The noises!!

At class the other night several students asked if Roscoe was OK. I didn't hear that. I was too busy listening to his noises. He gets SO high running agility on dirt he simply can't contain himself. He starts this high pitched whining that sounds like he is in some sort of distress. It's a sound I like hearing. It means he is SO FREAKIN' HAPPY and can't WAIT TO RUN AGILITY!!! Some day I'll get that noise at a trial. I sometimes get a little squeak, just at the start line, or a little crazy noise while I remove his leash, but then once we get going I think he worries about the other dogs all around? I am not really sure, but he feels the pressure. He feels my pressure. My trial stress. And things tend to go a little slower and calmer, even though I probably tend to squeak more and be more frantic, which actually doesn't help him any at a trial. In practice, I may be kind of dense, but I am not really frantic or squeaking too much. I'd love to get those noises at a trial. I'd love to get "Practice Roscoe" to become "Trial Roscoe".

Spur, he has noises. LOTS of noises! Rarely do you hear his noises on course. At home, if he is REALLY excited, he will whine and bark while doing his weaves. At practice, not unless he is following Roscoe. At practice, the pressure. At home, a Rock Star.

Spur's loudest noises? When I am in the paddock with the horses. He goes NUTS, screaming at the top of his lungs, running along the fence. If he comes into the paddock with me, he's quiet.

Colby - she makes noises when out in the yard. It's HER yard, after all. She has to tell everyone who walks by. She tells the critters in the dark. She tells the screech owl. It's HER YARD! And her noises are clearly that........"MY YARD!!!".

Sometimes we want the noises. And sometimes we want the noises to stop.