Smith and Short Dogs

Pictus has been hunting crickets... not this time.

More back transport training.

Repetition brings clarity. Fading assistance too soon breaks the foundation.

This session was meant to help clarify that looking away from me in this instance is a good thing.

A small part of me does want to deck Dyka out in goggles, helmet, harness with gun holster etc and hone our training to near military perfection.

But, mostly it's just us having fun and preparing for IGP trials 🤣

Here's some clips from today's training.

She nailed both behaviors!!!

Nachi claiming the bed 🤣🤣

Also because our floor is slippery and as cute as the 'scooby doo run' can be, it can also be hard on their joints/muscles.

In a trial, the 'transport' command means 'watch the helper' essentially.

Here I am using the toy to teach where to focus.

Dyka tends to look to me for answers, which is why she struggles with staying engaged in the blind, but also why she struggles looking away from me here.

At the same time, knowing the toy is there is part of why she's being vocal.

We are working through it 😅

Not every session is amazing, but it is data, and bri gs clarity through repetition.

Would others do it differently? Probably.

Is this working for us? Yes.

Trying to ride to Pavel, the neighboring village.

Practicing the stand in motion 🥰

Do often wonder how far along she would be with a better trainer?

Yes

Have I heard others say that?

Yes, and not even top 5 of the crap I've heard honestly.

At the end of the day, we all start somewhere. I definitely have my weakness when it comes to IGP.

However, there are few things as enjoyable and rewarding as spending time training my dogs.

Trial is cool, titles are nice....

But the relationship I have with her because of the sport, that is what truly matters to me 🥰