I finally got smart.
A major problem I've had while trying to train Maxwell at the club is his energy. Despite the fact that we walk to class, he regularly ends up zooming around the room at top speed. While it's funny to watch him careen around the room, buzzing other dogs and generally causing a ruckus, it makes the actual training a challenge. He's unfocused, and therefore must be kept leashed at all times. The rare occasion we try a few jumps off-leash, my trainer has everyone clear the floor.
But then I started jogging again.
I hadn't gone running in a while (months) due to laziness, bad weather, and Maxwell being too young for sustained running. Now that the sun is out longer and it's warming up, I've decided that Maxwell is old enough for short jogs. Since he has so much energy, I even put his backpack on him with a can of pumpkin in each side. The weight definitely didn't slow him down on the run... but it did take the edge off his energy.
So, before class last weekend, I took the dogs for a 1 mile jog, grabbed a quick breakfast at home, then we walked (ok, they dragged me) to class. That's when the most amazing thing happened. He worked great on leash for about 40 minutes. He was calm, focused, and enthusiastic. When my trainer set up a mini course, we went last. As usual, everyone else was asked to clear the floor, in case he went zooming again. To keep down the excitement, I went at a brisk walk through the course: teeter, A-frame, table, jump, jump, rear-cross jump, table. I treated nearly every obstacle, and he stayed right with me!
I decided to test him for the second pass.
I still treated the contact obstacles, but I sped up to a controlled jog. Perfect form! He flew through the course like a veteran, nailed the rear-cross and skidded to a halt on the last table. I could have hugged him, I was so happy! (but he's not a fan of hugs, so I didn't) He got lots of cheese for that, and I now know to go jogging before class.
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