Oh Chute!

Life always seems too crazy in May and June.  Every year I'm excited to be able to start training outside and every year I realize that I get to do very little training.  Between mowing, and a string of shows, and mowing, and work and the training school, and mowing......  Poor puppy has not had much training time.

Oh Chute!  It's happened before.  Often enough that I should be more careful.  I am referring to the "accidental obstacle" in the back yard.  I had Shasta, Sonic and Pearle out to run around in the backyard while I grouped our obstacles together, getting ready to mow.  I folded the chute up and put it under our short dogwalk.  Somehow, Shasta found the opening and tried to go through.  Got quite tangled in the chute (maybe a good thing, if she had gone right through, probably would have run into a dog walk leg).  Problem was, because it was under the dogwalk, I couldn't unfold the chute for her.  After a bit, she finally figured to back out of the chute. 

At that point, I have a puppy worried about the chute.  So out it comes and we go into training mode.  She was hesitant with the first few but was able to do them with minimal help.  But I knew it wasn't over, that the next day would really tell the tale.  Out she came the next day and she was hesitant again.  Running by it when I approached it "normal" but willing to do it when I did a restrained approach.  That's all the farther I have gotten, now it's off to another show out of town, so it will be a few days until we get to try again.

Overall, I am fairly pleased with her reaction to this point.  It would have been great if she went right back through with total confidence.  But the reaction I did get was reasonable and understandable for what she endured.  She was not freaky, just hesitant.  It will be interesting to see what she thinks next week but I expect it won't be an issue for long.