Enough

Another show weekend ... another Sunday night of exhaustion. Karma stayed the weekend with her owner Adine and Raimi was beside himself.

We were trying to decide what he most resembled and it's a toss up between the jock in high school that tries to impress the cheerleader with "I benched 200 today" ... or he's the super annoying drunk guy at the bar who just won't quit hitting on you. Either way ... it got old fast.

Poor Karma got hardly any rest which isn't good because ...

... she does not enjoy the show ring. She did so well at her first show but has derailed since then - we are not sure why but think it has something to do with separation from her family while with being with a handler. We have come up with a formula that will gradually teach her that shows are not awful, do not involve being put in a handler's set up and is always positive.

I will show her until Adine is comfortable doing so herself - the best case scenario because of Karma's attachment to her. Until then I will take her in and Adine will be right outside the ring and every time she comes out lots of praise and treats from Mom.

Karma is like Halo. The more pressure you put on her the more she shuts down. The second Halo gets corrected, instead of taking the correction and altering the behaviour, you get the opposite reaction. You get flipped the dewclaw. No. Screw you. Won't. And now that I'm annoyed ... I'm going to make you look stupid.

Karma - unlike Halo - needs familiar things around her. Some dogs don't, Halo will settle into any situation in stride and still show perfectly, but Karma, who is obviously still young, definitely does not appreciate being left with a handler and kept away from her family. She wilts, gets depressed, and makes backward strides.

So today was a huge leap forward for her. She got reserve which she was not able to do the previous two days, she looked happier, and hopefully she has started thinking maybe this isn't so bad after all. Her next show is in February so there is a lot of time to mature, practice and prepare for a new year of showing.