Open Training

Even though we have not shown in Novice level obedience, I have started introducing Riley to Open level (2nd level) obedience exercises.

First exercise is the broad jump. It is the silliest exercise of all obedience maneuvers in my opinion. It serves no purpose. I always envision myself standing in a creek with my feet submerged in the water and telling my dog to jump it. Who does that? Regardless of my opinion, we have to do it if I want to compete in Open obedience. Since Riley is 24 inches tall, she has to jump 48 inches wide. In this video, Riley has already been introduced to the broad jump. As she jumps, I toss a treat in front of her so she practices jumping and landing straight before returning to a front position.

The second exercise on the video is starting Riley on the drop on recall. In fact, I believe this is her very first time working on it. Eventually, I will teach her to drop if asked when she is responding to a recall. Right now I roll a treat to the other end of the room so she has a reason to move away and then when she turns to come back to me, I can practice asking her to drop. I also will do the same thing when she is retrieving toys for fun. Travis was especially offended when asked to drop while fetching his bumper, but the food jackpots quickly changed his mind and he was more than willing to down.