Distance, Duration, Distraction

The three D's of training.

Working with Maxwell in class yesterday, I can see how far we've come on the first two. I can lead out to the second obstacle and ask for short sends (distance). I can get fairly long (5 to 10 second) sit and down-stays, and we can run several obstacles between treats (duration).  But those darn distractions...

In the middle of one run, Maxwell suddenly noticed the other dogs at the end of the room. Playtime! He started zooming, but was much easier to call back than in the past. Especially when my trainer pulled out a toy that is a tennis ball with a squeaky tail. THAT got his attention, so much that he began mugging me to get it. Still progress, though!

Sadie is stellar in class. I get great lead-outs, no longer babysit the majority of the obstacles, and even got some real enthusiasm in the weaves. We've been running courses without treats for probably three months now, which is great. (high-value treats after each run, of course) But as seen in competition, she needs help blocking out distractions.

I've started asking my class-mates to help out. I get a few people to be on the course as we run. Yesterday, they stepped it up: one person walked around swinging Sadie's leash, another walked the edge of the course, and my instructor squeaked a toy the entire run! The dog, however, was not to be trifled with. She ran like it was a silent, empty room. The next run my instructor put away the toy, but ran around just behind us as if he were a really obtrusive judge. And on the table, his count was "one and two and three and cookies and toys and dog and four and food and GO." Still, Sadie was unperturbed. Why can't she be this solid in competition?

There are definitely some things I need to work on. With Maxwell, I need to break things down more. While I can run short courses with him, that's not necessarily the best training. As my instructor reminded me, reinforce each stage, so it doesn't fall apart when it's put together later. With Sadie, we need to step up the distractions until it affects her, and then train her to work through it. I'll probably need to get my boyfriend to come to a rental a few times, since he will always be the biggest distraction possible for her.

I'm extremely pleased with both pups. Sadie has a trial next weekend.  We're entered in standard and jumpers. Fingers are crossed for another Q! I'll probably leave Maxwell home again since I have to travel to the trial alone. I know there are a few other people from the club going as well, so it should be fun. I figure Maxwell needs to mature before he can start trialing, even if his skills were up to the task. Next spring, perhaps... In the meantime, training is going great!