So Zoey is now 16 months old. She is finally running in agility, so now Ive lost my startline. She also cant control herself , in that she wants to chase dogs that are running in the ring. When I go to trials, Ive been working her at the practice jump and Ive been able to keep control of her. But not this weekend.
This weekend was a small UKI trial. They sometimes offer nursery class for dogs 16 to 18 months. There are no weaves, teeter or spread jumps. They can also enter speedstakes. So I entered Zoey in those 2 classes. It was a one ring trial, which is where I will be with Zoey, so she doesnt jump the ring gating and chase the other dog running in the other ring.
The first time she ran in the nursery class, everyone took a break. There were no dogs around. So she stayed with me. You will see in the video, she was over the top and kept bark and jumping up at me and trying to get me. She doesnt normally do this when we practice. I only see this when we go to a new place or she is over the top excited. So I have to be careful with how much excitement I build into her when trying to get her to run.
The second run she did much better. Before her run, we tried to practice at the practice jump. She took off, running down the ring gating, after the dog that was in the ring. Ack!!! I had to call her name twice, and she did come back, but I was freaked for a second that she was leaving for good. I didnt take the leash off at the practice jump anymore. I used a long line and put the bar on the ground and practice her staying with me. She did well after that. So on her second run she left the startline to go see a dog that was outside the ring but came back to me when called. Otherwise, she did really well. I have to remember she is a baby dog and needs more support, especially when coming out of the tunnel, to make sure she takes the jumps.
The next day, we practice a lot more at the practice jump, with the long line on, to make sure she understood what is expected of her. We did the nursery class again. She did well, except she wouldnt come to me at the end of the run. As soon as she saw me with the leash and I called her, she just dead stopped. She had figured it out. Fun is over. Ugh!!. So I acted like I was leaving the ring, and she blew by me and ran out of the ring. Great. So now I called her, she stopped and had to think about if she was going to come to me or not. She did finally come to me. So , I have lots of things to work on.
