Prep-to-Show, June 24, 2009

Well, Jack and I had not been taking the Prep-to-Show class frequently enough. And it showed. We need more practice with distractions. And more energy-burning exercise. I looked at Jack when we got home and told him that everything was my fault and that I would try harder to provide him the opportunity to run and play and burn some energy.

So, we went into the ring to perform the AKC Novice program. We were judged by Joyce, who was assisted by Michelle. Here are the notes I wrote down regarding each exercise:

1. Heel on leash - Jack lagged a bit on the heeling - What to do to correct this - I need to inject more enthusiasm in the heeling. Make it fun for both of us. Work more "Choose to heel" games in our training. Increase the speed of the heeling. The faster we go, the more Jack seems to enjoy the exercise, the more attention he gives me. Not to mention, the more exercise I get!
2. Figure 8 - I purposely made the circles larger than normal to change it up on Jack. I will be going back to the normal size next week.
3. Stand for exam - Jack did great on this one. I will also ask for different people to perform a Novice exam on Jack during our practices at PetsMart. I would like to have men, women, and people who wear hats do the exam. The more people I can get to help me with this exercise, the less of a chance of failure at a trial.
4. Heel off leash - Jack zoned out on the heeling. See #1 above for my homework to correct this.
5. Recall - Jack was really fast with this. He LOVES to run and it shows. The only problem was his fronts were a bit crooked. - What to do to correct this - I will use the front box to ensure he is sitting where he is supposed to be sitting. I will use chairs and stools to angle my legs to form a chute as a target. I will also toss cookies between my legs and have Jack run through them to get the cookies.

A further note about the heeling portions of the Novice program concerns the automatic sit on each halt. I had to remind Jack to sit on most of the heeling. What to do to correct this - I need to perform bunny hops with him. I need to make a fuss over him when he is in position, "Yes sir! Good sit! You are really smart! Good boy!" I need to work with him more often so that any time that he is sitting in heel position he gets a GREAT cookie reward for being such a wonderful, smart dog!