I was out of town for a week (family reunion), but Laev was happy to welcome me home. Today my afternoon session was canceled, so I took Laev to the great room for some shaping.… 

Jon and I arrived home late tonight, after a wedding. The dogs were rather emphatic about the fact that dinner was coming several hours late. Shakespeare and Inky lay down immediately in the kitchen, but… 

Rally class today, with a lot of Excellent/Level 3 signs. I ran Laev through once, with passing fair results. She just seemed a little… distracted. Not even looking at other things, but just kind of… 

Okay, last night, it was all good. 🙂 Laev’s first protection session consisted of only four repetitions. I’d stated that “correct” meant she put no paws on the gate (closed first rep for review, open… 

(Warning: This is about me and only tangentally about Laev.) Okay, so I’ve always admitted I’m way into this behavior stuff. Behavior analysis is my business and my hobby. But I didn’t realize exactly how… 

We started with a Rally class this morning. We attend a small class (all Dobes!) every two weeks. Laev did well enough in the class, but when we went to the next ring to play… 

This weekend our club did an intensive training workshop, tracking in the morning and then working protection and obedience in the midday and agility in late afternoon. It was also an intensive workout for the… 

Right now Laev is lying on my bedroom floor. A few minutes ago, she carried her toy into the sunny spot by the window and, after struggling for a moment with inner conflict, lay down.… 

Saturday, while practicing the hold and bark before the gates in the blind, Laev was experimenting. She really wanted those gates to open! and she knows she’s supposed to offer behavior to make reinforcement happen.… 

Today’s track went very well! I’d been something of a slacker, having given the dogs a tracking vacation, but today we resumed in a new field. I not only placed articles but dropped treats in…