Since Speedstakes was the first class of the day at a very local trial, I entered Molly in just that class and planned to spend the rest of the day taking Perri and Zorro hiking. When the course map was emailed to me in the morning I groaned when I saw the off course tunnel possibility and promptly started obsessing about it. The plan during the walk through was a lead out and a reverse spin early probably even on landing from 2. And then she broke her start line stay and I flailed and lost my shit mentally and "have to get to #3!!!!!!!!!!" and I did a pull instead of a spin as well as giving her forward motion to the wrong tunnel and we NQd end of the story.
I get so tired of myself doing things like this. The broken stay was not a problem. My response to start running when she broke the stay was what made the wheels fall off. Sometimes I wonder if it will ever sink in!
Hiking went much better! I took Perri and Zorro to the no leash laws reservoir/quarry area that I like to hike at. It is a popular area on the weekends for rock climbing and swimming and all manner of "free spirited" types of modern day hippies. I love it. There is literally a sign posted to let people know that dogs are allowed to run free off of their leashes. There is graffiti all over the more popular walking areas. There are miles of unmarked trails above and beyond those areas where I rarely encounter other people. It is fascinating to me that in a place that is proudly leash optional, I never have issues with off or on leash dogs bothering me or my dogs. The other owner and I see each other approach, we leash or hold our dogs as we pass and then release on the other side of the pass. Easy peasy.
Zorro drug the leash the entire hike. I only held the leash when Perri was doing her hunting rounds above and around us, off trail and through the woods. Given that I lost Perri when she was a puppy in exactly the same situation, I am wary of letting Zorro follow her for such hunting sprints. (When Perri was a young puppy she followed Molly and Everett off sprinting through the woods. The baby puppy could not keep up and they left her in the dust. And lost!)
I am happy to let Zorro off his leash up ahead on the trail where I can see him. He does regular check ins and always gets a high value reward, and I practice recalls now and then and again give him an excellent pay out for responding.
Since I was wearing my hiking boots today I did not wade into the reservoir to help encourage Zorro to swim out after Perri, but today he surprised me by wading in up to his belly on several occasions for a drink and even on one occasion swimming out after Perri while she was retrieving! He has never done this with me staying "on shore". All in good time. He makes me laugh though, after he gets wet he has sort of a temper tantrum. He scrapes his feet and makes funny little sounds and will even fling himself on the ground trying to rub the water off of himself! Too cute.
That would have been a tough tunnel to avoid even with a start line stay. I hardly ever let my guys off leash, Celtic would be off chasing squirrels and Beckett just wants to play frisbee.
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