Blink

As my decision making skills are at an all-time low (which is saying something since I’ve always been a champion waffler), and no one appears to want to make any decisions FOR me (…wusses!) I started trying to figure through things a bit.

Then I started reading the book Blink. This is by the guy who wrote Outliers, which was depressingly interesting. So far Blink lacks the same depression factor but is similarly fascinating.  His topic this time is instinct and impressions. What I gather so far is that you need just 2 seconds to come to the same gut decision on something or someone that you might take weeks or months to arrive at by carefully thinking through.

What’s not to like about THAT?

***

My gut tells me lots of things.  Besides when to eat and when to find a restroom, that is. 

Your gut probably tells you lots too. Connected to our guts is this whole subconscious decision making process that knows each of us better than our stupid conscious minds that take forever to make themselves up.  Basically it’s in charge of how we stay alive each day but it could do so much more for us if we would only listen. Disclaimer: Sometimes it’s bad to listen to your gut, like when it tells you to spend gobs of money you don’t have on pointy shoes you will never wear. But that’s why we have a brain too. The gut though, can be verrrrrry helpful aside from these few and far between situations.

Like, for example, when you need to decide what you really should focus on with your doggie for the next year.

***

While I tried to weigh things and ask advice and actually think everything through, it just made the whole question of what to do murkier. After showing Saturday (and after weekends of showing without any clear focus or respite) I went home and sat on the couch, exhausted, and just felt. No more thinking. I ate pizza to feed my gut and then some Cinnamon Toast Crunch (shhh, it’s what my gut WANTED) and then I just knew I was going to focus on AKC this year.  And now of course it makes total sense.  Even if I really don’t get anywhere with it, I can see it’s a better path.

It will ensure that I work hard on The Dog’s conditioning.

I will need to finally put in the time to educate her on jumping.

I’ll definitely need to keep improving my handling.

The Pup will be happier because she will get to show.

I can just see this other side of complacent behaviors if I focused on USDAA where all I have to work towards is titles. I can see messy confused jumping and handling if I try to do both. I can also see losing a LOT of crate pads because of Angry Pup not getting to show.

So there. Ahhhh. Thank you, gut.

***

Oh. Yes, we still will show USDAA if it fits. The August/September months will be dedicated as I’m still going to the Regionals and Nationals. She will be jumping 22” for those events and our club’s giant spring trial.  If I enter Grand Prix at any time before Regionals, that will be 22” but otherwise I will run her 26”. 

And now we have a whole glorious month off. Yaaaay! And then if I am lucky (uh, smart?) we won’t have back to back shows again for a loooong time.

***

As for the last hurrah- She ran really, really well on Saturday. Not a super Q rate because of ME and my tired-unfocused-nonsupportiveness but she ran REALLY well. Very good dogwalks and Aframes and table.  (Side note: Saturday was TITLE DAY for everyone else at least! Congrats to the fresh ADCHs and a special smooshy kiss to Black Dog for her Gold ADCH!)

Sunday she ran less well (not as fast and sloppy contacts) which I managed better, sadly, so we had a nice Q rate.  I was surprised at the difference from one day to the next (granted the one dogwalk Sunday wasn’t an ideal set up but high leapy Aframes?) but tragically figured out that sad burned pads were the likely culprit. Sure wish she would limp or something…ever.

BUT she doesn’t care.  Not as much as me anyways. And she has a new Bat Cape so she will have extra enhanced R&R.  She really likes her Bat Cape.



I can haz hat too?



View from 26"!

Going to new heights- often a bit scary but quite exhilarating both in pursuit and actualization!
***
The start of the beta phase of our endeavor was largely positive. I'm glad... I suppose... To see that most of the bars were ME and not her lack of ability. Easier to work with I guess.

We had four runs, five bars. We've done worse at 22" in a single day, so I can't say it was some huge decline. Two of those were first bar down and I blame our frienemie the dogwalk. It was looking at her and she was looking at it. And in doing so looking through the jump. Homework!

The other three (and really, part of one of the start line bars) were me, me, Meee. Call your dog over a jump. Bad. Drop support while your dog is jumping. Bad. Give your dog a crap approach. Stupid and bad.

But I will learn to adjust, just like The Dog.

Part of MY issue is engaging myself more fully. While I can't be in her way, I can drive better and cue earlier. No lazy allowed. I was hoping these courses would be a bit more technically difficult ("international-y") to force my engagement but they were more speed kills and random spacing. But it's probably better this way, more telling!
***
We ran two rounds of standard type, one of Snakes and Ladders (where point robbing occurred and pipe tunnels blew her mind!) and one jumpers type. Strangely it was the jumpers course where she figured out the jumps the best (but I was smart to the engagement thing and providing much more information to her about collection by then) and didn't take any down. She was most off the pace there which isn't unusual in 22" either though she has been closing the gap there. I assume once she gets better at jumping at 26" there will be improvement in the new height too.

Her times were very good for the standard classes though, right in the mix (which uh, is saying something if you look at our 26" dogs around here). I think I was worried about an overall issue with being fast enough (since that's kind of required if we take this the long haul) but no need. If anything she was faster than at 22".
***
Observations for the record: I noticed that she puts in odd little collection strides here and there- not when called for. Probably in the name of being good and ensuring she keeps the bars up? But really need to find exercises to build her confidence to extend more and know what's appropriate for the situation. In slow motion it seems these are the times the jumping looks inverted.

A least things make sense. Nothing that makes me lose sleep asking WHYGODWHY??? (Not that I do that about agility. Well. Maybe the dogwalk. Once or twice.)

AS for her dogwalks. They were good! Her first (on her good side) was perfect. (Bad management after by me but no need to get into that.) Her other two were on the right, one was good though seemed slower to me and the other seemed off. "In" but strange, and in video it seems that she collected before getting on which makes no sense with the load (WHYGODWHY) and that threw her off enough to go to six strides instead of five. Odd. Something to ponder.
***
Overall, I'm happy and encouraged and all that. No one seemed aghast at my jumping her at 26" so it probably looked as ok as I think it did. AND. Her mood was excellent. She had fun; I think she likes jumping big. She had a naughty and ran around the ring while they were setting bars and she should have been setting up before our run in the last class- she only does that when she is high in practice. Good sign, bad timing. Nice judge, thanks for not E-ing us!
***
At this point, given all that, we will go ahead with The Plan. Some 26" from now until April, then 26" in AKC after that. FEO at WTTO if they will have us, and see where we are at around July. I DO want to go to Tulsa so if it isn't going well we may have to evaluate the long haul and resume 20". Likewise if she doesn't hold up physically we will abandon ship.

It's nice to have escape clause riders.
***
Video!