July 8 - Training Update

TRICKS!

I almost forgot! We're gaining ground on two new tricks, Roll-Over & Cross Your Paws. One is really a break-through!

Roll-Over ~ Believe it or not, the hardest trick for Bungee has been "Roll-Over". It was a trust issue. It all goes back to when Bungee was small, and we tried repeatedly for a few weeks to tape her ears. We did this with her on her back on the living room floor. She did not like this experience one bit. Bungee has suffered great suspicion about certain kinds of living room floor activity ever since.

Knowing this, we have both gone to extra lengths to gain her trust back, and also given her lots of time & space to decide for herself, the living room floor was safe when we were sitting on it too. She loves her tricks & balancing, and I have always done lots of shaping and playing with the dogs on the living room floor. But the wrong kind of movement from me, would signal her to flee into the next room. The cure for this has always been for me to play with Guinness, which she absolutely can't resist and back she'd come to have some more fun.

However getting her on her back on the living room floor was not happening for the longest time.

Drum Roll please....

For 3 days in a row, Bungee has practiced Roll-Over to the left on the living room floor with me sitting on the floor next to her, and even did it in class Monday night!

That's a personal biggee (for us more than her)! Now we'll get her rolling over in both directions.

Cross Your Paws ~ one of my favorite trick moves, but it's been a little slow coming. After last night's class I realized it's coming a little better than I thought. I was actually sitting on the floor of the training hall with Bungee watching the Utility (Level 3) obedience dogs work after we were finished. I was trying to get Bungee to Roll Over, which she did several times. But do you know she offered me Crossed Paws the 1st three times! I couldn't reward them because I wanted Roll-Over. But I was tickled anyway : - )) Definitely a glimmer Cross Your Paws is coming!

Sitting Food Bowl Retriever -no progress - for shame on me!
I have to remember to work on this!

Happy Training!
Enjoy the process...It's About Love!!