This site was down for several days due to some unforeseen circumstances. I have to pay a hosting company for the posts to be online. I pay 3 years at a time and the expiration date on the credit card I used had changed. So when they didn’t have the right date the payment was rejected. Or maybe I have a totally new card. Anyway, when they didn’t get paid, without notifying me, they just shut it down.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
Abby
Abby pointing a pigeon.
So Sunday I spent about an hour talking with a really nice guy that I could hardly understand. But he also had trouble understanding me. I got my card updated and he told me it might take a while for my blog to be up, again. It wasn’t back online this morning so about noon I called. After about an hour with another nice man the blog is back up and running. I’m sorry that this happened. But now I’m set for 3 more years.
The weather all across the United States, maybe the world, has been really hot. Except us last week. We had some really nice cool mornings and less humidity and temperatures. I worked the dogs early and then did a bunch of stuff on my house during the cool daytime temperatures. That’s the reason for no posts on the blog for a while. Well, our cool weather is over. So back to just working the dogs for a few minutes and not letting them do too much running. Another month and the weather should be better.
This morning I threw the Dokken quail dummy for Sally and Mann several times. It was already near 80 degrees so I didn’t let Sally run. I sat on the tree stump and petted her while feeding some treats. She went right back into her kennel. When I finished with Mann and sat on the tree stump he went for a run. He went to the back and I watched the GPS to know where he was. I called him a few times and he came back to be put up.
Boss and I are still butting heads. He won’t take a treat while we are doing the retrieve training. But standing on his dog house, after I put him back, he can’t get enough of them.
The stump, near the kennel, that I have Sally and Boss jump onto with their retrieve.
This morning I heeled him out of his kennel to near the tree stump. I’ve been throwing a tennis ball and when they pick it up I have them jump onto the tree stump. I pet them then say, “give” and take the tennis ball. The first time this morning he went to the ball, slowly, and touched it with his nose. Didn’t try to pick it up. I held the button on the e-collar down on level 2 until he opened his mouth and picked the ball up. I walked to the tree stump with him at heel and he jumped onto the stump. I petted him and when I took the ball from him I offered a treat. He licked it then turned his head.
After the first time he walked to the ball, picked it up and stood there. I quit heeling him to the stump. I dropped the end of the Wonder lead and went to the stump. He came when I called him and jumped onto the stump. I petted him for several seconds then said, “give” and took the ball. We did this 6 or 7 times and he seemed a little happier about me dropping the Wonder lead and letting him go to the stump without my control.
Sally waiting for me to take the dummy and give her a treat.
I let him run to the back then through the front yard and back to the kennel. He doesn’t hold a grudge. When we get back to the kennel I sit on the stump and he crawls into my lap. He doesn’t want treats, just petting.
I could get really heavy handed and make him do this a lot faster but I’m afraid it would take something out of him. I’ve got lots of time to train this and we will go at whatever speed he wants.
Abby loves the treats and she will do whatever it takes to get them. For her I just stand at the stump and throw the tennis ball and she goes after it, scoops it up and comes back to the stump. This morning she couldn’t wait for the treat. She dropped the ball as soon as she was on the stump. I heeled her off the stump and said, “fetch”. She grabbed the ball and jumped back on the stump where she almost immediately dropped the ball. I led her off the stump with the Wonder lead and said, “fetch”. She picked it up and jumped back on the stump. This time she held it until I said, “give”. I took the ball and gave her a treat.
Boss pointing a pigeon.
I threw the tennis ball for her 6 or 7 times and she retrieved it each time and held until I said, “give” except for one time she didn’t see the ball as I threw it. As I started toward the ball she was really looking. She came close and smelled the ball and scooped it up. I walked back to the stump where she was waiting. She held until I said, “give”. I let her run to the back and when we got back to the kennel I put her up.
I cut up a hot dog in 18 or 20 pieces and if I have some left over I split them amongst all the dogs. Usually, I cut up one and a half hot dogs so I have left overs. Right now I’m watching a Lab pup for a friend so he gets some treats too. But the funny thing is I have offered Boss treats as we were training and he wouldn’t take any. But now when there is no training involved he is excited about the treats.
Mann with Boss honoring.
Right now we are working out who is in charge. He can quit and accept that I’m the one in charge anytime he wants but I can’t quit. I’m going to keep on, however long it takes. Maybe I shouldn’t have named him Boss.