..... So here it is ... a year later May 30, 2010.
Turbo was the best thing I could have done for Freeway. Tsuki hardly gives either of them the time of day but Freeway and Turbo play all day long.
Turbo has also progressed to an amazing level of training. For example: Today we went to the dog park. There was a dog who wanted Turbo's ball. No problem, I always carry several. I had Turbo on a "down" I threw one ball in one direction - dog went after it. I threw the other ball in the other direction, and released Turbo to get that one. We are doing sits and downs at a distance 30 to 50 feet or so. Also a sit or down on recall.
Shortly after Turbo arrived I tried him on sheep. I found him biddable but too over the top. I decided that if he was ever going to work sheep the first thing was to get his respect, and teach him control. So that's what all that ball training is about. Wednesday it paid off. Patsy, my herding instructor, took Turbo into the round pen.
This calmness is not an illusion. He had his frantic moments but for the most part he really was this controlled. Patsy asked for, and got, a sit-stay while she stepped away and then around him. I'm still fairly sure I'll never be able to trial him - but less certain than I was 6 months ago.
It is one thing to get control in a small pen, or even in modest sized arena. But when you have flighty trial level sheep running off several hundred yards away the basic behavior of the dog tends to return.
What I need to do is stop being lazy and get him into agility class. That means driving either to Martinez or Fremont. *sigh*. But I really do need to do that. Speaking of which I haven't worked his weave poles in a bit. The dog is a snake through the weave poles. Unfortunately I don't really have sufficient room. I can have either weave poles or a jump, not both. Ah well.
And another six months. Turbo is finally getting along with the cat. Actually most of the problem was the cat. The cat didn't like him, which made for hissing, spitting and running for the cat tree. When Dusty decided that Turbo was OK there was no middle ground. Suddenly Dusty was winding in and out of Turbo's legs. More exciting. But they have settled down now and treat seeing each other as "no big deal." ... Which lead to Turbo being more interested in the cat's food, than in the cat. And that resulted in these pictures.
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Copyright © 2010, Diane Blackman Created:June 1 2010 Updated
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