Last night I finally took the dogs out to find another dock on which to practice. With Secret & Luke's dock jumping debut less than a week away, I thought it might be good to have more than one experience under our belt.I decided to drive past Lake Neshonoc on our way to La Crosse, just to check and see how busy their boat ramp was. I hoped that it wouldn't be too bad on a Tuesday evening and luck was on our side. We had to share the space off & on with a few boaters, but it was worth it to get some practice time on such a nice dock. It was synthetic and thus slippery, but still nice nonetheless!
Secret's first jump wasn't terribly graceful, but there was very little hesitation on her part, which is good! And they continued to get better with each jump, which is great!
I decided to try to send her off the end of the dock vs. the side, as I figured this would more closely simulate what she will be doing on Monday. She got stuck at the end for a bit and did a bit of a pace and a whine, but she did eventually leap in -- Good girl, Secret! And each jump after that became more confident! There was a plastic bump on the end of the dock that forced her to jump a bit early, and of course it was slippery, so I am looking forward to seeing what she does on the more secure surface of a carpeted deck. I'm thrilled that she conquered the "scary" end of the dock, though, and hope that means she will have the confidence to jump into the pool.
Luke.... Well, Luke is more or less going along for moral support. If he jumps in at all, I'll be happy. lol Last night he was refusing to jump, finding it far preferable to run back down the dock, enter the water and swim out to get his ball. Oh well, we'll see what happens!
And lest we forget in all the excitement of the upcoming dock event, we leave for Champs in 10 short weeks!!
I bet Secret is going to be awesome at the dock diving competition! And I bet Luke will jump in :) When are they diving?
ReplyDeleteAt 11:00, 1:00 & 3:00 on Monday! I signed them both up for the maximum of three heats each for the most experience, since I don't know how much practice time they will allow. Plus it should give me plenty of time to wander the fair between heats, as I've never been there before.
ReplyDeleteI love Luke -- And he's always loved water, but jumping in has never been his forte. lol I think I would have better odds with Kaiser. ;o) I plan to pull out the big guns, though, and bring a floppy frisbee!
Nice! Try the cream puffs - I love those!!
ReplyDeleteSo... are Luke and Secret planning on an Elvis wedding while you're at the fair?
http://www.wistatefair.com/11_web/whats_new/ag_new.html
It's only $250!!
Isn't that the most ridiculous thing you've ever heard of?? But since it's in the same barn as the dock diving pool, I'll no doubt get to witness some of the people silly enough to flush their money down the toilet in such a way. But heaven forbid someone weds their own two dogs, because I think it was $250 EACH. And if your dog doesn't already have a sworn love match, they'll hook you up there with another straggler! Boy, doesn't that sound romantic? hahaha
ReplyDeleteAnd what is up with the cream puffs? Everyone talks about cream puffs! I suppose I will have to see what all the fuss is about.