Stay Training!

I have actually started doing some training, look at this taken this morning ....

Focused Frankie!

Beryl is looking for crumbs, lol!  I started yesterday with them separately, Beryl first while Frankie whined softly at the door "Muuum, what are you doing with Beryl?  Why can't I be there too?"  So today I had them together and sadly it was better with them apart.  Beryl wouldn't stick with Frankie there even though he would hold the stay.  It didn't help that she had somehow worked out that we were going for a walk after training at a time we never go down the park!!  So she was all excited and really wanted to get cracking rather than lie down:-)

Tonight we had a good moment .... I've been asking her to sit before feeding her dinner for a week (but it's only really been about 4 nights because I keep forgetting to ask her to sit!!) and every other night she's given me the stink eye and walked away muttering to herself "Stoopid Mum, I'm a Princess, I don't have to sit before I eat" then she'll come back, I'll ask again once or twice before she finally does sit.  But tonight she sat first time, yay:-) 

Give her a few more nights and I'll try putting her bowl down and asking her to wait:-)

And I've got a pretty stiff challenge to try and accomplish in the next 4 weeks.  Our Rally O instructor said I should enter Beryl for the competition for our National Dog Show which is being held at a wonderful facility in my town.  Nothing like starting at the top!!  The problem is Beryl knows NOTHING!!!  Just because she bounces around at training having a great time and I can lure her with food and she is quite focused on me doesn't mean she's ready to compete, lol.  Although I guess it's a lot better than Frankie who knows everything but is so focused on his environment that I don't exist except as the person who is stopping him from saying hello to that dog over there or sniffing that lovely smell, lol! 

So my challenge to myself is to try and get some focus into Frankie and find out what stations I'm likely to strike in Novice and teach them to Beryl.  Oh well, it's good to have something to aim for and even if I make a total mess of everything it's all good experience for us.  I'm going to reread "When Pigs Fly" again (starting when I finish writing this, lol!) and hopefully will get some ideas now that I'm on a mission!

On  lighter note, on Tuesday the kids and I went to visit a friend who lives in a little seaside town about 30 minutes from us.  She's got 2 lovely Shetland Sheepdogs who Beryl hadn't met before.  We took our kids for a wonderful walk through some pine forest out to sand dunes and then onto the beach and back again.  Beryl was so good.  Off lead the whole way and having the time of her life.  Here are a couple of photos of her

Hmmm, is that me?

Aren't I pretty?

And a little video I took of Beryl at the river the other day with a bit of slow motion fancy stuff, lol.

Right, I'm off to do some reading .... after I've caught up with everyone's blogs:-)