It's so nice to have our agility practice buddies.
We have a little dog practice, then we go for a little forest walk. The dogs are all, frolic frolic frolic after they learn to serp, threadle, and push. Outside of agility, Banksy loves everyone. She is a freaking rainbow unicorn of lovebugs outside of agility.
Banksy is not a good sport at practice though. She doesn't like to wait her turn, and pretty much she wants to go apeshit when the other puppies are running. They other puppies are well behaved and patient. Just MY puppy is the apeshit one.
Why are some dogs so complicated?
She sounds awful and horrible and mean during the apeshitting. And she goes from being a sharing, carebear of toys and sticks to an evil guardy monster when it is the agility. Big stink eye at the water bowl. The agility brings out her inner Tonya Hardingbeast.
So she does tricks behind the bush. When it's not her turn, she has to stay behind the bush. If she goes apeshit there, then it's back in the crate. Where she makes horrible sounds. Did Tonya have to sit behind bushes way back when she was a skate puppy in Portland, way before any Olympic star spangled tutu dresses and dreams of gold medals?
It is getting better. Slowly. We work on this a lot. I will never give Otterpop a bat. My goals are modest at this point in our agility career trajectory. Someday I dream of watching my friends practice from not behind a bush. That would be awesome.
7 comments:
This post almost made my tea come out of my nose! My Aussie puppy was a a Harding puppy too, banshee screams and all....we can now listen to others tear down the dogwalk (thank you rubberized contacts) and go through tunnels without me crying "whyyyyyyyyy?" anymore (she's like Animal from the Muppets, but thank gawd without thumbs).
Although time has not been kind to Tonya Harding (just watched a Netflix doc on her), I bet it will be kind to you and Banksy. Hi-Fi also was a screamer, not so easy around the agilities, but he is much better, most of the time. Some dogs just love agility, you could have way worse problems.
Love this strip by the way, one of my faves.
As a side note my older sister went to high school for awhile with Mrs. Harding...
It looks like you have Banksy Harding and Nancy Kirkigan pegged.
Kirkigan wants to know what Banksy plans to wear to the Bayteam party next weekend? She's currently trying on her new Vera Wang agility tutu and will probalby wear that.
Mary, Silvia said I should have just trained her to do more tricks ringside when she was a little puppy and uh oh, now just do it more more more. I watch ALL the Silvia videos, I am trying so hard to be Slovenian.
CJ, I'm glad your tea didn't come out your nose. Thank god dogs don't have thumbs.
Tammy I knew you would probably have known Tonya somehow. Portlandia! My goal is that Banksy not continue down the same career path as Tonya so I hope we have some nice, kind, time on our side.
Channan, Of course Kirkigan got a Vera Wang tutu. Auuuggh. Now we have to go tutu shopping before the party. Do you think rhinestones in the shape of frolicking bats would look weird on an agility tutu?
This is a great article Mary! Silvia is so the Best. I have to remember stuff like that All the Time! I wish you could come down and do rdw's with us, Kathleen has built the hopefully non tippy plank (it involved digging) in the upper field which has become the official Silva puppy field. I am sad foundation class ending and very nervous to start rdw...
I love the little picture of Spark! You really captured his goofy expression. We ran the non-tippy raised boards today and he did lots of nice hits. Now to go buy him a skin tight spandex sequin encrusted skating jumpsuit to wear to the party....
My kelpie was also a screamer and flinger of the body at the end of the lead. We worked on tricks, distraction, sit stay... Then I realised that she was calm if she was tied up, and that she would put herself in a down. Lightbulb moment! Down stay works for us.
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