Hard to Practice Outside with Snow on the Ground

Hmmmmm. Last week was a teaser -- sun and mostly melted snow by the end of the weekend. Last night we had at least 8 inches, maybe more like 12, but it has collapsed into about 3 inches of slop at this point. So much for starting to get Iggy used to distractions like blowing leaves and sticks on the ground and cars going by and such like.

I took Iggy to class this afternoon and he did very well, he was one of two LABRADORS to do the recall through an obstacle course of distractions such as yummy treats and frisbees without picking any of them up. I had to tell him "leave it" once, but he did (leave it, that is) and kept coming to me. Whoo-hoo!! He is a good boy.

I had intended to work with Bethena before class, but got there too late to do much good. She was wound anyway, despite having tried to play frisbee ("flat flying disc" as she knows both the word 'frisbee' and the spelling 'f-r-i-s-b-e-e') with her this afternoon. Instead of playing, she was more interested in eating snow and playing tug with Iggy. Of course, tug was only interesting to her if I was standing there watching, which I was not inclined to do.

Anyway, we did a little bit before class -- she did a very nice short drop on recall -- but she ran off to see a GSD instead of staying with me (b-a-d dog) and then while I was taking her out to switch her with Iggy for class, she was tugging and squirming and turning around and wrapped the leash around me and tripped me up so that I sat on top of a bunch of water cooler bottles -- not my (or her) finest moment. It was the second time this week I fell while having the dogs on a leash, the first being at work yesterday morning (seems like months ago) when my biggest concerns were a) saving my coffee because I needed it and b) hoping I hadn't landed flat on my butt/back in dog poo.

Heide is trying to get me to go to rally class with Bethena on Saturday if I'm not working. Seeing as how this week has already been CRAZY with work (home after 12:30 on Monday/Tuesday, after 9:30 on Tuesday proper with a 2:30 am emergency call, and after 8:30 last night), I kind of doubt that I'll be done by the time of class Saturday afternoon. Still, it would be good for her and I think we will try to go.