Training. MLF Dog Sports
The Start.
When we started this adventure, it wasn't an adventure at all.
Greg and I had had Buster for about 3 years, and she was the perfect dog from the get go. She immediately understood the doggy door and never once pottied in the house or barked inappropriately/excessively. Well... there was that one incident of dragging my bra from the bedroom to show to a guest thinking it was a toy... but that was truly the highlight of her questionable behavior.
Then along came AJ. AJ was NOT the perfect puppy. He was a possessed little monkey-puppy demon. There wasn't a shoe in the house that was safe. He had the zoomies every morning at 8 and every evening at 8... and pretty much all hours in between. He just needed more. He needed a "job" because his little puppy brain was always looking for something to do to keep him entertained... and we needed to learn how to focus and control him. We knew NOTHING about dog training, but wanted something more substantive than the basic sit commands we anticipated getting from the local pet store classes.
So I jumped on the internet and started researching. We decided to try this Agility thing to see if he would enjoy it. Of course, Buster got to try too because, in our minds, she was the smart one and we could never leave her out of anything.
My "kids" were now enrolled in "gymnastics".
Buster and AJ both went nuts! They seemed to have an enormous interest, and AJ certainly showed a ton of athleticism and drive. More to the point, he responded with behavioral changes immediately! Holy cow. We saw hope that he could somehow be wrangled and directed. So we continued with both dogs in MLF's puppy/beginner classes. Seriously, all we were looking for at the start were some obedience tools and something to keep AJ occupied and out of trouble for an hour per week.
The Need.
AJ LOVED "gymnastics"... and so did Buster (much to our surprise). Greg and I both attended so that we could be consistent in our efforts to tame the wild beast. We soon realized, as Anita Easley (our "gymnastics coach" told us), that puppy training was as much about people training as it was the dogs. Like good parents, we would go to class once per week and then on most "off" nights we would spend 10 minutes or so each evening at home reinforcing what we had learned in class.
It was a miracle. Buster was a focused chubba-wubba obedience ringer and the changes we saw in AJ were stunning. Our guess was right, when AJ had a job to do, he was a freaking rock star. We couldn't believe what we were seeing. So we continued. We just kept going to classes and moving through the levels learning the basics and getting comfortable on the equipment. Both dogs earned there AKC Good Canine Certificates.
Greg and I found we also enjoyed the social aspect of classes. Just hanging out, laughing and talking about our dogs with others in the same boat. We met (and continue to meet) some really nice people. For me, it was one hour per week where there were no clients... no calls... no stress. I didn't realize how much I needed that.
After about 9 months, we realized that Buster had pretty much maxed out her potential with gymnastics (but was still the perfect Rally/Obedience candidate). AJ, however, was looking to make the competition team. Oh... they don't call it that at MLF, but AJ and I were enjoying our training so much and he was excelling. Greg and I both come from elite athletic/competitive backgrounds, so here in our “slowed down a bit” years, we had found a new outlet via the wild child.
We decided to try a private lesson or two on the big kids side of the facility with Cindy Meadows. It was painfully obvious when we did this that I was the one holding my dog back. AJ was better than me and was correcting for my newbie handler mistakes. Cindy was patient and kind. Eventually, we were invited to join the "team" and felt ready enough to go to a tournament (they call them "trials" in this sport).
The competitive season in Arizona technically runs year round, but in reality, Fall and Winter are the best/busiest times because of weather. Cindy got us ready and at the end of October 2019, with AJ being 2 1/2 years old, we entered our first event.
There are levels to AKC competitions (Novice, Open, Excellent, and Masters). You have to earn a number of Qs (qualifying scores) in a level in order to advance. Qs are based on accuracy and time. Some people get stuck in a level for a year two before advancing out.
In November through January, AJ skyrocketed through Novice and Open winning pretty much every time he entered anything (mamma likes the pretty blue ribbons). We are now in the Excellent division with a couple of Qs under our belt. Our goal had been to get all the way to Masters in our first November to April season (a feat not really accomplished by many), but the COVID stuff pretty much shut things down while we were just one Q shy. UG.
The Commitment.
I suppose I should mention Miss Stevie, our "white wing dove" somewhere in here. Stevie was born in March of 2019 (about the time AJ first moved over to the competition side of the field). AJ was/is a co-own with our breeder because of his lineage... and basically, we agreed to let him do his bachelor/stud thing with another one of the breeder's girls in exchange for a puppy pick. We had the puppies here at the house and it was an AMAZING experience! Greg absolutely fell in love with Stevie. She is definitely Daddy's little girl. And while AJ's puppy activity and piss-ant antics shocked us... we knew exactly what to expect this time around with Stevie... or at least we thought we did. We were wrong.
Stevie is far more independent and calculating that AJ ever was. AJ was just all boy... Stevie is/was a calculating little raptor ("clever girl")/flower-child who loves butterflies and clouds and shoes and patio furniture... and has no need to please anyone but herself. The world is her oyster. We are apparently just lucky to be graced by her presence and beauty.
We started Stevie in Anita's puppy class at 6 months old and she is coming along nicely, but she presents her own set of challenges. I am a better trainer with her than I was with AJ at the beginning. At 1 now, she has learned all of the obstacles and commands better and faster than AJ did, but she feels no "need" to please me at any given time. It's all just a fun game she plays when she feels like it. Our neighbors affectionately refer to her as "Stevie-Bin-Laden" because of her mischievous antics. Once again, I am learning and I am being trained on how to deal with her personality.
The Continuation.
So that's the story... or at least our first few chapters. We cannot say THANK YOU enough to MLF Dogsports, Anita Easley, and Cindy Meadows for guiding us on this Agility Adventure. As I said, this started as just a way to learn to control a very active puppy. Training has done more than that for us... it has created a new outlet for Greg and I... and I love where the dogs are at with all of this. Can't wait to see what's next.