On failure and motivation

Today Bravo and I competed in another agility trial. Once again, we failed to successfully complete the Jackpot game. We seem to have hit a roadblock with this particular game, as we have gone 0 for 4 this year.

When I realized what had happened, I was quite upset. I contemplated just leaving, without completing the last 2 games of the day. I walked around outside for a while, fighting the frustration. If I couldn't get out of this mood, there was no point in continuing, at least not today. Bravo enjoys this so much, and I can't run him if I'm in a bad place. It wouldn't be fair to him. And I didn't have much time.

I managed to shake it off a bit, and got ready for the standard run. This is a game where you just follow the numbered obstacles. The ending was tricky, changing directions, alternately pushing out and pulling in. We ran well, and Bravo responded perfectly to all my cues, verbal and physical.

The last run of the day was Full House, where you make your own course, incorporating 3 single jumps, 2 "circles" (tunnel or tire jump) and 1 "joker", all while accumulating the appropriate number of points for your level. It seemed to me that getting enough points wouldn't be too tough, so I decided to put in a few techniques that don't show up in courses all that often, but that we have been practicing in class. Again, we kept the teamwork going throughout the run and finished the day with a great run and a first place ribbon.

When I got home I decided to review our stats.
2011: 13 trial days, 49 qualifying scores
2012: 13 trial days, 45 qualifying scores
2013:  6 trial days, 17 qualifying scores
Completed all 80 runs for Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4, as well as 31* of the 40 required for Level 5 in just over 26 months. That's a pretty good record. We have about an 80% success rate, and I can't really complain about that.

I had set my sights on completing Bravo's C-ATCH (those 9 remaining runs) before he turns 9 in September. But you know, that's a very arbitrary measure of success. We got started running really late, not until Bravo was 6. I'm happy with how we're working in general, and I love how enthusiastic he is. The most frequent comment I get is that he is so happy when he's in the ring.

So I plan to celebrate the joy and teamwork. Challenge myself to use different techniques and not just play it safe. Make sure that Bravo is having fun in each and every run. And have fun just running with my dog.

Bravo, showing the joy

courtesy of Herreid Photography

*For anyone who is nerdy enough to add all this up, you will notice there is an extra run. I have 1 more qualifying score than I need in the Jumpers game.

More photos

Today Bravo and I took a walk around Lake of the Isles. It's been a while since I walked there. Here's downtown from the south side of the lake:

Here's a guy who has the above as a permanent view, and the wood ducks who were ignoring it.















And finally, when we got home, Bravo played with his own duck for a while, but then decided on a nap.

This is currently his favorite toy. He knows it's called "Duck". He likes me to throw it, and then he pounces on it and makes it quack.

Dog Park

It was a gorgeous fall day today. Bright blue sky, perfect temperature, just a little wind.


I decided it was a great day to go to the dog park. I have recently found that the park district has set up off-leash areas at several parks. I went to Bryant Lake last weekend, and Carver today. Both were fully fenced, with a double-gate entry system to foil escapees, and a small-dog section available. Bryant is much smaller - about the size of the Bloomington park we'd been using, but nicely laid out. Carver is huge - about 27 acres, I think it said. Mostly grass land, but there is a hill in the middle, and they've mowed paths through the grass. Bravo just loved it, yet he didn't want to be too far out of my sight.

We started walking around the park with a younger Golden and his owners. About halfway around, I had lagged a little behind and Bravo was around the bend, and ahead of the other two people. When he spotted me coming around the corner, he got quite excited. He did his little racing-around-in-circles-at-full-speed thing, and got both the Golden and a Great Dane to chase him. He can be FAST when he goes all out. After that, I continued to be behind the mother and daughter who were with the Golden, and Bravo kept running ahead, and then checking back to be sure I was there. It was quite cute.

After one circuit, though, Bravo decided we were going to leave. This has been his habit at the other dog park, as well. Today he actually got out into the exit area when another dog was leaving. I had to go get him, and then we went walking some more, while I took more pictures.


He found a tennis ball along the trail, and I threw that for him a bit. And when we got back to the entrance, I made sure that I took him well away from the gate to put on the leash. And that he waited nicely to be invited through.

