Cybi had a semi rest day on Saturday, just a wander y walk in the evening. He was tired from the last few days, and still is on Monday actually 😂 Sunday we took toddler on bike out for a 6.5km ride - I’m not sure who had more fun out of all of us, Cybi is getting so good with B on his bike. We did some focussed heeling which he was super at - I’m really pleased with how it’s coming along (glimpse into life training a dog with a toddler in the video 😂), and he got to splash in the river loads. He was really good with bikes and dogs passing, holding a down while we waited. A very innocent man approached him with his hands out saying “oh he’s lovely, don’t worry I’m good with dogs!” Before I could get between but our “go say hi” cue does pretty consistently turn him into puppy mode now when we do allow him to greet people so I was glad we have been consistent with it. He then had a full shampooey bath and blow dry in the diy doggy shower which he tolerated, then settled while we had a cup of tea and an ice cream after. He then was almost totally unconscious for 20 hours straight 😴 😂 we actually were a bit worried because he was so chill but turns out we’ve just finally gotten through to him that he needs to relax in the house! Then his new muzzle came and we picked up conditioning it with free shaping - he is so smart. He’s done this once and within 3 reps he remembered entirely what he needed to do and would just put his whole head in and wait for the terminal marker 😂 so I think we can build some duration in our next session which is great progress. I’m planning to do his DNA health test next month then to book him in for hip and elbow scoring the following month which is exciting but also terrifying as the idea of them not being perfect is awful 😅 but his litter have also begun these with everyone being clear so far, and his lines are great so I am hopeful for some good x rays!

Just conditioning the muzzle again today with a few reps of a slam down and basic position to keep him energised. Was going to go out and try some focussed heeling but it decided to rain sideways during my only break from work 😫 He is really progressing with the muzzle and is already happy to hold his head in there for a few seconds of duration with intermittent reward. We trained a “side” commend when he had a paw injury which is to go from lying down to lying on his side and I’ve been slowly trying to get closer to trimming his nails as he’s been wary since he had the painful paw injury. Today he willingly let me cut every single nail on his front paws with no objection 😭 I was so proud as this is a big step for him to trust me to mess about with them again! Finally we did a super short rep of street heel on a slip as I want to move away from using the prong as a management tool and it went fine. I think we’ll be able to move easily to a different collar for regular walks (he doesn’t really wear it for anything other than street heeling and training sessions) which is good and I’ll start to work on this soon.

I can’t remember anything that happened any day other than IGP day because the entire time was me realising I’ve not seen anyone in 2 months and I wanted to brush up so I could make sure I showed progress 😅 either way though, it was so good to see everyone and we were INSIDE which felt like a treat, in a cool fly ball “alley” kinda set up. New doggy environment meant Cybi was really interested in everything but after a few attempts he locked in and worked really well. Did some very nice focussed heel with Alex (it never looks as good with me 😂) but he said we were doing well with it which was nice. Also did some fine tuning of basic position and fixed front feet position changes. He had had quite a big day on the Tuesday and on Thursday he was still pretty cooked so we didn’t do too much in obedience but was nice to see he’s made some progress while we’ve not managed to get down. I had definitely gotten rusty so was glad to have a bit of a refresher. Then we did protection and Cybi was incredible, I was so proud of him. It’s like he’s had no time off, some really nice complements. I said it’s like Cybi and Alex are having a conversation and I’m just holding the lead having a lovely time and letting go when I’m told 😂 we also saw his natural tracking ability in action as he followed a random trail on the floor so I’m quite excited to get started with some of that now! I have decided to try to take this really seriously this year, it’s not only fulfilling for Cybi but I absolutely love it and want him to reach his potential so 2026 is going to be IGP year for us 😎 Today we went for a little leg stretch on the beach which he really enjoyed, just a short one before picking B up but I think he needed a rest day and a short but interesting walk. Then we also had a message to say he has been selected as a brand ambassador by a small dog business on instagram, so I guess I’m basically his manager now 🤷‍♀️

Hey guys- can you recommend any fancy dog collars and leads please? I need them in girly colours (it is for the girls- handler and dog, so pink, light blue etc preferred) lol Biothane and the anti slip ones - good quality is priority. Thanks 🙏

Obedience and other training has been going sooo well - but we’ve struggled with guests since Cybi reached adolescence and it’s been an ongoing thing where he just barked like a loon. He got much better after a residential stay where he got to practice calmness but as we don’t have lots of people to visit we haven’t been able to practice so much. He has become really good at settling quickly when family come in but we had a HUGE setback last night and I am gutted. We specifically avoid strangers coming to the house and meeting him unless we are able to meet outside and walk in together which is a much better experience - but we had a food shop delivery yesterday. Normally they drop the bags at the door but this driver was trying to be helpful and wandered straight in and then into the kitchen. Cybi is penned in like an open, large dog pen so while I wasn’t delighted he’d done it I knew it was safe despite the barking that ensued. The guy then (totally well meaning but totally dog-illiterately) walked straight up to Cybi as he was going absolutely mental to try to stroke him. I got between them and asked him to give him space etc - have never seen Cybi growling so angrily and I also was genuinely in shock that he man was still trying to approach him 😫 he eventually listened and backed off when he realised he wasn’t going to make friends, and left, but all I could think was how much damage had probably been done during this one interaction. Today my mum brought Bren home after school and while she went to say hello to him as she normally does and to give him a treat he growled at her 🤦‍♀️ I am gutted that this has happened and undone so much work. I can’t help but think Cybi wasn’t in the wrong - he’s bred for suspicion and defense, I was home solo with a toddler and a random man walked in (innocently) who I was uneasy about and he approached while I said no, it’s not an unreasonable thing for him to think wasn’t acceptable and he needed to scare him off. Just really unfortunate! I’m also ordering a muzzle tonight (I’m thinking muzzle movement brand) to begin to condition it ahead of whatever we end up doing for this, and life in general as it’s a good tool to have.