It may be a very subtle change, but I saw the first improvement in Kira's attitude today. For the last 6 months or so, she has been reluctant to get in the van to go anywhere. When I start loading dogs into the van, she goes back in the house to avoid going. But today for the first time in a long time, when I got the leashes out, she came to the door and was ready to go. Hip, hip, hooray. This stuff is SUPPOSED to be fun for both of us, and I'm determined to make it fun for her again, the way it used to be.

She waited in a crate while I worked some Rally exercises with Ruby, and then she got to come out and play the games that my tutor instructed us to play, and she had fun. Then she went out to wait in the van for us to be finished.

Avery got to play with a little obedience and she got to work on learning to go through the agility tunnel. She's so funny with the tunnel, we got to where she'd go through it if she was on my right side, but if she was on my left side, she'd balk. So still have some more work to do on that, but we're making progress there too.

Ruby got to practice some stays, and she looks like she's going to give me the same trouble as Kitty did with the 'sit/stay' - she wants to lay down! But I can definately see the progress she's making and with any luck (and baring her being in season) we should be ready to compete at the Greyhound National in Spetember.

~~Joanne