Here We Go!

Quick and I went back to class this weekend, after six months of no classes!  I was expecting to have fun – I didn’t expect as much fun as I had!  We had a blast!

Quick was a quivering ball of excitement (see his face?) until I took him out to work with a cone (which we use to teach directions and send-outs.) Then, it was all business.  We worked on shaping the cone behavior – go around the cone and come back- he didn’t get it.  He was positive I wanted him to put his feet on the cone.  He stomped on it, over and over and over again, all but yelling ‘treat me! TREAT ME!!!!’.  It was amusing – and a little frustrating! Do your dogs ever think they have what you want figured out when they don’t? what do you do to ‘restart’ them?

I’ve been talking about his nose-touches on and off for months on the blog.  Let me just say, here and now, how proud of him I am. He GOT IT! Finally! He was like a little woodpecker, hitting it! I’m naming it now, and going for repetition.  He does still like to involve his paws, but to be perfectly honest, I don’t mind.  I’m okay with him using his paws to target things.

Maybe I should train him to stand on a Frisbee-target as part of a send away… ideas, ideas!

We also got to play on contacts. He was slightly flustered by the dogwalk, and I can’t figure out why.  He used to love it so!  He was also upset by the a-frame.  They were sand surfaces, and I can’t remember if the old surfaces were rubber. I think they were.  He definitely slid down the A-frame the first time!

Class again next week, we’re ready to rock!  I’m going to work more on that cone. No paws, Quick!