Hope you all enjoyed the day, too.

Bravo and the park

Bravo here. I wanted to tell you all about this park near our house. It has a really big green thing and a playground and other stuff. Julie takes me up there sometimes, but not very often. A long time ago (Julie says it was months ago, whatever that means. I don't really do time well), we went up there and since there was no one else around, she let me off lead. She doesn't do that very often, let me tell you.

Well, I ran across the field and there was a fence and a BIG patch of dirt and right by the fence there was a box with a ball next to it. Naturally I picked up the ball. It was different from the ones at home, though - heavier and not at all squishy. But still, it was a ball and I'd found it and I was going to have a lot of fun with it! Except, of course, Julie took it away from me and left it there. She can be a real spoil-sport sometimes.

Then not quite so long ago, Julie let me run at the park again. As soon as I got off lead, I went straight to the box and looked for the ball she made me leave there. I sniffed all around the box, but couldn't find it anywhere. Julie was really surprised that I found the same box so fast! So then she called me and we went to where there was another space completely surrounded by a tall fence. I'd seen a place like that before, and it had been covered with tennis balls. This one didn't have any balls inside the fence, but I did manage to find one under a tree nearby. It was nice and light and squishy, just right to chomp on. Julie threw it for me a few times, and then I carried it all the way home.

This morning we walked in that same park again. But this time, I didn't get to go off lead. And there were no balls to be found anywhere. Found balls are my favorite thing! Well, except food. And getting to meet new people.

Olympics and other games

I've been sucked into watching a LOT of Olympics. Again. Every time - both summer and winter - I think there isn't going to be much I want to watch. And every time, I end up spending hours watching stuff like track. Of course, I admit I do fast forward through quite a bit (what's Tivo for, after all?). And sometimes I have it on in the family room while I read my email, etc. in the kitchen. But I also watch more of it than I thought I would.

I do wish prime time would show just a little more variety. I'd rather watch highlights of the shooting, or just a couple of minutes of the open water swim, or the kayaking, than endless preliminaries of track events. I saw just a glimpse of the archery early on, and thought that was quite interesting. I do realize there's a lot more than prime time. I've recorded a lot of the Oxygen shows (largely equestrian and gymnastics so far) and I have watched a little of the online coverage (mostly dressage and a little fencing). But even though the commentary often annoys me, without any commentary at all, you have to know a lot about the sport to enjoy the online coverage.

Anyway, yesterday I let the Tivo run and went out with Bravo. After we picked up library books, we went to a park and wandered through. Past the playground (lots of kids calling "doggie", but no petting), past the tiny kids in huge helmets at football practice, up to the frisbee golf field. Decided that was too dangerous to walk through, so we turned around.

Then we paused on a hill overlooking several courts for a sport I did not recognize. Long narrow dirt courts - 6 of them. Several had games going on. They threw a little white ball out in the middle, and then seemed to be trying to get close to it with larger colored balls. Is this bocce? I had no idea, but we watched for a while. Bravo was interested, looking very regal with his ears up and following the movements.

But what really interested him was the tennis court. Two men were playing. And they had left dozens of balls all over their court. (I don't think Bravo noticed the bucket of balls at the back.) At first he continued walking, but every time the closest guy hit the ball, he'd turn and start toward it. Finally he stopped and just stared. He stayed that way for several minutes. I guess he thought the fence MIGHT dissolve so he could go get those balls. Or one of them might somehow get past the fence. It COULD happen. Finally, I asked him if he was ready to go, and he immediately turned and came away. I could just see him shaking his head and thinking "what a waste". I mean, he's not a REAL tennis ball nut. (Our first dog Jenny was, and he's NOTHING like that. She would chase tennis balls until she dropped from heat exhaustion. Literally. He reserves that sort of intensity for squirrels.) But he LOVES to hold them in his mouth. (And chomp on them. Or tear the covers off.) Two balls in the mouth are even better. He's tried for three, but that goal still eludes him. And there were ALL those beautiful, bright green, quite new tennis balls. Just sitting there! And no one had put a mouth on them to feel that luscious give of a fresh springy ball in strong jaws. You could see, he thought human games were weird.

Here's another gull picture. I like the reflection in the wet sand.