Foundations - happy dog stuff

So after a short break here at the DSMC, we're back with a dog training update. I had my super awesome friends Steph and Erik visiting me for just shy of two weeks. Amazing that they came all the way from Canada to hang out. I dare say they got the full TZ experience, complete with lost luggage on the way here, tea plantation delights in the Usambaras, an ENTIRE day at the airport because their flight had technical problem (they found this out AFTER they were airborne and the flight had to turn around) on the way to Arusha, a safari delight in the Ngorongoro Cratee which came with the unfortunate bonus of some sort of food poisoning and/or parasite, and then a relaxing weekend (well more like a day) overlooking the ocean from Zanzibar.

 Now, alas, they're gone and I'm back to the grind. I've been sick too, some sort of flu is the best guess I got from the clinic after being out of commission for the better part of this week with intermittent fever and muscle/joint aches.

After my lovely visitors left I got back on the dog training bandwagon and the girls are loving it. This new, everything-is-a-game thing is a hit and we're in our 8th week of lessons. It should like a lot and it us, but we've only had 4 topics to far. The two weeks practice time is great to work on our skills (both dog and human) but it still feels like we've blown through it (the 1.5 week haitus on the lesson I need the most practice on is probably partly to blame here).

 Anyway, we started on heelwork this Monday and the doggles were lucky to get a day or two in before I confined myself to the bed. We were back at it last night, poor girls haven't been a walk in weeks and have loads of energy - unlike me, and Natasha is doing swimmingly. Shaki's uptake on the lessons is completely different. We still haven't mastered the tug together yet but she's much more into the shaping that Natasha. On heelwork Shaki's super excited and Natasha is at a good level. And their self-control is great - in sessions - but outside of that, like when the door to the cat's dinner room is open by mistake, the self-control is not tops.

So fun dog stuff starts with Shaki and her super enthusiasm for shaping work. She's just so much fun that we're shaping these silly behaviours. This is joy!

And two clips of Natasha.

This is from our second day at trying to shape her walking backward. The first day was a bust (I kept rewarding too late and getting sits and lying down. This is where the class helped enormously so after feedback from Thomas and Fanny, I took a new approach on day two and we got some where! This is the fourth of 4 sessions on shaping backing up that day. I this I saw a lightbulb flash toward the end.

Then we have last nights sessions of heelwork. Interesting technique to shape a perfect (or as close to it as possible) is to start by walking backward and the dog follows. Eventually I'll add a slight right step and walk forward and she should spin her butt and be in a perfect heel.... of course this is easier said than done and we have a few steps between this and that, but we're having fun.

Okay, enough dog-blog for today!