Round 3, Class 2

The gorgeous Golden Retriever running the dogwalk is Jake's classmate Gracie. When Gracie gets offtrack, she always manages to make it look like some flowing and graceful interpretive dance move instead of the wild and craziness that Jake portrays when exercising freedom of spirit.

Agility was a grand adventure for Jake tonight. We did only two of the obstacles with a target. The stationary seesaw went well and none of the motion seemed to bother him because he certainly didn't slow down. Then came a series of two jumps. Jake was totally confused by no one waiting for him at the end of the obstacle. Once he figured out he was to run with me to the end, he knocked the treat out of my hand and he was off and zooming. This time around the teachers had me leave the yard. Jake raced around and around and then started slowing down once he noticed I wasn't there. He ran over to the gate to try to see me but I wasn't there (I was in the shadows of the trees.) He ran one more wide loop around the yard and then headed for the teachers with a very confused look on his face. From then on we left his leash on him and I would stomp on the leash when he stopped. After he got his treat, he would try to take off since no one had his collar but got nowhere with me being planted on the leash. It still wasn't the end of the zoomies, though. We backstepped the obstacles like we have been doing so he knew what to expect. One jump, two jumps, three jumps and then add the curved tunnel. Curved tunnel, one jump. Curved tunnel, two jumps. Curved tunnel, three jumps and he's off! I was able to call TUNNEL and get him aimed back through the tunnel but he was going so fast that three of us at the opening couldn't catch him. He at least did all three jumps again before racing off. I called TUNNEL one more time and myself and one of the instructors blocked the tunnel ends. He decided to hang out in the middle and we lifted one end so he would come out and end with a positive note with me and a treat. I was never so glad to see the weave poles and the instructor with the cheese at one end. I'd had enough zoomies for one night.