The Doggy Treadmill Trend
In class the other night Desiree had left an exercise ladder out on the floor. A like minded classmate and I immediately started running footwork drills while we were waiting for our turns. Exercise ladders are one of my all time favorite workouts, a lot of fun can be had. The goal is to always come up with some crazy footwork pattern that the other person can't do so by the end of class we were looking pretty ridiculous. It was also good to get some exercise instead of sitting around and watching the other teams, and my legs were spent. I'm actually very worried about the new doggy treadmill craze. While it's terrific that people are more aware of conditioning their canine companions I do think it's coming at the expense of their own fitness. What happened to taking your dog for a walk on leash? Sustained trotting and extended and compressed walking can be done while you are also getting some exercise, and getting outside just seems like a good idea for both dog and human. Very worried. It isn't about trying to be an uber athlete for agility, it's just moving more for overall general health. There are many not so healthy people out running agility, I'm always concerned when I see someone really puffing and panting when they are out on course. I think being a weekend athlete really sets people up for injuries. Oh well.
Merlin and I had a great time at Justine's seminar. I did have a few "what was I thinking?" moments prior to the International Handling seminar, but he actually did great. His brain endurance can be very unpredictable these days, but he held up really well. Kona has officially ended her winter break. 11 weeks off, she looks terrific but I don't think she had any injuries at the end of last season. I'm in the process of retraining some of her cues so I don't have to run so much on course :) Both dogs are working lower jump heights, Merlin has already learned a "drill speed" and a "real sequence speed", it's kind of nice to have both. Kona not so much.
Merlin and I had a great time at Justine's seminar. I did have a few "what was I thinking?" moments prior to the International Handling seminar, but he actually did great. His brain endurance can be very unpredictable these days, but he held up really well. Kona has officially ended her winter break. 11 weeks off, she looks terrific but I don't think she had any injuries at the end of last season. I'm in the process of retraining some of her cues so I don't have to run so much on course :) Both dogs are working lower jump heights, Merlin has already learned a "drill speed" and a "real sequence speed", it's kind of nice to have both. Kona not so much.
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