This may be the longest video I have ever recorded. 🤪
Today I thought we had a really good session! We worked on figure 8’s, diminishing circles and out of sight stays, and recalls! I wish we had had a little more time to work the recalls and decrease the distance so the little ladies could understand they needed to target the place boards, but aside from that small oversight on my part, I thought it was a good practice.
Because I set this on a tripod and forgot about it, I’m sure there is plenty that can be skipped over. Sorry I did not take the time to crop it down! 😬
Thanks, Allysa and Knox, for letting my spend some time with you and being patient with my little goon-dog. You are both making such tremendous growth and doing it with such a busy schedule! ❤️ It’s really awesome.
Allysa, you are welcome to come and borrow ANY of the things we used today, if you feel like it would help with shaping the pups and encouraging them to work with you. Just shoot me a text and you can come pull it out of the back of my suburban. 😉
Kat, Allysa, and Knox’ joint practice today. ❤️
ReplyDeleteThank you Kat! We really appreciate all your help!
ReplyDeleteYou are SO welcome!
ReplyDeleteI just finished watching the video and I have some thoughts.
First, Allysa I believe I mislead you with regards to the beginning position for the Figure 8 for this early in the training. Eventually we get to the point where we stand at the top of the pyramid to start but where you are just beginning to develop Po and G-Dawg’s understanding of the Figure 8, I believe for now you start in line with one post facing diagonally the direction you want to go (in other words, the same as last week). Hopefully Jessi or Roxanne can confirm and/or clarify this.
Second, Knox! I got onto you about stepping off with your left foot and on the rewatch it is very clear you started with your right foot! My bad! For now, I would recommend exaggerating your first (right-foot) step while G-Dawg is still learning to read your mechanics, but you did absolutely nothing wrong yesterday afternoon.
Third! I demonstrated a great example of how NOT to train your dogs today. 🤦♀️ In the course of 40 minutes I reinforced to my N-Dog that as soon as I turn away it is okay for her to collapse. This is an example of not working ‘with’ my dog. What I should have done- and will do in the future, is make sure that if I am not able to focus 100% of my attention on making sure she does NOT fall into a down when she’s supposed to be in a Sit/Stay, I drop her into a down and practice Down/Stay. You notice she did well remaining in the same place! But I have officially trained her that Sit/Stay means ‘Eh, Whatever/Stay.’ 😔
Having said this, I did work her on Sit/Stays with diminishing circles after you left so she was able to end on a not of success. This is something I will have to be very careful of in the future.
Case in point. A year ago, Ruth would 'freeze' or retreat into a snails pace 🐌
ReplyDeletewhen unsure. It has taken an entire year, of deliberately using Ruth as my Demo Dog, for her to gain confidence regardless of the situation. She has, literally grown up this past year because I required her to work at a HIGHER level of responsibility, in all types of situations. A Demo Dog becomes BETTER at obeying a command, and setting a great example to the other dogs, which gives the Demo Dog a higher coveted position of 'Pack Status'.
Keep working Niko, ensuring she does succeed in the presence of other dogs. Watch her carefully. GIVE her a year of this kind of advanced training and Niko, like Ruth, will be better trained for the many experiences. She will be a reliable Demo Dog and THAT transfers to every other area of her life. And you become 💯% better KMODT handler and coach along the way.
Pretty cool payoff, isn't it?
Roxanne