Post date: Dec 8, 2008 5:40:41 AM
We just got back from a 3-day agility trial. The agility gods giveth, and the agility gods taketh away.
Last weekend it seemed like Trevor and I could do no wrong. We went into this weekend needing one more leg for his AX title. He had Qed on his last 5 Std runs. Finishing our AX this weekend seemed like it was practically a done deal--inevitable. Nothing could stand in our way!
Well, except for the teeter. We were 2/3 of the way through a beautiful Std run on Friday when Trevor got to the teeter and inexplicably stopped dead. The teeter phobia was back. Only this time, there was no obvious explanation.
There a fun match after the trial Friday night, so Trevor and I got to take our squeaky ball into the ring and practice the teeter (the very same one) many, many times. Surely that would vanquish the teeter phobia.
The next day, it appeared that we had gotten over the hump. Trevor went on the teeter. I thought we'd Qed, but we got called on a missed AF contact. Robbed!
Then today, Trevor once again stopped dead with his front paws on the teeter. He eventually crossed it, but the judge called it as a refusal anyway. Another otherwise perfect run ruined.
Big sigh.
So why did he refuse the teeter on Friday, thereby throwing us back into another teeter regression? My theory is that it was a combination of us slacking off on our contact practice and the stress of running on more challenging courses (since we moved to Exc). The courses this weekend had some really nasty contact angles. I think it pushed Trevor a little too far out of his comfort zone, and thus his fragile truce with the contacts was broken.
Our plan is to start our regular contact practice again. In the past, just getting him on them several times a week made all the difference.
He Qed on all 3 of his Exc B JWW runs this weekend. He and Touki are opposites, basically. It took her forever to get jumpers legs--she was much stronger in Std. He also finished his Open FAST title.
Touki had a good weekend. She QQed twice and got a decent number of MACH points. We're now a little over 550 MACH points (sigh), with 34 QQs. She's gotten 5 QQs alone since she returned to agility in mid-October after missing 4 months due to her toenail problems. Good girl, Touki!