Bo and Tip and I had an obedience lesson with Diane. And my handling has gotten quite messy, which was also causing all sorts of problems for the dogs. So the things we will be working on.
Figure 8: I need to drive harder on the inside circle and make sure that my lines across the middle are straight and my turns around the posts are more consistent. Better handling on my part means my dogs can actually perform this correctly!
Tip
Heel position and sit at halt: I need to require consistently and only reward close in straight sits. And work to reward the head and body not turning in to me. I also need to work footwork on about turns and work him driving around and staying close -- in part by throwing food so he drives on the about turns.
Come close on recalls: Play the cheerio game (go out, through legs, and come front. Only reward when he drives right between my feet.
Where is my hind end? Teach Tip to stand on a small (pack of cards) sized object. Then teach him to pivot left and right. First with me in front of him, then with me beside him.
Bo
Kick my left heel with his right hind foot: Yeah, this one sounds weird, but he was under-rotating on the finishes. Teach Bo to touch my left heel with his right hind foot -- to teach him how to swing his butt all the way in on the finishes. Do this first by touching his foot to my heel and C/T.
Reteach signals as not moving front feet from the card box. To prevent him from moving forward on the signals. First teach him to stand on the small object, then that he must keep his feet touching the object while he downs. This will absolutely prevent any forward movement on the signals. Then the whole point of signals is keeping the feet in position. Also, if I want to go reward him, walk around behind him, then straddle him and reach down with food -- so it comes from behind.
