Week 7, Take 2!

We posted our Week 7 exam last week and it was a pass! Yay! After watching our test, Roxanne gave me some pointers. We’ve been practicing and today we ran through the test again. This time I used a front place board for Molly’s sit/stays. In the first video you’ll see her “dancing”. The board helps give her stability and keeps her feet still.

Another thing Roxanne noticed is that I tend to sidestep toward Molly. When I do that, it makes her suspect of my feet! I’m actually making her move further away! Also when I move in toward her, I’m the one trying to maintain heel position, not Molly. She is responsible to stay in heel position, not me. So, I tried to follow the lines in the flooring in the hallway to walk a straight line rather than move in to her when I feel she’s moving away from me.

Here’s the video of us practicing Roxanne’s pointers during another week 7 exam. We’re still not perfect. You’ll see a few “ugh” moments but we are working together every day to improve. It’s all starting to make sense. My head gets it but my mechanics are not quite there yet. It just takes time, practice and patience.