As we near the start of 2020, rather than coming up with a bunch of New Year’s resolutions that I probably won’t remember by February, I’m busy planning a work and play schedule for Baxter & Rhonda.
Who does that? In my dog circles; probably more folks than you might guess. It can get complicated, especially if you are planning activities for multiple dogs. Even more so if you’re working on a budget.
So, while the dogs snooze in front of the wood stove, I pore over my calendar.
Wow … the choices would be giving me a headache if the options weren’t all so much fun. As it is, I realize I can’t possibly participate in all the classes and sports practices I’d like, so it comes down to two things; which sports do my dogs most enjoy, and of those, how many can I afford to fit into my schedule?
Nose/Scent Work is a given. Both dogs LOVE this sport and as a Nose Work instructor, I have no doubt I’ll be able to make it to practice each week. 😉 That takes care of my Tuesday evenings.
But now, as I scan the January/February calendar, I see there are Rally, Barn Hunt and Agility practices available as well! My dogs very much enjoy all three of those sports! What is a dog-Mom to do?
I guess we’ll just take it a week or two at a time for now. I’ve already signed Baxter up for January Rally practices, since I want to take advantage of these Thursday night get-togethers while they’re available.
Saturdays are more challenging, with Barn Hunt practice competing for Ronni’s time against Agility classes. We’ll see which one wins out. Or if we can manage both …
There is also the question of which sport(s) I want to concentrate on for now for one dog or the other. Are there trials coming up? Of course there are – in all four sports. How many can I afford to pursue? Decisions, decisions.
I’m ALMOST grateful there aren’t any Tracking, Freestyle or Trick Dog classes/practices on my radar (yet, anyway).
Who knew Dachshunds were so multi-talented? Baxter, who will turn 9 years old in February, and I have had so much fun over the years. We’ve done Nose Work, Scent Work, Agility, Fly-ball, Freestyle (Heeling to Music), Rally and Trick Dog. He’s proven to be pretty versatile.
Ronni, at just 20 months, is already competing in Nose/Scent Work, Barn Hunt and Trick Dog, while learning Agility & Rally. She has a long way to go in all these sports. I’m trying not to rush her … I want to enjoy the process. Then again, I would love to start her in Freestyle – I think she’d love it as much as Baxter did. Maybe next year.
Back to perusing my calendar. What should we do first? These winter months are great for training. Once spring arrives, trialing season comes with it. Can RV travel be far behind? 😃 We’d better get busy now!
De & the Dachsies - Our Rambles 