Re: my boy Max

[deebee]

about time for an update

whistle recall in house/garden C1/2 10/10           
nosetouch C1/2  10/10                                     C3  8/10
whistle sit C1/2   8/10                                       
verbal sit C1/2   9/10                                        C3  8/10
visual sit C1/2   10/10                                       C3  8/10
whistle down C1/2  4/10
visual down C1/2   9/10
dead (to hand) C1/2   7/10                               C3  8/10 (with treat)
wait C!/2  8/10 C3    8/10                                 C3  10/10
close C1/2 3/10                                               C3  7/10
leave C1/2  9/10 C3 4/10                                  C3  6/10

cues not mentioned are omitted because i havent done them at C3.  C3 for me is my quiet streets and up the shop.

i sometimes feel we are getting nowhere and flogging a dead horse, then suddenly, we seem to get it! then not get it then get it for a bit longer! is the way of learning i know but it seems so polarised.

all of the above is erratic, sometimes we do really well and sometimes its poor. ive sort of averaged it all out, but the good is coming more often than poor.

i let him off yesterday (no dogs) and he found what i later saw was a cooked chicken carcass. he was a way behind me with his face in the grass and was just about to recall when he spotted me looking at him and ran back to me. i didnt know where i was going so i turned back (past the chicken) and he went back to it.  i was next to him this time so i told him dead as i got the black pudding out. he dropped the chicken! he could have tried to have both, but he didnt and i distracted him away from it and we carried on. no-one around to see me skipping about and silly voicing Max.

this morning down my road, straight out hardly any ridding of energy before hand, he walked almost completely to heel. pulled half heartedly to get to stuff but left on cue. neighbour came out just as we were level, ‘morning’s all round, Max took no notice. he did pull at 2 cars going past though, he had stopped doing that.  when we got back, straight into the garden to go mad. this showed to me that he was controlling himself on the walk (or reacting to my happy vibes when we got in).

he is chewing a little more each morning unfortunately and the sound transfers to the bedroom very loudly. i thought he had got out of the kitchen again and was eating another jigsaw, so i got up as quietly as possible and got downstairs to see him quietly lying down with his bone  :what:  he had it up against the skirts so it sounded really loud.

some more teeth are coming through so i put it down to that.

is sitting in the back of the van quietly for a short time on his own. i have loads of stuff in the back because of work and worry that he will eat something, though driving to the walk yesterday he had something in his mouth and i called to him spit and he did!!

have started going to a neighbour who said i could come and practice settle . she cant stop staring at him while talking to me and at the first visit he reacted to that. less so the last time but i keep telling her to look at me not him lol.

his humping technique is still ridiculous and he brings his pillow (whats left of it) into the living room for me to cheer him on. i tell him take it out and he does and i can hear him in the hallway.

sorry for the long post but writing this helps me to see how far hes come when sometimes i feel were getting nowhere.

thanks for reading :happy: :happy: :happy: