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(Date Posted:10/25/2006 8:45 PM)
Last night Ace and I started training at a different training center. As the weather continues to get colder, it is getting harder and harder to work with him outside, and while I can do some little things inside, retrieving and jumping is much more difficult... PLUS he really needs to learn to work away from home in a competent manner.So last night we joined an Open class, which is primarily retrieving (on flat and over a high jump), jumping a broad jump (think leaping over a puddle), doing a drop on recall, and heeling off leash (Ace's worse thing right now).The first thing the instructor started out with was the long sit and down stays (normally out of sight in Open), and BOY was Ace worried thinking I was totally leaving him sitting there between a German Shepherd and a Golden Retriever (the other five dogs in the class were ALL huge)! I was hoping to go to the other side of the ring, but he wouldn't even let me get anywhere near that far away, so we settled for about a third of the way across the ring. Poor dog was so stressed that he got up about three times before he realized that I wasn't leaving him forever and that he was seriously starting to tick mom off! LOL! His down stay was beautiful.As we got further along in the class, Ace was really starting to enjoy himself as his tail came up and he was smiling a bit. Open work is very motivating for a dog as the jumping and retrieving is pretty fun for them (as opposed to fairly boring Novice work). So I think we will train there for a few weeks until winter get really serious here as driving in the dark in nasty weather late at night is something that I no longer care to do. I know another training center that has morning Open classes on the same day, so I may switch to that place in a few weeks. In the meantime, something new for us to do!
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Karen Brittan
Britmor Schnauzers
Pedigree indicates what the animal should be.
Conformation indicates what the animal appears to be.
But performance indicates what the animal actually is.
-Author Unknown- | 
