Meg has decided she wants to be a lap dog. It started when I was sick...she makes a good nurse. It also more comfortable than the floor. :) I don't mind the oversize lap dogs, but others in the family aren't so thrilled. I'm hoping she learns not to climb into anyones' lap unless invited.
In agility news, Meg and I are loving the Competition Level class. There are fewer students and all are at a more advanced level so the class generally moves quickly. We spend less time waiting for our turn. We're struggling with a few things though. I'm having trouble keeping Meg's focus both in class and at home. In class she seems to think the smells on the ground are more interesting. At home, its the dog that lives two houses down that distracts her or sometimes she just thinks running in circles is more fun. I have to work hard to get her attention at times and in doing so I forget where I should be. In getting Meg to complete one obstacle, I end up positioning myself wrong so I'm not where I should be to send her to the next and/or I'm blocking her path. So then I lose her focus again because clearly I'm just the dumb human who doesn't know what I'm doing.
We'll work through it I'm sure. Right now I'm trying to make agility more interesting to her by using the clicker and treat at home again (we were just using toys for reward). In class its harder. She has little interest in toys and treats are ok, but not as good as the cool smells on the floor.
We're also having some tunnel trouble. Meg tends to hesitate at the entrance of the tunnel. I've have to remember to hold at the tunnel entrance longer. If I turn away to position for the obstacle before she has all four paws in the tunnel, she'll back out of it. We stayed a few minutes after class last time and played in the tunnel a bit with a jackpot of treats after each pass. That did get her more excited about it so I'm hoping a few more sessions of doing that will turn her into more of a tunnel enthusiast.
Its cold and snowy outside. We have two more sessions before agility classes end. Then we've got about a month or so off (I think). Maybe the long break from agility will help renew Meg's interest when we start up again. Here's hoping!
