OMGZ Tunnels!

Today at practice we worked a NADAC-style Touch N Go course. For those who don't know, Touch N Go consists only of A-frames, Dog Walks, tunnels, and hoops. There are no jumps.

But there are lots...



And lots...



And lots...



Of tunnels!



It was a great opportunity to work on my handling because without jumps in the way, Cedar was haulin' butt even more than usual :-P. Overall, I was very pleased with how well she did today, especially with doing the contact obstacles at speed.



Practice was crowded today because everyone is gearing up for our local NADAC trial next weekend. I decided not to enter Cedar and wait until we're completely ready. I like to err on the side of caution when it comes to competition... I'd rather go into the ring feeling over-prepared than worried about what might happen. :)



We ran the course twice one way, and then did it backwards-- which was tough! I had a hard time remembering where we were headed at times. I was worried that she might not "see" the hoops and run past them, but she did awesome-- even at a distance!



As long as I told her where to go, she was more than happy to work out away from me. I was very pleased to see that. I really feel like Cedar and I have become a much stronger team in recent weeks.



Agility has been really great for me and Cedar's relationship. I've learned to trust her more, and she has learned to listen better and work confidently under pressure and distraction.

Agility makes Cedar happy.





It makes me happy, too.



Things we need to work on:
- Finish training/proofing the weaves
- Tunnel discrimination (she is quite the tunnel sucker... so I need to break her fixation a bit with what Mary likes to call "tunnel aversion therapy," LOL)
- Speeding up her teeter performance
- Solidifying contact (2o2o) performance at speed.
- Smooth out my handling and practice thinking further ahead so that I can give Cedar cues/commands on time.