Goals for Patriot

Here some things I would like to work on with Patriot:

Recall - He used to really enjoy coming when called, but lately he is pretty bad about ignoring me.

Clicker training and Shaping - Every so often I get the urge to try to get him to understand the point of the clicker....mostly shaping. He just doesn't seem to get it. He will sit FOREVER waiting to be told when to do something, and usually will just lay down and go to sleep if I try to wait him out. I might need better treats, easier tasks (what is easier than nose touch to something?), or just a LOT more patience, but I am determined to get through to him.

Hind end strength - He is getting old, and it is most noticeable in his hind end. I need to find some exercises that would work for my massively uncoordinated, huge labby boy.

Tricks - This one is if the clicker training pans out.

Goals for Hobbs

For the next few months, basically the rest of the year, I can't trial. So, I have a couple of options. I could just sit back, relax, and start from square one after I am recovered from having this baby. Or, I can take advantage of this time to work on some little things that could be improved. My plan right now is the second option. I am going to be working with Hobbs on mostly agility stuff, and I am going to work with Patriot on a few things.

Here are my plans (so far) with Hobbs:

Weave Pole Challenge! - Hobbs struggles with his weave poles at trials, and I am not sure why. I have gotten though only week 1 of the challenge, and haven't successfully been able to video ANY of our weave pole work.

Jumping Skills - There are a few skills I would like Hobbs to understand better, most of which have to do with collecting and turns......and keeping bars up.

A-Frame - I have not decided what exactly I want to do for his A-frame contact, but I do want his contact behavior to be more consistent

Recall - His is getting really bad. It has never been good, but it is getting worse.

Core Strength - I think this will help him overall in agility, especially his jumping, weaves, contact behavior, and turning abilities........wait, that is everything!

Body Awareness - Again, helpful in all aspects of agility.

Fitness - I have been keeping him fit, but just enough to keep me from feeling guilty. Honestly, I am probably asking for him to get injured, and I think about that every time I play agility with him.....because I know he isn't as fit as he should be. This one will be mostly waiting until after I am not pregnant anymore. Then both he and I will be really focusing on getting fit.

Change treats! - I got to thinking about it at my last trial that Hobbs has been getting the same treat as his reward for Agility for the past 2 years. Does he like it? Yes! Could he like a change better? Maybe!

One of the big challenges we have had in the area of training is the lack of a yard. Ours is really not fun for the dogs to play on, and I don't want to force either of them to work on it. It is extremely difficult to get all my jump equipment, the dog(s), and the two year old to the park to work for any length of time.

I may have to really work to get this stuff accomplished by the end of the year, but I think it is doable!