Zeki's Training

We've had a very busy time lately (hardly surprising as it's full into the agility season and we have seven dogs to care for!)

I have done lots of little training sessions with Zeki and am really enjoying her. We have overcome the grooming and paw wiping issues and she is now perfectly behaved for both. She even tolerates her ears and head being combed. I took my grooming stuff with me to Thames show and on the Friday afternoon I gave her a full groom, toe nail trim and foot trim - all by myself with nobody assisting! That is definitely progress.

Her elephant trick is at last starting to move forward. I have had to do lots of clicking for just two paws on her box because she always wants to sit on everything you put out for her. We have just today progressed to her rotating once with me giving a hand signal rather than having to move right round the box myself. I am pleased with this as I think she'll quickly move forward from this point.

Yesterday afternoon we had our first session with the cones. I want to teach her to go round the cone anti-clockwise off my right arm signal and clockwise off my left arm. As you can see from the video it's coming but we need lots more practise and she has a preference for one side (the one I showed her first of course!) I'm very pleased with this bearing in mind it was only her second session with this new behaviour. Once she's more confident I'll start to build up the distance to the cones and hopefully stand up. At the moment she is more confident with me kneeling on the floor. I have also started teaching her to weave around two cones placed a couple of feet apart but this isn't yet ready for the blog!

The other thing I'm teaching her is to run by my side and not cut in behind me. We're starting to develop our little "front crosses" in this exercise and she is really good at turning and staying on the side I want her. She loves to chase me!

We always finish with a game of tug and she'll even do this if her sausage tub is visible. I am still struggling with the roll over trick and have decided to leave it for a week or so before trying again.

Zeki had a wonderful time at Thames with loads of activities, cuddles, training etc. She had a lovely play time with Pauline Barr's little boy on the Friday afternoon and I actually managed to get some lovely photos of them together. She also had a play with Pauline's puppy but they moved too quickly for me to photograph! he had a good game in Gran'ma's camp with her two brothers Zev and Ziga. I'm not sure if Dennis managed to get any photos of them all together, maybe they'll appear on the Obay blog if so. She looks very much the girl up against the two boys which is nice for me. I got so fed up with everyone calling Niamh a "he" all the time. I know she's a big girl but to me she's cute and not at all like a boy dog. I get very upset when people are rude about my lovely Naughty Niamh and call her a boy - she's a gorgeous girl in my eyes!

Zeki has settled in with us so well, all the temper tantrums have disappeared and she is a really lovely little dog. Andy is very jealous but he isn't getting her - she's mine!

Here are some photos and a little training video of Zeki.


Zeki in her new play pen in our 'garden' at Thames show.

Playing tuggy with her new friend.


More tugging.

I love this photo of the two of them!

Practising sit stays at Thames

At home in the garden with a sleepy Abbey

OK, I'm hot and bored now!