8 Months, 2 Weeks: Training - Day 103

Emma is able to watch me and walk at the same time now.

This is Wednesday's blog post.  Max had class Wednesday night and I simply didn't have it in me to write up the blog posts regarding training Emma and Jack during the day.  My days have been so full, I have also been unable to write up as the day goes along, which I prefer, so I can send them out before I head off to bed.  Thus, this is Wednesday's blog post.

Emma enjoys having Jack back and the two have raced around the yard and played hard for the entire week that he's been back at my home.  She's also doing very well with focusing with Jack present when I train her.  This week has been so busy with Dieter's back injury and raised beds being made and servers still needing my attention I haven't done as much in the mornings with Emma as I would like.  Instead, I have used her lunch and dinner for her training.

It's been a great week and so far Emma is doing fantastic on her homework for her class.


Today's Lessons:

Loose Leash Walking

As I have mentioned before Emma is taking a loose leash walking class and am doing her homework for the week while she is with me so she is successful during the next class with her handlers.  One of the homework items is working on walking while watching me.  I have been working her in the house to build up this concept and will take it outside by Thursday to add more distraction to the lesson. I have also been working without the chair, mainly because it is harder to work with the chair in the house.

Emma is doing fantastic. We worked off lead in the house and she stayed right by my side watching me as we walked up and down the floor and did turns and pivots.  She's focused and even though she glances at Jack or Max when she has to press past them in the muddle of dog that mills around when I do this training, she is keeping nearly 90% eye contact on me and walking in a straight line.

With this high success I will be taking Emma outside on Thursday to work on her lessons some more.