Smart Dog

Abby and I will soon be starting a new venture - RALLY-O!!!

I am very excited, yet still nervous. I am super excited because Abby learns quick and loves all the "clicks" she gets for being right. We practice regularly and are starting to turn things up a notch and rewarding for correct placement, not just correct behavior. She is doing really well - if not still adding a left turn in the middle of some things occasionally. My main concern is whether or not abby will do well in class. Abby is always going to have a hard time in new situations, and will sometimes stress to the point of not functioning (that's why we've been going to agility trials for months and months before we even considered training!) I explained all this to the teacher in hopes that she is a bit easy on us the first class. Abby knows most of the advanced rally signs at home and in comfortable environments, but I'll be surprised if she can handle a basic finish that first day of class...

My training goal these past few weeks has been getting her on more verbal commands. I have a tendency to use signals - even very slight ones...and Abby is smart enough to pick up on the verbals... so I really need to trust her and our training and push her to the next level. We recently started learning a standing down. I was afraid that this might be hard for her since it is a completely new behavior, but she actually picked it up quicker then I ever imagined (once again!) I think that part of it has to do with her body structure. It seems easier for her to down from a stand then to sit and down.

Regardless of how she does, I know that she will (eventually) have fun. I keep saying that I really should do obedience with her...now this is our chance to see how she does.


all that's left for us is tracking. . .

I need a higher paying job. . .