Project Runaround.

So is it just me, or is Project Runway sort of sad this time around?

Like it is more about being on Project Runway, then just being on Project Runway.

Even the entertaining ones are just really, not that entertaining. And while I was happy that Chris got to come back, and it was sad Jack had to leave (not a surprise because he leaked this to the press like weeks ago so everyone knew this was happening) I was still sort of like, left, unsatisfied. Like when you split the piece of ho ho cake instead of getting your own piece. It's good, but it could be a lot better. Because I have had my own piece of ho ho cake on more than one occasion and I KNOW how good it is.

And the thing of Steve going, who did make a super ugly dress for sure, is he was very witty and sort of was the main witty guy actually. Who is going to be witty now? Chris will be voted off soon. Christian is not exatly witty, just humorous and interesting and his hair is witty. Ricky just cries. Sweet P can jump like a monkey and she is sweet but to be witty you need to have that somewhat evil streak. Jillian and Victoria are just mean and humorless. They will grow up to become Nina. Rami is very serious. They're all just serious which means the producers will have weird challenges I bet to get them all a twitter fight. Not going to be good.

I am trying to approach training Gustavo as if we have been asked to compete on Project Runaround. So I am trying to do a serious and good job, yet also be fun and witty and get a lot of camera time. Yesterdays challenge started with "leave its" because we started training out with 3 big barking dogs running up and down the other side of the fence, as if screaming, "You are letting her make you a sissy boy Gustavo and should come out here and let us kick your ass and become a barking ranch dog!" At the exact spot I had planned to start with, my little organized sissy jump chute with a tunnel on one end and a chute barrel on the other. But, Tim Gunn was there and he said "Make it work," so we worked on clicking leave its and stays, something I haven't ever really done with him because he is a good dog. And I had been thinking, something my other dogs had done a lot of and really did build trememdous focus from them because they both had issues. Otterpop spent many a day walking around random guys in parks doing leave its. Ruby spent years doing it with other dogs everywhere. So that was one turn. And boy, those dogs have learned to leave it and stay. And they're no sissies.

Then we did contacts for his next turn. He has to sit and watch the other dogs have very fun turns of practicing real agility things, not the training wheels. Tricycle wheels. That gets him amped up. So we did contacts to build focus next. He is getting good at those, we just worked on the dogwalk and he is running down from the top now. Nice and fast and solid each time! Clicking and treating, then a fast run out to a toy which he likes to grab and then just tug with, not a fetcher. I really, really, really don't want to get voted off yet. The contacts could be our saving grace right now.

Next turn, runs up the full size teeter into his down. I've been alternating with him tipping it himself on the tables, or just running to the top where he gets to eat a piece of Trader Joe's string cheese all the way down, real, real, slow. That was today's. The only problem of this is that he loves doing this, and I have to really watch him that he doesn't run up when he's on a loony toones run around the field moment, tip it himself on full height and get scared. Which he did a couple weeks ago and I can tell has changed his relationship with it some. He is tiny! That thing is huge!

After each turn, besides just playing and tugging we do some jumps with runs to tug or front crosses or I send him over after a toy. So he thinks fast jumps are part of playing. Sometimes he gets too focused on the toy and misses at the jump. Susan Garrett saw this and I saw her shake her head and tell me to go get her DVD about foundation jumping. Augh.

So when it was his turn down the runway, we didn't get voted off yesterday but we weren't in the top group either. Our scores were high enough to avoid elimination was all we got. So at least we're still in there but we need to get better to win the next challenge. I have to remember the next challenge may be with Susan Garret and Rob and Nancy Gyes as judges and so I better keep doing better training and not complaining my dog is retarded. Project Runaround is hard for a slacker type like me.