Distance Work

Well as most dog owners know, your dogs are the most well-bahaved when at home, alone, with you...the person that can actually handle them and is not afraid to give dicipline. With all of my dogs, at some point or another it has come to the conclusion that as well as they behave for me...once the leash is in someone elses hands, or even whe you are out in public, a behavior that you know they can do down pat, seems to have left their memory. That is why it is a good idea to train them in as many different situations as possible. With future service dogs, that makes it MUCH easier. Other little things, as much as my parents don't want much to do with the dogs, MUST be done by them. If "I" can get Winter to sit, it doesn't mean that she will sit for my mother, or a friend, or a child. The same goes for recalls. I know that Winter knows the word "come" from the backyard, or from another place in the house but I had never given her the oportunity to show me if she could do it off leash (not allowed anyways), or from a distance. So, I picked the most distracting place I could think of. THE PARK. On any given Saturday, there must be atleast 20 people there. On swings, toboganning, yelling, screaming. Luckily they have a less used area at the side, and that is where Winter and i had our morning training session. I tied 2 long leads (10' each) together and clipped that to the end of a retractable leash (16'). I figured that would give her plenty of room to assume she was free, but I could still give corrections if needed, and she wouldn't be able to take off. I have no idea when or if this exercise will even come into use, but I was very bored. Anyways, at first she was very distracted by all of the kids playing but by the end I had a consistant recall from her. Sitting waiting to be called. She is actually focused and after I took this picture I called her and she tore across the snow towards me and sat in front. I guess obedience class and practice does work.