what are you working on today?

[Adrianne]

I had a cancelation this morning so i'm going to work on some of Cupars skills for his demonstration work.

first is going to be a refresher sit-stay in the park, with high distractions / there is a skate park being built and lots of diggers men etc.. there are always other dogs in the park too, plus I will take Bootsie and she can play off lead and walk away with me from Cupar.

next are some of his 'moves' he is currently learning to stand on a box and walk around it while keeping his front two paws on the box..both directions (it may be April's challenge as it is suitable for all ages)

will take him over the fields later on and get whistle recalls refreshed too..i don't train as much as I should in the fields -its just an extension of the garden and it shows in Cupars behaviour, he plays in the field and is more reluctant to listen, I don't want him training all the time , he has to have normal walks and just time to do his own thing, but I feel that I have neglected keeping his recall up to date just recently

[Kimmikins]

Today we're working on getting the house decorated and finishing off things we've been putting off since we moved in nearly two years ago...like toilet roll holders! And mirrors, and towel holders etc.

Have fun training with Cupes I really love hearing about his daily life and training life, and how he's a "normal" dog...one that has fun, funny days and isn't perfect all the time. Gives me hope, lol!

[Adrianne]

aww, thank you... I like that he is far from perfect, it keeps me having empathy with clients! but I can also see what is in reach with practice...Cupes is quite a nervous dog, a little timid, it is genetic, so I have to introduce new things to him carefully, the weave poles once frightened him.. training cones worry him.. hula hoops scare him.. jumps upset him.. but once focussed he can do anything..
the only 'home-made' fear he has is thunder storms, he is not sound sensitive to them but really freaks out at the barometric pressure change..its a hard one to sort out because I don't know when there is a storm like he does..so we use a thundershirt and sound recordings on good days at times in the inevitability that there will be a storm again one day and he will be better equipped for it..
he has his 'off days' too - when he is working and has one, it makes the clients dog look brilliant sometimes! but it also offers me a chance to demonstrate how to cope and deal with it!
a trainer with a brilliant dog would be a little intimidating I think.. Cupes is good at a lot, he has to be - he needs to demonstrate obedience, tricks, behaviour and control but masters nothing in particular.
good luck with the house stuff...mine is a tip a the moment, it didn't look too bad all winter, but the sun is shining today and the windows are a disgrace, noticing dust and cobwebs everywhere too..

[Jordan]

Today we were working on having fun!

Yesterday we did a lot of training when we were out, just practicing our usual outdoor stuff but also introduced some of the indoor things to see how he coped with mild distractions of added smells and sounds in the wood........he did really well with pretty much everything so today was a fun day.

Glorious sunshine today so went into the field up back and took the camera for a photo shoot and get some video of Domino running the field playing his favourite game.

[Adrianne]

Well, Cupes was having a bad day today...the sun was out and he was happy.. he was distracted in the park, playful and jumping in puddles..played with a collie friend, not so bad on the way home..so I trained him down the roads walking home instead of the park. I took him out on the road in the afternoon to check out a new grooming salon, he forgot his manners and wanted through to the back room..just sat and stared at the gate for ages and she thought he was brilliantly trained..I knew better.. So he came home and played with his toys and his mum in the sun. Aahhh
Then I put all his rubber toys and Kongs through the washing machine.. Great results...
He's back at work tomorrow. Puppy classes.

[Kimmikins]

Successful shopping trip today! Got some lovely lampshades for the living room, sadly no mirror like I'd hoped but I'd rather find the one I really want rather than compromise and get something I'll regret.

Tim's just taking Sara out for a walk, my back has been really sore the last 2 days so I'm resting as much as I can. Then I think we'll see how she does with the weave

There must be some cosmic shift when Spring arrives, the other day when the fun showed it's face, Sara was so bouncy! And she really didn't want to sit at kerbs, she'd try every single time to not do it to see if we'd cave.

[Adrianne]

its caused by serotonin being produced, and the reduction of dopamine,
basically the opposite of SAD seasonal affective disorder,

or in simple terms ...we all feel full of life and happier and generally better cos its spring!

[Adrianne]

Cupes is back on track, he worked at a puppy party last night.
his job was to meet and greet the puppies, he helps to teach appropriate play by ignoring mouthing and biting ...using paws to play and then waiting on the pups reciprocating, even better when they learn to invite him to play.
After which he went on demonstrate the 'leave it' command, puppy owners can practice with Cupes as well as their own dogs.  A bit more play and then a catch up on the skills that were taught the previous week, then a demonstration of some tricks that are suitable for the age of the pups..this keeps the owners motivated and inspired..
All in all, he redeemed himself from his nonsense in the sunshine.
when I got home there was a half eaten dead mouse in a pile of saliva and dog biscuits in the road, ...a quick 'leave it' and cupes just walked straight by...its good to go back to basics sometimes to jog the dogs memory ..I think they enjoy how easy it is especially going back to click and reward methods.

[Kimmikins]

It must be nice to go back to something they remember how to do, and get "easy" rewards - nice and motivating

Does Cupes enjoy playing with the puppies? Sara likes anything smaller than her, so puppies are especially exciting for her.

I love that he had to redeem himself from "nonsense", that's such a great, happy image for me! I love Cupes and his gorgeous funny antics

[Adrianne]

he adores the pups, he gets down on the floor as low as he can and gets his head below theirs, he is gentle and lets them make the moves, we have a collie puppy that is particularly boisterous and cupes plays harder with him, but it bit cupes ear with tiny teeth and cupes told him off! if they get too bitey - he just stands still, once they back off he shows them to use their paws and asks them to play again. he lay down on Wednesday evening and three pups were crawling all over him. he is really tolerant, I love him for that...but I cant take credit for it ..it is down to the fact he has just had a lot of exposure and opportunity.
hes not working today..so will do some trick training this afternoon if I finish early.

[kristina]

Love those posts Adrianne,keeps me within my own goals,I follow your advice to the full and it pays off Xena in the woods her recalls are superb,clipping her up on lead now and again then letting her off great training,now getting her to wait when she she gets too far in front of me well she will sometimes just sit and wait,then I call her  to come back to me and she does,getting her to come close now and then also is beginning to sink in also now trying to get her to stay!! very hard in the woods but she's now done it twice,this is what I work on everyday along with the road walking aspect,she is getting better all the time not brilliant but if I can avoid the Halti I will.Kristina

[Adrianne]

Well done Kristina, you should be very proud of getting so far before adolescence...most haven't even given training a second thought up until the age Xena is now and then they start with an adolescent which is twice as hard. You must be so proud of her, and I bet she adores you for spending so much time with her and helping her to understand what it takes to live with humans.
I've not been posting much just recently..i have been studying canine massage for a while, but not giving it enough time, it has been more difficult than I imagined, so I have made a huge effort to get back up to date - i only want to use it as part of my treatment for stress and high anxiety, not sports or injuries, but have had to learn all about those too..i almost gave up at one point, there is so much to learn.
obviously my two are being the guinnea pigs, I just put Cupes to sleep today with a central nervous system massage! he got up mid way and shuffled his bottom closer to me and lay stretched out in a sphinx position, so he obviously enjoyed it..even when I stretched his tail.