relationships ..

Agility is all about relationships. In fact our life with dogs is all about our relationships with them.

That might be a rather evident thought - and I think I have danced around this issue before but I just came in from a rousing game of rolling on the grass with Brody and it struck me. I was working on agility as I grabbed his toes, threw a little stick, let him tug on my sweatshirt sleeve. He had fabulous hairy fits in circles round me but kept coming back for more. I was working on his fitness, I was working on our relationship. I was working on agility.

This is a 10 year old dog who I have always described as sober and aloof. He will do all kinds of things as tricks - as long as payment is apparent but playing crazy names is nowhere on his daily to do list. About once a month or so he'll play a little with Thea, Sally or I but his usual choice when I'm playing with anybody else is to lie in the shade and happily watch.

Was he looking to work on our relationship too? I suspect so - the agility gang got 2 full days off agility (though they got walked, stretched and played with) and 2 very light days of work - a simple jumping circle, a teeter or two. Perhaps Brody knows as well as I do the Mark Twain quote

"Work and play are words used to describe the same thing

under differing conditions”

All I know is we had fun.

Sally worked 12 weaves this morning. she wants to do MORE!! NOW!!

Trying to sort out my fall schedule - making me crazy. I think I will try to do pair days or even singles - mostly anyhow. Finding half days that have two classes I can run in is harder than it should be. I guess organizers try to spread out classes people may want so people end up volunteering. I just don't have enough time to be at trials all day all weekend through the fall.