Start line, smart line, what the hell happened?

I made my plan, I practiced it and I implemented it. Roscoe already knows the bouncy game. He loves it, it pumps him up and we use it as warm up already. BUT, I had not used it on start lines with my "plan". Which was to bounce two times, then GO!! Last weekend at the trial I tried it. OK, so it worked alright. Roscoe knows that game well. It's fluent and practiced. We used it a lot in obedience. It helps him focus, warm up, pump up, it's a great game.

So, I had this plan. Bouncy game, one-tw0-GO, would be our new start line performance. My plan. Love those plans. Like designing my website. Bwwaaaaaaaaaaaa...................like I design anything on the internet. Picture me rolling on the floor with dogs lapping my face as I giggle to oblivion! That's my plan, roll on the floor with the dogs jumping on me as I giggle to oblivion. THAT plan I can implement!!! Love THAT plan!



In agility.......at the smart line start line? Um.......it felt strange. For one, I STILL felt like all eyes were on me to "just START already!!!". For two, as I was doing his first bounce towards the first obstacle I thought........hmmm.......this could almost be called a refusal? But, with electronic timing set right AT the first obstacle, maybe not?

The strange thing is, I worry about starting and not wasting time and not having people thinking......."just START already!!"........but those with start line stays - they lead out, putting their dogs in a stay then everrrrrrrrrrr SOOOOOOOO slooooooooowly walking to their position, then telling their dog..."Gooooooooooooood dooooooooggggggggg" and FINALLY releasing and running, taking WAY more time than my silly, little bouncy game.



I tried working on the game with Spur. He's getting it, thinks it's fun, but at practice he didn't want to do it and wanted to just start instead. OK, so should I INSIST on the bouncy game? Um, maybe, but maybe not. I don't want to INSIST on too much with Spur because my experience shows me if I insist too much he shuts down and it isn't fun any more. Now, that said I don't want him doing whatever he friggin' wants to do when he gets stressed. I want him to be focused and attentive and enjoy doing that I ask him to do. It's a fine line.
With my yard free of snow and ice I can do some running contact work with Spur. I always say.......Ready? Ready? Ready? and GO for that work and he loves that. What was happening in practice, though, was saying "Ready?" was worrying him some. I guess I just need to keep at it. Keep trying new things. I know I need something CLEAR, but with Spur it never seems so clear. There is always that grey area. That issue of something working in one area and not generalizing to another area. I struggle with that and need to get that going a little better. I think eventually it will, if I can clear my OWN head and make things clear to him. Clear!! Websters says......"free from darkness, obscurity, or cloudiness". Trouble for me, that thing about being clear, is I am not free from cloudiness or obscurity or darkness myself. What makes me think I can be clear to my dog?????


My plan. In the dark, obscure clouds.