Popper's going to trial

It seems like lately all my posts have been about dog agility - and I suppose that's true. But it's become a big part of my life, so I have a lot to say on the subject!

I just sent off the form for Popper's FIRST EVER agility trial. It's not until February 1st, and I've already got a lot of knots and butterflies in my stomach. See, I really hate performing, and I don't like pressure. When I was deciding whether to be a music major or a biology major, I choose biology simply because I couldn't even stand to THINK about performing in front of people. I get so nervous my hands shake and I want to pass out, vomit, or a delightful combination of the two.

I am doing dog agility for FUN - and I want it to stay fun. You would think that would make a difference, but I played music for fun too, and it still terrified me. I have no idea what I'm scared about - if Popper messes up, that's okay. It's his first one. Sure I'd love for him to zoom out and get a Q (unlikely), but I anticipate he'll go off sniffing or begging for treats from the judge. I guess I might be more worried about ME screwing up - sending him to the wrong obstacle, running into an obstacle... it's pretty likely. I'd be mad at myself for ruining the run, but I don't think I'd ever be mad at da pop pop.

I've entered him in a CPE trial, level 1 Standard and Colors. I wanted to do Wildcard instead of Standard, but it was on a different day. I want to sort of slide into the sport with as little trouble as possible, and keeping him crated for two straight days would probably piss him off. He's the kind of dog that would smile about it and give you kisses, and then the first time you left him alone, he'd trot off and destroy your most treasured posession in retaliation. So we'll try standard, which unfortunately is before colors (unfortunate because it's a longer course), but at least maybe he'll "click on" and do colors really well. :) Assuming I don't mess up...

We decorated our Christmas tree last week... it's right next to Havoc's cage. Everytime my SO would bend in to string the lights or to put up an ornament, she'd stretch her beak out and try to bite him. At the end of the day, his shirt looked like confetti.