Boomer is doing great. We are still reviewing the basics but he is working hard. Tomorrow I plan to introduce him to a remote collar and start him towards off leash even though we are still a few days away from removing the leash entirely. We need to introduce him to that style of communication before we expect him to understand it.
He is getting along well with everyone here. He needs reminders not to be too rambunctious around the toddler. He doesn't understand how tippy babies are but he is responding well to the direction we give him.
Back to work tomorrow!

Boomer is here and he is already after my heart. It is no secret that I love Cattle Dogs and Blue Heelers are my favorites. They are quick studies and sharp enough to be a challenge without needing repetition after repetition. Boomer worked on leash walking today with a Heel/Autosit and we also introduced Implied Stay and Down. He is still a little wary of working for me instead of his dad but we are quickly becoming buddies. Tomorrow we will continue with the basics while we enjoy the little bit of snow we got today.
I think Boomer will be a fun and rewarding dog to ring in the new year with. Welcome Boomer!

My friend Valentine is going home tomorrow. She has done such a great job this week and I am
proud of her. She still has some puppy habits and she sometimes gets the answer wrong because she anticipates too much. For example, she sometimes lays down when told to sit because she thinks that is what you will ask her to do next. She also toils a little bit with Down from the Front because she really just wants to be on your shoes. But her heart is in the right place. Her Radius training is pretty spot on and she has made huge strides in not jumping up.
I will miss little Valentine. She was a joy to work with and I look forward to our follow up lessons.

Our little smartie pants had another good day today. We worked in the upper pasture on respecting fences and boundaries. She held a Down/Stay while I watered the mares. We also got a few visits from the FedEx man and so we took that opportunity to work on Hush. She is a very responsive dog and she learns very quickly.
Tomorrow I have a very full lesson day and so she will take it a little easy but she has earned a break. Likely we will work on Placemat and some Heel work in town.

Today is the halfway point for Valentine. She is doing fantastic. We are now reliable without a leash on. We have established a boundary at the farm and she is learning to respect fences and established boundaries. It will require some work on her people's part to establish boundaries at home and keep an eye on her for a while when she gets home to make sure she understands but she is showing me that she can understand the concept of boundaries.
Her obedience is very good. Implied Stay is pretty good and while Down at my side is solid if I try to park her at a distance she tends to ooze around until she gets closer to me. This is cute until one wants to put her into a Down with a boundary (like the paddock fence) between them and her. So we are making sure she gets more solid with this.
I am pleased with Valentine and am looking forward to the next 5 days. She is a good little Wigglebutt.

Smokey went home today ready to show his dad how politely he can walk on his leash now. His Heel and Autosit is pretty solid now and his loose leash walking is very good even around distractions.
His Placemat is coming along but needs more practice. He is a very cuddly guy and really wants to be in physical contact with his person. It will take some patience on his dad's part but he will get better. He just needs help parking himself. Once he is parked he does a good job but it takes some convincing to get him to settle on his mat.
Smokey is a good candidate for further training. He is a smart guy who likes to work and who LOVES praise. I had a very good time working with him this week. Good boy Smokey!

Smokey is a handsome young Weimaraner who is a little too excitable on walks. He is here for a few days to learn to walk on a loose leash, Heel/Autosif, and Placemat.
Today we introduced him to his pinch collar and he adapted well to it. He got a couple autosits today but I think these may have been flukes because he was a little nervous. He got warm praise for them even if they were accidental right answers. Tomorrow we are taking a few more walks and working on his responsiveness while on a leash. As of now he is pretty distractable but he tries hard and enjoys getting the answer right. He is a smart boy and I know he will do well.

Valentine is doing fine. We worked on Heel, Down, Come and Placemat today. She wore a 20 foot leash today to give her the opportunity to make mistakes without the ability to avoid the commands. She loves praise to the point that sometimes she gets too wiggly when she celebrates and needs to be calmed down to work again.
Tomorrow we are going to work on more of the same. We are going out to the farm to challenge her with more realistic boundaries and distractions. I am pleased with her progress so far.

Well today was kind of a bust. The rain made it miserable to work. We did a little bit but neither of us really wanted to be out there. We worked on Placemat and Down Stay in the house and she did just fine. In fact, for a mostly outside dog she has been a very polite house guest. She has left the Christmas tree and the house cat alone and hasn't been too tempted by treats wandering around in tiny hands.
Tomorrow we are back to work with the remote collar and her obedience training. Until then she is happily chewing on a nylabone she borrowed from Ace's stash.

Wigglebutt Valentine is here for 10 days of advanced off-leash training. She is a country girl and so her focus will be on radius training and setting boundaries.
She is a very bright Aussie who has settled in nicely. While I wait for her own remote collar to arrive we are using one of mine to start her leash work. So far we have just reviewed what she already knows and heavily emphasized self restraint and the Stay command.
This will be a fun week with this snuggle bug. Stay tuned!