A Summer Update

Nick has had an interesting summer. We have been dealing with the limitations of Social Distancing due to Covid 19, intolerable heat, and now smoke from major wild fires in our area. For the last several weeks, we have only been able to train at home for the most part due to smoke outside, and record setting heat previous to that. Some how, we did find time to try our hand at kayaking. He did great, seemed to enjoy the rocking of the waves on the water. We are both looking forward to more of this. 

We did complete our first official class, Basic manners, and Nick finally earned his American Kennel Club Socialization, Training, Activity, Responsibility (AKC STAR) puppy certificate. It's just the first of many certifications to show he's had classes in how to behave. Last week he started his Intermediate class, and will complete that at the end of October, and hopefully be ready to take his Canine Good Citizen, Community Canine Good Citizen (CGCA), and Canine Good Citizen Urban (CGCU). 

Nick has been having issues with car sickness, but seems to be getting better with it. He recently started getting into and out of the truck on his own. This is a big step for him. He's still nervous, but much less so over the last few weeks. 

We have started training in public more, at least once a week, going on shopping trips or at least to classes at PetSmart, for socialization. This has helped his confidence and willingness to try new things. Overall, social limitations have limited when and where we can train, but this is giving us time to really focus on basics and strengthen his cues as he goes through adolescence. 

As we move into fall, we will be working on skills to make public access easier on both of us, such as where to be when I'm seated in public, and the skills to get there, improving heel, and starting to work more consistently on behaviors needed for Rally Obedience and traditional Obedience competitions, both of which will help with behavior in public.