Hi Don,
Thought I’d give you a quick update on Isla’s training and how she’s doing. She’s an incredibly sound dog and her power and endurance is astonishing. The other day she did nearly 3,000 yards of long retrieves back to back and at the end (I stopped her because she’d just keep going!) she wasn’t even really breathing heavy at all. She LOVES to retrieve, even in the dark (one of her favorite things to do actually). Her steadiness is super good as well… if she gets a bit excited on the lead (happens rarely these days), I just stand still and she stops herself, immediately comes to a heel position and then sits (or stands at a heel) as if to say “oops, I remember what I’m supposed to do). No commands are given for this to happen. We’re working hard and teaching her to make good decisions on her own and it’s coming along beautifully. She remains fearless as well. To keep things interesting on one of our late night walks through the woods I tossed a large rock into the forest… she immediately wheeled around to the direction of the sound, squared her legs and shoulders, turned her nose on and began marching right toward it… no fear, just pure confidence. It’s really great to watch. She’s always been at home in the woods.
Today, we tested “fetch” and “hold” in an unusual way. My goal is to have her pick up whatever I ask her to pick up and hold it until I ask for the release. For fun I asked Isla to “fetch” a 10lb pumpkin by the stem. I put her at a “sit” and then placed the pumpkin in front of her, stood back and said “fetch”. She immediately picked it up to the “hold” position and just sat there while I pulled out my phone and took a few photos (and laughed!). After the photos, she continued to hold the pumpkin and only released it when I asked her to release it.
I’m not a great trainer by any stretch of the imagination, but Isla sure is a GREAT DOG, from a great breeder.
Thanks!
Bruce
