Dazzle turned 13 weeks old today! We've been doing some training at meal times, but I've mostly been catching up on the stuff that needes to get done around here since I was away all of last week.
Here is a video I took today that shows how far his heeling has come in just 3 weeks. Actually, it's been this good for almost 2 weeks, but I haven't had a chance to video it. He has gotten heeling practice in just about every location we have been in, so it has a REALLY strong reward history and he LOVES heel position! I think it will actually be hard to get him to "front" :-)
This was taken in the back yard on the patio and I used the pipes as guides to be sure I wasn't "cheating" on the turns. My footwork, hips and shoulders aren't consistent though- I need to practice that.
Below is a video of his weave pole training. He's been doing weaves since he was 9.5 weeks old, so they are fairly solid. I use chicken wire guides so he CAN'T make mistakes. I did this with Coyote as a pup and his weaves are rock solid (& he seeks out weaves on an agility course.) At camp last year, he did the 60 weave pole challenge on the first try without having been through weave poles for a few years! I think it really helps the dog learn the pattern and keeps them going regardless of what the handler might be doing. You can see on the last pass that he's actually leading and gets to the end before I do. He's also bouncing, which will help his speed and rhythm as he gets taller. Hopefully as his legs get longer, he will switch to "paddling" through them. They are set at 20" apart (standard width.)
