Cheese and Wheelie bins

Today’s photos show just how well the dogs can pose for the Press – also what lies behind the cute images!

 

Today we started our training by repeating one of the routes we did yesterday; I’m pleased to say that Jay clearly remembered the route we had taken.  This is very helpful in one way, but it also means that I need to control his anticipation.  For example, if I tell him to sit before telling him which way to go, but he knows that we will be turning right, he may try to sit sideways or turn right before sitting (which is not doing as he has been told.)  The problem with this could be that one day I may want to turn left at that point and, if he is used to deciding which way we go, I will have real problems getting him to go where I want to.  So, right from the word “go” I have to make sure that he pays attention to the commands I give him. 

 

On the route there is an annoying pelican crossing where the post is set a long way from the kerb.  You will probably know that there is now a revolving cone on most posts which rotates when it is safe to cross, so I need to stand where I can put my finger on this little cone.  Jay would naturally go to the kerb, but I can’t easily reach the post from the kerb, so we have to train him to go to the post instead – hence the cheese, which Karen pressed onto the post to give him a reason to find it both this time and in the future.

 

It will be interesting to see how readily he finds that crossing post tomorrow, won’t it!

 

This afternoon we walked up to County Hall.  It’s quite a long walk but not really too challenging – apart from the fact that it is Tuesday – bin day!  The pavements can be narrow and the bins are often not pushed back out of the way, so it was really difficult for Jay to avoid them entirely, which meant that I brushed a few.  In these circumstances I have to make sure he knows that he has slipped up, but I mustn’t do it in such a way that he will become over-anxious on bin days.  Training is always a fine balance between correction and praise for the dog.  Most dogs have a strong wish to please, and too much correction will damage their self-confidence.

 

Jay was surprisingly well-behaved at CH; so much so that I was able to introduce him to some work colleagues.  He did, however, show a lot of interest in the smells exuded by our office carpet, and I found myself wondering what exactly he could smell – or perhaps it’s best not to know!

Before heading back home we posed for a Worcester News photographer.  All things considered the dogs were very co-operative – I wonder why!

 

So we are at the end of our second day’s training which has, I have to say, gone fantastically well.  I am sure that we will have an off day at some point, but so far, so good!