Wednesday, February 23, 2011

But Fun to Train

Here is Seven working contact obstacles and the chute.
And the weave poles are improving.  I am doing both Weave-O-Matics ("V") and 2X2 methods.  With the Weave-O-Matics, I closed them up much sooner than I usually do and it has forced her into better form.  She is still doing a lot of the two foot weaving which I think of as a small dog style.  See how she will often put her two front feet on the same side and then moves them both to the other side.
For comparison, here is Reagan doing the one foot style. Only one front foot on each side at a time.  It generally seems more efficient for bigger dogs so I hope that Seven will adopt this style eventually.
You all had a lot of comments on the last post.  I thought I would address them here.
 
I guess the powers above think I need to acquire more patience and learn to deal with frustration. :-)
 
It does not matter if Riley or Seven trains first.  Seven thinks it should be her turn 24/7.  Nothing distracts during her tantrum.  I provide stuffed Kongs and she works through them very quickly and then starts the upheaval.  If I provide something challenging and longer lasting, she opts out and gets right to her hissy fit.
 
Kathy, Sam is never to meet Seven.  I do not want him giving her any ideas. :-)  I believe her frustration has to do with not being able to get to me.  She is a little bit stimulated by dogs running agility, but not to lure coursing extremes or anything out of the ordinary.  I think I am her lure.
 
I've thought about the Manners Minder, but I need to test the range.  I wonder if the remote works from 100 feet away.  I would also have to change her food as the kibble I use for dinner does not pass through even the largest holes.
 
Seven broke out of the crate by pulling the front panel down into the crate.  Its a collapsible crate that I have never collapsed.  Couldn't figure out how and was not easy. It did take a lot of brute force.
 
Yes, I have Crate Games and worked on it for awhile.  Seven progressed quickly and loved playing the crate games, but it was just too slow going to bridge it into eliminating this problem.    At some point, I just had to get back to training Riley.

We had a better day today. Ten repetitions of Seven having to be quiet, closed mouth (not panting), and head down in her van crate before earning meals, company, and training sessions.  She is capable of settling down.