Agility fun run

There is an indoor agility facility where I have gone for some classes, and there will be a trial there soon, so they offered a practice session, or fun run.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to enter the trial, so I decided to take Cassi and Teka to the fun run.  I made it right on time and it was already packed.  I found an empty kennel for them and then set up my kennel for Teka, leaving Cassi in the other kennel.

serpentine on left coming from weaves

The jumpers course was set up with two sets of course numbers, so we could run twice with different course flow; unfortunately, it confused me and I missed part of both courses.  Teka would NOT do the weaves on the first course so I made her leave without finishing.  On the next course, I used the clicker and she made it through.  Now, if I could use a clicker during a trial, that would totally help, but alas, that is against the rules.

Jumpers course

Cassi was pretty excited to play.  She went around the start jump, which was a triple (pictured above), so we restarted.  She tried to go under the tire but I said no and she went through it.  (I'm sure that would be a refusal at trial.)

serpentine around to jump

The standard course was also set with two sets of course numbers.  Teka and Cassi both had trouble with the weaves and another lady thought her Vizsla didn't like how close they were to the wall.  As with the jumpers course, there was a serpentine, but the 3 jumps here were exactly in a row while they were more angled on the jumpers course.  Cassi did fantastic, and did the teeter (and I used the clicker, which she seemed to like.) Teka did well on the weaves when we were heading to the wall and I used the clicker.

weaves go straight back from jump

I had a chance to talk to a lady who has been doing agility a long time and been involved with dogs for decades.  She recommended that Teka might benefit from wearing ear plugs (one human ear plug cut in half) during trials to help her tune out the noise and nervous energy.  The lady who runs the place recommended I teach a verbal with the clicker; I'm not great at noises but I'll have to figure out a "click."  She also told me to be careful about running in socks because someone "broke her toe that way."  She doesn't want "outside" shoes on the matting, so I was running in socks because I only have one pair of athletic shoes that aren't humongous on me, and that pair is the one I've been wearing to my outside agility class, so they are dirty.

The upcoming trial will have all of the Excellent courses run first, then the Open and Novice levels will run.  After today's adventure, I'm not sure that I will enter Teka in the trial.  I usually enter Teka since I'll "be there anyway" but this trial, I can leave after Cassi is done.  Oh, what to do, what to do....