Laddie turns 15 weeks tomorrow and weighs in at 26.9 lbs. Working with Laddie is such a privilege (most of the time, anyway, lol :p He is a pup after all, with some of the consequent goofiness and occasional lapses in proper behavior (as the butter on my table can attest... ahem! :p ) However, he is remarkably well behaved and focused for his age and continues to amaze me with the speed with which he grasps most concepts. Laddie has been doing 'place' so well that I thought we'd add a bit more difficulty and teach him to walk along in that position. It will be very handy for him to do this in the barnyard as a protective measure against getting rammed while he's little. Place walk, crawl, where's the treat (As with all the video links, once video opens in new page, click on it to see full vid) He earned his Novice Trick Dog Title Jan 20, 2018. Once his pedigree registration has gone through, I'll be able to apply for the certificate. In the meantime, I took a screenshot of the FB post that confirmed his earnings, for posterity :)
We haven't done much training outside because at -20*C I freeze my tush off!! lol :p
However, we actually did a bunch of his training outside yesterday. We were both so tired of trying to do the same things in the same little rooms inside. Plus, he needed some proofing on some of his more solid commands. AND, it's really hard to train 'heel' on a leash inside when you're having to stop and turn around every 5 steps... lol, so we worked on heel too. He gave me his attention and did everything even with the cat pacing along with us. I got my long suffering husband to take video of that today, but it's too far away to see any detail. I'm going to try to get someone to video again sometime soon and hopefully the action will be more visible. However, I did manage to snag a quick video yesterday of Laddie doing wait outside with an enticing cat just out of video sight, and another dog loose. I'm impressed! :) (sorry for the dusky quality... winter here means short days).
I don't normally repeat commands, but this was the first time I've had him wait at the top of the steps without another proofed dog there as an example, and it's only the third time I've ever asked him to wait there at all. So at 14.5 weeks of age, and with distractions, from a distance, and all alone with very little training specific to that particular spot, I felt it would be beneficial to remind him a couple of times. He amazed me <3
We're currently working on the Intermediate Trick Dog (ITD) title. Here are some of the activities we've tackled (I want to note that although my videographer often didn't get my upper body, I'm using my hands for signals & direction, but I'm not using lures): Open & Close door Ladder walk (this helps him to become aware of his hind end)
Back up (I was *way* off on my marker on this one :( )
Misty got over her heat induced grump and has started playing with Laddie again, which really helps tucker him out. I got a few shots on a cold but sunny day this week.
