8 month old Obedience and Tracking

[FG167]

Kastle van het Basjes Huis, heeling and tracking at 8 months old. Any thoughts, advice, critiques are welcome!

This was our very first heeling session outside and first session with more than 8 steps. The fence is still needed as he wobbles a little without the guidance to keep him straight but he's getting the hang of it. We do a couple off the fence to see what he learned and then back on the fence to reinforce proper positioning. I can see his butt is out a bit when we first move off the fence but he seems to feel that and move into position nicely, I think? I know my left arm is stiff, I will be switching to a training vest shortly so that obvious problem should decrease - although I find his head height awkward - do I just brush it with my left hand, let my hand move freely whether that is clunking him in the head or not? I'm not sure where to put that hand...I think his foundation is strong enough that I shouldn't run into too many surprising problems...I hope The thing I am most excited about is that he finds the position reinforcing enough, he offers it all the time. I love that.

Kastle Heeling 2-4-12 - YouTube

Kastle Heeling 2-4-12 - YouTube

His tracking is fairly strong. He's always been a thoughtful, very food-driven puppy. It was weird to look down and see how huge he was after 3 months of no tracking! He was a little more excited, tail wagging, since we hadn't done it in awhile. This was also his first introduction to an article on the track (and not on the ground, in the basement).

Kastle Tracking 2-4-12 - YouTube

Kastle Tracking 2-4-12 - YouTube

[GSDBESTK9]

Awesome! Nice job you two. A little happy on the track.

[lhczth]

Something I would watch is to make sure you only reward him when his gait is steady and he is not bouncing or hopping.

The start of the track could be a bit calmer, but he did settle as he went along. One spot where he sped up and you gave him a reminder to slow down. I would be more on top of him as you approach the article so you can help him make the indication more smoothly. Also with a dog this drivey, make sure your rewarding at the article is calm and relaxed.