I have to start this one with something that actually happened last night. I was in my recliner and starting to relax. I had just picked up my backscratcher and was about to start a lovely back scratch when Sanity strolled into the room and proceeded to take over Wrap’s wicker basket bed. The fact that she feels free to take over said basket isn’t a problem for me since it isn’t a problem for Wrap, but what happened next was/is a big problem for me.
Looking right at me, almost making a point to make eye contact she ever so lazily stretched her neck up and began to chew on the edge of the rocking chair. This behavior caused an automatic reflex response from me. Very specifically the backscratcher just took a fast detour and whacked her on the butt. Her mouth came away from the chair; she got out of the bed, glared at me and sort of stomped out of the room. On her way past me I caught a slit-eyed, sideways glance.
After she was out of my sight, I got to thinking about that look and it occurred to me that she very likely had not really left the room. That in truth all she had done was get out of my line of sight. So with that thought in mind I ever so slowly and carefully got out of the chair and slipped around behind it. Sure enough! There she was, stretched out and ever so comfy with a large piece of the chair skirt firmly clenched in her jaws. I, at once, turned into the fire-breathing dragon. Sanity saw the wisdom of dropping what was in her mouth and making a hasty exit.
And now I’ll move on to what actually happened today. We started with a lesson that included her sister Leda. They got to practice being “show dogs” and worked on moving around in the training ring and standing when told and then moving again. Not the most interesting of stuff, but one more thing that is good the young brain. After a short break, the training collars were put back on and Sanity helped Leda get better at doing a sit/stay. Lessons over for the morning the two went off to find some mischief to get into. The following pictures tell the tale.
Afternoon called for a mandatory nap since tonight is class night. Class went very well with Sanity holding a 3 minute sit/stay followed by a 5 minute down/stay with me six feet away. She still needs work on actually going down when told, but the stay part is coming right along. After the group stays, she had to “practice” her place exercise in the form of an “under and down” command. That one was hard but she finally managed to get it right. Then, no sooner did she get settled into the down when I up and called her out to demo some specific points on the recall. That taken care of, back she had to go to doing that “under and down” thing. And so it went right up until class was over. Points of interest: she traveled from the house to the car off leash and very, very serious about this new responsibility. Off leash from the car to the training building and by the time class was over she was so happy to have the leash on and not have to worry about so many things. She will sleep well this night.
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