It was 4 years ago this past January Nix went into stress mode at an agility trial and I pulled him from all agility. If the 2 titles he had were all he ever got it was more then enough. But the stress had to be dealt with. I took him home and gave this long and hard thought. What could I do to help this little love of my life deal with the stress of competition or at least be able to enjoy the sport he so obviously loved. Since he was 12 week old he has been my demo dog in the puppy obedience class I teach. He loves showing off. So I formulated a plan and entered him in rally class. Then, 2 years ago I entered him in an international breed show. I loved being in the ring alone and even would jump up on a chair and on the table should a chair be by the table...judges seemed to like that. He always free stacks. He earned 3 international breed titles. Then I started him back in agility a little over a year ago and he earned another title and consistently placed, even getting a perfect week end and top points in snooker. But, this week end was the true test. Obedience trials, by their very nature are more stressful then any trial I have ever attended. All I hoped for was a happy dog who could work, doing all the exercises, in a stressed environment. Again, today, that is all I asked for. Nix went calmly into the ring. The course was more complicated today then it was yesterday. The exercises were harder, including a spiral. On top of this, there is a storm moving in. All I could think was, please, God, let him leave the ring calm and happy., Yesterday, 4th place and 84 points was good enough. We didnt need anything more. It was more then I asked for or expected. Today Nix got 86 points and second place.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 14:42:07 +0000
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