My little terrier mix Micah is one of the greatest joys of my life. If I just pick up my clicker he starts spinning, and tap dancing all over the place to see what we might be working on today. He is a training lovin’ machine! He will work his little heart out for his daily kibble - forget chicken or steak. He is the most “ready to go” dog I can imagine. His curiosity and ability to figure things out makes him one of the most fun dogs I’ve ever had.
Micah came by agility naturally. I didn’t have to work at hyping him up. He came pre-wired for it. He absolutely goes crazy to run and jump. Even when he was little, he showed an affinity for it.
When he can focus - he’s great!!! When he can focus.
On hot (Texas) nights at agility class when most of the other dogs are worn out and ready for bed, he is raring to go, and would easily do another 2 hours.
However, on the flip side: when confronted with a new dog or person (or sometimes even someone he sees every week) he frequently will bark and lunge first and ask questions later. That is our plight. It’s just who he is. You see, he’s a terrier. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that!!) 
So it’s what we have to work on - every day. Trying to make him smile at strangers. Trying to make him a golden retriever in a terrier body. It’s a long road, and we may never get there, but I am hopeful that we will - someday!
He’s got a lot of heart that little guy, and I wouldn’t trade him for the world. He does have his special challenges, but then, don’t we all? Hopefully, success will be all the sweeter when we get where we need to go.
Keep your fingers and toes crossed everyone. You see, he’s a terrier!
picture by 2MC Design
