AHHHHHARRRGGGGGGG!!!
Ok I feel better now. Yesterday Falkor and I went to the Iowa State Fair to compete in a dog show they have there on the last day of the fair , which is really just a match since it's not "offical". But it was a great opportunity to practice somewhere new and different. Different in this case means showing in the the Livestock Pavillion, on a dirt floor oozing with yummy livestock smells and nasty biting flies. Different also means being literally surrounded by 4H kids and their puppers which can be a bit tricky. They don't seem to notice what their dog is doing at the end of their six foot leash. Luckily, this building is one of the few at the fair that has air conditioning...thank god...because it was about 1.2 billion degrees outside yesterday.
We had to get there really early yesterday because you are required to bring your rabies certificate and have that checked by a vet. So we got there at around 7:30 yesterday morning and we weren't going to be showing in Rally until all of the conformation was done. I don't think we got into the ring until around 11:30. I was also dumb and didn't bring a chair so we spent most of the time standing around chatting with friends. Of course Falkor got lots of attention and was loving all the pets and cuddles. I thought maybe he's be a bit more subdued because we stood around for 4 hours!
The gal that teaches our Thursday night Rally class was actually our judge yesterday and she designed a beautiful course for us. We did the first half of the course and Falkor was doing AWESOME, he was right with me and performing each station beautifully. We had the serptine weave twice station along a back wall that the crowd was hanging over watching the dogs and Falkor actually weaved through he cones as he watched his admirers. He can be such an attention whore. So we are going along great until the jump. He went around the jump the first time so we did it again and after the jump instant ZOOMIES! And of course his adoring crowd thinks it is HILARIOUS and they start to whoop and holler. Now Falkor thinks he's really cute and really turns it on. I call him to me and collect him and Julie our judge asks if we want to try again and I say yes. So we try the jump again and zoomies again! So I start to walk toward the gate and call him to me.
The jump is like crack for Falkor...it makes him crazy! And of course I can't get him to zoom at our building. I chatted with some Dane people about it and someone mentioned that he might be stressing "up" in a trial situation. I do know that I get stressed in a trial situation and he can sense that. I know there is no easy fix but it sure would be nice if there was an anti-zoomie pill. :)
Ok I feel better now. Yesterday Falkor and I went to the Iowa State Fair to compete in a dog show they have there on the last day of the fair , which is really just a match since it's not "offical". But it was a great opportunity to practice somewhere new and different. Different in this case means showing in the the Livestock Pavillion, on a dirt floor oozing with yummy livestock smells and nasty biting flies. Different also means being literally surrounded by 4H kids and their puppers which can be a bit tricky. They don't seem to notice what their dog is doing at the end of their six foot leash. Luckily, this building is one of the few at the fair that has air conditioning...thank god...because it was about 1.2 billion degrees outside yesterday.
We had to get there really early yesterday because you are required to bring your rabies certificate and have that checked by a vet. So we got there at around 7:30 yesterday morning and we weren't going to be showing in Rally until all of the conformation was done. I don't think we got into the ring until around 11:30. I was also dumb and didn't bring a chair so we spent most of the time standing around chatting with friends. Of course Falkor got lots of attention and was loving all the pets and cuddles. I thought maybe he's be a bit more subdued because we stood around for 4 hours!
The gal that teaches our Thursday night Rally class was actually our judge yesterday and she designed a beautiful course for us. We did the first half of the course and Falkor was doing AWESOME, he was right with me and performing each station beautifully. We had the serptine weave twice station along a back wall that the crowd was hanging over watching the dogs and Falkor actually weaved through he cones as he watched his admirers. He can be such an attention whore.
The jump is like crack for Falkor...it makes him crazy! And of course I can't get him to zoom at our building. I chatted with some Dane people about it and someone mentioned that he might be stressing "up" in a trial situation. I do know that I get stressed in a trial situation and he can sense that. I know there is no easy fix but it sure would be nice if there was an anti-zoomie pill. :)
4 comments:
I thought that was you and Falkor yesterday! Kept meaning to come over and say hi but time got away from me. I saw you guys warming up (totally a figure of speech, given yesterday's weather) and he looked so bouncy and fun. What a guy! Next year, I'll put fly spray on my list.
Sorry - no zoomie antidote here! I do agree it would be great to have one though.
The fair sounds like a lot of fun. I LOVE state/county fairs.
Sorry I missed the 'action' :) I should have stayed around a little longer! Zoomies are so self-rewarding that it's a tough one to work through. Since I have the opposite-of-zoomies problem, I have not a clue as to what to do with them !!!
My greyhound, Riley, is on edge of zoomies most of the time. Will Falkor fetch a toy? If so, you could have him play fetch prior to his performance outside the building on a long line (so as not to break any leash rules) or find a local park near the venue on your way over. The long line takes some getting used to, but has worked well for me.
If he is not a retriever, but likes toys (like my greyhounds), I was able to teach them to trade me a toy for a treat and then I was able to turn it into fetching. I still trade a treat, but well worth it considering the extra exercise they get from it.
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