Just trying to get into better habits...Here is a condensed update

Here are some posts that I have made about Bently and me on another site, I figured I would post them on my blog so hopefully I can get in the habit of keeping my blog more up to date.

Post are below, all posted February through beginning of March 2009. First post are about sideways accomplishments, and last post is about a water adventure.

“Thought I would share my and my boys accomplishment from the other day, it was a really great day;

Bently was very calm, did not go RBE or even get really un-confident even once (which I love when he is like that) and was asking tons of questions and offering a lot. Anyway we have been working on sideways towards without a fence from farther distances.

Yesterday for the first time He did sideways towards me from almost the very end of the 22' without a fence- it was great I gave him lots of loves, he then did it again. Yippee! Just was so happy I thought I would share.

We are not consistent yet, but we are getting there--I really have to be sure to balance the sideways towards with the sideways away, or he only will come to me and not away.”

“My boy loves coming in sideways now--the other day I played a little with him at liberty and I asked just to see what he would do for sideways toward after I had him go sideways away, and he actually came back, and looked so proud of himself to, I was very overjoyed as I was in a pasture, and he was about 10-15 feet away--he was actually better at and more enthusiastic about the sideways toward then the sideways away.”

“My que for him for sideways toward is my facing the same direction he is, lifting my arm up with the carrot stick in hand, with the sort of feel like I am going to put it up and over his back and give him a hug (carrot stick goes at a slant towards him, but is mostly up--string is caught up/not dangling).

Then I put a draw in my energy--like I am going to reel him in and give him a hug, and then I say the word "over." if he doesn't respond then I put rythmic energy into the tip of the CS, as if it was on the other side of him. Mostly though now he starts to respond when I pull with my energy, or when I say the word 'over'.

Does that make sense? There is a vid of mine on youtube(titled: "Bently movement and play 02-11-09"), and about 2 min in or so into it shows what I do basically for sideways toward, though we have refined it some more since then.

If I remember correctly I did have to tap the CS tap in the air on the vid which is my final phases before I then (if I am on-line) put a small feel on zone one, and then I will ask him to step forward (I do this as my test and to get him thinking as sometimes if he hasn't responded it is because he is frozen/RBI) and if he steps forward well then I will move a step towards him at a time, still tapping the CS in the air and saying 'over,' until he starts coming towards me--even if it means putting rythmic pressure with the the SS or the tip of the CS over his back on the opposite side to have him come over--I rarely have to do that now.”

“Bently loves sideways toward so much now that yesturday when i was playing with him he kept offering it, all I could do was laugh, looks like we may need to play a couple sessions without doing it to get it back in balance again, though it is fun that he was offering it (though I am always sure to defend my space if it is needed)

I found out yesterday that our stick to me at the canter is a bit broken--so need to work on that, and that me being on the right side was slightly harder for him to stay connected. I think it is mostly because we haven't done much of stick to me lately

--because i have a hard time keeping up in the snow, and because of all his abcesses this winter, that is why we have been working on sideways so much recently, because it doesn't require much energy

his stick to me at the walk, stop, and back up were fab though ”

“Today went out and played with my boy. we went for a mosey in the pasture, then went out to mosey down the road. Then we went along the edge of a field, then went back to the road, playing stick to me (walk when I walk, stop when I stop, etc.)

We continued down the road, a bird flew up and Bently jumped in place then kinda shook his head and looked at me as if to say "that was stupid of me wasn't it, don't I deserve a treat for only spooking a little though?". I laughed gave him a pet and we continued along the road. We came to dirt road that had a large 'pond' (due to snow run-off) so I decided we should play touch it.

He sniffed at it for a bit, then started to play with the water with his lips first, and then he stuck out his tongue and was playing with it. I mean like his tongue was a straw and he was twirling it in the water. It was very funny--I laughed again and told him good boy , and then asked him to re-approach the "pond" he did so willingly with only a slight hesitation before he put all four feet in. (it wasn't a deep pond, just about to his fetlock joints, but it was wide)

We left the pond after much praise, and a couple treats and headed for home. We then found a "stream" along side the road, so I preceded to ask him to cross it--he did so willingly after again he had sniffed it and mouthed the water some. He never did just walk over it though, he always wanted to jump it, though it did not seem he was scared of it, just that is what he wanted to do.

We then found a slightly wider section of the same 'stream' where after several tries he figured out that I wanted him to go into the stream with all four feet and stand in it next to me. He was such a good boy, got lots of pets and some treats. Then we went the rest of the way home.

Anyway just thought I would share our water adventure that we had this afternoon.”