Tuesday Nite Class, More T-Storms!, Bug-Downs

I don’t think we have ever had as many thunderstorms in a short period of time as we have had this month. Or at least not in a very long time. Wow. Last night again…. thunderstorms! I really hesitated about bringing Ike to class because where I live the thunder was SO loud Ike was hanging in the bathroom. However the deciding factor was that he came out of the bathroom when I was cutting up cheese. After all, he doesn’t want Bug to get anything he doesn’t get! So, if he was more worried about Bug getting treats than the thunder I decided we were good-to-go for class.

We continued to focus on Switch and distance this week and Ike did really well, again! He is so happy. The first section of the course involved two jumps and a tunnel as a serpentine. The second time Ike actually took the switch – I almost fell over! What a good boy. On to the A-frame (no perching!) and into the tunnel driving out over two jumps. He was really moving and happy.

SUPERB class AFTER thunderstorms, driving in the car with Obi (Katrin’s FCR puppy), allowing Obi to sniff him all over without a single snarky look/noise, and letting Matt (Callie’s dad) pet him! WOW. If the class stunk I wouldn’t have cared. Puppies are a definite issue for Ike and I think Obi’s excellent dog skills combined with Bug are really mellowing Ike out.

Our final run Ike really wasn’t interested. I had to bribe him with rabbit just for walking with me! Katrin had left a 10” tunnel out beside the A-frame; considering Ike’s *love* of tunnels I completely expected him to take the a-frame. I guess the tunnel is the lesser of two evils (reminder, he doesn’t really like the A-frame either!) since he repeatedly took the tunnel. FINALLY he said, “Okay, you don’t want me to do the tunnel but I really don’t have the energy for the A-frame” and tried to go between the two. He was trying so hard to figure out a way to give me something that would make me happy without doing that dang a-frame! He did finally do it and we called it a night. If there is one thing we have learned with Ike – he holds a grudge! :D If we forced him to do the run again it would have been a disaster and next week would have been too.

I am really happy that he was so happy trying to figure out a way NOT to do the a-frame. In and out of the tunnel, happy as a clam. Not sure where this dog has come from but he is Ike with a big old helping off happiness and it is so fun. I think a lot of it is Bug’s influence/presence. Ike seems like he feels LIGHTER emotionally. Very cool.

On the Bug front, Honor-Bug has figured out “down”! It is not on cue yet but I saw his little lightbulb moment occur. I think there is nothing cuter than a cardi doing a fold-back down. Hysterical! Now to put it on cue and start changing locations. Right now we practice mostly in my kitchen. Gotta take the show on the road!