Off Leash Class - Still with the Leash

[Krislady]

So today's class went . . . okay.

Jar has been, for the most part, incorrigible since I got home Thursday evening. He's not been more than two feet from me until this afternoon, and I think that's only because he's too tired to keep getting up and following me.

He's been less than cooperative, so we mostly observed the class and worked on heeling in the hall - he could see the other dogs in the class room, but he wasn't close enough to them to have issues.

There's one lady with a little black puppy who wants to "meet" Jar - I sat down next to him (in his down-stay) and we let her bring little puppy-duppy close, but not within striking distance. I'll admit, I had a harder time with it than Jar did - got to work on that.

So, more heeling, more showing off what we've practiced this week (not). And we learned a "finish left" - the command being "flip." That's where he's sitting in front of me, and, rather than going AROUND my right side and ending up at my left, in heel position, he goes to my left side and FLIPs himself around to be facing front.

Not hard, but needs practice.

I'm pretty sure we're not going to actually take the leashes off (though I've been wrong before), but, rather, just drop them in the class. Don't know for sure, though.

Obviously, we've got to step up the practicing - I think I've gotten complacent because the last class, we already knew everything. Does that make me sound like a smarty-pants or what?

I'm pretty sure we'll be repeating this class, at least once or twice. I don't think I mind that - the more exposure he has to rooms full of dogs, the better off he'll be, and the more I'm held accountable for his practicing, the better off we'll all be.

So this week - more heeling, with stronger corrections. I'm not even going to worry about turning yet.

[Saralaya]

You have done SO much work and Jar has come SO far.... it will work out. You are motivated to make it happen and he does respond.... hang in there!

[K9 Owned]

It's not at all surprising that Jar has been velcro and you had no time to practice so I'd say you have done well at this weeks lesson.

I love the flip finish! Maddie does a spectacular leap and spin mid air to land on my left side. It isn't very correct but she isn't trialling and I love how it looks. She seems to think it's a blast too.

Chase learned the flip finish and I had him do it as frequently as the around one but he was so loooong that he could never line up straight doing one. At trials you have the choice of finish so I always went with the 'around'. Dawson is very long too but more athletic and will likely have an easier time of it but for big dogs in general you get a cleaner finish with around than flip.

I wouldn't worry about him being offleash - dropping it is fine. He has come so far it would be a shame to push him beyond what he is ready for. I think you will see a big difference by the end of this series and will be more confident on the next round. You are very wise to keep him at his level of comfort.

Go team Jarly!

[Krislady]

Thanks Sara. We're also still doing quite well with the kitty tolerance training, too. This morning, she actually stopped eating treats long enough to look straight at him, he looked at her, and they were both FINE!

K9 - I'd love to see Maddie doing the flip finish! He said, once the dogs "get it" he's going to teach the little ones to jump and twist. . . that'll be fun.

I'm trying not to let Jar's lack of progress - real or imagined - bother me. I figure he's starting out with a handicap, and it's more important at this point to be able to have him in the room with the other dogs than it is to get him to do a hard right turn while heeling.

Next time around, though, he'd better get his act together.