Upland Ready Fitness
It rained alll day yesterday and Dex doesn't like thunder so we did some indoor fitness. This is lateral movement that uses muscles he doesn't normally use. He's had reoccurring issues with his shoulder and hip, so things like this help. If you have an active dog, keeping them in shape is key. Running and hard charging activities are great, until they get injured from overdoing it. Stretching and other mobility movements are great to keep them in top shape.
Working on reverse for rally. We're are very rusty on this! When he backs up, he wants to turn out to the left, which is not unusual because he wants to do that when heeling too. I think because he wants to be able to see my face. Reverse can be used in UKC levels three and master. I'm hoping to start on his master title this year.
A little bit of field training this past week. The birds weren't flying well, so he got a couple traps. His retrieve will forever need work.
A nice retrieve of an antler tonight. We still have a ways to go, but he gave me a couple good ones.
We had a field day at Pine Shadows yesterday. A great day with the Diamonds and Dogs and dog crew! #imnotshootinghim #englishspringerspaniel #huntingspaniel #huntingdog #birddog
Off leash heeling with a dog and a person ahead of us. The other dog always gets very excited to see another dog, so I want Dex at the very least appear calm.
#heeling #dogtraining #englishspringerspaniel #dogtrainer #heel #offleash #offleashwalking
A couple low pressure retrieves with lots of praise and treats. Taking it slow with this and trying to keep it fun.
Running into the weekend! What will it bring?? #dogtraining #englishspringerspaniel #running #trainyourdog #offleashtraining #offleashlife
There's a weird owl on a stick. No idea why, it showed up yesterday. He spotted it and was totally weirded out by it. I'm not going to force him to get closer. I don't want him afraid of it, he'll figure it out. The only reason I was saying his name was because it was six in the morning and he was barking..🫠 Don't force your dog into what they think is a scary situation. You're not doing it any favors. #englishspringerspaniel #dogtraining #fearreaction #trainyourdog #dontforceit
Working on a new trick. This is actually something I started years ago, but it fell by the wayside. Let's see if I can follow through this time.
Dex already knows the 'touch' command. So if I ask him to touch my hand with his nose, he will. Now I'm asking him to touch the glass with his nose. The goal right now is to have him hold his nose on the glass for more than a quick second. That's not the end goal however. The end goal remains to be seen!
Yard antler search. Need to go somewhere else to practice. I don't think he's appreciating the front yard too much. 😅
Remote sit. I typically use this at intersections and when a vehicle is coming. He was a little slow to respond here, I could have used e-collar pressure for a quicker response, but did not (it was 5:30 in the morning 😅). He's also supposed to sit until I release him, which he did not the first time. If there had been a car, I would have told him to sit again and more than likely reinforced with the e-collar. He knows the difference in scenarios- he'll sit on his own when he sees a car coming a lot of the time. Repetition and consistency got us to this point. It's not perfect, but it's functional.
Easy antler finds. Just wanted him to do a few retrieves. I'm also working on not rewarding after every retrieve. He's always looking for that treat after every retrieve. Giving treats on the course is a total time suck when it's a timed trial. The faster the better. My goal is just to reward him at the end. And I'll probably need to start using something better than kibble. 😅
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Exercise is important for your dog (and you! 😉). If you have a high energy, working, or an adventure dog, make sure you vary the kind of exercise they get. If you walk your dog on leash, make sure they get some free running time. If they get a lot of free running time, try something like biking with your dog trotting, or running yourself with them on leash. Here Dex demos some good resistance training. He's been having some issues with his shoulder and hip, so I've been trying to vary the kind of workouts he gets. On leash runs, bike trotting and canicross hiking are some of the things I do with him. When the lake warms up, we'll add swimming.
How do you keep your dog in shape for the sports you play?
He's already destroyed one of six 🦖. I couldn't resist this cute toy on Chewy. There are no rules with toys like this, so long as he isn't eating the pieces. Remember to have fun with your dogs too. Playing with them helps build your bond. 🤗
Favorite online dog training classes - where do you go for these?
Other than Fenzi, which I do use. Thanks!
Rally in a new place tonight. This was our second run through and he did pretty good! It's always good to take your dog to new places. This helps build up their confidence!
Doing a rally demo at a friend's obedience class tomorrow. Thought we should knock some rust off. He did ok, obedience is not his favorite thing.
Sneak peak Angie's Grooming & Training 👀
A battle with thr tripod. 😅 #fail #dogtraining #shedhunting #englishspringerspaniel #doglife #camerafail
Recall training with Ember. This is really the first time I've worked on it with her. I say her name and come and pull her in with the long line. Once she realizes I have food, she doesn't want to leave me. 😂 Not exactly ideal, but I work with it. Curiosity gets the best of her. We'll work on this more in more distracting environments so she's less interested in the food. I won't be letting her off the long leash until she's consistently recalling when asked.
Ember is available for adoption through the American Belgian Malinois Rescue. https://www.malinoisrescue.org/
