The library parking lot was pretty quiet while we were there. During Dominic's session there were a couple of minor distractions from a large truck that had been parked and was pulling away and a car that had parked nearby for a very brief period of time. Other than that and the environment, there wasn't much to pull his attention away from me. In the future, I'm going to shoot for getting there earlier when there's a little more traffic and more distractions to learn to work through. During Dominic's session, we worked on heeling and figure eights. Here's the video:
Because we have the non-slick surface to work with, I'm using some play at the beginning and during the training session. I am going to need to find something other than his leash to use though. While I'm not super bothered that he uses his leash, I'm more concerned about it wearing out from the biting and tugging. I'm looking into some other options to bring along and I'll hopefully start using those soon. Although, with the weather about to hit a pretty cold spell here starting this week, our training sessions are going to move to indoors so that my hands don't freeze.
Currently I'm trying to figure out what heeling pace works well for Dominic. It's a balance between fast enough that he doesn't get overly excited and not so slow that it becomes uncomfortable for him. I love that he wags his tail so much, but it does make slower paces for him more awkward. Dominic world problems. ;)
With the handful of times that I've done a figure eight with him, I'm pleased with how he's doing. He understands to move his rear when he's on the inside and he's understanding that being on the outside means a faster pace for him. It needs polishing, but I like where he's starting.
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