A lot of work and a little training

Mom has been busy at work this week, so she hasn't been able to help me type until today. She's glad for the work, but I am not used to spending so much time alone. I have been a good boy though and just sleep until she gets home. For her part, mom has made sure we go on long walks in the morning before work, and she comes home at lunch to see me and to let me go out.

We had our second advanced obedience class with Deb on Thursday night. I am pleased to report that I was more focused on what mom was telling me to do than last week. When we got inside the building, the first thing mom did was a little heeling with me and then a sit/stay. I held it too! So that was a good sign. When the class actually started, we did some more heeling trying to work on attention and straight sits. We did it on leash and then tried it off leash. Mom and I practice off leash heeling at home all the time. Combine that with the agility training we do and it makes me pretty good at staying by her side. We also worked on military and around finishes - I'm already fairly good at those. Then we did some out of sight sit/stays and down/stays. I am king of the down/stay and did well on the sit/stay except I have trouble staying there on mom's first command. After class anyone who wanted help with dumbbells could stay late. So we did and mom learned some more about getting me to take it, hold it, and drop it. I had to sit in heel position and then mom had to gently force me to take it, then tip my head back and hold under my jaw to keep me holding it, and then the drop it was a piece of cake. So with practice we should get it. We are working this week to get a 15-sec. hold.

Today we had our first hummingbird in the yard! A female came to our feeder but didn't stay long. Probably the water was too dirty. Mom and I changed it and are all excited that maybe this is the beginning of seeing a hummingbird regularly at our feeder.

Gotta zoom!

Ricky