Today I was good!  I took Ms. Lyra to a fun match so she could practice her "Ring Confidence" and "Environmental Comfort" skills. In case someone might find it educational to see the value of matches with a young dog,  I'm posting a link to our time in the ring.  I used her favorite toy, which she has not seen for a week.  I hope she associates that with the ring since she has not had it at home in awhile. What I learned today: 1).  She was flatter in the ring than she is at home - I need to do more generalization. No surprise there. 2)  She's not comfortable heeling in the corners of rings.  I did not expect that. 3)  She hasn't got a clue about the Retrieve Over High Jump outside of my front yard. 4)  She needs a lot of work on her stand for exam (I want my dog to watch me during the exam). On the plus side 1) she looks happy and secure most of the time. 2)  She stayed mostly engaged for seven minutes.  For Lyra that's a record. 3)  She did the broad jump - she's never seen one away from home. 4) She played reasonably good tug - that suggests that she was feeling comfortable in the environment. All in all a good day.  I must do more! If you wish to take a class on Ring Confidence (or any other class that I offer at Fenzi Academy), you have until Thursday the 15th to sign up:  http://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/index.php/schedule-and-syllabus