This month has been anything but ideal for training. I think for one thing, it’s just been crazy busy around here. We had a convention the first weekend, a three day agility trial the next and the agility/obedience/herding demos the next weekend. Add to that the shock I felt over losing Jessie, and well…you pretty much get the picture. I’ve just felt tired physically and emotionally, and I haven’t had the motivation that I needed to train.

Fortunately, this week has slowed down considerably and I’m feeling more rested. So, I decided that it would be a good time to set some new training goals. I’ve been really impressed with our friends over at www.thatmutt.com They’ve been doing “30 day challenges” that we’ve been watching with interest. It has inspired me to try something similar in August.

My goal for August is: train with the dogs in 4 different locations and observe and record their ability to work in different environments. There isn’t going to be anything specific that the dogs will have to achieve. It will be more of a challenge of my ability to observe what is challenging in the new environment to each dog, and work to overcome it.

The reason I chose this challenge for us is that we can be successful just by attempting it. Sometimes I tend to set goals that frustrate both myself and the dogs because they are too big. I want this to be enjoyable for all of us. I also chose this because one of the biggest obstacles for the rescues to deal with is working in new places. As you know from prior posts Rogue and Raven both struggle with stress in trial settings. For Twist, new environments hold soo many distractions that it is difficult for him to focus on the task at hand. I really think that if I improve my skills in reading what they are telling me, our training will improve.

I’m excited for August to come now…