Winner, Winner! Three First Place Ribbons!

Being in the “championship” level is tough. I can’t make any mistakes anymore. I have to weave the poles perfectly from beginning to end, take all obstacles in order and clear the bars without knocking any over. You’d think this was a given, but in the beginner levels they are somewhat forgiving about those things. Not anymore.

Last month I took home three 1^st place ribbons in one day, which means no mistakes were made. Woo hoo! The first course was a game called Jackpot. There are jumps, contact obstacles like the a-frame, the teeter or the dog walk, tunnels and tires. I earned 53 points on this course, received my Q, which means “qualify,” and took home a ribbon!

The next ribbon came from a game called Colors. The judge offers two courses and I had to follow either yellow or blue. I chose yellow because it reminds me of sunshine and sunshine makes me happy. The first part of the course overlaps with blue so it can be a bit confusing but I powered through and was the fastest dog without a mistake. It only took me 24 seconds to earn my Q and another first place ribbon. (I see celebratory treats in my future!)

The next course I earned a 1^st place ribbon in was a Jumpers course. These courses have an intricate maze of jumps, a tunnel or two and sometimes weave poles. There are no climbing obstacles in these. I was the fastest dog (again) and earned my Q and another 1^st place ribbon to take home! Mom was seriously proud that day!

So, I’m sure some of you are wondering how I get through these courses so well, right? Aside from my natural intellect, mom uses a number of cues, both verbal and nonverbal that lead me through them. I’m still learning but mom says I am doing well considering I had no dog training before she rescued me. Although, I am not sure what she means by that; I think I was pretty well behaved. She’s also figured out that I work better when treats and toys are involved. I’d like to think I trained her in that aspect.

Either way, I love running trials and am a pretty fast learner. I’m sure I’ll be bringing home many more 1^st place ribbons very soon, which means many more yummy treats too!

If you have any agility questions, comment below and I’ll share my 1^st place secrets with you.

More adventures later!

Ears Truly,

One Up Max