Ladder Work

Today we taught Ash to walk through a ladder.

This assists with rear end awareness and teaches concentration on an obstacle and doing a behaviour prior to gaining a reward.

The first step is to walk backwards through the ladder slowly and reward any paws within the confines of the ladder. Doesn't matter at the beginning if not all the feet are in there - just reward for any attempt.

Other photos show the end of session one with ash offering the whole ladder with all four feet.

This was the product of just one session of a total of 4 reps.

Shes' such a clever girl.

See Ash stretch!!!!

No actually this was Ash trying to reach for a moth on the wall but its a cool photo.

And lastly the sad Tervs - waiting for mum to come back up from the paddock.

Are you sure its not our turn????

Ash's Foundation Training Starts

Well its about time I did something with her but I've finally got started with Ash's beginner training. Along with heaps of outings to improve her socialisation, we've started her "waits", downs, and perchwork. We also regularly strengthen her tugging as well as practicing our restrained recalls and other motivation exercises.

She is such a dude and loves to do things.

Yesterday a friend was here with her 60cm balance cushion and we shaped Ash to put her feet on it. The front ones were easy as she has done perchwork but it took a little longer to get the rear feet on. I was so surprised how quickly she got it though and within a couple of minutes she had all 4 feet on the cushion and was happily working to stay on and enjoying the challenge of it.

Long long way to go but I couldn't be happier to have what we have already.

My main concentration for the next few weeks will be to get her leadout skills happening so that in a couple of months we are ready to start introducing her to jump bump work.

In the meantime we are also working hard on hand touches with other people with heaps of rewards in order to get her super confident with strangers. The improvement there is huge and I'm pleased with that too. I am looking forward to being able to show her once she is ready.

Here's hoping

Fiona