Ikey P Goes Back to Work

And he says, “About time, lady!”

Ike has had a total of at least 8 weeks off from class. He sat last session out and then missed the first two Communications classes. It turns out that isn’t the worst thing that could have happened to Ike. He has been a bit out of whack and that damn Lyme has been rearing its ugly head.

I wasn’t sure what class to put Ike in given the fact that he has shown a distinct preference for obedience over agility (although he does like agility CLASS). Katrin and I thought Communications would be a fun refresher for him. That and the fact that Li and I were the only bites for Katrin’s Sunday Competitive Obedience class. Bummer!

Last night we worked on dogs finding eye contact, the space game, and moving waits. Ike rocked them all as far as I am concerned. His little stub wagged quite a bit and he could care less that there were no less than two gregarious Labs and a puppy in class! E gads, where oh where has my reactive pooch gone? We had a couple of barking fits, but they were minimal.

He was very engaged and offered a variety of behaviors. His current favorite seems to be a down and if that down doesn’t work he downs with his paws on your feet. Very cute!

We took Communication two years ago when I first started with Katrin and it was SO difficult. Ike was much more reactive and not very operant. Fun….not. It was an excellent learning experience though and wow, what a difference it made. Ike in communications class now is a ringer, which is fine.

In general I was really impressed with the other students and their pups. They all seemed to really “get” the idea and seemed willing to let their pups work. It’s definitely a difficult learning curve!

Continuing On follows the Communications class and I definitely considered running Ike, BUT I knew he was tired and didn’t really care if he ran agility. He had fun with Communications, why spoil the mood? C/T to me! Ike went home and drank just about a gallon of water. I am lucky I have a very kind dh who took him out for a quick walk before bed. Thanks, John! I am planning on leaving Ike home tomorrow (hopefully he isn’t reading this). When I bring him to trials I feel that he feels neglected – not ideal. I will try to bribe him with a very early morning Kong.