I am being a bad blogger… normally I’d say it’s because of procrastination, but this time it really wasn’t procrastination but more simply the quantity of stuff I need to get done and too few hours.
This weekend Success Just Clicks Dog Training, Tugs by Tena, and Steel City Disc Dogs (my frisbee dog club) will have a booth and be doing demos at a fundraising event for a local rescue. I will be playing dog trainer, tug maker, and disc dogger all at one event. I’m pretty overwhelmed with the quantity of things I have to still finish/start for our big event. I got a lot of things already pulled together but I still need to:
- finish 8 tugs–braid, cut, tag
- make disc-dog posters
- pack 25 cat toys 5 treat pouches
- hang 25 tugs on two lengths of plastic ‘chain’ to hang and display
- pack up SJC–business cards, brochures, sign up sheet
- pack up TbT–Etsy information cards and product sheets
- pack up SCDC–discs, first aid kit, poster, sign up sheet, tri-fold brochure, music, vault vest
- pack chairs, tent, cooler, table, pens, clip boards, tape, zip ties, rubber mallet, paper weights, etc.
Oh, did I mention this event is Saturday morning LOL!
So, I’m being a bad blogger and leaving you with a very short video of teaching Shayne and Rio to back up. I want them to back up regardless of my movement so I’m using a rug as a rear foot target and just slowly increasing the distance the dog has to back up to hit the rug. Shayne used to have a reasonably okay back up but we haven’t worked on it for two years and we are pretty much starting on square 2 or 3 just a few feet away from the target mat.
I hope you enjoy the video!!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-oOy-b9AO0&feature=channel_video_title]
Hopefully I’ll get some photos or video of playing with the dogs this weekend and of our booth set up… busy busy!
Yay! Awesome video, and what brave dogs! They both look like they really enjoy trying new things (the beauty of clicker training)!
I was working on this with Lamar and Fozzie just last night (thanks to your inspiration). Lamar, my nervous man, has worked on it enough that he backed up happily onto a book. Fozzie kept going into a sit when I leaned over him, so I clicked as soon as he started back–before he sat. I think he started to get it!
Please, if this means you are a bad blogger, by sharing a video and information of what you are working on, then I don’t know what the heck that says about my entire website since that is pretty much all I ever do. 😛
I hope you have a fantastic time at the event this weekend! Wish I could be there!
Whew! Sounds crazy and busy in the best way possible! Hopefully you will get some time to unwind once it’s all over 🙂
I definitely enjoyed the video! I’ve been thinking of trying to get the boys to back up so when we come in with groceries they’re not all at our feet. What with not being a dog trainer, I wouldn’t have realized that they would need a back foot target but now I do! New thing to teach this weekend! Yay!
I love Shayne’s bark! 😉 Maybe I need to get a mat and teach Ris to back up to that. I’ve tried it with a small target but she tends to get confused. She already has a decent back up when I’m moving. But I’m struggling getting her to do a back up without me moving. Well, she’ll do it but it’s not straight!!!
I taught Elli to back up with me moving toward her, but didn’t really like that much, she kept giving lip-licks and look-aways. So I shaped a back-up, starting with a weight-shift — Gah! That took forever! She barks like Shayne does when she’s asked to back up now… only higher pitched and MUCH louder lol.
I like the target idea a lot! If I ask her to back up too far, she’ll curve hard to her right. The targeting might actually add some precision to the behavior.