So I just watched @Lynn May and Leto's wonderful sendaway in her post yesterday and it jogged my memory that today is Thursday. Challenge time! Funnily enough I filmed this earlier in the week - it was always going to be week 7's challenge! Go and check out Lynn's vid if you've not seen it yet. If you can try to scroll back through old posts, @Gary Martin posted a video of a phenomenal send away too. It has forever stuck in my mind as being the dream picture one day! What is quite cool is that Lynn has filmed the beginning bit - just sending your dog to a bowl of food from a distance. I also started here. Remember: - the distance isn't the important bit to begin with - you want your dog really focussed on that bowl and super eager to run to it. - Restraint builds desire - create some eagerness by holding the collar or harness before releasing - Make sure you have the behaviour solid before you add the cue I've added in a target since, which I have also rewarded separately with food and play. You can combine the target with the food bowl so that you can eventually fade the bowl out and the dog will still run to the target. I used a contact mat but you could also use a lightweight fence post or a cone. Try to place the bowl so that they need to contact the mat to eat the food. In the video I filmed earlier in the week, I actually have her dinner and I'm "premacking" this sendaway. She clearly knows I have the bowl of food but she gotta go do that send out to access it! So it makes the exercise even more challenging. The complete sendaway (for UK working trials anyway) requires a sit or down once they've run out to the correct spot. Don't try and teach this in combination with the above stuff. Work on just downing on the mat/next to the cone in close proximity to your dog, then work at being a litte farther from them as you give them the cue to down. Eventually you can combine the two behaviours. I found this tricky with Aster. She's not a natural downer and I had no idea what I was doing haha but if I can do it you guys can ❤️

What was your biggest ‘lightbulb’ moment about dog behaviour and training?

An interesting drama taking place in the IGP world as the U.S. dominated the FCI IGP World Championships but then were denied the title of world champions. Interestingly, the same would have happened if Canadians or Brits had won too. Full video below.

https://youtu.be/OObNDaVKJyQ?si=LxGEdDrYPqKKYfwv Experimenting with typing less as per @Amanda Taulborg s suggestion! This bit will only make sense if you watch/ listen to the video update lol. Have a go on this @Jenna Owen Mae'r diwrnodau diwethaf wedi bod yn dda iawn gyda'r astur. Rwy'n hapus iawn bod hi'n ddiddorol iawn i'w hyfforddi. Mae hi'n mwy cymryd sylweddol. Mae hi'n cymryd cymdeithasau cymhleth, ond yn bwysig, mae hi'n cymryd hynny i mi gyda llawer o cymryd sylweddol ac yn eisiau bod gyda mi os ydy hi'n cymryd sylweddol. Gallwn wneud llawer mwy o gynhyrchiadau gyda'i ddiddorol. Mae hi'n dal i fod yn unig. Nid yw'n cymryd cymdeithasau cymryd sylweddol fel y byddwn yn ei wneud o'r blaen. Felly mae hyn yn cydnabod ein bod hi wedi cael rhywbeth ddiffyg gyda hi'n ddiweddar. Nid ydw i'n gwybod yn unig beth oedd hynny. Rwy'n meddwl ei fod yn ymwneud ag ymddygiad, ac yn ymwneud ag ystafell, ond nid ydw i'n gallu darparu hynny. Nid ydw i'n mynd i ddweud hynny. Rwy'n hapus iawn bod yr hyn sydd wedi mynd, ac os ydw i'n sylweddoli ei fod yn digwydd eto, byddwn i'n mynd allan i'r ffordd ddigwydd, neu gweld bod hi ddim yn ei ffeithiau gorau, ac i ddod yn ôl ychydig, a ddim i fy nghymryd fy hun, fod y cymorth yw fy ymrwymiad.

https://youtube.com/shorts/-SJY1NOUnOg?si=KjpP7GgQzlO0h5kP Leto is not technically perfect but he’s been enjoying learning this.