I'm very proud of Greta. This past weekend was the second time ever in an excellent standard course (preferred) and she Q's with a first place and 13 seconds under time. I've had Greta in preferred agility until we work out our kinks as a team. Greta has matured a lot lately and is jumping very well and doing exactly what I'm telling her which is something I need to work on :o) She'll always have silly teenager and still loves agility and is still running fast, just not so crazy like she was.
Greta and I went through novice hell. Well, Greta didn't, she had no idea, but I thought we were in novice hell. When we first started doing agility Greta was a wild child out there. My first agility Berner, Mattie, was so methodical and correct, though not nearly as fast as Greta. Mattie never had an off course! Initially when Greta would run I was mortified. She did great in class and in the ring she was crazy and uncontrollable it seemed. I needed some magic words to make things work for us. I got the advice to just let her get ring experience. I'd talk to the really good agility people in the area, (and I don't like to just go up to people I don't know), I needed help. They thought Greta was great. I wondered if they were talking about my wild girl. Everybody said don't slow her down, let her have fun. OK, but I wanted to hear those magic words that will change everything. Then I thought things were getting a little better. We actually looked like a team for small parts of the course....great, there was hope. Then it was more of the course we actually looked like a team. I thought we will Q any day. Then Greta started pulling stuff on me out there that I was not prepared for. Don't worry I won't go into all of them. One issue was Greta would fly on the course and then freeze in the middle of the teeter. She wasn't scared of the teeter either. My trainer thought it was because Greta trained me, that doesn't surprise me. When we started the teeter I'd treat her in the middle to get her on it. I just kept treating her there even though she could do the teeter. Once she got it I should have stopped treating her in the middle and rewarded her at the end. In the ring you can't have treats, but Greta was expecting it. That week I took her to the agility field my club has every day and she got her dinner at the bottom of the teeter and has never gotten a treat in the middle again. That was never an issue in the ring again. Ok, we got the teeter issue solved, her wanting to fly off the A-frame solved. There's nothing else she could pull out of her hat now. WRONG! We're running a standard course I knew was perfect for Greta. We still haven't Q'd once, but Greta was doing great now. The table was at the end, just 2 maybe 3 obstacles were after it. It was a down on the table, we never had a table issue in the ring or in training. So we're on the table and Greta sat, she would not down. I asked again and she turned her head from me. I begged (it was pitiful), to no avail. I'm thinking if you just down here we will Q. Greta turns the other way. I get in front of her and ask (plead) her to down. She looks up in the air. If she did look at me she looked at me like I was some kind of alien. I'd get low, almost laying down myself, Greta thought I was crazy. I could feel my blood pressure going up (and I'm a pretty calm person). All I could think at this point was how in the world can I get my hands around Greta's neck and strangle her without anyone noticing. Then horror of horrors, the whistle blew, we spent to much time out there. I was fighting back the tears. I put Greta up because I was so upset and I didn't want her to be around me when I felt that way. Then I had to walk the jumpers course. A friend came and asked how my girl did. I couldn't hold the tears back. I felt like an idiot. I was just going to quick agility, I had it. I wanted to magic words to turn things around and never got them. That week I went to the agility field every night and jack potted the table. We never had a table issue again. I thought I'll get another perspective and take some private lessons to supplement my class. Maybe he can give me the magic words to Q from now on. He said Greta really didn't have any issues, I think he meant I had the issues :o). She's young and we just need ring experience to grow as a team. Hummm, sounds kind of familiar, not the magics words I was looking for though. He said keep it positive and just keep at it and it will come together. Then we're at a 4 day trial in Nashville and not Qing. The person who wrote THE agility jumping book with Christine Zink was there, Julie Daniels. I talked to her before about Greta and she thought Greta was "way cool" after she ran a course like a wild bachee. I bet she could now give me those magic words. I told her I was getting frustrated. I was doing the jump training like she has in her book. She told me about lane work and she said do not get frustrated with Greta. She said to always keep it positive and don't let her know she's wrong, give her time, she's a great dog. Not exactly the magic words I was looking for. After thinking about this a lot more then I probably should, I realized something. If other people who were a lot more experienced then me keep telling to wait it out, why don't I just see if they are right. I decided to not get so worked up about it and just go with flow more . We're not curing cancer here, it's suppose to be fun. The next couple trials we got our novice titles in standard and jumpers and Greta got her open standard title in 4 runs. There are no magic words, it's all about attitude. Instead of being frustrated I now only look at what we did right, and there is always something Greta did great out there. Everybody I talked to was right and I learned something from all of them. We're not going to do everythng perfect everytime out there and that's OK. Every agility picture I have of Greta it looks like she is laughing out loud, she has a ball out there and could care less about Qing. So many people comment to me how much fun Greta seems to have out there, and that's the important thing in the end. Thank God my frustration never affected Greta and she still has her great spirit for fun. Some things I've learned in the last year: 1. What made me so frustrated with Greta is really the same thing that makes me love her so much. Greta squeezes every ounce of fun out of everything she does. She's always happy and how can I do anything to take any of that away from her. 2. No matter how patient a trainer you think you are, sometimes you need to be even more patient. Our dogs timetable isn't always the same as ours and you need to adjust yours instead of forcing ours on them. 3. When you think you love your dog as much as you can there is always room to love them even more. I truly love doing things with Greta. With her accomplishments now and the ones in the future it's really the other little things she does that make me love her so much, like the hugs she gives me just because. 4. Agility isn't brain surgery. The whole reason why most people start in agility is to have fun with their dog. I think some people lose that perspective after a they've been in it a while. Am I going to try for Greta and I to be the best we can? Yes. Am I going to seek out people's advice and get as much knowledge from as many people as I can? Yes. I want us to do well in anything we do, I know Greta is so capable and it's my job to make sure it's done correctly and that she still has fun. The last thing I want to do is mess up her great happy working attitude. I think it's good to make goals (realistic goals) but you also need to be flexible. Goals are great but they just may not be attained when you want. No matter what, in the end I still have my best little buddy who thinks the sun rises and sets on me (deservedly or not) and without her I wouldn't even be trying. 5. People with more experience really do know more then me. I need to hear what they say and believe them. 6. Not all dogs (even within the same breed) are the same. You may be able to take something from previous dogs but they really are all individuals. They shouldn't be compared to others, it's not fair to the dog you are training now. Obviously, I think about this stuff ad nauseam but I've learned so much from Greta. People can talk to me until they are blue in the face but I learn by experience and then I realize how right they they are. As frustrated as might have been sometimes I am really proud of Greta, she gives 110%. I truly love to just do things with Greta and I wouldn't change a thing about her, even if she can sometimes be a silly teenager. I'm glad she understands what's going on better then me. We are at a point where there are things I need to work on regarding my handling. Greta does exactly what I "tell" her, she's absolutely correct. I'm thankful she isn't frustrated with me. Kathy Schmitz, Woodstock, Georgia Brighteye Meine Liebe Greta OAP, NJP, NGC, CGC "Mattie" Matterhorn Princess CD, NA, CGC & Gunner (in loving memory and together again at the bridge)