I just came home from the 5k "Killer K9" challenge at Scorrier Estate. It was BRILLIANT!! So much fun running across the countryside, waist deep in bog, rivers, ponds, woods, scrambling up slopes and jumping over obstacles. Aster was amazing, loads of other dogs there and apart from a small amount of her usual initial barking in the car park area she didn't bat an eyelid the rest of the way around where we came across every crazy breed under the sun and several off leash dogs running around. Some common up behind us and infront. Was really impressed she just got on with it! She was NOT Impressed with the bogging tho and is probably silently making plans to kill me in my sleep for dragging her thru that like some kind of lowly labrador 😂 a few pics of us victorious and covered in shit, and Aster knackered in the van in some weird position. We then went to Perranporth to get some food and she just lay in a very busy, dog-ridden cafe for 2 hours without a single peep! Perfect down stay on my coat whilst I went up to order. Hilarious snap of her face when I came back. I'm sure she looks like one of the characters from Ice Age or something...

I had been meaning to teach obedience style scent discrimination and retrieve so that was going to be my contribution to the challenges that @Holly Pearson threw my way. However it is a little complex and now a cyclone hitting so will just go with one prepared for something else. The exercise I call Jar is just getting the dog to run to a placed or thrown treat jar and lie down next to it. It is one I now teach first night on a puppy class as a challenge to teach before the class ends. It is like using a dish for remote reward but the closed container has some advantages. As well as teaching a down at a distance the treat jar rattle is a great attention getter in the park. Also I see this as gaining a source of focus in the park away from me I can control so one or two jars can be used for games in the park that help with off leash control by building them up on a long line first and then using the game to test off leash ears in a distracting environment. When getting new people to do it I avoid showing them the end result with a thrown jar to stop them skipping ahead - they need to be good on the waiting for the dumb human to open the jar before adding the throw or you get a dog retrieving or eating the jar.

I spent a few hours training with @Kahla Delahay today! We were hanging out so of course we did some obedience too - a little clip of the heeling attached. Happy birthday @Jenna Owen! Shame you couldn't make it.

It was really nice to see so many of you get into the Two Bowls Game! Thanks to @Ave Paasuke for that - it was fun to revisit - and for tagging me to take up the mantle this week. Here is a reverse orbit - the dog circles around you whilst you stand stationary. Start by having them sit in heel position and lure them backwards around your body. If your dog has never gone backwards in a straight line then I would recommend looking at that first. If they all struggle some hind end awareness with a pivot bowl or platform would really help you. I purposefully didn't clean up the vid too much, because you might run into the same issues- I had some confusion with her guessing I wanted position changes and so she got a little stuck. Just chuck the treat to reset and try again. I've clearly also taught her to sit with her right hind splayed out like some kind of chicken drummer so make sure you don't teach yours that. It's very ugly 🤦‍♀️https://youtube.com/shorts/zMfqZDJkWQg?si=8FGgCt2jUeSUySjg Reward the smallest try and in a different place each time.

Well, it's a special weekend this week as it's Easter. What are you getting up to?