Days 6, 7, & 8

DAY 6: This is a photo of 11 year old Cadence and 10 year old Crosby at hock from horseback.
Obedience this morning. Crosby was great! He gets it! Today was the first day I felt he understood the “sit”. Not that he didn’t sit before – he did – under the right circumstances. But today, I felt like he understood the word when I say it (not just when Barbara said it), and he realizes it can get him a treat! He’s also starting to lean in toward my touch – showing signs of enjoying my company, and showing signs of wanting to please me. Great progress!
Walk on the flexi: Crosby responded to my random comes! And my random sits! WOO HOO! For those of you who do not know what I mean with a “random sit”: This is when the dog is distracted, and maybe at the end of the flexi or leash, and is not expecting a command like “sit”. It’s OK if the dog hears the command and comes running in – he doesn’t have to “sit” at the end of the flexi. He just has to HEAR me, LISTEN to my command, and RESPOND. Crosby did just that today – he looked at me, and came to me, and then sat. GOOD BOY! It is a “transitional” exercise, designed to help the dog understand he may be asked to obey a command even when he is distracted, or not in a “formal” obedience situation. This is very important for a Road Dog, and a new skill for a dog who hasn’t spent a lot of time off-leash.

DAY 7: Monday. Holiday! Crosby responded to some of the random comes on the flexi, but not every one. I then took Crosby out by himself on horseback. We did the usual 2 miles, plus an extra loop around the property (about another 1 ½ miles). It was cooler this morning, so no heat problems. Crosby responded well to the sits – but he doesn’t stay for a full minute yet. He also discovered horse manure. He hasn’t bothered the old manure that’s lying around here and there, but today, when Shadow left some fresh stuff on our way out, Crosby snatched a few gulps of it on the way back. Nothing but the freshest and the best for Crosby! That’s OK. It gives me another distraction to train against.
The wind was terrible today. Hot, strong, and constant – it took my helmet to the back of my head, and blew the attached sun visor off of the helmet. The wind limited training – Crosby could hardly hear me over the wind.
Later in the afternoon, Crosby was favoring his right front foot. I checked his pad, and couldn’t see anything. He grumbled at me when I handled it, so I know it was hurting him somehow (I have handled his pads before, and he has not grumbled). He just seems a little sore with it – he seems to forget it if there is something to run for, but it was obviously bothering him the rest of the day. I inspected it again closely at night. No grumbling, but no obvious injury, either.


WEEK 2: DAY 8: Crosby was holding that right front paw up in the crate this AM. Once out of the crate, he seemed to favor it for a few steps, then seemed fine. Close inspection reveals nothing. He doesn’t wince or grumble with palpation of the pad, foot, leg, or shoulder. We went for our 1 ½ mile walk. He did not favor the foot. I may hold off on horse riding today, however. Rest between exercise days is good – it allows the muscles to recoup and build more muscle.
Obedience practice went VERY well. Crosby responded on the flexi to EVERY random come. On the leash in the front yard, he performed a sequence of correct responses without a treat. I am working on random rewards, instead of constant rewards. This will help prepare him for the Rally ring, where he will not get his reward until after we leave the ring. On the sit stay, he still can’t make a full minute (which is what I need for the RD). Of course, it has only been a week, and he does not need a long stay for the Rally ring, so I need to be patient! After we practiced our on-leash obedience, we played with Crosby tugging on the leash. Play is an excellent reward, so I hope I can help him understand that play can come as a reward for a chain (sequence) of correct behaviors.