Good Morning, Good Night

"Good morning Tibby.  Time to get up for the 2nd day of the seminar!"

I was very tempted to skip the 2nd day.  Really, really tired when my alarm went off at 5:45am.

I'm glad I didn't.  Today was much better than yesterday.  For starters, we all slept through the night.  Not a peep out of Tibby.  She woke up when the alarm went off, rolled over and went back to sleep.  Ah!  So tempting to follow her example!

I crated Tibby out of the car and it was much, much better for both of us.  She went to sleep in the crate and was behaving more like herself - i.e. doing a visiting loop (not quite a zoomie) around the room during our working spot.

I'll write up a full post soon, but I thought the session (Attention As A Behavior) this morning was better than yesterday.  I'm actually a little confused about why today's session wasn't yesterday, because having focus/attention seems to be the basic 1st step to do yesterday's heeling exercises.  I wanted to ask Jane about that, but I forgot.

Anyway, we made it home.  Tibby was happy to see her couch and she is crashed out there now.  First she had to chase Catty around the back yard and then she fell asleep.

I think the most interesting thing at the seminar was the people.  I met Crystal and Laura - it was fun to finally meet them.  And I got to pet Vito!!  :)

The other people were interesting.

Hopefully none of those other non-blogfriend people read this blog, because I'm going to talk about them!!

After our first working spot on Sat. two women came up to me and we had an odd conversation.  Maybe I was just tired and it was totally normal.  "Is she spayed?" 'yeah'  "Oh, too bad!"  Other woman to 1st woman, "Is she what you're looking for?"  1st woman, "Oh, yes.  Exactly."

1st woman to me, "She can really move.  She has excellent structure.  You know in a performance dog you want the whole package and I hope you know she is the whole package."

Me, "Well, I think she is :)"

I also made a new friend (Kirsten?) who had a working spot in the afternoon on Sat.  Her dog was a Brittaney Spaniel (Sparkles) puppy that did a nice big zoomie loop when it was supposed to be heeling.  Kirsten (well, I think that was her name) was crying outside the seminar room after the first rotation through the working spots.  Tibby and I were waiting to go back into the seminar room and I was able to give her a little support/I've been there/it gets better/don't give up pep talk.  She was nice.  I did feel bad for her, because I've been there and it sucks.  Like NO ONE understands until they have been there.

So to the people who were sitting next to me!!! - No, she doesn't need to get a herding breed, "because you can train one of them in half the time".  Really?  That's the point of dog training?  'cause that sure isn't why I do it.  I heard a lot of breed-ism this week-end, which was kind of odd considering the seminar material.  Lot's of, "Well, you might need to do that with a terrier, but not with my sheltie/BC/ect."  I guess I don't get it.  A dog is a dog.  They have good traits and difficult traits, but they are all dogs.  I wouldn't trade Tibby for any dog.  I have never seen another dog that I thought, "Ooo, I wish I had that dog instead of Tibby."  Why do I love Tibby?  Because we have learned together!  Everything is part of the journey.  Sometimes the journey is bumpy, like Sparkles Mom was experiencing or Tibby in the crate-dungeon-of-doom, but each part is an important step.

Every day your dog is with you you're training it.

SO

  Why would anyone be in a hurry to get to the end of the road?