Weaves #2

I learned two important things in weave poles class last Thurs:

1. If I don't stop relying on the leash to get Iris' attention, Katrin is going to strangle me with it (and Katrin does have a point! It does me no good when Iris isn't wearing a leash so I shouldn't need it when she is).

2. If I'm "cooler than dirt," I'm also cooler than other dogs, people, the ground, cars, etc.

Iris was pretty good about waiting her turn during class. I had her out of her crate while Makin was running, and she gave me really good attention. Of all the dogs in class, Iris is least reactive to Makin, so I was stacking my odds a little there. Eventually, I'd like to work up to "watch a dog run, sit in the crate through the next dog, watch a dog run..." So she can alternate between giving me attention and sitting quietly (my ultimate goal would be for her to relax outside of the crate, but I think using the crate is more realistic right now). The way the class is arranged, waiting dogs sort of cluster around the door while one dog at a time works on the obstacles. So Iris does spend a lot of time waiting in close proximity with the other dogs. I think this is going to be a good thing for her to learn.

When it was Iris' turn, Katrin got her really revved up and excited. Iris was a lot less interested in the other dogs and more willing to just play with me. She was also much faster and more interested in doing the equipment than stopping for treats (or running off to harass other dogs, sniff the floor...) It was lot of fun! Now I definitely need to do more of this with her.

I realized that I don't do a lot of playing with Iris at home. When I do try to play with her, she'll immediately switch to playing with the Beagle (Henry is the coolest chew toy ever). If I have a toy, she'll keep playing with me because she can't let that Beagle have her toy! Goofy girl. I'm going to try using play as reward for weaves practice at home, so we'll see how it goes. And maybe on Thurs, I'll remember to be cooler than dirt.