I am going to miss this guy! He is just such a joy to have around. Now that he is 100% off leash (unless we are desensitizing him to other dogs, read more further down) he has been in and out of the house with me for all my daily chores. He came out to the horses with me this morning and held a Down Stay while I took a few minutes with the mares. The only mistake he made was he sat up at one point because he couldn't see me through the slats of the fence anymore. I was able to correct him without returning to him and he laid back down and stayed put until I was finished. He also had a bit of naughty fun today and chased one of the barn cats. I let him get invested in the chase before calling him off with the collar to make sure it would be effective for his owners if he sees a bunny or a squirrel in town (don't worry, our barn cats are -fast-). He sulked but he did break away and come back to me and sit down even though he wanted to keep chasing the kitty. I call that a win.
His obedience is very smooth. Even in higher distraction settings (a toy or stick being thrown, cats and other wildlife being silly, donkey running around) he is doing well. Other dogs are still a major distraction but with today's desensitization workout he made a major break through. We worked with Dane, the Rat Terrier, and while Dane was working 30 feet away we were able to keep Rihm under control and next to me in a Down position. He was still very vocal and annoying but he was not lunging, even though he was on a 20 foot leash and could have broken into a run if he wanted to. I then had Dane lay still while we worked around them and he was better about this also, though we mostly worked at walking away from them without Rihm constantly looking over his shoulder. As a reward we let Rihm meet Dane and even though Rihm sounded ferocious during the workout, they played a fun game of chase after the initial sniff.
Tomorrow we are just getting Rihm ready to go home. We are getting his glamour shots taken and we are taking his final obedience video to show his dad. Other than that we are going to play some games, snuggle in the living room and kind of take it easy before he gets to go home and show is owners how obedience can be his way of life now.
His obedience is very smooth. Even in higher distraction settings (a toy or stick being thrown, cats and other wildlife being silly, donkey running around) he is doing well. Other dogs are still a major distraction but with today's desensitization workout he made a major break through. We worked with Dane, the Rat Terrier, and while Dane was working 30 feet away we were able to keep Rihm under control and next to me in a Down position. He was still very vocal and annoying but he was not lunging, even though he was on a 20 foot leash and could have broken into a run if he wanted to. I then had Dane lay still while we worked around them and he was better about this also, though we mostly worked at walking away from them without Rihm constantly looking over his shoulder. As a reward we let Rihm meet Dane and even though Rihm sounded ferocious during the workout, they played a fun game of chase after the initial sniff.
Tomorrow we are just getting Rihm ready to go home. We are getting his glamour shots taken and we are taking his final obedience video to show his dad. Other than that we are going to play some games, snuggle in the living room and kind of take it easy before he gets to go home and show is owners how obedience can be his way of life now.
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