With the storms last night we did not have any internet and so I was unable to post Hamilton's update. He is doing really well. We were having our long line workout when the sky broke open and so I made him work in the rain a little bit. He hated it. Not quite the outdoorsy type he was saved by the lightning. I let him dry off and sleep for the rest of the night.
Even with the unpleasant sogginess he did a good job keeping his focus but the look I got when I told him to lay down in the wet was pretty priceless.
He had a completely off leash workout in the training room and at first he did not get it at all. He had no idea why we weren't going through the door but after a few minutes of insisting we work in circles he finally started to understand what we were doing. His issues were all down to confusion and not to blatant disobedience.
Today we started work on a grounded tether. This means the leash was completely out of my hands but he was on a 30 foot tether so that if he got a wild idea and bolted he would still be easy to catch and correct big time. He has not had those ideas yet but I worry about his prey drive. If a kitty decided to meander by I don't doubt that he would forget all about me. We may try to safely set this up to test it a little bit. I may recommend his owners get a 20' leash to practice with before taking him off leash on his own turf, because he knows where the neighborhood bunnies and kitties live. If his prey drive continues to pose problems my next recommendation will be to try a shock collar. On a low to medium setting these tools can be perfect to restore peace of mind to owners who want the assurance that they can get their off leash dog to turn around easily if he bolts.
So without little furries around he is doing just fine. I am able to get almost 40 feet away from him and get a Down and he will Heel nicely. In fact, I got nice compliance on all of his commands this afternoon.
We have started Place and he gets the idea. He really struggles if I leave the room, even for a few seconds but we will continue practicing. We are just fine tuning it is down to practice, practice, practice.
Even with the unpleasant sogginess he did a good job keeping his focus but the look I got when I told him to lay down in the wet was pretty priceless.
He had a completely off leash workout in the training room and at first he did not get it at all. He had no idea why we weren't going through the door but after a few minutes of insisting we work in circles he finally started to understand what we were doing. His issues were all down to confusion and not to blatant disobedience.
Today we started work on a grounded tether. This means the leash was completely out of my hands but he was on a 30 foot tether so that if he got a wild idea and bolted he would still be easy to catch and correct big time. He has not had those ideas yet but I worry about his prey drive. If a kitty decided to meander by I don't doubt that he would forget all about me. We may try to safely set this up to test it a little bit. I may recommend his owners get a 20' leash to practice with before taking him off leash on his own turf, because he knows where the neighborhood bunnies and kitties live. If his prey drive continues to pose problems my next recommendation will be to try a shock collar. On a low to medium setting these tools can be perfect to restore peace of mind to owners who want the assurance that they can get their off leash dog to turn around easily if he bolts.
So without little furries around he is doing just fine. I am able to get almost 40 feet away from him and get a Down and he will Heel nicely. In fact, I got nice compliance on all of his commands this afternoon.
We have started Place and he gets the idea. He really struggles if I leave the room, even for a few seconds but we will continue practicing. We are just fine tuning it is down to practice, practice, practice.
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