Shane has been jumping 16 inches in the backyard for several months now. We've had good results at classes as well. He did have a bad time a few weeks ago when he got spooked from a border collie, so he jumped 12 inches at that class and did well. I felt so good about him that I entered him at 16 inches for a run this Sunday to attempt to complete his NA title.
At class yesterday, he was very iffy at 16 inches. Sometimes I know it's where I am standing and other times I'm just not sure. He gets so excited and seems to fling himself at jumps. I left class feeling very depressed and thinking about not going to the show on Sunday.
Back home, I opened my email to see more posts regarding Early Takeoff Syndrome. I initially thought the posts were about bolting at the startline, so I didn't bother reading them. Something made me open them this time and I saw a video of a sheltie who could have been Shane. The way the dog ran was exactly like the way Shane runs. I got chills. More searching and I found the article describing the condition. The article will be published in Clean Run next month. I felt like a huge weight has been lifted. There is a name for our problem. I now have more things to try and I won't feel like a failure competing at a lower level. Shane most likely will never be the agility dog I thought he would be and that's OK.
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