For lunch we go out in the screen room to start formal training again. She’s bright and ready to work, so I don’t bother with Contact but go straight to the dumbbell. She gives me a good grab, and about one second of hold. Eventually I ask for more, and get two grabs. Several times she tries resting her chin on the bar, but that doesn’t work. The two grabs evolve quickly into a grab, slide the bar out to the incisors, then a second grab. Great. Then I put it on the ground nearby and she goes to it, grabs it, and lifts it just off the ground before I click. Does that consistently six times, with no attempt to paw it or avoid it.
I lure a Down once, and then she starts volunteering them. As she’s consistently volunteering, I add the cue about 20 times. Then we switch to Sit. Hmmm. Today’s default is the Down, she’s really into Down. Tomorrow if I work on Down at all, I’ll work Sit first AND more. Not that it isn’t wonderful to have a puppy that lies down (even if she doesn’t stay there yet), but I need her to value Sit as well.
No more accidents yet, maybe she forgot that she forgot about housetraining. If I was my student, I’d be really upset with my lackadaisical attitude to housetraining.