Let go and hit the gas!!

Tonight I sit here thinking about the really great weekend we just had and the prospect of what this week will bring.  Both Keegan and Karma got 2 Double Q's this weekend with their fastest times EVER.  I'm so grateful for the many great instructors we've had along the way.  That said, I am most grateful to the one that has given us the most, Stuart Mah.  We leave on Tuesday to drive to Jacksonville, FL to train with Stuart over the weekend.  Both little girls (6 months) are going to have private lessons on Friday and Saturday nights, while Karma will get most of the work on Saturday and Sunday.  Keegan is going as my security blanket and relief dog when I can no longer feel my legs. 

Why would we do that you ask? Quite simple...Stuart is the reason we play agility in the first place. 

Karma - Photo by Rosemary Strasser

In 2006 I met Stuart at a camp.  Keegan wasn't even competing and I remember being so frustrated and feeling like I'd never be able to play this game...I'd never get my front crosses right, or support the jump, or get my dog to weave, etc... Over the course of 2 days, he and his wife Pati, showed me that agility is a game to be played with your dog, and your dog is the one that has the majority of the responsibility.  All I had to do was train them well and learn how to drive the two "sportscars" that I play the game with...it's really all about when to "tap the brakes" and when to "hit the gas"...when to hang on and when to let go.  It all seems so simple doesn't it? In theory it is...problem is that like so many other things in life...we just like to hang on too much.  We need to learn to let go and hit the gas.