Here I am again, the night before an agility trial with Molly. What to expect? Who knows. But I feel like Molly and I both have improved since our disaster trial in March. I am feeling more comfortable with handling, and Molly and I have been practicing at home with regularity. In this past Monday's agility class, Molly and I actually managed a clean run. In fact, I have felt more like a team with Molly in the past two weeks than I ever have. I hope that translates in tomorrow's trial.
I have two new tricks up my sleeve. This evening, I took Molly to a groomer and had her anal glands expressed. Molly's hind end is a constant source of frustration for her and I, and the last agility trial she DID spend a lot of time licking her rear end and smelling bad. Since I am a good dog mommy, I make excuses and blame her erratic behavior on her anal glands! They were bothering her, how could she EVER manage to touch contact zones when she wasn't feeling her finest?
My other trick is the Ball. Molly's last little mini trial - when she finally earned her first Level One title and did a fantastic Fullhouse Level Two run - was preceded by a good hard game of fetch. The same goes for this past Monday's agility class. Running hard and enjoying her favorite mindless activity to blow off steam has proven beneficial for Molly - and I am interested to see if some fetch sessions in between runs at the trial tomorrow will help.
It's all a learning process with my crazy brindle girl!
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