08.25.07
HOT
OMG…. It is getting hot n’ here!!!!
Ok, I was one of the few dedicated or shall we say, crazy people to attempt training in 100+ weather today. Tracking went ok. The ground was actually moist from all the humidity and green. I tracked Coudai for the first time in eons and she tracked like $hit. Actually, it wasn’t too bad. The intensity was there, but she seemed hectic and doing lots of side to side stuff. When I kept the lead tight until she advanced correctly, she platzed and looked at me like, “I don’t get it?!?!” I didn’t stress about it and chalked it up to the extreme weather and the first time we have worked together since her little vacation to NC. Cosmo’s track was better, but her intensity dropped towards the end of the track. By the very end she was panting rather hard and her nose was high out of the track. She was spot on, but because she was so hot the panting seemed make her tracking style rather lazy in the last leg. Again I am not upset, because this is not Cosmo’s norm and again chalked it up to the heat.
Obedience: Cosmo did AWESOME!!! Her healing was nice, motion exercises nice, people stuff nice, and long down phenomenal. So what made me so happy? Well for starters, I thought the heat was going to make her act silly, but it didn’t. Then I put her in a long down in the middle of a group of people talking very loudly. She was doing great as people milled around her. After a bit, one member asked if she could toss her water bottle around for temptation. I told her that was fine and almost added “don’t hit her with it”…… but I didn’t. See where this is going. So the people were tossing it around, laughing, and then Ron spiked it into her face. Poor Cosmo! She sat there like a rock and didn’t flinch as it bounced off her head. All I could utter out was, “she has come a long f*cking way!” Ron had to agree. Not only did she not break her long down, but she didn’t even twitch. Cosmo has finally realized that people can bounce plastic bottles off her head without earning the right to die. I love my evil brown girl. Coudai did sits, platz, and fuss with me. It all sucked, but at least by the end of out session I was making some head way. I think my little Coudai had one to many trips to Starbucks and has decided it isn’t necessary to work…. I will be working on that issue ASAP!
Protection: Cosmo did great despite the heat. It started with an attempted mule kick to Ron’s head. I swear she has the most powerful hindquarters. She did her signature flip, but was higher than normal and managed to throw in a powerful mule kick that just barley missed Ron’s head. I think it was Ron’s cat like reflexes that saved him 
So he got her all worked up and had me heel her down a trail and send her into a blind in the woods. She did great with each send. The first time she was a little concerned with all the people milling about in the woods. They were planted distractions, but after the initial send she didn’t care. Her bark n’ holds were strong but a little dirty. They were better than last week so I am seeing progress. Coudai we are working on attitude and will leave it at that.
