CC and Wally’s Fall Training Plan

CC has matured a lot and is doing well in training.  She’s a bit of a velcro dog, which makes things like heeling easier than it is with some of the hounds.  Now that Maya is retired from agility, I just sent in CC’s first entries.  I’m going to be selective about where I enter for a while, going mainly for one ring trials held on artificial turf, until I see how she handles competition, but she is doing challenging sequences in practice so I think we are ready to give it a try.  I plan to try for CC’s RAE title in 2015 and maybe her CD also. She still struggles a little on the rally excellent signs that require distance work, but is getting more confident and responsive with practice.  Once Gromit is old enough to show, I might try showing CC for some more Grand Champion points also.  At some point in the next year, I hope that CC will have a litter, but in the meantime I think she is ready to start having some fun in the performance and  show rings.

Wally is just a bit younger than CC, but not as advanced as she is training wise.  He’s not as food motivated, so training has to come in shorter sessions.  He knows all of the agility obstacles and is fast, but right now he can only do 2-3 things in sequence without getting overly aroused and doing zoomies.  If the winter isn’t too bad we will keep practicing at home with the goal of being able to attend class in the spring.  Our local classes are outdoors in a unfenced area at dusk when rabbits are active.  I stopped taking Wally when he starting zooming into the brush piles, because I knew that if he popped a rabbit and got the fun of a chase my recall in the context of agility would be gone.  I’m working Wally in beginner novice obedience, but his heeling has a long way to go before he competes in the higher levels.  He is really good at tracking though and I’m trying to get out to practice whenever I’m home during daylight hours.  There aren’t many tests offered anymore, but I’m hoping to get him certified soon to try for a TD this winter or spring.  Wally seems really bothered by the heat when tracking, so I think a winter test would be best for him.