Summer Agility Staples: Pumpkin and Blue Bell Ice Cream

Today marks the longest day of the year, the summer solstice.   To us dog agility nuts, that means extra time to train our doggies!  So, we will attend class tonight and run a Starters Standard Course.  Fingers crossed that we are successful.  Reflecting on the past week of training, I have focused on getting independent, fast weave poles.   At last night’s class, he ran fast and nailed his weave poles.  Looks like the tug toy and the treats have really worked well:-)

However, during last Thursday night’s class, we had a set-back and I was disappointed in our progress.  Sometimes it seems like we take one step forward and two steps back.  It was the first time in quite a while that Jefferson stood there and refused to run.   The course was a standard course and we could never make it past the 6^th obstacle (there were 19 obstacles).  He wanted nothing to do with running agility.   Not to mention that he had the “poopies” all over the field!   Earlier in the day, we had spent a couple of hours at the beach; Jefferson is a great swimmer, frolicking in the waves and even body surfing the waves back to shore.  He also loves to swim in the shallow pools of water that line the beach as the tide recedes back into the ocean.  He is quite a sight to see – digging and rolling in the sand after his swim.  Spaniels are water dogs after all!  

Apparently, all the time at the beach resulted in his consumption of lots of ocean water.  We had a big day at the beach – and excess saltwater, sand and treats consumed in the heat.  Looks like the beach and agility do not mix too well with my pup (me too, for that matter…I didn’t feel too good myself during last night’s classes.)   Luckily, I keep an extra can of pumpkin in case Jefferson has belly problems; he consumed almost a whole can after having belly problems for 2 days.  Poor boy…

This week the heat and humidity are on the rise so I am going to be extra cautious with Jefferson.  He already is extremely sensitive to the heat so I will not be taking him back to the beach on days we practice dog agility.  And, before we practice, I am going to cool off his belly and underarms with water and ice.  Sometimes he will not drink enough water so I need to be extra careful to keep him hydrated as we practice.   Once he is hot, he is D-O-N-E!    Maybe a spot of Blue Bell ice cream couldn’t hurt either…

So, in the in summer, we will need to practice early morning or late evenings to avoid the heat as much as possible.  Thank goodness next month’s trial hosted by the Carolina Piedmont Agility Club will be in an indoor, air-conditioned venue.  

“Summer's lease hath all too short a date.”
~William Shakespeare