Day Three -- New Experiences

It's nice to have a lot of new experiences when we are practicing our skills.

Not only is it fun to have a new friend around...

But he can also provide a nice distraction when we are working on our skills, like recalls. I have no pictures but we've been practicing recalls off of my cat too. Now that he's gone from a dog with hackles up barking like crazy "Get away from me you scary, fuzzy thing" to squishing the kitty as he playfully pounces all around her, it's very nice to be able to call him away just before Mo hits her max on puppy antics.

It's one thing to be able to do things at home...

But it's a whole different thing to be able to do it in the face of distractions. Not to mention that it's super nice when you don't have to utter the words, "But he does this so well at home..."

So we practice "Go to your Mat" on his regular mat in a variety of locations but we also practice on other mats. How handy is it if you go some place without your regular mat in tow and you can easily send him to any dog bed, towel, etc?

Sometimes when it is something new, we have to back up our training a bit. But, because they already know it, they are quick to pick it up with the new circumstances.

My criteria is the same. Most of your body needs to be on the mat and you need to be lying down. Rolled over on one of his hips is ideal. This helps him settle into his stay.

And now we can work on that stay. I can work on all three components (duration, distance, and distraction) in the same session, just not at the same time.

We got a little side tracked when we were working on "roll." But he has the body for a cute "Take a bow."

He's starting to get it. If he starts to go down, I encourage him to let him know he's doing the right thing.

Not to worry, his roll is coming along too. But, if he has a whole arsenal of tricks, he has to be able to take a bow at the end.

He's been having a good time with his posse.

But now he has to brace himself for the fact that the rains are coming. He is not a fan. The weekend sunshine will be here soon...we hope.