JUMP!

I get up, and nothing gets me down.
i like to jump. and then go round and round
And I know, just how it feels.

Van Halen

Three day trial and Maggie started and finished her Open JWW title! She's a jumper. She also finished her Novice FAST title as did Shane.

Friday

Got to the trial a bit late and there was no crating left. Found a spot in the dirt. Ugh. Shane's FAST run was a mess. Got the bonus, but he just went nuts. Ran towards a running dog that was outside the ring. He turned on a dime when I called him. Maggie's run was flawless. !st and Q. Jumpers next. Shane was a mess as usual. I had to put him into the tunnel a few times to catch him. Maggie was perfect. 1st and Q. Standard was at the end of a very long day and not worth the wait. Shane was nuts and I caught him on the table. Maggie got on the teeter, looked at the judge, jumped off and tried to hide under the A-frame.

Saturday

Novice FAST, Maggie got stuck at the weaves and we ran out of time. Running towards the finish line ate up our points. Managed to deal with Shane in FAST for a 2nd and Q, which finished his Novice title, but not without some drama. After the weaves, Shane just stopped and froze before a jump. He has never done that before. I coaxed him on and over the final jump to stop the clock. I picked him up and he growled. Something was terribly wrong. On the way back to the crate, I mentioned this to Jeannie and she said that he was in pain. Luckily a massage therapist was there and gave him a treatment. As usual, he was a total mess. Shoulder out; ankle out; hamstrings tight; chest tight. The difference in his mood was amazing. I was very optimistic about the rest of the weekend.

Five hours later, we did jumpers. Maggie got 1st and Q. Shane did not. He was nuts but a happy nuts. Standard was a waste of time, but the teeter was later in the run so Maggie got to do a few more obstacles before we stopped. Shane hasn't finished a run yet, except for that one FAST run.

Sunday

Shane was up first for Novice FAST. Before the run, I gave him a treat and he took it so gently, so I knew his anxiety level was good. I even took off his leash for the first time and did the practice jump. He sat and waited until I released him. I was so optimistic. Off we go. He did the bonus and somewhere along the way saw a lab sitting by the bleachers and ran towards it with his usual gusto. He came back to me when I called and sat, but the judge was not happy and asked me to leave. I decided to scratch him for the rest of the day to not ruin Maggie's good time. She got 1st and Q in Novice FAST and Open JWW. She was magnificent. Her STD run was weird. Instead of taking a jump to head for the teeter, she turned 90 degrees and crawled into the chute. When she came out, I tried to turn her towards the teeter and she again turned 90 degrees and got on the dog walk again. Off we go to the finish line. Now she's avoiding the teeter altogether. Lots to work on.

So here I am with Shane back to his old self. I have tried every calming supplement on the market. We've been in behavior training for a year. He's gotten better, but he's still so anxious. I'm going to the vet tomorrow to see what pharma solution we can try. I'm not concerned about his drive anymore. I want him to be able to focus in the ring and show his amazing skills.