She seems to be enjoying her puppyhood very much as well. Yes, we have begun some fun training (tricks, relationship, play drive, recall etc.), but I do not see the point in overtraining "agility" behaviors that will take such a short time to learn anyway. I watch video after video of very young puppies beginning some puppy agility training (plank work for running or stopped contacts, wraps around jump stanchions, balance work, startline stays and even early jump training) and also beginning "herding" training on ducks or pigmy goats... I just don't see the point.
1. meG's body is changing daily, any muscle memory learned now will not matter tomorrow!
2. meG's brain needs to develop to be able to take stress and pressure - forcing too much on meG at this age might turn her into a worrier (yes, even POSITIVE training, and often ESPECIALLY shaping with a thinking dog, if your rewards don't come fast enough and for the tiniest effort can turn your dog against training, setting up for failure in everything that comes in her future!) I know my line: Creekside dogs are biddable and want to be right! I do work with positive stress (restraint games, food/toy trades, and clicker training with HIGH reward for small efforts) but I am careful to stop the session before she chooses to and watch for any signs that she is not enjoying the training session. And most of my sessions are completely informal and just "happen". I look for opportunities to reward all the time: outside, inside, on walks, in the barn, next to the running tractor/log splitter/chainsaw, amidst barking, frothing dogs, beside the electric fence, near the sheep/chickens/kids/strangers....You get the picture!
3. Hiking and outdoor play is all meG needs right now, for her balance and body awareness. The plank work for contacts, "jump training" is best in a natural setting where the puppy chooses or not to go over/under the log, walk across the log, balance on the rock etc. When meG tires, she gets picked up and carried.
4. That said, we do train tricks that will help her know she has back feet ;) But they are just that - tricks that are fun and have a very high reward rate!
Do you have a new puppy or a new rescue (which is often a puppy brain in an adult body)? News leak: Jenny Damm has a new online Agility Foundations course coming soon! Well, it is not that new, but is currently being translated into English. I am currently doing lesson one and it is full of great tricks to build relationship, toy/food drive and enjoyment of activity and training.
While I have no training videos, I did catch this cute session this morning: Ar-meG-eddon and her beloved chicken.
Enjoy their puppyhood, it doesn't last long!
Tired after her Berserker party.
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