Tonight, Penny and I were very lucky to end up having a private lesson with Jenn since none of our classmates could make it. We worked on a number of both old and new things: the broad jump, sequencing, weave pole entries, obedience positions, and the most fun? Snooker! But, first things first.
Broad Jump. Practiced clearing the jump with enough collection to curl back to find the Front position, without clipping any corners. Started off with just one section of the jump, and gradually added them on. Penny did really well with this!
Sequencing. Penny did great! And even I made less mistakes than I normally do ;) I think I am finally starting to catch on. I am really impressed with her ability to read me, though. I will never cease to be amazed at how much dogs pick up on even the slightest of body movements. We had some very nice pieces, and her start line stays were FABULOUS (she stayed even while I was flailing about, practicing my handling before actually running the sequence), so overall I am very proud and happy!
Weave Pole (Six) Entries. Not bad. Better than I expected they would be, especially for being the first time weaving in the new building. We got a couple of good entries but it definitely became harder for her when the jumps were moved closer to the poles, and at tighter angles. She also got away with only weaving five poles a couple of times, bad handler! I don't normally throw food but Penny was uninterested in toys tonight so I had to up the ante. It was pretty funny when she would weave four poles, then stop and stare at the wall and/or ceiling, expecting string cheese to come flying out. She's special, lol.
Anyway, I know what our homework will be... as soon as it stops raining! I suppose I could also set up something inside, but space would be tight. It might work though. We shall see.
Obedience Positions. Before tonight, I kind of thought that Penny knew what the verbal cues "Front" and "Finish" meant, but I quickly learned that she really doesn't. No problem though, that's my fault: I got away with not really training them for Rally. At least I now know how to approach training them correctly! I also definitely never taught "Heel" as a position (rather, an activity), so that is also something I want to start. Once she is thoroughly understanding verbal cues, and if we can get past stress/anxiety in new environments, I think Penny could have no problem with competition obedience!
Snooker. I kind of knew what this was about, but finally really learned the "rules" of it and actually got to play around with some course design tonight and I must say, it is totally fun! In two weeks we are going to a USDAA match down near Louisville, and I am so excited to try it there. Actually, I'm just excited for everything really: it will be our first time working in a trial environment, on full courses, etc. so it should be lots of fun and a great opportunity to learn.
Teaching heel as a position was a major breakthrough for me... so much easier!
ReplyDeleteGlad you guys had fun! Totally proud of how much progress you both have made in a tiny amount of time. Remember that finding and completing the weave poles is her responsibility. Your responsibility is to make sure she knows where she's going in time, and that she completely understands what the criteria is - which means all possible approaches, all handling possibilities, and generalizing it to different locations and spacings. :)
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