Today's Practice

We started training this morning right after breakfast. Our goal was to complete the items from yesterday (all 11 items). All inside practices were with tots only today. Started with "matt" inside today. For the trials in both the kitchen and in the living room, he repeatedly went back to the matt 10 times in 1 minute.

We worked on targeting inside as well. In dining room, we did 2 steps with a tossed treat. We completed 10 out of 10 tries in 45 seconds. In the front entry, we did 9 steps, a 180 degree turn and 2 steps. Got 9 out of 10 tries in 2 minutes. Lost focus at one point due to noise outside the front door. In the kitchen, we did 4 steps at a time with thrown treats. This was down with food down. He got 9 out of 10 in 1 minute. Not bad at all considering he stopped to try for a snack once. I asked him to "leave it". He did, and completed the trials consistently.

We did all of the planned eye contact trials scheduled for yesterday today. We split it into two sessions, but I should have reversed them. Inside in the front hall, he did 4 seconds of eye contact being hand fed 10 out of 10 times within 1 minute. In the dining room we did 4 seconds with hand feeding. We got 10 out of 10 in 90 seconds. There was one delay in the middle of this trial when John saw a strange dog in the yard, and went to shoo it away. Charlie did not leave the area, quickly reoriented, and resumed the trial. In the kitchen, 23 did 4 seconds and a mixture of thrown and hand fed treats. Charlie completed 10 out of 10 trials in 1 minute.

Big break for lunch, and for me to cut up a bunch of Zukes and Wellness treats (the cats ate a bunch of the first batch.) Also had frozen cottage cheese in Orka pine cones.

Outside eye contact (should have done this in the morning) with Zukes only. Charlie was pretty tired at this point. We did 4 seconds with Zukes on the leash in the driveway and hand fed. He completed 9 out of 10 trials in 2 minutes. There was a distraction at the local bar across the street, and John was working on the house. We did 1 second on leash in the backyard. He completed 10 our of 10 trials in 45 seconds, with dogs barking. The last trial of the day was on his line on the porch for 1 second. He completed 10 out of 10 trials in 45 seconds. It took him a few seconds to orient to task, since we don't often practice on line, let alone when he's tire.

Not a bad day at all. We'll probably go for a short walk with eye contact upon pulling yet this evening if he can concentrate - we'll see. It may just be a harness night.

Materials:
TOTs
Zukes
towel
Orka pine cone
cottage cheese