Mark is running Torro Laker for me this year. Well I say for me but to be honest it is also for himself. Torro is 8 this year and is looking good. Having two dogs to run in the same course can be an advantage plus Torro is always fun. He tries his heart out every run, growls with excitement and never takes himself seriously. Sometimes he doesn't take his handler seriously either.
Mark set him up on the start line and you could tell from Torro's face that fun was the only item on the agenda.
Devo is another matter - all he wants to do is work. He is so intent on the start line, watching Mark and ready to follow his every move. With a dog like that you can't afford to be rusty (well maybe just for Olympia LOL) and unfortunately a bar came down followed by Marks concentration. Never mind, it is early in the season and with only one semi to go for now I'm sure it might be a bit boring to qualify too early :)
So that leaves me and Rhyme in the graded classes. Well at this time of the year Mark and I are busy doing his Psychology Seminars with all the talk of goal setting etc. Over the years I have found myself to be a process driven person and so getting a clear round is my main objective, especially with a young dog. Getting sucked into writing outcome related goals was my downfall. It seems with a well trained and motivated dog winning up to Grade 4 at this time of the year is not as difficult as I thought it would be. Oops there goes the first short term goal and now I need to think of another one. It is scary how my mind is like a sponge. The down side is that it also absorbs some negatives and eats into my confidence as the season goes on. So more work will be done on my mental skills this year to ensure I keep my dog where he belongs - at the prize givings :)
In case you missed it on Facebook here's the run :-
Rhyme Ribble 15/2/14 Grade 3/4 Agility 1st place
