Dog play

Yesterday Dax and I had an agility lesson with our instructor. I actually took a big chunk out of the middle of the day to go and have fun with my dog.
I'll freely admit I'm not a very good agility handler - yet. Nothing about it comes easily to me, I'm one of those dorks who has to practise footwork endlessly without my dog, just so I don't confuse her when we're together.
Fortunately, Dax is a wonderful, game puppy. She's willing to get out there and work with me, she'll try anything and trusts me. Dee (our instructor) has a rule - when the handler screws up, the dog gets a cookie. Dax gets a lot of "oops - thank you for playing" cookies.
And that's the most important thing-playing. I think everyone should have the chance to get out and play with their dogs. It doesn't have to be middle-of-the-day. It just has to be a block of time when all you do is relax, play with your dog, and revel in her unconditional, uncomplicated affection. When you're having a really, really rough day, to be able to go home and be greeted by unfettered joy is wonderful. Today I need my dogs and they're there for me.