A day in the life...

Bailey and I have been slowly getting back into the groove of working together. Now that he is two, well time we resumed with training and a few tricks. As they say...life happens...or in Bailey and my case health issues.

The dog learns... once the handler "gets" it.
Many of the mistakes a dog makes during a training session is due to the handlers mis-communication with the dog. If you watch our video...today I started working with Bailey to get into the bin (yeah, there is a reason for this ).
I started out using a kennel lead to help him along...placing him where I wanted him to be. I also used a clicker to mark wanted behavior. Once I started holding the camera, well things did not go as smoothly. With camera in one hand, ball in the other to lure, no kennel lead for I was out of hands and holding the bin so it would not topple....and of course bad hands. There was just no way to use the clicker... Sloppy to start but we will both improve our skills with our daily practice.

The images tell the tale and breaks all he has to learn...positioning. The best way to get in is head on, not off at an angle. Learning to get in....effortlessly...we will work at it...and getting out....he has this down. Of course the reason he does it....a toss of the ball is a wonderful reward.
Notice how I was using his ball to lure and as his reward!!!




I find making use of the video helps teach you to be a better trainer....though I suggest having a helper, or in my case using a tripod (we shall see about that).
In my case... I really need to work through how to manage with bad hands, and forget how I used to do things...which is very frustrating for me....and Bailey to sometimes learn new things. There is a 100 ways to get it done....Bailey and I will find our way...together!





So...back tracking where we left off. We are in major need of distractions. Training will consist of traveling about...practicing our sit, down and stays....of course heeling with distractions will be a huge challenge for him. Also...working around other dogs as part of our distractions.



With the cooler temps there is just no reason to not work with him. Slowly agility equipment will be moved from Atlanta to Fl. For that helps to improve attention, and is also so much fun for both dog and handler.



Happy training !



"To err is human,to forgive canine. ”

A Dogs ABC's