Steps to Success

Handling: Clipped the nails on his front right paw. Started minor work with learning to lift hindlegs.

Continuing calming and settling work outside. Up to about 15 seconds. I think he’s understanding what we’re on about, we just need to practice loads and loads.

Social

A tiny bit on our walk Tuesday, rewarding for calmly observing another pedestrian at a good distance. Passing a barking dog – he’s apprehensive about her.

Obedience

TEAM1 – coming to heel: Working on returning from a distance and moving into a good position. Also working on my own posture – straight back, relaxed shoulders, easy foot stance.

CANIS – recalls: working for toys and treats and sticks both in motion and stationary. I tried in a relatively safe outside space at about 40-50 meters; the turn-sound worked, but not the recall. He was in a blocked valley, so he stayed sniffing until I caught up with him, though. And I’m pleased he turned!

Awesome Obedience – Retrieve: After watching a video on holding, and counting the reps in one session, I cut up 20 tiny treats, and practiced just the Hold with some distractions.

Targeting: The same there. 20 treats (ish, sometimes I dropped 2-3 by accident) for touching his nose to a lid.

Agility

In the same place as we work the recalls, we also do a lot of flatwork practice. He is getting very good at using my feet to predict where the stick will go. We have started to introduce To Me (movement close by, both at walk and run).

Other stuff

Double box balance sit/stand (ikea stool in front, platform at the back, with a gap between them). At the end he freely walked via platform up on box, at the beginning he did everything he could to pivot on the box while avoiding putting any leg on the platform.

Pivots on high stool for strength training.