Weekly Training Update (Oct 16)

To compensate for concentration gaps lately, I really should keep notes on what I want to report each Friday. So often, the good ideas get lost in the hubbub of the week. What on earth did I want to share? Hmmm … This is all I can remember.

Off-Leash Work
On a particularly warm and traffic-free day last week, I unclipped Lilly on our usual walk, and she did a spectacular job for two of the three miles we typically walk. The half-mile closest to home is much more likely to include cars driving too fast (we have no sidewalks) and/or loose or barking dogs, so I won’t test her that much in tough situations.

BUT, on a rural road with only the birds (and wind) as company, Lilly does a lovely job staying right with me (not necessarily at heel). She even resisted the invitation (or challenge) from one of our neighbors horses, who often runs toward us like a puppy who has been home alone. This horse really wanted Lilly to run along the fence, but I tossed out a LEAVE IT and upped the ante on treats so that Lilly found greater rewards staying with me. Small victory, I think.

Relaxation Protocol on the Road
We continue to work on SIT-EAT-RELAX at various locations around town. And, yes, most times I have Lilly hop out of the car off leash because she is getting so good. We amused a man waiting in the lot at the pharmacy the other day. It wasn’t so much how cute Lilly was sitting and eating as it was her attempt to jump back into the Mini. Even though it’s much lower than the 4Runner, she still doubts herself because the crate sits farther back and the landing surface isn’t as level or solid.

So, she stood on her hind legs, front feet on the bumper, and jumped straight up several times. It really was funny. I finally had to ask her to backup and try again with more of a running start before she managed to leap all the way into the car and crate.

Silly!

Here are a couple shots from this week and earlier ones.

Lilly at the small, local hardware store, where she soon took a treat from one of the men who work there. You can tell by the pulled-back ear position that she’s feeling a bit amped up, but she is smiling, so she is doing relatively OK here.

{Please forgive the photo glitch. All the photos for this blog post (and many others) got lost in a techno mixup.}

Here, she is resting on a bench, keeping an eye on some kids at a local park near the creek path. I tried to get her to look at me, but she needed to see and track the shrieking. Everything else about her looks pretty good to me.

The Predator at Dusk

I took Lilly out with me Wednesday evening to get the mail up on the road. It was dusk, which is coming earlier and earlier these days, and Lilly got to be a natural born predator … when a rabbit took off like a shot as we walked out the front door … and … when a herd of deer I had not noticed in time, took off running as we walked back.

My LEAVE ITs were worthless in the face of such temptations. (We’re nowhere as accomplished at the wildlife challenge as KB and her pups.)

So, rather than pitch a fit, I trusted the rabbit and deer to outrun Lilly, then called her too me. Once the rabbit went under and the deer over the fence, Lilly returned.

Another Playdate With LuLu
Stay tuned next week for a LuLu update. We’re heading up the canyon to their house Sunday for a visit with our new Australian Shepherd / agility friend. This should be interesting since LuLu is now 4 months old and about 20 pounds. (LuLu’s photo gallery on the Fuzzy Bullet site)

Betsy says that LuLu is learning to read other dogs’ discomfort, so we’ll see how the two girls do. I’ll bring some super-high-value treats with me.

I would love if they could be friends, but I’m also well aware that LuLu is in that critical period, so I don’t want Lilly to scare her.

Maybe Thunder Too
We hope to see new borzoi pal, Thunder, soon too.

Tom got to meet him recently. Thunder is really good off-leash, I hear. BUT, he took off up the mountain at one point to chase some deer. The difference between Thunder and Katie (our first borzoi friend who we still desperately miss) is that Thunder has a strong recall, so once he was done chasing he came right back.