Oh sweet sleep, how I missed you.

It has been a rocky month. I'm teaching a guide dog class right now, and pretty much the ENTIRE CLASS is sick with a bad head cold. On top of the students being sick, so is Chef and the other trainers. I'm one of the few that's been successful in fighting off, probably because I just came off a Z-pack for a nasty sinus infection.

Still, sleep has been my friend.

Scorch and I miss class terribly. I'm hoping to start up again in January. It just wasn't possible to make the new sessions with my teaching schedule. To keep us busy, I've been reading up on the "nose bridge". I'd seen a few border collie people having their dogs nose bridge at shows, but I wasn't sure exactly what it was. I figured it was a focusing technique, and it pretty much is, as well as giving the dog something to do rather than passively sitting there. I'm not sure if it would help us or add more frustration... I think it's worth trying. I think Scorch has a tendency to get overstimulated and winds himself up. If I can teach this properly, maybe it will calm him down.

I also think it's time to embark on some trick training. Both Scorch and I enjoy learning new things together, and that cute video of the Jack Russell inspired me. Plus, he doesn't have many "parlor tricks" he can show off. Our obedience routine doesn't quite delight people the way pulling off my socks might.