We started the day with a quick training session at home. Then we went out to the fort for a 2.5 mile walk. There's a space where we come out of the woods and its hard to see what might be going on, so I always put Gimme back on lead until I verify there are no loose dogs nearby. Yesterday I turned it into a training session on heeling. Clearly I don't practice heeling in enough strange places, as Gimme was amazed and delighted to discover she could earn treats for heeling there too. Who knew...
Then I put in two hours at work, followed by racing home to pre-cook dinner for my parents. Then more racing out the door to drive an hour to agility class.
Class was great - though I have to admit Gimme wasn't as focused as our last class. In hindsight, as always, it was my fault. I was trying to do sequences that were too long. One of my classmates taped our second run in class... It took a few tries for us to get it right. Here is a short video segment I put together that shows Gimme playing agility. She has a lot of talent... Do enjoy...
I'd gotten there early enough to set up the expen so we could work on "whazzat" while another dog was running. Now that I've fine tuned that behavior, its working much better. Having the "office" means I can be more relaxed. Gimme did very well at that - the best ever.
After class I drove to my parents', cooked them dinner and generally hung out. My Dad has always loved Gimme, so I brought her in and did a training session, showing off the tricks we've been working on. They aren't anything special, but my folks were suitably impressed and Dad really laughed at her. That's the first time I've seen him laugh like that in a very long time.
I noticed that Gimme was very gentle with her interactions with Dad, and yet more boisterous with Mom. Later as Dad was walking down the hall, Gimme came zooming down the hall and I stepped in to be ready to steady him if needed. I didn't have to, she very deliberately curved around him. My Dad is very weak and frail, unsteady on his feet - and Gimme recognizes that special care is necessary. She's a long way from doing formal therapy dog work, but I'm seeing the instincts are clearly there. This excites me, especially since I've always noticed how many people are drawn to her.
Today I'd planned to go the fort for another walk, but it rained all day. Then to top it off, nosework class was cancelled. So, we met Mary and Grafton for a walk around the lake in the rain. Now Gimme is snoozing contentedly...
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