I think I am about ready for the 5 a.m. start on the
trek to LA. The paper is as done as it is going to
get, and I found some clothes that are ok.
Fortunately it is an informal conference. Anyway, in
case John and I get wiped out by Osama's buddies at
LAX and you get the boys back, this is about where
they are:
Rafe knows all the Open exercises and is anticipating
every single one of them. He needs more exposure to
the group stays. Has never wandered off, but once he
did go down on the sit. He is doing the drop on
verbal command—not yet reliable enough to trust that
he will be watching for a signal. But his finish is a
swing, on signal. He is up to jumping 24/48, and we
will take the next two steps up rather slowly. On the
broad jump I am not yet quite back to standing beside
the jump, still sideways to him but about at the end
of the jump. He is also started on Utility. We are
doing signals with me standing about 2-3 feet in front
of him and backing up for the recall. Articles are
coming—right now I think I have four tied down and he
is picking up the loose one. Next step is to add a
couple more loose articles. Glove retrieve is getting
there. Still occasional mistakes (e.g., the love for
glove 2, or refusal to go to glove 2). He is doing is
pivot to glove three as a three-quarter pivot in the
same direction as the pivots to one and two—he is too
big to do a neat "back-up" pivot to three. Maybe we
will get there eventually, but for now he is in a
better heel position if I do it the other way. Will
work on the Moving Stand after the signal stand is
solid. He does go-outs to cheese (they teach it that
way in Champaign and I am expecting to be back there
for lessons this summer), and for directed jumping I
am keeping the jumps at 16 inches for now. He is a
bit slow on the turn-and-sit, and just catching on to
going to the jumps (the left is harder for him right
now). But he is having fun.
Mackie is just in Basic. We are doing the
usual—heeling, just started Figure Eight and stand.
His recall is very nice. Sits and downs are getting
there. He does not run off but he will go down if he
is bored—does it in the rest of the class when he
decides the instructors have been talking too long.
He is learning the swing finish as a game—he does it
for his favorite food in the world, banana. And we
have started the dumbbell. He is very good at Take,
Hold, Give. And he is starting to learn to walk with
it in his jaws. Somehow he can carry anything else in
the world for miles, and usually does have something
clenched in his mouth, but the dumbbell is another
matter, as usual. He will get up and carry it if I
have a hand touching his collar—and he has just done
one or two little performances of bringing it without
the hand.
I think that is about where we are.
They are off at the doggie spa, called Kenl Inn, and I
am ready to go up and contemplate my packing once
more. I know there is something major I have not
remembered.
More from LA, if the library will let me get on the
web.
Cheers!
