car work and other stinky stuff

What a fun morning. We were hanging around the estuary for 2hrs.
Working and having fun...the way it should be.

Car work -Leslie McDevitt's 'Control Unleashed" re-orienting cue
1-getting in and out safely (waiting for a release cue, my new one is "okay" to reorient to me after jumping out of car)
2- going for a walk and returning to car then playing in and out games, so coming to the car doesn't mean all the fun is ending, then go on another walk
3  standing around car...waiting for people/dogs/bikes/ cars to come by and I'll either call them to me "here" (I don't use their recall word for this game it's entirely different context) and we play "show me" games where they look at and then look back to me for treats and stays while dog/person/car/ bike goes by...then we go back on walk...mixed up treats and life rewards ie... like releasing them to "go sniff" or "go play" after working on car releases and focusing on me while things pass us by.

I started all this on leash first..then worked my way to off leash.

It feels really good that we've practiced this (adding the reorienting cue last week "okay") and in the end, they all stick close by me until I let them know what comes next :)  That's when you know your hard work has paid off... they have learned how to balance the work with the rewards and have YOU at the top of the REWARD list. The dogs finding you most interesting even when they are off leash, where they could easily bust off into nature, not looking back...is such a sweet feeling :)

Keegan especially loves to bust out and race free...so I knew this was one thing we'd have to work on since last year's on start of adolescent doggie brain.  It's paid off!

Sometimes I'll even throw treats in the car then close the door and then release one...out of 4.... to "find it' search for treats..I must say that it promotes really really nice stays waiting their turn to go into the car for treats :)  The silly games I come up with....