This goofball did a good job today. We worked all day on the 20' leash. This gave her the freedom to make mistakes without having her completely off leash where I can't correct her. Once we started working she was great. She only bolted once when one of my dogs looked playful and it was too enticing. She still gets a bit silly over Down and is very wiggly but she is gaining more self restraint.
Where we struggled today was in getting her into working mode. Once she was already working she did fine but if I released her and let her get sniffing around and then tried to get her working again it was very difficult to regain her focus. The only command that she seems to respond to reliably to when off playing is the Come command. I have to use my happiest voice sometimes to get her attention but it typically works.
We are going to work on getting her focus back a little better and we are going to continue on the long line for the time being. Tomorrow we are also going to introduce Placemat which might help with her self restraint. I know it will be a difficult thing for her to master because she is such a shadow. She likes to be with the people wherever they go and the main point of Place is that she can't follow you anymore but she has to stop herself, instead of being held back by a tether or a barrier. It will take a lot of practice for her. But she likes learning and so she might take it easier than a more argumentative dog would.
Where we struggled today was in getting her into working mode. Once she was already working she did fine but if I released her and let her get sniffing around and then tried to get her working again it was very difficult to regain her focus. The only command that she seems to respond to reliably to when off playing is the Come command. I have to use my happiest voice sometimes to get her attention but it typically works.
We are going to work on getting her focus back a little better and we are going to continue on the long line for the time being. Tomorrow we are also going to introduce Placemat which might help with her self restraint. I know it will be a difficult thing for her to master because she is such a shadow. She likes to be with the people wherever they go and the main point of Place is that she can't follow you anymore but she has to stop herself, instead of being held back by a tether or a barrier. It will take a lot of practice for her. But she likes learning and so she might take it easier than a more argumentative dog would.
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