Monday, January 07, 2008

A Dax-filled weekend

I've decided that this spring will be Dax's debut in competitive Obedience, so as preparation Dax and I went to a fun match on Saturday. We haven't been practising too much, so I was a bit apprehensive - especially when considering off-lead heeling. Shows what I know - my baby girl did great!
Her greatest weakness is her friendliness - the Stand for Exam is just agony for her. She moved a foot on the first try, but we redid the exercise and she was perfect.
She also stood up as soon as I left her on the "Long Down." I'm not sure why, but I think she may have gotten distracted and missed my command. I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt because she was perfect after I went back and had her lie down - even when the German Shorthair Pointer next to her in line almost rolled over on her! She stuck it!
Of course it wasn't exactly a perfect day - outside the ring before "sits and downs" Dax mistook my finger for a piece of cheese and took a chunk out of my right index finger, right by the cuticle. Ouch! (Thank you Betsy for dashing around to find me a bandage!) But, like everything else in obedience, it's my fault, not Dax's.
Speaking of fault - I also have to confess to being the world's worst dog-mom this weekend. I took the dogs out after lunch on Sunday and then settled in to watch some TV. Deep Space Nine on videotape, actually. An episode featuring Jadzia Dax. Which is why it's absolutely incomprehensible and unforgivable that I left my beautiful baby Dax outside for almost an hour. I just didn't count noses when I came in. The only thing that's saving me from punishing self-castigation is that fact that it was in the 60s yesterday.
Of course, if she'd come in when I called...

2 comments:

Kahshe Cottager said...

Ohh ... is this where Dax's name came from?? I was a DS9 fan too!

Sometimes even when you count noses they dipsy doodle out behind you again. Then you come around the corner later only to see a little nose smushed into the glass door with a sad little nobody-loves-me doggy face attached!

Hope said...

It's really nice to know I'm not the only one! Thank you.