November!

I suspect one reason we all have sleep deprivation when the clocks fall back is because we wake up and start thinking, “is this the right time or the old time? What time is it really?” as we check devices that may or may not have adjusted automatically.

Who can sleep with all that mental drama going on?!

Once when Alison was visiting she observed that it would be easy to teach Zoey to hold her ball when she brought it back rather than simply spitting it at me to throw again.

Huh!

It was an excellent observation and has shaped how I now train the pick up games that are the foundation for formal obedience retrieves.

Sparkle will hold an item for as long as it takes for me to notice. Seriously.

The #pickups are actually a series of different behaviors. The dog has to be willing to pick something up, hold it until the release cue is given, and chase or find the item.

Sparkle is pleased to report that her apprentice has mastered the skills and now has her own franchise: #pozyspickups.

The next step is for Pozy to learn to wait when the item is thrown. That is an advanced skill that we are working on, as you can see in this video…

What if Pozy breaks and nabs the cookie before being released? She eats the cookie and I acknowledge I pushed too far, too fast and go back to staying close with a restraining hand on her chest to keep her in position, and lots of cookies for self-control.

When we train something well, there is no need to tell a dog she is wrong.

Family Photos!

Buttercup and Zeus from the Wildflowers…

I talked to Penny yesterday and it sounds like Zeus is settling into family life well. It is also clear how valuable it is for Zeus and his family to have Georgia, Patty, and Buttercup nearby for fun and to be resources — thank you to all of them for creating community around the puppies :)