Share what you're working on with training...

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#1
I thought people might like to just share what sort of training activities/goals you have at the moment. This beautiful fall weather makes it possible to get out and do more, and I find myself with a laundry list of things we're working on.

Some of you may recall me whining about my agility class. It has worked out - it's still exasperating and frustrating, but the difficulty has made me more focused on my dog. We practice jumping at home, and offlead obedience. I really should invest in some weave poles, because she's already pretty good at jumping, and since she's always been willing to go through a window, the tunnels present no real challenge. In class, we practise mostly the 'watch me' focus stuff, then sneak a few practice runs while the others' backs are turned.

In non-agility training, we're working on behaving around horses. We go and watch the riding lessons at the barn where I ride and curiously, despite her motion-reaction behavior with other dogs, she's pretty good around horses.
I spend most of the time watching her and feeding her treats when the horses trot/canter past without her reacting to it. Rest assured I watch her like a hawk for any tenseness so she never gets a chance to scare a horse, I don't take her into the barn or at all near the horses, and the barn owner's okay with us sitting a few feet away from the rail near the outdoor ring.

I was reading a book about herding and got interested in the idea of having my dog take the 'herding instinct test' someday. One of the requirements was that the dog have a reliable distance 'down' so now we're working on that too. She really doesn't understand that one - it's different than anything we've ever done.

And on a more prosaic note, we're working on training me to keep to the feeding/outing schedule. On cool/wet mornings and evenings, my dog refuses to go out, makes herself scarce so you forget it's time, etc., then stealthily utilizes the rug. She's 99.99% housetrained, but reserves the right to keep that last .01% leeway. I love my dog, but sometimes I miss her 110% housetrained predecessor.
 

lakotasong

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#2
I attend my forth week of Rally Obedience classes tonight with Arthur. Arthur is trained in traditional obedience and agility, so this has been quite humorous for us!

We're working on a better finish around/behind me. He knows the flip finish, but Rally calls for both.

We're also trying to get down the sign that reads: "STOP. One Step. STOP. Two Steps. STOP. Three Steps." I have been teaching Arthur the command "step," because if I use "heel" he wants to take more than just a couple steps and he ends up forging a little and sitting crooked. He's a very large dog (27" at the shoulder is what his NADAC card says, I believe) and has a big stride, so this is a challenge. I usually use "step" in the conformation ring with other dogs to get them to move their feet into place better. But since Arthur doesn't know it, I figured I could turn a very short heel with an abrupt halt as "step" for him. After we practice it a few times he is DEAD ON, but initially he still forges.

There's one other Siberian in our class, and her owner is just smitten by Arthur's charming personality!
 

otch1

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#3
Hello! Glad to hear you stuck it out in your agility class. We have horses too and my new dobie pups getting used to all of the activity at my place including the livestock. I was very excited about taking a clients new Irish Terrier pup to work in conformation group last night. He's been with me for 10 days now. Got 2 blocks from building, to train, and he had a terrible "accident" in his crate. Very upset stomach. I had to turn around and go home, hose crate, bathe pup. So, I envy your training day. For me, today, it's spent potty training, pooper scooping the yards and getting the smell out of my car! Lol Next week it's "basics" and conformation training.
 

Adrienne

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#4
With Neva we are working on her not being such a whimp around loud vehicles. She is getting much better, we are walking around busy streets to help desensitize her to the sounds.

With Gunnar we are working on off leash recall. He is reliable except when another dog comes bounding by. He was awesome today though, we have a lovely nature trail two blocks from our house and I decided after a while to let him off leash since he was just dying to keep up with Neva (she doesn't require a leash on nature trails). He was having a blast but when he would get a bit ahead of me he would turn and bound back to me. Anyways, they were about ten feet ahead of me when an offleash golden turns the corner, I just about crapped my pants since Gunnar is dog aggressive lately. I called him and he came right to me! I was so proud! Next time we are going into no-mans land to get off leash time, it's just to stressful thinking about him hurting another dog because of me letting him off leash.
 

