Rally-O Class

Ike had an even better Rally-O class than last week!! Amazing. He was bright eyed, attentive, and moving quite briskly. I can only imagine the combination of factors that made him feel so good. I wonder if his stress was lower because he didn't have to listen to the men working on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday? Or perhaps because the class was tiny yesterday? Or maybe because we are using his homeopathic remedy at a different potency and in a different manner? As is often the case with Ike, who knows! And do I really care, as long as he feels better?

Yesterday's course:

1. Start
2. Halt/Call to Front/Finish Right
3. 270 Left
4. Halt/1 step/Halt/2 step/Halt/ 3 step/Halt (I love this sign - it is so perky and brisk!)
5. Right turn
6. Halt/Sit/Stand/Walk Around Dog
7. About Right Turn
8. Spiral Left
9. Halt/Down/Sit
10. Moving Side Step Right
11. Finish

Ike's call to front are improving markedly. I am using a recommendation from Penni and having him get out pretty wide before coming in to Front. Outside the ring his fronts are just about perfect (seriously!). Inside the ring I am doing something different because they still crooked, but significantly better than what they were before. I haven't figured out what I am doing yet....

I need to practice Finish Right more as Ike doesn't have a solid cue on around yet and you use it in the Left About Turn, too.

Ike's Downs (with duration) are 100% improved from where they were.

On station 6 (Halt/Sit/Stand/Walk Around Dog), because we are just starting to work on Stand I put Ike in a sit and walked around him. He did a great job!

Later in the night at the Act-Up Club meeting I was talking to some people who do APDT Rally. One of them has a dog who is VERY easily stressed and he has excelled in APDT Rally. APDT Rally has 4 shows on a given day. I am thinking this might be a nice venue to try with Ike. Lower stress. If he does well in it we can always segue back into AKC Rally (or not), but it might be the perfect thing to help him get over his stress.