Smart little girl

Ghilley has had a few opportunities now, in private lessons with Dee (http://www.chicagoagility.com/), to really start working on some foundation work in understanding hind-end awareness, different surfaces and targetting.

We had a blast last night working on shaping her to step up on a step stool with all four paws.  That was not something she did with a lot of drive as she clearly did not want to put her hind legs up.

Once we got past that hurdle, we tested her out on some balance discs (http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=1394&ParentCat=400).

She definitely liked this better and it took almost no time for her to put all four paws up on the 22 inch disc.  She was a bit like a person on a sailboat at first but it was great to see her adjust herself as I gave her treats to the right, to the left, up, down and in a circle.

We worked her from a 13-inch disc to the 22-inch one, back to a 13-inch disc.

Then, we ended with some work getting her up on a theraball and comfortable with that.

All this helps build awareness of her hind end, confidence in different surfaces and muscle-tone as well.

It is a blast to train her and watch her mind work.