Run Thrus, Training, and DACOF

Alrighty! So A couple weeks ago Abbey attended run thrus at her former training centre Paws in Motion. I decided to run an excellent course, not because I wanted to show off Abbey's superior speed...lol...no I actually wanted to practice some handling skills. Abbey has the entire package, in reality it's me as her handler that needs a few tweaks. Well, she ran beautifully all 3 times. Of course, my handling improved all 3 times but I did note some things that I wanted to work on. First off I NEED to teach Abbey to turn tighter. Our course times are fast, but they'd be even better if I get a chance to work on that. 2, my directionals. I need to be more clear when cueing her and I need to cue her earlier.

Not too long after this run thru, we got a call from Paws and were asked to join the DACOF team last minute. For you who are unaware DACOF is the Dog Agility Competition Of Florida. One team dog got injured and our former trainer called us to fill in a week before DACOF. We attended one official practice where we played our first game of FAST and where I forgot all of the other courses as I was running. I won't admit to being nervous...nope.

When we finally got to DACOF Abbey decided she would prove me wrong again TENFOLD by Qing in every run, taking home 3 placements, and earning 2nd best 16'' Novice dog. AMAZING, WONDERFUL, and EXCEPTIONAL don't even quite cover it. She hauled ASS especially on Sunday. I was so so proud.

A small note though, over the summer we are going to be losing some more weight. Abbey gained a few pounds from not being as active over the off season. So we are going to be doing some conditioning and cutting back on those yummy treats grandma sneaks us when mommy isn't looking. =). Other than that...we will keep you posted on everything else. Our next trial should be our Anniversary Trial at Tailwaggers Learning Centre in October. Be prepared!!