25 June 2009

Dirt night rides again.


We've been on a little break from Dirt Nite. The arena got sprayed down with the special dirt polymer that makes the dirt oh so sticky and black and gooey and makes Dirt Nite what it is. Hella Dirty. So classes cancelled the last few weeks, and it was good to be back.

After I taught my class, I made sure all my dogs got turns running in the other classes. I tried to take the pressure off Gustavo, and just let him be who he is, and he had a bunch of super little runs. Not perfect, not trying to handle him through the hard master's courses anymore. I took all the pressure off, made things easy for him, and he didn't have to sit tied to the fence when the really fast, over the top dogs ran. Just did short easy sections of the sequences and he was great. And did a couple teeter totters. I can tell now when he's reaching meltdown point, and I have to know for him when enough is enough. Gustavo is who he is, and I'm finally getting it that he can only focus as long as he can. Then he has to have a break.

Just a little coffee break. His union demands it. It's taken me a long time to be willing to accept that his work ethic is a little bit different than everybody else. He's kind of the minimum wage guy around the office. Sweeps up the hair off the floor. Runs downstairs for a smoke. Sends the faxes, maybe to wrong phone numbers. Has a little more coffee, and he totally knows all the good gossip. Might not get around to getting those copies made. But he is the guy that EVERYBODY wants to hang out with after work. Party on, dude.

I gotta just keep his little square peg in the square peg hole. Let us all learn a lesson from super mega breeders Jon and Kate Plus 8. Kate, I believe tried to shove square peg Jon in the circle hole and then he left and had an affair with the 20 year old and then she had an affair with the bodyguard and my god. Hair plugs. The man has hair plugs and got a motorcycle and now, they're divorced.

The lesson we've learned? His inner championness will come out on it's own time schedule. And if it never does, PARTY ON DUDE! Like it's 1999. Hair plugs!

Ruby jumped low and she just seems so happy being an agility dog again. And Otterpop was Otterpop. Just doing her thing and like a hunk of zucchini bread on wheels zooming around and not a care in the world. I tried to make sure to take care of all my dogs and give them breaks and have a couple walks and let running be fun and stress free for all of us.

Wasn't I quitting agility just a few weeks ago? Something about a succulent farm? What was up with that?

7 comments:

Amy Carlson said...

So last night was Aphid Day At The Lady Bug Park, instead of Rabies Day At The Raccoon Park? Way to go, Gustavo. Chow down on a few aphids and life is good, if you are a lady bug. Start singing A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood, or maybe We Are The Champions, or Doe Rei Me.

team small dog said...

Aphid Day, is this is a good thing? I think if Gustavo could sing he would channel Andre3000 but just sing classic Buzzcocks tunes, forget all the words but keep dancing around, doing the la la la la word forgetting in supreme style.

Anonymous said...

Minimum Wage Dude? Hmmm. He looked *at least* like a Living Wage Dude with many sequences where he definitely deserved a 20% tip. And his fastness is sure coming back. Glad you are having fun, again.

Deb said...

I'd definitely give him bennies as well as the 20% tip. He looked good and had fun.

Amy Carlson said...

Oh....."la la la la".....must be the words Spur sings, or at least what he hears when he goes to that special place?

Anonymous said...

BTW, funny how Dirt Night changed into Grassy Field Day.

team small dog said...

Yeah you're just supposed to pretend that the grass field is dirt in the photo. I believe this is called, lying? Wait. Suspension of belief?