Mack and I returned to the Park again today. There were only a few people there to distract him this time. He did wonderful. He heeled nicely around the track and would sit and down. We used our long "check cord" for training. This cord is used when the dog is near completion in his off-leash training. It is only for use in case the dog needs minor guidance in the command. Today he worked great on this cord never needing to be guided, but returning to position with a simple "tap" on the collar along with the verbal commands. He responds very well to the collar.
Update on Crating
Since Mack has been with us, he has been learning to rest in a crate. He was never use to this at home. He was able to roam freely throughout the house or confined to one room and this created a lot of separation anxiety issues. This also led to him scratching a hole through the wall. Well, we are very pleased to announce that Mack has taken to his crate quite nicely. In fact, he loves the new crate. He goes in there on his own most of the time. Because he has a lot of fears of new things, this crate has become a safe zone for him. However, we do not let him retreat to it when fearful of something. He must learn first to face the fear and then he can go to his safe zone.
