Banksy got to visit a trial this weekend. She’s now old enough to run in AKC, although I still haven’t registered her in AKC. I guess I should do this. She’ll be able to run in USDAA by the end of the summer. Will she? This remains to be seen. Her best frenemy Kirk and most of her brothers and sisters have just started the AKC and are tearing it up in there.

We are on the someday plan right now.

However! She was able to completely hold her shit together and hang out somewhat near a ring. With dogs running. With dogs running that we know, even. That she could see.

Not a no brainer for Banksy. Holding her shit together at agility is not a thing yet. We started out far away, sitting under a shady tree. With a stick of string cheese. Where you could see the agility but it was far, far away. There was also a pond nearby! We did not try to add a pond into this equation. Maybe next time. Or maybe not. Maybe I want her never to know there’s a pond near the agility is actually what I’m thinking for now.

We creeped closer. Once we got too close. If you don’t know Banksy up close and personal, here’s what too close gets you. Extremely embarrassing dog screaming, leash lunging, full blown apeshit going and really scary toy attacking. Is not nice. Is a thing we work on a lot, a lot, a lot.

We ended up just outside Masters Snooker with the little dogs running. Laying down quietly for cheese snacks. Banksy, not me. Bigger dogs started running, and this continued. Me and Banksy were actually at a trial, watching dogs run. People I don’t know would walk by and tell her how pretty she was. There are a lot of people I don’t know at dog agility now! Since I haven’t been there all year. I guess 6 months in agility time is a long time. I’m now like the ghost of agility past.

People I do know walked by and noticed how calm she was. 3 sticks of string cheese calm. Or they didn’t notice and just figured she’s a nice, calm, pretty, fox dog all the time. This is the vibe we are going for here.

I don’t think she was calm deep down inside. I think she was a bundle of nerves. However. She would eat the string cheese. And lay down quietly. So huge improvement. She’s been able to do this at home for broom sweeping and vacuuming, which are almost the same as agility but not quite. Those things make blowers on the floor which are the things she stares at and the staring and the apeshits all seem to be connected. So as the staring gets better, so will all the apeshits. She’s got to keep her impulses to herself, and this is the thing I’m helping her to understand.

And that’s when her dog shows someday will start.