Now for the serious stuff!

So today I have revisited my LinkedIn page following an exciting trip to Liverpool for the ITTE conference (see associated blog - Journeys with Sarah). Had a great time, very nervous about being part of the presentation with Sarah and Pete and am very grateful to both for being so supportive. Now I have had a go I hope to be better next time.

This blog, therefore, since I have quite sufficient doggy blogs, will be my serious, work related blog. Not that those who know me should worry, it won't be that serious!

Hopefully I will be able to get some of my game making blogged here. Then, the next time Miles asks what my blogging is related to in a serious context, I won't need to, rather shamefacedly, need to mutter - dogs and dog training. Now Miles did say he could see the relationship but I am not too certain that he wasn't being sarc..., no, ironic. However, there are huge links to teaching and ITE. I just wish I had started the serious (again, relatively) training before the teaching, because it really helps. Indeed, one trainer was asked in to Leicester University with his dogs (admittedly to the pscychology course - but it would work with child pscychology for teaching) to demonstrate how they learn. Maybe I should write a paper on this for next year's conference????

Blog for weight loss!

Yes, the blog worked - I had lost 2 lbs this morning!! Therefore I am writing another post now!!! Lets see if I lose more by tomorrow! Well, after meusli and banana, tomato roll and squash and potato topped with a small amount of low fat cheese followed by fruit and 0% fat yoghurt I feel quite smug. Especially as Molly and I have been out training most of the afternoon.

We were down at the sheep field today - courtesy of fellow trainee and farmer Geoff. One thing I am sure of, Molly won't bother to chase sheep, she just ignores them. She wasn't too happy about getting over the stile, but Gaynor and I manhandled her over. Maybe next time she will jump it. It has to be better than us getting her over and she regularly jumps fences that high. We were a select group, the three remedials: Mel and Eve, Leanne and Lucy, Molly and me as well as Sian and Bertie, of whom Molly is quite fond:

The other day whilst training, I had had to chase and catch Molly and have a short discussion about her behaviour. I then called her to heel and walked confidently back to my place with Molly close by. I didn't take too much notice when someone shouted, "Can you get your dog?" I did look down however, and was shocked to find that little brown body simply not there. She had dropped off at the end of the line to flirt with Bertie!!!

Anyway, she was a bit better today. Whilst waiting for everyone, she stayed with me until they were quite close before being overcome with the need to say hello to 'Aunty Gaynor'. However, when I was sent to put out dummies, she broke away to follow me not just once, but twice! Silly girl! I replaced her the first time, Gaynor spoke to her the second time!! When the dummy launcher came out she was pretty steady. She marked them well and retrieved them straight there and back. One was lost after rolling down the hill into the hedge. I finally got her to go through the hedge and into the stream and I was very proud when she came bursting back with the dummy!! We then had dummies fired and then retrieving the blind dummies and tennis balls. Molly handled reasonably well, but it still needs some work. I was pleased with her holding marks. I think she is good at this. This is a very good thing because she has been known to get me out of a spot or two when I haven't been paying attention, talking at the back of the class even!:-S

We had to manhandle her over the stile again at the end of the session. Something else to work on.

Life is never dull with a Chocolate Labrador!!!

A full week of training or - 'Let's see if this'll work!!'

This has been quite a week for training. On Tuesday the class was held in the evening. The remedial group arrived a little early. For Molly the aim was to stop her running in after a mark when Gaynor said ‘Karen’ so that I could send her. She had worked out that I send her shortly after being given the word! That was sorted quite quickly, which was good. The fact that I spent much of the rest of the evening chasing her down when she didn’t respond was less good!

So, on Thursday evening the remedial group met again, together with Gaynor’s Blitz and Ronnie with 1 year old Richie. Alistair came for the first time to watch, but mainly to look at the kennels as we are looking to put one out at the back. Partly for the pups if we ever get that far and also for short term accommodation. If I get to keep the pup I want from Molly then there will be two of them and it will be a tad easier for the morning poo.

As Alistair was there he brought Tosh out to watch. She was interested and so, since Tosh had been very keen when we went to the pond, at the end of the evening Gaynor threw her a dummy. Of course she turned her nose up at it!

Today I set off in the rain to do some concerted training. In the first field, I set out three dummies and called Molly to sit and sent her back, after throwing a dummy out to the left. I stopped her every so often on the way back and then she retrieved it well. Next was back and left. It was not in any of the ‘usual’ places, but she handled well on to it. The third was further left and she found that easily. When she returned, as I couldn’t remember exactly where I had thrown the other one, I sent her for it – took about 3 seconds!!

In the next field I dropped a dummy way back for Molly to fetch from the far field, over a hedge. She has done this often but not so far. However, she went straight out and back. Two more long retrieves, sitting and taking some direction, but the rights and lefts were off. She wasn’t listening.

I decided that I should remind her about direction. I sat her and told her to stay. I threw one dummy over her head and Tosh shot off as did she. I grabbed her and put her back and Tosh, for the first time in months decided she was going to retrieve! I threw it to the left, to the right, behind and over and each time Molly stayed still, resigned, while Tosh retrieved them all!!!

So I set up a long retrieve, dropping a blind and then throwing a dummy she saw, walking across the field and throwing a dummy in her sight over ‘the’ fence. I sent her back, and she went well with three stops on the way. It took a while to get her to go out right. Well, she hadn’t seen one dropped there, but eventually she went and found it. Getting her to go back and then left to the dummy she had seen me throw was harder. I got the impression that she had forgotten it. I had to get up there, but eventually she did it. Over the fence to collect the rugby ball dummy was a piece of ease.

After a well earned run, in the final (and also first) field, I sat her down and placed the dummies behind and to the left and right, not too far and Molly did some good retrieves and whistle work. All that is left is to get her to work like that at training tomorrow!!!