I have been training with Izzy since she came home from the shelter. At first it was basic stuff: sit, stay, come, down, leave it, drop it. Then as I learned how much fun it was to work with her, we started doing more and more. Getting our Canine Good Citizens Certificate from the AKC was our first major accomplishment. And then we began competing in Rally-O, Obedience, and Agility.
Our competition career has been very roller coaster-y. We started out strong in Rally, than hit a long stretch of ring nerves (won’t mention the soul searching and tears that accompanied this period) and then wandered out of the NQ (non qualifyng run) desert and won several titles including our first Competition Obedience title, and are on our way to our first Agility title. Two weeks ago we earned our first Rally Championship title: our ARCH.
Even with these successes, it’s still easy to feel like we’ll never get to the next challenge. Especially now, when we’re in the middle of a big training slump. OK, big is a bit of an understatement, it’s a gargantuan training slump. Ginormous, even. We have been practicing scent discrimination for months and are stuck, stuck, stuck. Did I mention we are stuck?? Quicksand stuck. Some days I think Izzy is really using her nose to find the correct scent article. Then there are the days that she just runs over to the articles and grabs the one closest to her. Those are the days that I feel like we’ll never get it.
It’s always the simplest things that stump us. Teaching Izzy “stand” was excruciating. It took FOREVER and when she finally learned it, it seemed she couldn’t believe that was what I wanted. She looked at me as if to say “Really, are you sure that’s what you want me to do? ‘Cause that’s so easy, it’s ridiculous. Are you sure?” And then she’d “sit pretty.” Because that was something she had to work hard to learn. And as a result, it always got applause and she was showered with treats.
And I think she’ll have the same “Are you kidding me?” thought once I figure out how to clearly explain to her what I want her to do with the scent articles. Dogs’ noses are so damn sensitive, it’s hard for us mere mortals to even understand how they experience the world with those things. And I know she uses her nose to ferret things out all the time. Damn, that dog can smell a discarded chicken bone (as well as other assorted and sundry things too disgusting to mention) in Inwood Hill Park from miles away.
Once I am able to figure out how to clearly communicate to her that all she has to do is find the one scent article that smells like me, she’ll look at me and think, “Fer cryin’ in my beer, that’s so easy, she can’t be serious. What does she think I am, an idiot?”
That’s the way, isn’t it? It’s the easy things that trip us up. We can’t believe that just doing what we’re good at is enough.
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