Saturday, August 27, 2016
Another Tuesday filled with classes
Another Tuesday filled with classes
It would be nice if the training hall didnt have so many classes we want/need to take on the same day! However, until then, we have four classes on Tuesday!
Hardy and I attended the beginners class and worked on the various parts of the CGC test - which was excellent since we are taking the test on November 13th! Hardy did very well and shouldnt have any problems becoming a Canine Good Citizen (a certification that is part of our training plan).
There were only a couple dogs in Marys new Levels class so Laurel and I participated in that. We worked the "one hour down stay" - Laurel still struggles some with it and Hardy was expressing his displeasure about not getting to work by yelling from his crate, which I found very distracting. I eventually timed him out to the van, to both of ours relief, since he is much happier out there.
I also did a short rally course with Hardy during the competition class. Im considering taking him to an APDT trial later this month that is offering puppy level classes. There are still some skills we need to work on - the right finish is always tough because I have trouble raising my arms and passing the leash over my head plus there are so many things on the back of my chair for it to get hung up on. Hardy is still turning sideways to sit at heel and instead of staying in a sit, he still tends to go into a down very easily. The puppy levels class consists of 10 signs picked from any of the Level 1 signs. Ill have to review them and see what else we need to look at. Anyway, Hardy ignored the signs and although it was pretty rough, he handled the course fairly well. At this point, Im thinking we might want to do the trial.
Laurel also got to work on an AKC Advanced course. Im thinking I should compete at the IX Centers Crown Classic in December. Wed have four opportunities to get her RA title and she did well there when we did novice rally. I need to review the signs again because some of them are done just a bit differently than the related signs of other venues.
Then to top off the day, Hardy and I took his agility foundations class. We did some work on little combinations (the jumps are 4 inches high and wont be raised until Hardy is a year old) - we did a jump, tunnel, jump with a front cross thrown in. Hardy likes the tunnel but we need to keep working on his entry but once he figures out what you want, he is such a calm yet willing little guy! We added a jump, the A-Frame and another jump and eventually did that entire sequence. Hardy did a great job. Then we worked on the weave poles and its obvious he still doesnt understand what we want there but we have plenty of time for him to figure it out. And again, we are not training my agility dog, we are teaching my service dog (although our instructor disagrees with me - she thinks he will be both my service dog and my agility dog. Thats fine but first and foremost, he, like Laurel, is my service dog). Working together off lead with the different jumps, obstacles and sequences is just wonderful for focusing on our relationship, helping our communication and improving our teamwork!
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