Flying Poodles

Summarizing teeter progress

I am excited about some recent training developments. Since I made Jay stop playing keep-away with the girls’ toys, they have started bringing them back to have them thrown again. So quite suddenly I have a nice tennis-ball retrieve, which has allowed me to use a thrown tennis ball as a reward for good obstacle performance. Both girls are giving me VERY fast weaves now.

Even more exciting to me, I have been throwing the tennis ball for Dancer just as she takes that hesitant push-step on the teeter. She’s been SO scared of the teeter for so long that only recently has she started walking the whole length of the teeter at the lowest setting. (We did a lot of games with approaching the teeter and learning to bang it to help her get over her worries about the noise.)

But now that I’m throwing the ball just as she takes the step–I actually click the step, then throw–she’s running TO the teeter, trotting purposefully to the push point, pushing it down, and trotting off–then running to the ball! In the training barn, she’s up to a half-height teeter. I’m thrilled!