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( 15 Weeks 0 Days) 27.5 Lbs We are continuing to increase the complexity of Rosie's basic commands. The most notable improvement this week is with steadiness. We are now able to work Rosie with another dog. She recognizes when we call for her to do the work and will sit and wait her turn when we send Rusty on the retrieve. This is also to be considered somewhat of a milestone. It marks the point at which she knows that all the marks are not hers and that she is not working for herself. This milestone was kind of anticlimactic because of her relatively good manners but it is nonetheless, still important. We can also get a reliable remote sit both going and coming from a retrieve. Water marks are increasing in length and land marks are just beginning to be remotely thrown. Rosie again attended a hunt test but was not entered. We had to leave after the first set of marks that Rusty picked up. He experienced a significant injury to his left front leg and a trip to the vet was required. The injury was soft tissue and should be well enough to go back to work in about a week. This week will see Rosie doing lots of marks with as much remote sit work as her attitude will allow. We plan on really using the whistle a lot. The release whistle is not going as well as I thought it would. No particular reason that I can put a finger on at the moment so we will continue as usual with this command. We are also seeing somewhat of a down turn in her dominance status. Normally I would be concerned but with Rosie this is an improvement. It is also something we are going to have to keep an eye on. I bought a couple of the new puppy size doken dead fowl trainers this week and have found them to be a major plus in our training. Rosie already likes the full size version but they are a mouth full for her. Especially so in the water. With the small size she is much more efficient and is able to do more retrieves before calling it a day. She also is developing nice form in her carry. If you have a small pup I highly recommend buying a couple even if they are a bit pricey. Within the next week or so our training will take on somewhat of a repetitive appearance. This is normal and is intended to improve basic skills. This pup now has a large vocabulary of commands for her age and more is not always better. When we get the level of all the commands up we will then move on to some preliminary heel work. Preliminary may not be a completely accurate statement though. Remember the early work we did on the table......... Rosie already knows which side to heel on and naturally goes there without any verbal command. Yes, the early stuff does pay off in the long run. Rosie has now spent 1/2 of her life with us and has more than tripled her size from the day she came home. For the next diary entry, please visit Week 16 of Rosie's Journal. |
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