Lizmo

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#6
With Lizzie I am really working on EVERYTHING to make sure she can perform the command/commands that I give her anywhere!!! And that means taking her more places like the park, for a car ride, and other places.

But I am REALLY focusing on the "watch me" command and have her not get as "happy and mean" around other dogs and working on "come" so she will have it down completly. Also I am working with her so she can pass the CGC test.

Also so she will see me and "pack leader". She does now some but I want it so she sees me as this ALL THE TIME!!!!!

And I am trying to do more "fun" things with her. Like taking her out to the park for a walk and meet and greet people, for car rides, and just trying to have fun so she will not be bored and for socializing.
 

elegy

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#7
with mushroom we're mostly just working on nice leash manners and not being a jerk around other dogs. he's been so much worse since he was attacked. sigh.

luce and i are working specifically on lateral movements in front and on holding her right paw out on command (this is going to be the "put your right foot in" of the hokey pokey, eventually).

i need to set my weave poles up again. correction: i need to fix my weave poles and THEN set them up again.
 
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#8
It''s fall. Fall means cold. Cold means winter. Winter means SLEDDING!!!! LOL

Right now our main focus is getting the boys (and the other dogs) whipped back into tip top shape and sharpening sledding commands so they are ready for when they snow flys and the races start!
 

RD

Are you dead yet?
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#9
For Dakota, we're working on an emergency whistle "down", and manners around livestock (no biting, no barking when put in a downstay, no herding without being told to, etc)

I'm also working really hard on getting him to stick his tongue out on command, but so far all I have gotten him to do is lick his chops. He won't stick his tongue out and leave it there, ever. >_< Bummer, too, because I thought that would be such a cute trick.

Ripley has slid back into resource guarding, so we're working on "leave it" and letting me take things from him without getting bitten.
 

Brattina88

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#10
That does sound like a cute trick RD! I'll have to conjure up a way to teach that to Maddie

Maddie and I are working toward her CGC... she's doing really good! More specifically I'm teaching her to "return" to heel with a hand signal. Its a variation of come, but not only does she have to come, but she has to sit by my side in the heel position. She really likes it; its super funny. She goes to my left side and hops around into a sit in the correct position - looking at me with full attention. :D I'm starting to love this command - she's heeling a lot better now than she ever has !

I'm attempting to teach Missy that as well. She's not as motivated... I think that she thinks I shouldn't ask her to go in front of me if all I want her to do is return to a heel. She needs more practice with the heeling itself, though. Today we were walking loose leash and she got excited when she saw a cat. Instead of hitting the end of the leash and pulling she bounced around. I was telling her to sit when her big ole head collided with my lower jaw. omg I thought she broke it. I have a lovely bruise... She did sit, though :eek: :lol-sign:
 

Babyblue5290

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#11
With Lucas I am just brushing up on all of his commands and starting to work more on obedience at a distance. He is doing pretty well :)
 
T

tessa_s212

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#12
Cocoa- Go outs for Utility Obedience, signals, and bettering her heeling. In agility I would like to get her NADAC Elite titles, as well as the highest title possible in UKC agility. We should have both by end of next summer.

Marq- everything. :D His obedience needs alot of work. We haven't been working much. His heeling needs to be sharpened up. He needs better attention. His finishes need improved on slightly. And we've even been playing around a bit with the dumbell.

Dega- Taking sharper turns when I tell her too. Sometimes she likes to circle wide and might miss an agility obstacle. Other than that, she's sucha great agility dog.

