more and do it BEFORE Breeze turns around or have someone else throw it-because my timing leaves a lot to be desired, so I am going to try that. I had Deanna throw the toy and Miss Smartie pants ran all around the two obstacles and tried to go over the triple, because would that not be the fastest way to the reward? So...we had to hide the transfer of the reward when I had someone else throw it, sometimes it is not such a great thing to have a smart doggie! LOL.

My instructor Deanna was trialing a lot when Breeze's dad was young, he still trials a lot. But anyway, Deanna loves him, and has always talked about how much she likes him. So she did come up to me after class and say it was so neat to watch Breeze run because she reminds her so much of her dad Blew. I consider that a very big compliment.

Isn't it cute, Deanna gave the little Lizard Liz her own honorary diploma. I have never seen her do that before, so I was really touched by that, she is such a nice instructor. Liz sort of shared the class with Breeze and Deanna has always been so wonderful about letting me do my own thing with Lizzie and accommodating her needs.

My one gripe of the day is a "friend" felt it necessary to call me-on my cell phone during class no less.....(I leave the phone on in case the girls need anything), but she felt it necessary to call me up to tell me that someone told her that a lot of the dog club people were commenting on how Liz/I have a difficult relationship, and if you really want to see a bad dog and feel good about your dog, then check out Liz. And guess they were very concerned because we all know that what sort of goals could I have anyway if I have a dog like that? WHAT???? First off I doubt that is true, I think that was probably said by one person, who knows nothing and has only seen Liz once or twice for a split second, so who careswhat they think, but I would really rather not know about it? My beef is why would someone feel compelled to share that with me knowing that it would be a really hurtful thing? I really work hard with Liz and I do not expect everyone to understand her or me or our relationship, but they do not have to, but I sure do not need smack talk especially when I do my best but I am not always sure I am doing all the right things with her, but she has come a long way, I have learned tons, and I love her to death. ANYWAY, that is my gripe for today.