Dog Agility Blog Action Day: Hav'n Some Fun With Attitude!

Photo by In Motion

Cosmo Havanese shows some attitude on the dogwalk

Today we're participating in the Agility Blog Action Day for the very first time!  While To Dog With Love is not strictly an agility blog, we do blog and we do agility... so here you go!

Each quarter, Steve from Agility Nerd posts a new topic. And then on one day, all the agility bloggers post their links here, so you can read all the various interpretations of the agility topic in one place.

Today's topic is Attitude. Wow! In the sport of agility, and in life in general, that's a pretty broad topic. So we decided to consult the one person who seems to be most in the know these days. Siri.

Hmm, the first meaning seems pretty serious, and frankly, was how we first started thinking about this topic. Sure, attitude is huge for anyone who participates in sports. It can make all the difference whether you're trying to sink a 25-foot putt, break your opponents serve or earn a qualifying run in agility.

Thoughts came to mind about teamwork, having a positive attitude, and most importantly to have a good attitude and have fun with your dog.

Cosmo and I having some fun at an agility trial

We thought a little more about the mental state Siri refers to in meaning #1. Cosmo and I seem to be in a positive mental state in this photo above. In fact, Cosmo ALWAYS seems to be in a positive mental state. In fact, maybe it's actually the complexity of his mental state that would explain this:

What this tells me is that Attitude can be unpredictable. Before you gasp in horror, please know Cosmo landed safely.  He's a contact star in practice, but at trials, he's sometimes overcome by the complexities of his mental state (meaning #1 from Siri).

Which is why we're not going to talk about the first meaning at all, but instead move right down to meaning #4, where Cosmo must be envisioning himself a spacecraft, floating along the horizon... sigh.

Or, meaning #2, an arrangement of the body and limbs...

... as well as fur and ears. That's Attitude!

Or, meaning #3, a theatrical pose created for effect.

All of which, shows a little dog, with a lot of attitude!

Cosmo keeps his eye on the prize and focused on the finish line.

Whether you're a serious agility competitor, or someone who just wants to enjoy a fun sport with their dog, attitude in agility can mean many things. You can learn a lot about some of the other bloggers' takes on Attitude here.

And since this is our first time participating in Agility Blog Action Day, we also want to thank our pals Johann The Dog and his mom Leslie for telling us about this group in the first place. Johann and Leslie wrote a great post on Attitude, Agility and Life for this event.

We're fortunate to live close enough to train with them in person, and enjoy some of that positive attitude!

Cosmo and Johann take some time to enjoy being two dogs on a log after running at a recent agility trial. 

Now THAT'S hav'n some fun with attitude!

For those agility bloggers we are meeting for the first time, Cosmo is a nine-year-old Havanese and my first and, so far, only agility dog. We started in agility for fun when we lived in a condo and Cosmo needed an outlet! We soon were hooked and have been competing ever since. With his AX, MXJ, contacts still test our mental states! We enjoy all sports and Cosmo recently earned his first Coursing Ability title. You can read more about us here.