we are doing the weaves class for the second time and UGH i wish we could do agility practice like twice a week with a lil bit of weaves and gradually build it up really solidly. but alas we are in a 3-session class.

i’m feeling bummed about how fast the teacher increases criteria because it means we fail more than we succeed and that... doesn’t.. feel right. and i think blitz finds it pretty hard and frustrating, though he’s not the type to show that. but he seems a lot more exhausted from this class than he usually is - i opened the door of the car crate and he just lay there, and now he’s been napping since the class.

The reason I haven't talked much about our agility and rally classes is because it's lost a lot of the fun. One of the neighbors shoots their gun during and the sound freaks Faye out. We've been working through it and building up her confidence around it. But she's clearly not enjoying the classes the way she used to.

I did learn that it won't stop her from doing her job though. Something triggered me during agility and Faye alerted without hesitation and gave me pressure therapy to calm me down. She was on it so fast I don't think anyone else even noticed.

Anyway, giving her time to run and sniff freely before class seems to help. Yesterday I even saw some of Faye's enthusiasm start to return.

We've been working on desensitization for gun shots and it's really paying off. Faye was so thrilled to do agility. We ran the course off leash and got more clean runs than not! It was so good to see her confident that happy. I almost forget how fast she is on the course!

She was also super attentive in rally, heeling like a champ. She even did well on the new signs which were 300 level.

I wish I was brave enough to ask someone to take pictures for us.

We are taking the level 3 agility class and then rally right after. It went better than our first week because it entirely too hot, according to Faye. I was worried at first that two classes in a row was a mistake. But it's working out pretty well.

Faye gets to be crazy go fast dog in agility and then is happy to move at a slower pace in rally. It's really cool to watch her brain click over when we move from the one area to the other.

It's also nice because most of the people in our agility class are the rally class too. Even though I am by far the "baby" among the group of women I tend to sit with, I like their company. I can't relate to much of their lives (kids and grandkids) but when we get to talking crazy dog lady stuff it feels good to share the laughter. I will miss them as this is our last round of classes before I move.

Faye is a go fast dog and zipping around the course brings her so much joy. I like the excitement and energy too. But more than that I love being her partner on the course. The bond between almost feels like a physical tether that gets pleasantly tugged at every check in, every successful cue and execution.

By nature, I am neither an active person nor a coordinated one. But I get this burst of aderaline on the course. My brain kicks into high gear as I try to give her the right cue at the right time both verbally and physically. To figure out which side of her I need to be on, which cross to use, make sure my body and voice are telling her the same thing.

The excitement sparks between us as she puts on the speed. As she shows off how agile she is. And yes, the amazement of others seeing my little mutt shine feels good too.

We started our level 2 agility classes today!

We split into two groups since it's a pretty big class. First set for us was a lead out to a tire jump, tunnel, then a blind cross to a jump. Faye was reluctant her first time through the tire jump but took the tunnel and jump well. After that she seemed to get what we were doing and did the set well and of course at great speed.

The blind cross was easier than the name suggested. Paring it with the lead out will be super useful because Faye is so much faster than me. I was very proud of her in her focus when running. The A frame was intionally set in such a way that it seemed like the natural next obstacle out of the tunnel so had to pay attention to correctly be sent to the jump instead.

She also only attempted an excited nip once. It was before our class and she was watching the class before us. That's a nice improvement since during the last class it wasn't uncommon for her to try after coming off a jump. She also barked way less in the beginning of class and had stopped completely by the half way mark.

The second set was a jump, weave poles, and another jump. The weave poles give her some trouble but it got noticably better each time.

I kept her leash on but dropped it for our runs. She was very attentive and I'll probably unleash at some point during this class. Most people did what I did, though there was one dog unleashed the whole time and a few people who didn't drop their leash.

We both had a great time and I'm glad to have something that's fun and builds up our relationship. The trainer was excited to see her and exclaimed "It's Miss Faye!" and Faye absolutely wanted to jump on her in greeting but settled for full body wiggling instead. It's so rewarding to see the progress she's made.

One a side note, we have a minor "celebrity" in our class. I say that because a few people asked to take pictures with him after class. Still, I think it's pretty neat to have Sully, former service dog for the late George Bush, in our class.