Today, I am just gonna do daily stuff. No special sessions. So much stuff going on today. Well, maybe I'll take them bikejoring. Out of the ordinary, but not "training". Mostly just hold on and try not to die.
I realized when Sharon commented on everyone's progress, that half the value of posting on a forum is feedback. And I have really not been commenting. I figured out that it's because I consider myself such a novice. The training you guys are doing is pretty amazing, and I felt brave just posting!
Even though I don't know that I have any "advice", I'll try to participate with supportive comments!

PS- After reading all of ya'lls training, my wife is now showing interest in Tracking stuff. Wow. Talk ablout outside my wheelhouse! Managing gnarly dogs... I got. Keeping a full yard peaceful..... No problem. Just getting into actual obedience. Now she's looking at tracking! That stuff seems IMPOSSIBLE. I'm amazed at the stuff you guys are doing. Keep up the good work!

Comments are nice but not necessary on this thread. It was started (or evolved into) a sort of chronicle or blog for members to track their training progress and solutions. It is cool to see how well others are doing and compare training approaches.


Nice tracking for us this morning. Repeated yesterday's three tracks on the junior high field. No distractions today... NICE! Crosswinds gave her a bit of a fit on the second track, and one leg of the last track, but, as usual, she worked through it.

Light bulb moment, Sadie is more focused and committed when we track more frequently. I had stepped back to three times a week per the book that I've been reading, but every day was like starting over. Now that we are back to five or more times a week, she's much happier overall. I think the outings make working more fun for her, and she seems to look forward to it.

Tonight we are going to play games -puzzle for searching for treats. Then go over
with bindi= "go around", hand signals, hand signals at a distance and retrieve basics.
Cody-"place command" and puzzle, and play search game. retrieve basics, close it, pick it up.
Terra-mark, turning on the mark with front feet planted and back feet moving. puzzle,
retrieving basics. puzzle.
Sharon

Did some Bikejoring with each individually. Probably won't do much else today. Think I'm getting sick. Boo.

one of my boarder came with a new friend. So a big distraction for Harley. We did 4 hides with the 2 target smells. He was very distracted at first and randomly indicated at stuff in the barn. Once he figure that he was not going to get paid for that he went straight to a hide and indicated. we also did some basic heel around the stranger.

I found that for Harley any new edible stuff is high value. He will give me a fast backward heel for a hard pink mint.

Actually, I did something else. I had them out in the yard after a walk, and our only unspayed female is in heat, so the play was a tad too high in drive, which made me put a temporary ban on wrestling. This is crazy tough for them. But they managed to keep their play decidedly un"bully"ish. So, to let them have an outlet for it, and to reinforce me as being the source of the most intense play, I did a round of tug with everyone.

Logan's doing way better ignoring other dogs but I have been slacking on basic obed...not lacking structure per say but not done any obed for a month...yikes. What was I thinking?

Harley fetch ob work. Send out, stay/wait, bring/drop, position change at distance (more or less 100')

Dexter is very playful but I can't seem to get him to engange that energy in work. It maybe the drop in temperature that make him so happy.

Then long run in the wood with some recalls.

This morning I took Bindi out to a park on a long line and had her run around and then do recall. There was a lady with her dog off leash and she threw the ball right toward us, and her dog came running toward us. Bindi was nervous and had a hard time keeping her "watch me" on me. But she did improve. The lady took her dog and up the stairs to this upper yard. So we did heel, wait, recall, and just being silly. She had a good time and did very well.
Cody- Took him to the same park, now lots of big dogs (cody weighs about 17 lbs) and two groups of them off leash. Dogs not under control. So, while they were at a greater distance we trotted around, the other dogs left and we heeled and just rewarded cody to help with his fears.
Sadly by then it was too hot to take terra out.
Tonight-
Bindi-practied "go around", come, distance wait with hand signals, retrieving dumbbell basics, go touch (goes and nose punches a big ball), down, roll over, crawl, mark and pivots as she heels next to me.
Cody- "place command", heel, running from mat to mark on command, hand signals, go touch, retrieve dumbbell basics.
I think that is it. Tomorrow is Cody going to petsmart when it first opens and getting used to the few people (mainly men) in there. Then treadmill. Tuesdays is treadmill, and fun outside. (running around up our dog walk, through the tunnel, being silly with them chasing them, recall, throwing their pinecone and sticks so they can chase it. )
Sharon

Finally got to track today. The temperature is much cooler and we had rain last week so the ground is nice.

Dexter did track a long 20'. He is so full of energy that he was happy to try and find food on the way to the big treat.

Harley was Harley. Right on track. The track was short as we did not track for a long time so 3 legs of 95', 50' and 120' more or less. No baits just the final jack pot. Harley got a bit lost at the first turn but found the scent fairly fast and was spot on for the second turn. He did his normal I found the jack pot jump on the container dance around scratch bark and finaly laid down and waited for me to free his reward.