Class 6 Good-Boy High

After a week of researching training and listening to the suggestions of other ACD agility parents, Jake and I were able to complete a class that ended with both of us being happy. We basically returned to Jake's obedience lessons to establish a stronger foundation between the two of us. The main goal is getting Jake to focus on me when I ask. It's actually had a slight calming effect that I didn't expect (I stress "slight" because in a dog like Jake even slight is appreciated). The largest surprise for me was when Jake escaped from my dad's house in full zoom and I was able to put him in a down-stay, which allowed me to approach him and put him on his leash. Inside my dad's house in full zoom with a crowd of people watching, I was also able to get Jake into a sit-stay. It was probably the most encouraging thing that could have happened to let me know that I was on the right road.

Tonight's class was such a relief to me! I had e-mailed our teachers earlier in the week to let them know that I was working hard to resolve the zooming issue. We first headed for the jump & curved tunnel, an obstacle set that hasn't ended well in the previous classes. Jake took the jump and the tunnel all four repetitions. The very last time he ran out of the tunnel with his rear end tucked under (i.e. sure sign of the zoomies) as he headed for the target. I practically dove at him at the same time as the teacher with the treat. A set of four jumps was up next on the roster. We decided to allow Jake to do them with two repetitions of 2 jumps, then 3, then all four. Jake sped over them all without pause and even I got a pat on the back for running so fast. I even managed to avoid running the teacher over! Jake ran the entire dogwalk every time but you could tell he still wasn't so sure about the up and down motion of the middle portion. He would speed of the ramp, slow down across the middle, and then speed down the ramp to the treat. Regardless of his uncertainty, he never tried to run around it. The chute was met with the same success as the curved tunnel and we ended class with Jake's personal favorite of the jump and A-frame set. He even threw in a little spin turn on his way to the treat. The spin turn, of course, took his feet off the safety zone so we took one more turn to end on the right note with those back two feet planted firmly on the yellow. I was so pleased with my little man. I gave him extra smoochies and hugs when we got back in the car. I almost cried with relief. I know that there will be days when we don't communicate as well but, for tonight, I will just bask in the good-boy high that Jake and I created tonight.