Grace, plan B’s and rainy days.

Simplify and release.

All really complicated concepts for me. I want to do All the Things. FOMO – Fear of Missing Out – is a real thing. And perfectionism tends to make for an all or nothing attitude.

1 Intention for the new year.

Give us space to explore while picking a few topics to go deeper. We have been recommended nosework, and perhaps that’s the ‘new space’ for this year.

Deeper projects – Rally Obedience, finally getting our behinds to a trial, even if it’s only to get experience with the setting. This includes continued work with environmental training.

Tricks – the third challenge, and whatever else turns up. Moving through the ebook on tricks.

Make clear plans – with wiggle room. Grace-weeks to pick up where we move faster or slower, grace-days to deal with sick dog, sick family, sick me, sudden car repairs, or whatever else the world throws at us. Plan B’s so we’re not left hanging if a rainy day turns into a rainy week or more.

And if I suddenly find myself with a dash of extra money come October, maybe we’ll see about Susan Garrett’s Handling 360 course for agility, this year… It’s too costly to jump on out of the blue, but I’m keeping it at the back of my mind.

2 What do I need to relinquish. (Pressures, goals and expectations.)

Fenris is 19 months old. We can hope for a good 10+ years more with him. This means I have to hammer into my head that I don’t have to do everything now. He is my novice partner. Maybe we’ll never do everything. Maybe twenty years from now I’ll have three other dogs – or a cat and a goldfish (that I’ve trained to jump through hoops). A Norwegian song says something like “if I’m not married this year, I’ll live alone forever”. I need to relinquish that attitude. What comes, comes. What doesn’t – doesn’t.

3 What kind of leader, friend, partner, etc. do I want to be?

Maybe the question didn’t fit so well with this sort of review – but still. I guess I want to be his co-pilot? Many bloggers talk about being their dog’s dance partner. In some areas he’s definitely leading the dance a bit more than I like. Sure – sniffathons outside are fantastic for his nose, his brain, his confidence and his energy use, but we maybe need to work on mummy being a bit more active and occasionally choosing the pace. Same with the button-project which is fantastic for giving him a Voice (and I really, truly am interested in what he chooses to do with that Voice), but at the same time we have to work on the concept of ‘Finished’/’Ferdig’ when treats and chews and walkies aren’t available. There are also areas of training where I want to increase the intensity a little, and sometimes that must mean we go by my schedule as well as his. (And, for one lifelong low energy procrastinator, that involves training my own mental muscles a little, too. *ahem*)

4 What is most calling for our attention? What do we need to focus on for success?

I want to step up with the steps to success. We have been stuck on level two for ages, and motivation for some parts are getting difficult. Things like long settles are profoundly unsexy, and we need an influx of exciting to keep it going.

Social stuff is still going to be extremely important, including working up.to trial experience.

Some minor recaps showed me a lot of foundations have been refined for practical use – including discriminating zen bowl cues. It was much better now than the last time we did it.

Position changes need further refinement. We have the basics of targeting and weight shifts already, and starting to see more consciousness in hind leg targets.

We have started on the formal retrieve – let’s get that to a useful if not perfect shape.

Introduce discrimination and send out tasks from Obedience.

A year of work – will naturally be a shot in the dark, but refinement and updating will come. I’m lacking the overall knowledge to make anything close to reality, but i have some general ideas of where I want to go.

I know we need a mix of tasks. Sheer durations wont do for a formal high energy session, and if we are all tired, I’m not going to get precision heeling out of him. Or me.

I notice I know next to nothing about canine fitness – what does he need to keep strong, what does he need to do the tasks I ask. I feel learning about this should be moving up in priority, too.

First half of the year; the winter and spring seasons.

Inside and low energy work; Steps to Success with the zens and durations.

Outside work; desensitising to environment (including skis etc. in winter) and social environments.

High precision work; position changes and retrieve.

Fun; the third trick challenge, and continuing through the trick-book.

Visiting a trial if possible (though most of them seem to be in autumn around here).

Other inside work; nosework beginner course.

Setting up another 4-8 buttons, starting with the names of family members, Sleep and Chews.

Suggested winter week:

1 grace day during the work week, if I need it. Otherwise just use that day on whatever else is necessary.

3 days of 45 minute walks

2 days of strength exercises (puppy pushups, spins, pivots, hind leg high targets)

Morning training position changes, a trick.

Evening training retrieve, Steps to Success.

Nose-enrichment twice a week at least. I want to try hiding treats in the stone fences, and find other ways of upping the challenge now that he is really using his nose actively.