Monday Mischief (or lack of it!)

SHE GOT IT! I'm so happy and proud of her! While the test instructor was incredibly nice and allowed everyone to do one item over at the end if we needed to, Quenya didn't need to redo any of the test options and she was just sososososoSO amazing. I really enjoyed watching the other dogs go through the test as well--one of them, a pittie-type named Olivia is actually in tricks class with us. She earned her CGC too! I always feel a little awkward around other dog people because there are just so many things about dogs to disagree on...haha. I really enjoyed the company of the other testers though, and for all that they were strangers to me save for Olivia's owner, I felt comfortable testing in front of them. There wasn't any kind of competitive vibe going on, which I was concerned about.

I've wanted to get Quenya's CGC certificate since I got her--I knew prior to acquiring her it was something I wanted to do with my next dog. Quenya is the first dog I've gotten "real" titles/awards on (I had 4-H agility titles on my dogs during high school, but they don't fall under any of the national organizations when I was doing it). She now has her NTD (soon to be ITD!) and her CGC. She's so amazing!

Skipper was not impressed with his sister's accomplishment.

Skipper is still a bit of  struggle. He isn't very food/toy motivated, and that means building a high-reliability recall continues to be a challenge. There are honestly days I wonder if we'll ever get there. He's only 10 months old, and I know part of it is just him being young and the world still being so new and interesting, but I've bought ten different kinds of treats in the past week and a half alone (no, I am not kidding) in an attempt to find something that he really will work for, with no luck. If we're not in our own yard, he's not motivated enough to leave whatever's distracting him. I'm sure it's just a matter of plugging away, enrolling in classes, and doing lots of research like we have been since the beginning. I have to remember I DID buy a terrier, and he is honestly what I want--he's just going to be a bit more work than my friends' Papillons, Corgis, and Shelties. It's so hard for me not to compare my own puppy's progress to other peoples! There was a 8 month old Golden Retriever that got her CGC today.

I'm proud of how far Skipper has come--most of my work thus far has been building and keeping a solid sociability, comfort in new environments, and self-confidence. We've gotten there, attained those goals. We'll get the rest of our obedience basics eventually.

Having a dog not motivated by food, fetch, or tug is DEFINITELY stretching me as a trainer/handler. I'll count that as a plus for experience gained :)