Waco - Level 6 HW

Okay!! I've done several sessions this past week but every time I do one I read the instructions again, do the training and then review the video and then I'm still not sure if I did it right 😭 Please let me know if we're still making the same mistakes cause it feels like it! I mean I do think he's scooting his butt a bit less and self-correcting his position more readily... I think your instructions were clear enough too I'm just really doubting my comprehension atm haha might just be stress brain though. Maybe we just need to spend more time on this?

Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback as always! I definitely need to be more mindful of my feeding mechanics! I'm trying and hopefully it'll get in my brain for real at some point! Sorry I'm a slow learner T-T and with the leash...yeah I should really invest in a grab tab or something. Waco is actually pretty superb off leash and has a good recall, especially when he's engaged like he is before we start obed now. I just get so self-conscious about being a good dog owner and keeping him on leash in public spaces hah'''. Buuut I suppose also ten minutes of working away by ourselves isn't the end of the world. So I tried it a few times this past week and it was fine each time. Part of one session in the video to show the improvement on his stay and some of my (hopefully) improved mechanics! Excellent feedback on the left finish too! I noticed he only doesn't try to sit right away when on the flower pot so I started there though it made him sit pretty funny...well you'll see in the video. I put in almost a whole session minus excessive snack breaks lol so sorry it's kinda long but should give you a clearer picture of what is happening in the sessions! :) Hopefully it is what you seek haha I'm excited to start on Level 7 while we're moving house!

Woohoo! This is so good! I love the high head, the read end awareness, & the enthusiasm. :-)

Tips:

- Always wait for him to finish chewing before stepping off (like in your first pivot clips).

- Say "get it" (or whatever) and THEN rummage into your treat pouch (or swing your arm, or whatever is happening). This will prevent him from accidentally dropping his head and glancing around because he falsely thought you threw something (or whatever).

- At about ~3:00, you help him with a hand signal to finish the pivot. I think he would benefit from you letting him figure this out himself. BUT, I want you to do that first on the target (see below).

- Big dragging leash - it's gonna trip him up (literally). If it's not safe for him to be off leash, you're gonna have to pick that baby up so it doesn't affect his gait. I know that it's annoying, believe me. Play with smoothly grabbing the leash during your in-between play sequences.

- Catch in heel with sit stay start - watch that anticipation! Have eyes on the back of your head, move slow, and sometimes go back and reward him for staying.

Extra homework for you before you move on to the next level:

I see that he already has his autosit in his finishes, and that it is tripping him up a bit in some reps when you're off the target - that he is sitting before finishing the pivot. I want you to play with adding sits after finishes on a flat target like a frisbee or book - because his pivoting is so spectacular there. That flower pot thing you use in the beginning of the video might be fine too. If he lowers his butt and still finishes the pivot, that's fine. Some dogs do a scooch-y pivot thing, and I think that's nice for dogs who have a learned history like him. He will self-correct and not get stuck in an incorrect sit position if he knows it's okay to sit and scooch-pivot. Confidence of the right answer will speed him up, too. You can do kibble for mediocre finishes and big reward for good ones, to start showing him what we're really looking for here. Please share video! :-)