I'm a Proud Mama

Tonight was our first night of agility with Jinks, and we actually came in on class 3 of 8. Apparently my instructor who taught my most of the stuff that is in my obedience classes -I've added lots of handling games and socialization games as well as some more on not jumping, but anyway- thought I could just catch up as we go. Though it was a little frustrating at first -the other students had been practicing certain equipment for weeks that I didn't even know the names of, Jinks was an eager beaver and we sailed through after the first few minutes of me trying to sort too much information out at once. Suffice to say, she'll work and she's got the drive to do it fast.

What I like about her though, and I've always liked about her from the moment she came, is the laser like focus she can achieve, even at this young age. I was asked twice by two other people with young border collies (it's a class for under one year of age, so we don't practice too high of jumps) how old she was. Both were surprised to learn she's only 7 months (there was a 9 month old and an 11 month old in class both still looking and acting very puppy). Although Jinks was just as excitable -perhaps more so- she was focused with it. The energy never went away to hanging with another dog, or asking someone else to love her up. Except for when we took our breaks, I had her attention throughout, despite the seven other dogs, all the new people and all the new equipment. It's as if she said "I've come to work, and make me work for you."

Once this dog does something twice, she's got it. The first time through the tunnel -our first piece of equipment, which normally shouldn't be a dog's first piece of equipment- was kind of scary, but by the third time through she was racing up a storm.

We came home and when I tried to wear her out a bit more with a nightly game of fetch and tug, she retrieved her ball-on-a-rope and ran to the door to the house halfway across our three acres. "I AM DONE MUM!!!"  Alright, I get it!

Once let in, it was a mad dash for her crate. She's been out ever since, waking up enough to wolf down some dinner. I'm sure she'll pick up some stamina as she goes but a mentally tired border collie is the best kind you can get. We'll be practicing our homework throughout the week. It's exciting to have a dog that is keen to work. When I had Lemon in training with me she was quite capable, but the opposite of keen, I had to drag the process out with her. So it's nice having a partner :) Quite suddenly I can see why people who have a working dog can't move onto getting a lazy dog afterwards. Once you have that new relationship -a working relationship- it's hard to want the lazy, aloof Beckett type. Too early to say, but maybe I've been converted to being a working dog person. It'll be a few years before we can test that theory ;)

For now, I'll enjoy the beginnings of my working relationship with my keen, saucy but focused girl. She also mad me really proud that although there were some barkers and a few reactive dogs among us (sad, considering we're a puppy class all under a year) because she ignored all of the bad and just focused on what we were doing.  I'm a proud mama! And a rescue mama at that!

Jinksy Doo -The Worker