I frequently try to explain to clients, how critical it is to “build the relationship” with their dogs. I often get the impression that they don’t really understand what I mean. They will say “oh, I have a great relationship with my dog”, but while they are saying that, the dog is off sniffing an ant instead of paying attention to them.
If done correctly, work = play and play = work. Dogs LOVE to learn and do things with you, and it helps them thrive mentally. Yesterday was a perfect example of how that works, and how to help that bond blossom.
Micah and I had pretty much fallen off the wagon with our 2×2 weave pole training (update on that at the end of this post). I had really wanted to videotape the entire process, but my camcorder was acting up, so we had pretty much stopped the training. I finally realized how stupid that was, so we resumed training a couple of days ago, sans camera. I took my own best training advice and made our sessions REALLY SHORT! So consequently, we did several short sessions throughout the day. Last night I could barely pry the little guy off me. If he had one of those cartoon bubbles over his head showing what he was thinking it would have said, “Are we going to do some more mom? Huh? Huh? Are we mom? Are we? PLEEEEEEEEEEASE Mom!!!”
This is the kind of stuff that great relationships are made of. If you want a dog that is responsive, pays attention, and wants to work with you, try devoting just a few minutes a day to working / playing with him. Teach him a new trick, or play 101 Things To Do With a Box. You will be AMAZED at how your relationship will flourish, and how attentive he will be. And isn’t that what we all really want?
Update on Micah’s 2×2 Training
I will probably have some video of our progress within a couple of days, but for now here are just a few pics of our recent progress. Just a few days ago we were still on our 1st set of 2 poles. We finally made the plunge and added the 2nd set.
Note: In case you’re not familiar with weave poles, they are a set of poles that are used in dog agility. The poles are in a line straight in front of the dog and they must enter from right to left and weave through the poles as quickly as possible, without missing any.
Susan Garrett, who is an absolutely brilliant dog trainer, has come up with a method of training weave poles called the 2×2 method. You use sets of 2 poles to train, and initially you concentrate on entry (to the poles) and then progress on, adding additional sets of 2, as the dog is ready. You start with the poles set up in front of you at the 9 o’clock and 6 o’clock position. The dog simply goes straight through them. Gradually you move the poles to the 8 o’clock and 2 o’clock position. It’s a whole process of gradually moving the poles to the 6 o’clock and 12 o’clock positions while adding more sets of 2.
Looking back, I think we spent WAY to much time on the 1st set of poles. But oh well. We added set #2 and I’m actually pretty happy with his progress. Many times he actually adjusts himself to hit his entry correctly. But not always. You’ll get a better idea when I get the video together.
This 1st pic is of Micah hitting the correct entry on the poles. Notice how far apart the bases of the 2 sets of poles are at this point.
You can almost see the concentration on Micah’s face as he goes through this set. Notice that the bases of the 2 sets are getting closer together, and the line of poles is starting to get straighter.
This is how the poles were set when we quit for the day. As you can see, he’s making some good progress. The line of poles is getting straighter and straighter. We’ll keep on practicing, and hope to have those poles mastered sometime in the near future. 
By the way, I think I deserve HUGE kudos for not glutting up the blog with “useless video crap only interesting to the momma”. Ha!
Kay has been a professional trainer for nearly 30 years, and is one of the world’s top clicker trainers. She has authored several books, and videos, and is frequently a speaker at Karen Pryor’s Clicker Expo. I hadn’t ever heard her speak, and she was as entertaining as she was informative. She’s the kind of gal you’d like to take out for drinks and just listen to her stories for hours. You can check out her website at 
