2/1/26
River is still young enough to be fearless out on the snow and ice in the yard. She spotted deer and launched herself off the retaining wall, landing like a ski jumper, thankfully without any injuries. After that, mental note to keep an eye on out for wildlife. I was lucky to be near Duck to keep him from going full speed ahead. He is older and wiser so he has tread more cautiously.
River is a retrieve dog so we worked on her directed retrieve for Utility. Thought this might be harder for her since the gloves are light color. The challenge is getting her to go in the direction that I send her, not picking up and returning to front with the glove. She had been better at this when she got her fetch retriever title but I let this skill lapse. I probably never have the gloves spaced correctly but I try to err on too far apart since she’s learning . But, it was hard to walk even though the Yak Trax on my sneakers made it better. So, we did ok, as she did go in the direction that I indicated. Maybe I’ve improved? I needed to improve my technique to be clearer for River. She also got some outdoor work on random downs. Downing on snow or ice is not her preference. She got some good food rewards for doing it as fetch was not a good option. She totally enjoyed finding articles outside. We did this off leash and I also did not put a harness on. Tried just keeping her walking next to me. What a good girl…as she did go to pick up the first one but then downed. Got food rewards.
Inside, we love the find the articles hidden in another room. One dog has to be behind a baby gate so there isn’t a mad dash to play. If I don’t follow behind close enough River will pick up the article and start bringing it to me. If I’m near she down indicates. Hopefully this isn’t confusing her for tracking outside. So far she seems to down indicate with the harness on outside and has shown no movement toward picking up the articles on an actual track.
River is also on track to get a RACH so she gets to work on heel, random downs, stands, stay, sit from stand, spins, pivots, backing up with turns.
Hoping that we can get out to a field this coming week as my vehicles have finally been freed from their ice prison.
Hi Maureen - thanks for making an attempt to keep your training and blog progressing! It's hard to tell from your post, but it sounds like you might be muddying the waters a bit. If down is your indication, then I encourage you to not mix in a retrieve. If you want to practice the retrieve, then I'd be inclined to not mix it in with your down indications. However, I like that you are noting that context clues (like the harness, etc) play an important role. Stay safe... luckily we should see some good thawing in the next couple of days!