Setbacks

What’s happening

May have overdone the exercises lately. Had leg day right before a class with a lot of leg stuff the following day and arm day the day before a lot of arm use (especially rotations) in class the next day. Also moved from 5 pound dumbbell to 10 dumbbell for the overhead pull over and I think that set my shoulders back (pain ever since). So back to the 5 pound ones once the pain has subsided, because those felt really good. Thinking that resting the day before class might be a good idea for me, so this hopefully doesn’t happen again.

Going to have dog training be my focus for this week. Hopefully I can play tug without pain soon because that makes such a great reward instead of food treats sometimes. I’ve written the commands and what they mean at the bottom of this blog in case anyone is interested in what’s going on and so that progress can be tracked.

This doesn’t mean I won’t practice Kung Fu. You might be surprised how much Kung Fu you can do while training dogs. For example, high back stances and horse stance are very handy when playing tug with a large dog.

A note about numbers

Since I recently changed notebooks and left the old one at home I’m not currently able to be sure that I’ve got all the numbers up to date in this blog. Will have to consult the old notebook when I get home again. So, any corrections will be reflected in next week’s blog.

Numbers/Progress So Far This Year

Pushups (=): 2160/ 25000

Sit-ups (=): 2003 / 25000

Hand Form: 93 / 1000

Weapon Form: 8

                Neck Wrap: Pretty reliable now

                  Stall: Have been able to do 3 in a row with no hands

                  Halo: Haven’t started yet

RAoK: 91

Sparring: 85 minutes

Kilometres: 153

Memorize Mastery:

Nurture Relationships:

Journalling: 35 days

Blogging: 8 posts

One-on-ones: 3 (missed last week due to circumstances)

Improve Flexibility: worked on it some

                Forward Bend: Not so good lately due to back pain

                  Deep Squat: No noticeable change

Help with Level 1 Classes: 3

Decluttering: 4 days

Art: 25 days

Reading: 1 / 12 books read

Dog Training: ?

“Heel”: Can do this forwards, backwards, and sideways as long as there isn’t too much distraction. Need to work on it in increasingly distracting environments.

           “heel” on the left side. Can also be used as a recall.

“Au Pied”: They haven’t worked on this much. We have started doing so whenever we might have otherwise done “heel”.

This is the command I’m using for “heel” on the right. Can also be used as a recall.

“With Me”: Pretty good, as long as not in distracting environment

Not as strict as “heel” or “au pied”. They just need to stay near me, whether wearing a leash or not.

Change of position at a distance: Only able to do this from a very short distance and only when in a designated spot like on their bed.

“sit”, “down”, “stand” when they are far away from me

“Out”: Haven’t tested this one lately. Used to be very good for her, she would spit the item out. He would let go reluctantly. Will have to reevaluate to see where we’re at now.

“Here”: So far very reliable! Wouldn’t hurt to reinforce it though with some nice rewards and “jackpots”.

Their vocal command to come to me.

“Middle”: Need to reevaluate. They used to be able to do it quite well.

Their command to stay between my legs. Can also be used as a recall.

“Front”: Need to reevaluate. Used to be able to do it but didn’t quite have their position right.

Their command to come to me and sit in front of me while facing me. Can also be used as a recall.

“Stand”: Can do it but not nearly as well as “sit” or “down”.

Useful for grooming, veterinary visits, and putting on equipment (vest, harness, etc.)

“Done”: This one was sort of accidental. They’ve come to know what it means on their own and will usually settle down after playing if you say “done”

Finished with training, job, etc.

“Settle”: Pretty good at this but still need reminding.

They can sit or lie down (their choice) but they must stay there and be quiet.

“Place”: Was really good but it’s gotten sloppy again. Still stay really well when someone comes to visit. The problem is sneaking off when they think no one’s looking.

Go to and stay on your bed.

“Zip It”: Generally will quiet down right away but could use a little more work. Working in more distracting environments would help this along.

Their command to be quiet.

Walking a plank: Need to start this training

Walking on a board whether level or inclined. Useful for when large dogs get older and lose some of their mobility (esp. on stairs).

Muzzle: Have only started the first part of this training. Two stages have been done, but need more work: holding their mouth closed with my hands (gently) while getting them to follow me around and letting me hold as long as I want (until I say “done”) without pulling away even if there is an object in their nought. It’s a technique for training bird dogs to retrieve without chewing what they’re holding, but is also good for getting dogs used to things in and around their mouth.

Making it no big deal for them. Useful, just in case (I’ve had one dog in the past who needed it). Also, a useful (more compact) alternative for “the cone of shame” if they need surgery.

Differentiation: Need to work more on this even in non-distracting environments

They currently struggle with doing commands independently from each other. Also, need to work on the difference between “crate” and “place”, which they frequently get mixed up.

Whistle commands: The recall whistles are the only ones we have at the moment and they recall well so far.

Individual whistles for each dog. For example, the recall whistle is different for each dog.

“Here”: Whistle established.

This is a recall.

“Away”: Need to start

Circle object/herd anticlockwise

“Come By”: Need to start

Circle object/herd clockwise

“Walk On”: Need to start

Move forward

“Steady”: Need to start

Slow down