That familiar buzz ...

Last night, on a whim, I decided to run through some obedience exercises with Dante. I can't remember the last time we did an entire competition obedience routine, or dedicated a solid hour to practising and proofing ... yes, sadly, it's been that long.

We did some heeling. Pivots. About turns. Fronts and finishes. Retrieves. Dante was a little rusty in terms of precision, but I marvelled at how he remembered every single exercise and the mechanics of it.

Even more heartening though, was how HAPPY and energectic he was at carrying out the various commands and exercises. His heeling was spot on, the focus was astounding, and his eyes never left my face and he stayed in position close to my knee. The fronts and finishes were snappy and lovely. Even the pivots and about turns were spirited and full of pep. The Fred laughed at Dante going after the dumbell like it was a beefsteak on wheels and then promptly returning to me in a dead-center front, patiently waiting for me to remove the dumbbell from his mouth and direct him to a finish.

That short little session reminded me of how much I really ENJOY working together with Dante as a team. The giddy thrill of putting our training to the test and executing complex (and not so complex) strings of behaviours as perfectly as possible. That spark in Dante's eyes when he's praised and rewarded for a job well done. That undescribable BUZZ and tingle -- yes, you know what I'm talking about, all you crazy dog sport/obedience enthusiasts!

It's making me yearn to go back full tilt into a busy training regime and getting competitive again. After a long stretch of "dormancy", I'm starting to get that "itch" again ... oh oh oh, should I? Should I not? Would Dante enjoy it once more? Dare I set goals again? So many conflicting thoughts tugging at me from all angles ...