You know that moment… the one where you mimic the V-8 commercial with a dope-slap to the head…yeah, that moment.
Yet another one of those for me this weekend as Mollie and I struggled through trial stress together. She coped by running around the ring, me by lamenting silently (and not so silently later with my traveling pals) about what I’m doing wrong.
Later that night as Mollie snuggled with me in the hotel room, I realized how lucky I am to care for and love this little black dog. Regardless of the stress, she felt earlier, she still wanted to be close to me. All she really wants is to be loved and cared for. What we all want, truth be told.
And then it hits me on the long drive home: this trial, like a couple before it, has shown me in living color that while we are making terrific strides in practice, we aren’t truly ready for full trial experiences.
In an earlier blog, I listed all the Q-worthy things that happened at a trial that had nothing to do with competing. This weekend, there were many more of those: 4 am fire alarm in the hotel didn’t faze her; she chased killdeer and came back when I called; a dog tried to get in her business and she looked back at me rather than engage, and she was loved on by a group of 4H students that thought she was the cutest thing ever. Nice moments.
But in the ring, she exhibited lots of stress by running off. On our last run, my goal was to get her to focus on a couple of obstacles, and then party like it’s 1999. We actually did 5 and partied hard.
And that will be our last trial until April, 2015.
I’ve made the decision to go back to making it FUN…which means FUN-damentals training. Not obstacle work: she knows the obstacles. Not tricky handling moves: that will come. But back to making it FUN in every situation imaginable. Building our team. Building our confidence. Building blocks that I glossed over a little too much earlier in our training.
So back to playing in and out of the ring. Not asking her for more than she can give, even though she WANTS to give…she’s just too over-faced at shows to do that RIGHT NOW.
Sometimes we focus so much on the success that’s arbitrarily put upon us internally and externally that we lose sight of the real goal: having fun with our dogs. A weight has been lifted for me…and I know it will be for her.
I’m not giving up on us…I’m giving us a chance.
Stay Paw-sitive!
