Skye's Training

I have just come in from the garden - I was doing a training session with Skye. She is doing really well and has improved a lot over the last few days. I have been working really hard with her and can see the result. I use a harness - what I do is attach her double ended lead to both her collar and the harness which works well. I have been putting her jacket on her during our training sessions so she learns when she wears the jacket that it is her 'working time'. I have been teaching her a command to 'Settle'. This is where she just settles down really. For example, if we were out in a coffee shop and we wanted Skye to lay down beside us, I would tell her to 'Settle'. As Skye can be really excitable I thought this would be a useful command.

I have been getting her used to paying attention to me even if there are distractions around. Therefore I do our training sessions beside the chickens or where my brothers and sisters are running around playing. This evening when we were out there were wild rabbits running around at the back of the garden, she was concentrating so hard on her training that she never noticed them. They didn't get missed by Amber though - she spotted them and went straight to chase them!
Anyway, the other things I have been working on is 'Sit' and 'Down' with treats sometimes, but not every time. I don't want her to learn to expect a treat every single time. By now she knows 'Sit' and 'Down' so well I have decided it is time to begin to phase out the treats. She still gets petting as well as praise. At the moment one in three times she will get a treat.

We've been doing 'Stay' and 'Down' at a distance, both of which she is doing well. I am trying to get further away with the 'Stay' as if I go too far she just gets up and follows me. The 'Down' at a distance I only taught her the other day and so long as I am close enough, she responds when I ask her to do that.

We have had quite a few visitors to the house recently. As soon as the gates are buzzed, Amber starts barking and if she's outside she runs down to the gates or if she's inside she goes over to the window and puts her paws on the windowsill. AADI have asked us to teach Skye not to bark when people arrive and to be calm. Skye realises somethings up, and runs over to see. She realises there's no food involved, so therefore it can't be that interesting, and runs off again to do whatever she was doing. Luckily she has never barked when people arrive. In terms of greeting visitors, she rarely jumps up now, but has this habit of licking as I mentioned before. She just licks everyone! We are working on this!
So, I feel we are progressing well with Skye. The other day I felt frustrated as I didn't feel we were doing too well at all, with the stubborness and refusing to walk etc. Now though gradually there's a noticeable difference, well certainly in the garden when we practice! We need to go to town soon to see if this improvement carries on out and about.

Skye's just walked in to say hello to me, she wanted some attention! When she wags her tail her whole back end wags too! She is just such a lovely little puppy.....