I'm insanely busy but I wanted to do a quick training update! We've been working on lots of stuff training-wise...

* curl (curls around my right leg) and cue (curls around my left leg)- this is getting more fluent and smoother, working on extending it to doing them in different patterns and doing multiples (eg curl-curl-cue, cue-curl, cue-curl-cue, curl with me twirling at the same time)

* leg weaving - getting more fluent and smooth, going from left to right and right to left, while walking forward and backwards and in multiples (eg four sets of leg weaves before rewarding)

* spin on my left - working on getting it faster and smoother mainly as she's at about 75% performing on cue

* heel - continue to be a bit of a bug-a-boo, she insists on bouncing at least the first step!
* ducking through my legs - forwards and backwards, going nicely, need to watch I'm not having her target crooked

* front - working on adding sustained eye contact with this and getting her to work a little further out. I'd been having her work closer in than the teacher would like.

* target stick - sustained contact stuff which I find horribly boring but is really useful so I need to actually train it...

And our newest tricks:

* central sit - this is where she comes inbetween my legs and sits, hopping with each step I take and sitting as my foot hits the ground - just started this and it's going very nicely! I was surprised how quickly she seemed to pick up the idea! :-)

* central heeling - this is where she comes inbetween my legs and maintains a heel position as we walk together... we just started this and it's going quite nicely as well, though it's awkward for me to do it smoothly so I'm having to iron that out

We're also revisiting Doggy Zen as a certain little red fuzzy dog I might mention is starting to mug my hand less than gently for her treat when she's very excited the little hooligan! Plus working on all the other usual stuff (sit, down, stay etc) that I've been ignoring. I also need to draw up a plan for rear leg targeting, backing up straight and figure out some exercises to go with that for strengthening those muscles involved and stretching them out.

When I went to class the other day, I still hadn't really settled on a piece of music to work with. A lot of the songs I liked were too long or just didn't work. So in the end they ended up playing a dozen songs to decide which one suited her pace best. For anyone who hasn't seen Sierra move, she has a big long stride and covers ground quickly. That means something with a quick tempo that lets us MOVE is required. They ended up settling on "Popcorn" by Hot Butter which DH groaned at as it was on a video game he used to play as a kid and drove him nuts! I couldn't really hear it at the training center because of my lousy hearing, so I only really heard it at home. I have to admit, after listening to it only a few days, it IS one of those songs that is going to drive me bananas too but what are you going to do! LOL Ah well!

Also, for anyone who hasn't heard (which may be one person in a cave somewhere in outer Mongolia... I'm kind of excited as you may have guessed!) I may be getting a new puppy in a few months! It's not for sure because there are a lot of reservations ahead of me on this litter but I'm hoping against hope there will be a puppy for us in there! I'm super excited and having a hard time waiting patiently! LOL I really love the bloodlines on the bitch and was considering importing a dog of those bloodlines for my next Aussie when I heard that this girl was imported in whelp. Well I couldn't get a pup out of that litter because Laurent was just born and it would have been really bad timing. Then I saw this breeder had a new import (male) that I also thought was really nice and had thought would be a nice match with this bitch. I was going to e-mail her to ask if she was ever thinking of doing that breeding with the intention of telling her if she ever did I would be very interested in a pup out of it. As I went to look up her e-mail, I see on her website she's already done the breeding and pups are expected around September 11th! But as I said, there are a lot of folks ahead of me in line for a pup out of this breeding so it's not for sure! If not, I'll be on the waiting list for her next litter in late 2007 hopefully but I'm really crossing my fingers, rubbing my horseshoe and wishing on my lucky star there is a darling in this litter for us!