The ‘i’ litter is 1 year old today!
Isaac, Iso, Ink, Irko (aka, Kestrel) are all one year old today and were all at the club this past Sunday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the I litter…..
Training with Isaac has been a challenge and I’m in the process of determining/evaluating what percentage each of the following play into the struggles we’re having
- What he got in terms of genetics
- He’s open and social and probably on the soft side. He hasn’t shown a tremendous amount of ball drive (that could be me), but has high food drive. At the end of last year was doing well with tracking. Can’t and won’t comment on protection because I’m not qualified other than he’s a goof.
- What I’m doing or have done wrong
- It took awhile for me to learn how to play with him, around here he’s average at the club he’s a tard. I plan to keep plugging away until I figure out what works for both of us. Hoping he doesn’t wash out, but realize he may just not have what it takes.
- Is part of it because he’s still not too mature
- He’s coming out a little, yesterday when Rick came over he barked at him (big time) and headed towards him. He’s starting to get a little more territorial instead of just being Marmaduke. He is also starting to ‘push’ me for things.
- How much was squished because he’s also a ‘pet’ though he is crated/kenneled way more than the average pet
- To the rest of the pet owners I know he’s a kenneled and crate dog. To some Schutzhund people he’s probably a house dog. He’s crated at night and all day. He comes out at 3:30 to see the kids when they are home from school and then again around 7 until about 9:30 while the kids and Kerry go to bed. Otherwise he’s out only when he’s working/exercising/or going somewhere with me. I do 95% of the day to day interaction, the only times someone else feeds him or lets him out is if I’m not here. So it’s a balance between house dog and kennel dog depending on what end of the spectrum your on will depend on how you classify it. He also has NO toys other than my toys we play with, just a bone to chew on when he’s laying around at night.
Only time will tell, planning to do a little work in protection later this week to see if it opens him up a little (this wasn’t my idea so I don’t get credit for it). Hoping that he’ll come into his own, Noah vetoed the selling him and starting over option. Not sure a dog with more drive would fit with Noah anyway, if Noah were a GSD he’d be competing at the World level.
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Just a guy with a BLOG about a DOG. You can follow me @rosebudcassidy http://www.twitter.com/rosebudcassidy - or just continue to check back here for updates on our trials and tribulations with SchH.
