1st agility class

Overall it went really well. Summer was amazing except for the tunnel. She does not like the tunnel. So I have a tunnel we're going to be working on. She goes through about half the time.

She was of course the smallest dog in her class. The whole class was basically herding dogs- a bc, a smooth collie, an ACD x, a GSDx, an Aussie, a lab, and a JRT(?)x. And Summer. The instructor had a bc and a mini poodle. The lab was crazy and about 3 minutes in the man decided he shouldn't have brought him because he wanted to pounce on the two little dogs and the dog didn't even know how to sit or stay. It seemed he was trying to wrestle the dog the whole time.

The collie was terrified of everything. The jumps, the plank on the ground... he wouldn't touch it. The JRTx had competed before (not sure why he was in a beginner's class). He was the best in the class of course. The ACD and GSD mixes were really good and consistent though the ACD mix did not like the lab. The bc (Oliver) is owned by a really really attractive guy roughly my age. Didn't hurt him that he had a bc. Oliver was spastic at first and missed almost everything, but it came a long ways. He just seemed to really like to go around jumps.

And the Aussie... oh the Aussie.... He cracked me up. They had the jumps just a few inches off the ground and he wouldn't just step over it like every other dog, he'd bounce straight up 5 feet in the air over it. The man with him seemed to like to try to show off so he'd encourage him to run towards the table and the dog would just run into it and bounce straight in the air then go flying off of it. He overdid everything and knocked down bars every which way. He did know a lot of tricks and is apparently a frisbee dog (which could explain the springing in the air). The instructor was constantly telling the man to take it slow.

There was one incident with Summer and Oliver the BC. There was a pack of loose APBTs (literally) that I nearly ran over on the way there. Later in the session, they came running through the field on the other side of the fence and stopped basically just to watch us. Summer was the first to see them so she set off a warning bark/growl. (which made everyone laugh). Then Oliver walked up a few feet behind her and barked loudly at the pit bulls. Apparently summer had no idea Oliver was behind her so she flipped out. She leapt up about 4 feet straight in the air and spun around. Once she saw it was Oliver though she was fine.

Overall, though, she was fantastic with all the big dogs around. I was kind of worried since she can be reactive with strange dogs. But she was fine. More than fine. I heard several of the large dog owners say to their dogs 'Why aren't you acting like the little dog?'. She was great and focused. I was very proud. Most the dogs were very well behaved (with the exception of the lab). She really liked Oliver and eventually even sniffed noses with him. I also decided once more than I'm much more a BC person than an Aussie person. I'd already thought that based on the dogs I worked with in the shelter and research, but I think so even more now.