Long term goals

I wasn't planning to go to Reno for AKC Nationals with Emma in 2012, but since we are only about 100 points away from qualifying, I've made it an informal goal to qualify her. We have five trial days left, which will make it tight. I've entered fewer trials this fall than last year when we were working to finish the MACH, plus I had to miss the only one we had entered in September. Comparing this year's schedule to last year's gives me a good idea of how many trials we need to comfortably qualify for 2013 Nationals in Oklahoma.

I'm continuing work on Revel's stopped contacts (DW and teeter). Right now, I'm using stairs, and he is showing a lot of drive and enthusiasm in the sessions. This is from a dog who had zero interest in touching his nose to anything as a puppy--my hand, a target, the floor...anything. When we last left off with the DW, Revel was running over it at full height with speed and confidence. When I'm ready to add the stopped behavior, I'll let him run over a full height rubberized DW as well as my own; same with the teeter.

I find that his training doesn't progress as linearly as Emma's did. I don't want him to get bored with our sessions, so I sometimes introduce something new even though I don't feel he's quite ready. I then backtrack to the previous behavior, and sometimes move between the old and new criteria (we're talking very minor differences here, such as one step on the stairs). This seems to be working as long as I don't move to new criteria too quickly. I'm being a little more experimental/free form with his training. I'm also more prepared to not reward things I don't like than I was with Emma (for example, a correct but slow performance). I just take him by the collar and get him ready to try again. He's not shutting down and is very willing to continue trying.

It's still too early to have a solid long term plan for him, since I don't know when his contacts will be ready for a trial. I remember entering Emma in a CPE trial or two before her contact performance was finalized...wow, that was a long time ago! Local opportunities in CPE and USDAA Gamblers have crossed my mind for Revel, especially with new pelleted turf going in this weekend at Pawsitive Partners. I'm also toying with the idea of going to the Chicago regional in August, and maybe entering Revel in a few classes there. I'm not sure what the summer will bring weather-wise; if it's as hot as last summer, I'm either going to work Revel at 3AM or just take some time off. He is terrible in the heat.