Tusket & Tip- BOTH need work on weaves. They were doing SO much better on class monday. And they have been improving, but we need to work hard this winter for next spring's trials.
 

doberkim

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#14
rah is working on many many things.

above all, were still working on manners. hes been very good for very many things, but sometimes his puppy brain goes crazy and his last two brain cells stop talking.

hes working in agility on contacts and learning that his feet can move independently from each other. were also building confidence on obstacles and hes learning to manuever and turn around on the aframe, etc.

were working on his basic obedience as well - sits, downs, and above all - attention work. were working on loose leash walking which is translating to heeling.

weve also done a lot of work building drive. hes started tracking a bit (i need to get back on this), and weve done some limited work witha schutzhund trainer as well.

in short, everything and anything.
 
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#15
I'm working towards Caza's SchII, we will be trialing in November. He's pretty good with all his commands I'm just reinforcing them.

Neeko- Just basic obedience, and his recall under heavy distractions (if there is other dogs involved he could care less who is calling him)

Hondo- I am working towards his CD title for a January show (he'll be 10 months). I am also preparing him for his BH next June (he'll be 15 months by then) ans his SchI in September. My trainer say he has no doubt that Hondo will get his SchI in september if I continue to work him the way I have. His obedience is excellent. Heeling is amazing (totally focused), sit-in-motion, down-in-motion (still working on that, I still slightly bend down when I command him down), his stays are incredible (through heavy distractions), and I can pretty much call him off of anything. I am also been taking him to playgrounds and gettin him used to obstacles and stuff.
 

IliamnasQuest

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#16
I'm mostly working with Khana these days and she's just a joy to work with. We're practicing our novice obedience stuff in a competition class, which provides the distractions we need.

But outside of class we're working on some freestyle moves. She'll sidepass to the right when in heel position, and we're working on it with her in front of me. We're also doing more with her heeling on the right side, and getting her to do pivots where she backs up when on the right (which is much harder than the left, because we do pretty much everything on the left). I am also working on her circling me at a distance instead of up close (she will circle me clockwise and will back completely around me counter-clockwise). Distance work will be much more difficult for us overall.

Oh- and we've started the teeter for agility. Three sessions and she is banging it down at full heighth! Not much scares this girl.

I'll be teaching a rally class and a freestyle class starting this coming Sunday, so Trick will get to do some stuff too. She just needs one more leg for her excellent title, so I need to keep her fresh on the exercises.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska
 

britney

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#18
Britney does heel to either side. No worries. But today I noticed that if there are 2 dog owners walking side by side she will move to the wing position rather than walk to my immediate lef or right. I'm guessing that if she finds herself between 2 alpha dog owners, she feels she is in the alpha position and worries about being put in her place.

Part of me thinks that I should insist on the rules. But the other part of me is thinking that it might be best for all concerned to play it by the instinctive pack rules. Why confuse a dog?
 

BostonBanker

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#19
It depends on our mood for the day:D . My "real" goal is to have her ready to compete in agility next spring or summer. She's doing beautifully, but really needs to work on her contacts, so I'm trying to teach her to down on a target. Correction: This week, I need to start teaching her to down on a target, not just think about it.

I'm getting her tested for her CGC the next time there is a test near us, and am starting to think I want her tested for therapy work. She would be amazing at it, but I'm not sure how well I would handle it.

I also really want to teach her to walk better on leash. She's almost never on one, so it's more a matter of me taking the time.

I'm also working really hard on getting him to stick his tongue out on command
RD - Do you use the clicker? I taught my horse to stick his tongue out by "clicking" mid-lick. He picked up on it very quickly that way. It's a fantastic trick:)
 

Muggie'sMum

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#20
Basic agility with Morrie. More drive towards obstacles and teaching him to do a little bit of distance stuff, working away from me. He's very dependant on me when performing sequences, *I* have to be doing it too or he's not really interested, and bungles the job - for example, six jumps set in a row and if I send him down and walk them, he'll go slow, drag his feet, knock jumps, come off the line, etc, but if I run with him at the speed I expect him to move, he'll go, jumps everything clean and clear, stays on task. I don't know how we're ever going to be able to do Gamblers!!

And Sarah.. well, she does nothing. The "queen" doesn't need to learn anything new!
 

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