Burnt Out

When you feel as crisp as late-August grass, it can be hard to play agility with your dog.  Stress from your ‘real life’ outside of agility, or anything else can leave you feeling worn to nothing.  Agility is just one more thing to do when all you want to do is sit down and rest.

Sometimes rest is the best solution – and sometimes it isn’t.  I find that when I feel so awful I don’t want to get in the car with the dog, much less drive forty-five minutes to training, and I get to class, set up my crate (usually muttering under my breath about the finger I just jammed), I feel some of the stress roll away.  I don’t believe in stressing about training, that’s my policy!  No stress! Just fun.

Quick’s looking up at me and bouncing up in the air, doing his happy mid-air spins, his big plumey tail whipping the air hard enough to sting on my legs.  It’s agility time! It’s agility time! Best time except breakfast time!

The rest of the world is still there, true.  After we’re done with our runs and our ride home, Quick snoozing in the back, I still have more to do than I think can ever be done, but for that hour, I can relax, enjoy my dog, and run as fast as we can.

It adds another inch or two to my wick, I feel.  Does it to yours?