Getting Ready for the Midterm . . .

Ack! Test time is looming! We just recently had our last private training session before the big day. I must say that, for the most part, we are doing well. My really big concern is the complication of being in an environment that I am unfamiliar with while being tested. Cura tends to do better when I am less stressed and new(ish) experiences are stressful to me.  Oh, that and being on camera!


Cura has been finding my being on the ground a bit difficult lately.  Not so much at home, but when we are out.  She wants to lick my face and kind of climb into my lap.  So, more practice with the recovery sequence is in order.  Hopefully that will help alleviate the stress she is feeling when I am on the ground.  Well, that and the fact that it is time to start doing things in the garden -- so I will be sitting on the ground quite a bit.


The whole 'working in the garden' thing is a bit new for her.  Sure, she was around last year, but she was either on a lead or relegated to the house for gardening last year because of the fence jumping.  This year she has more freedom (but is still in the anit-jump harness).  The other day, she frequently came up to me when I was digging in the soil to lick my face.  I am sure, like everything else, she will get used to what I do when working in the garden.  But for now it is 'new'. 


Anyway, our midterm is in less than two weeks.  I am not going to spend too much time on the whole 'test' thing here -- I am going to be tense enough without building up my own stress levels by blogging about all the challenges and things that could go wrong.  Positive thinking.  We have some things to work on between now and then . . . but for the most part, we are ready.  Rick and Heather are great that way . . . they are constantly challenging us, but it is always at a good pace for us.  We wouldn't be having the midterm if we were not ready -- I truly know and believe that.  It is great to have trainers that you can  be so sure of!