So this session was outside in the rain and it was really muddy, almost like traipsing through a marsh river.

Heelwork

We did some heelwork in a boggy marsh, trying to avoid the drenched corners; and considering the terrible weather, Artemis was actually really good.

Because of the rain, I used Artemis’ favourite venison and sweet potato treats and she was just so well behaved. I suppose spaniels don’t really mind the rain.

Novice recall

Next we did novice recall under some trees for some shelter.

Artemis was so wanting the venison and sweet potato treats that she ended up stepping on my toes and sitting at an angle instead of sitting directly in front of me.

The trainer said I have to learn how to push her back in to position: to move the treat away from me so that Artemis steps back, and then bring the treat towards me so that Artemis then comes forward straight in front of me.

Stay

Then we did a sit stay. The dogs did really good here, considering the downpour.

Artemis actually managed a sit stay without moving!

English finish

Next up was the English finish. This probably wasn’t great, but the trainer said that getting our dogs to do anything in this weather was a triumph.

German finish

Then it was the German finish, which Artemis has no problem with.

Conclusion

So considering the terrible weather – this was not a bad class for Artemis!

I had a chat with the trainer who said Artemis might progress to the next stage. The aim is for a 30 second sit stay and a 1 minute down stay, which I feel Artemis might manage. Also her novice recall is ok, I just need to work on the finish position at the end.

The trainer mentioned that we haven’t done angled recall yet, which is needed to progress to the next stage. I don’t think we’re going to progress though, because how is Artemis going to be amazing doing an angled recall for only one more class? We shall see.