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!