The rain FINALLY died down some and we were able to go to agility last night. It was an interesting experience to say the least, and Abby was all over the map with her behaviors.
We started out great, having a ton of fun. We learned new things and worked on some problem areas. All signs were pointing to a great class. Then a student came in late - with two dogs. For most of the class, this was fine - a bit disruptive, but fine. Abby didn't take the change well at all. She completely shut down. Tail tucked, ears back, not focusing, wanting to run away. . .
This hasn't happened for a long time, but it doesn't really surprise me that it did happen. And in the past, I would have ended training with her. Training is supposed to be fun, and if it isn't fun, it's not worth it. While I'm having a blast doing this stuff, we are really doing for Abby's confidence. And if she is stressed out, then learning doesn't take place. And if we aren't learning, then we are wasting our time standing out there in the cold.
This week, I didn't stop training. I didn't take her off the field and we didn't go home. I didn't make her do the full course like the rest of the students were doing. But I did sit her at the start line and make her take the first jump. It took a while to get her to do it - she wanted to run around the jump to the door. But I took my time, I didn't allow myself to get angry or frustrated, and I made her take the jump.
After seeing Abby progress for these past (almost) two years, I knew that she wasn't going to have a break down. I knew that this wasn't going to fry her brain and that it wasn't going to alter her opinions on agility as a whole. She has come so far, and has learned so much, but she still needs to learn to work through her stress a bit. She can't keep shutting down when her environment changes. Not just for agility, but for life.
I probably looked like a mean mom, but I didn't do it to be mean. And after the jump, she got a lot of cookies. And we moved to the far back of the field where we worked some jumpers drills away from the crowd and in plenty of light. Abby recovered some, but not completely. I fed her tons of cookies before leaving the field. And when we got back in the car, she was fine. She even asked for her special "all done" cookie that she gets on the drive home. She was no worse for wear.
I took me all night to realize exactly what happened last night between us - Abby did what I asked even when she didn't want to. That is HUGE for Abby. It means that her trust in me is growing. It also means that our training is paying off. I've seen a lot of change in Abby in this past year, but this is the first time that I realized how our relationship has changed. Last night was Mole-esque, nothing like the original Abby at all. Through this past year of dedicated training, she has learned to trust me and to follow commands. She may be scared and nervous, but she will do what I ask. She will put her fears aside and work with me because I asked her to. And now that I have that kind of trust from her, I have to be extra careful not to break that trust. I look at Mole and I see where 6 years of working together has brought us, and this change in Abby makes me hopeful for our relationship too. Not that anyone could ever compete with mole. . .
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