and review week 14 of 2020

I’m afraid I never got around to taking much pictures, and the one time I tried filming the TEAM exercise, he wasn’t much awake and ‘on’ at all. So this is all just boring text (and some older pics).

Obedience

TEAM 1, exercise 3. We have a very nice progress here on his fronts. He is centering, straightening out his neck and spine, targeting my hands. Stands both on pivot (including moving around it), and on the plank platform. I’m waiting with adding the sits, but had one session recapping the tucked sit in preparation.

Canis Foundations – crawl. Eh. He kept offering play dead (i.e. all the way over on his side instead).

– bark. He offered it at something outside, so I figured I could just as well mark and label it. (He does have plenty of guard dog genes, so he’s perfectly capable of making noise – he’s just a little confused at doing it on cue.)

Awesome obedience – Go outs; wrap cone off center – super behaviour. Not exactly running, but tail up and focused movement.

Position changes sit/stand at 120cm.

Scent work – one session with two lids. No actual fails, but I have no idea if he’s got the idea yet.

Watch – 13 seconds outside, 15 inside. That’s actually a big progress. With more focused practice, I think we’re past a hurdle here.

Social skills and Daily Life

Social, walks, settles outside, etc. – Husband and daughter tried taking him for a long walk yesterday in a less-muddy area, but unfortunately everyone else in the area had the same idea, and the walk turned into a reactive nightmare. They came home quickly and were all exhausted.

He is getting better at settling on the couch in the evenings, for example while we watch TV. On the other hand, he’s gotten into a habit of going to bed around 8pm – and then whining in his kennel around 10-11pm, not because he needs to go out, but because he wants an extra evening snuggle.

Handling – slow going on his hind leg nails, but we’ll get there. One toe nail, two brush sessions.

Sports

Agility: Practiced To Me vs Away. It’s not so much a coin-dropping thing as cementing the cues in his brain.

Rally: Heeling, sit/down, sit/stand, about turns. Inside mostly, but we also had a heeling session out on a ‘new’ field (in the pouring rain). His focus was so-so, but at least we did it.

Plan of week 15

Social, Steps to Success and Life skills

Vacuum cleaner, one toe nail, 2-3 brush sessions (he’s starting the spring moult).

Obedience

Awesome Obedience continue with the go-outs and position changes

CANIS foundations Week two; Crawl, Contact other x2,  Track x2.

TEAM1 continue practicing the fronts, and the tucked sits. We do need to combine them at some point, but I don’t feel we’re there yet. On the other hand, we’ll never be subtracted for ‘touching’ if he leans a little back into the sit…

Sports

Agility – We just started figure eights over low cavalletti style jumps today. Going to continue that – but take it outside, hoping for more speed and throwing toys around. He got the right idea – he’s just being excruciatingly slow (and I’m only vaguely certain of how to improve his speed).

Rally – Sitt – Vri 90° høyre – Sitt, Sitt – Dekk – Gå rundt, Sitt foran – Høyre – Sitt, Sitt – vri 90° venstre – 1 steg – Sitt

The randomiser came up with a lot of precision work. That should be interesting. I’ll probably want to practice the itsy bitsy pieces here and there during the week. Particularly those sit-turns are going to take a little focus.

Week 15

• Monday – CANIS crawl, agility eights, brush and toes
• Tuesday – CANIS contact other, Rally right turn, AO, fitness front quarters
• Wednesday – CANIS contact other, brush and toes, TEAM
• Thursday – CANIS track, Rally left turn, Agility, fitness hindlegs
• Friday – CANIS track, brush and toes, AO, fitness core
• Weekend – Rally, TEAM video, start challenge III trick Mirroring