Thursday, February 17, 2011

Championship Goals

I'm really not much for setting goals down on paper, either in my life or in agility.  I tend to just wing it.  Perhaps not the most efficient way to live, but that's how I do it.  However, since the NADAC Championships are less than eight months away, I decided this might be a good time to really commit myself to a few things that will improve my ability to run a course.

I suppose the factor that weighs most heavily upon my ability to handle is my weight.  I have been almost 50 pounds overweight for more years than I care to think about.  I started keeping track three weeks ago, hoping to give myself a 10-pound weight loss for my birthday.  That's not looking too likely at this point, but I am hoping to soldier on and lose 30 pounds by October.

I want to be able to run a half mile in five minutes.  Not world class time, but if I can do that easily, than the longer courses of Championships shouldn't leave me gasping for oxygen.

Put more energy into my runs with Belle.  I can be pretty laid back out on the course, cranking my energy level up a few notches may be just what Belle needs to run a wee smidgen fast.  And a wee smidge is all she really needs to be really competitive.

As far as my goals for Belle, other than getting her to run with a little more abandon, I would like to help her eliminate her stress scratching at the startline.  I've been working for almost a year on this.  I've tried asking her to bark, and she usually complies, but it is often a rather subdued bark.

At home, I work on getting Belle to line up on my right and left sides and then move a little forward or backward so she has to realign herself.  She plays this game with excitement at home, but when I try to get her to do it in the ring, I get a halfhearted response.  Last night, it dawned on me that at home we never play this game with a leash on.  Duh!  This morning, I made sure to remove her regular collar and put on her agility lead so she realizes she is free to give the same energetic responses on lead.

2 comments:

  1. When I first started training my BC, who is very fast, I ended up getting in really good shape because we were both so green that running with her was the only way I could handle her on a course.

    Two years later we have truly become a team and I have distance with her, but I don't run nearly as much. I'm still in shape, but not as great as when we first began. Hmm...

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  2. Energy on course is exactly what I'VE been lacking too! My weight loss goal for my dog, who would like to see much more energy out of me at trials, is on my list for this year too. Good luck with your goals :)

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