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I woke up this morning with plans to get some good training in since the weather is perfect and I have all day free. Got out of bed, fed the dog, and ate some breakfast. Then I started feeling like I pinched a nerve in my leg. It wasn't a muscle pain, more like a burning all down my leg. It wasn't so bad that I couldn't walk, so I figured that walking with Riot would help things feel better. Unfortunately, it wasn't the walking that provided the distraction today, it was Riot's frustrating behavior....
We went to a park that I've trained at multiple times before. No one was around so very little distractions. Set out bumpers for 3 handed casting. Sit Ri in the middle. Cast back, he takes it perfectly. Throw the bumper back. Cast to the left. Ri runs over to the correct bumper, puts his mouth on it, drops it, and starts sniffing around in the grass. HUH??!? "Riot, fetch it." Again, picks it up and drops it, continues sniffing/eating grass. Ok little buddy, I didn't want to start FF outside until tomorrow, but I guess its going to have to be today. We had SUCH a BATTLE. I had forced him on a bumper last week, so I don't think it was that. He just didn't want to fetch that bumper! I would pinch, he would grab bumper, start to pick it up, then spit it out the second I stopped pinching. So I backed up, made it easier, helped him hold onto the bumper and pick it all the way up. But darned if he didn't keep trying to spit it out! I couldn't even get him to sit without spitting it out. GAHHHHHH!!!
Got some success, so I moved on to something else. Threw him a fun bumper a few minutes later... Yeah, same thing happened, except he dropped it half way back to me. So back to battling. I tried really hard not to get frustrated and stay calm, but it was hard. Finally I just got two good ones off the ground and said "OK, done." We went for a walk, threw around a tennis ball, and decompressed.
Basically, training this morning was 25 minutes of he11. I felt bad because I kept having to pinch him and he wasn't seeming to get it. I'm sure it was probably my fault and I wasn't being clear enough. I guess my question is, where should I go from here? What should I do tomorrow (or even a short session tonight)? Should I start off with a short FF session tomorrow before anything else or see how he does on his casting first?
Thanks guys!
We went to a park that I've trained at multiple times before. No one was around so very little distractions. Set out bumpers for 3 handed casting. Sit Ri in the middle. Cast back, he takes it perfectly. Throw the bumper back. Cast to the left. Ri runs over to the correct bumper, puts his mouth on it, drops it, and starts sniffing around in the grass. HUH??!? "Riot, fetch it." Again, picks it up and drops it, continues sniffing/eating grass. Ok little buddy, I didn't want to start FF outside until tomorrow, but I guess its going to have to be today. We had SUCH a BATTLE. I had forced him on a bumper last week, so I don't think it was that. He just didn't want to fetch that bumper! I would pinch, he would grab bumper, start to pick it up, then spit it out the second I stopped pinching. So I backed up, made it easier, helped him hold onto the bumper and pick it all the way up. But darned if he didn't keep trying to spit it out! I couldn't even get him to sit without spitting it out. GAHHHHHH!!!
Got some success, so I moved on to something else. Threw him a fun bumper a few minutes later... Yeah, same thing happened, except he dropped it half way back to me. So back to battling. I tried really hard not to get frustrated and stay calm, but it was hard. Finally I just got two good ones off the ground and said "OK, done." We went for a walk, threw around a tennis ball, and decompressed.
Basically, training this morning was 25 minutes of he11. I felt bad because I kept having to pinch him and he wasn't seeming to get it. I'm sure it was probably my fault and I wasn't being clear enough. I guess my question is, where should I go from here? What should I do tomorrow (or even a short session tonight)? Should I start off with a short FF session tomorrow before anything else or see how he does on his casting first?
Thanks guys!