Maybe we've got it

I will probably say this many times before we actually get it but Tristan and I showed actual progress today. I've written before about how Tristan and I have been doing obedience during protection work. The goal is for me to be able to handle Tristan since he gets so excited when he sees the jute sleeves come out. The trainer follows closely behind and has Tristan's leash so he can correct him when needed. Today I handled Tristan on my own and Tristan was very good. He heeled very well and stayed focused on me.

It may not sound like much but it represents a huge step forward for us. It really felt like we were in sync and that Tristan wanted very much to do it correctly. He didn't pull on his lead and he stayed focused on me as we heeled around and about the helper. We also added a new element which is the transport. I stand next to the helper with Tristan between us and command Tristan to transport. We proceed forward and Tristan is to remain calm but watchful and he protects if the helper threatens. He did great!

Tristan did great on tracking too. I laid a nice long track, skipping food in many of the footsteps and with several turns including across dirt which he doesn't seem to like. Tristan got it all even when I couldn't recall the exact location of one of the turns. He searched around, located it and was off again on the track. It's been several weeks since we tracked so I was really pleased.

The trainer showed the club how to play an article game to start training a dog to indicate articles. We take a human scented item and get the dog very interested in it then throw it to the ground and command the dog to platz on it. He's rewarded with lots of food treats on the article when it is between his front feet. Tristan loves getting the treats.