Back to Basics

Trial is on Sunday, so Honor and I are back to hardcore rally practice.

As of late, she's been swinging off far to my left on the completion of the right finish. For those of who are unfamiliar, the right finish is executed from a "Front" position (dog facing handler). Upon the "Finish" cue, the dog walks around the handler, beginning the movement on the right and finishing on the left at heel position. It's the coming to heel position that we're having trouble with. Honor's been finishing almost a foot away from my left leg, and often crooked too.

So how to solve? Start from scratch a little, and try a different technique. Honor loves the "Touch" command, so I had her "Touch" my palm tonight when she comes into heel position. This works because the position of my hand sets her up for perfect heel position. I eventually phased out the extra "Touch" command as the session went on, and now she looks good!

I've also begun really focusing on Honor's attention during exercises. If there was one giant area of opportunity from our first trial, it was a mutual lack of focus. I was so wired that I wasn't communicating properly, and Honor was SO excited by the smells that she wasn't looking at me at all. I've upped the value of the treats used for focus work, and I'm hoping that she's learning that the best treats come after focusing well. Tomorrow we're going to Petsmart to practice in a more distracting environment.

It's so exciting, if Honor Q's on both runs this weekend, she'll officially be AliAK's Vereesa Windrunner, RL1!