A lovely Fall Day

I love Tuesdays since they are my day off. I sleep in if I wish (typically about 6:30 a.m.) and don't have to rush. All I need to do is get ready for my Obedience lesson in a few hours. This morning was kind of special as Blitz has really been feeling good and we've had no further bleeding incidents. I took both Blitz and Moto to class. The joy in Blitz was palpable and he worked like a demon, simply for the joy of working. This is one special dog, and could have competed in Crufts. His heeling style is perfect for the UKC program. I had forgotten how beautiful he was heeling and what a joy it is to work with him.
I swapped both dogs back and forth pretty quickly so no one dog worked more than 10 minutes at a time. I started with Blitz heeling and then brought out Moto and he did some pretty nice attention heeling as well. But of course, we're just doing some circles and making it fast, fun and dynamic but he is keeping his head up nicely. Then some pivots with Blitz who could barely contain himself. Next was Moto who wasn't in the mood for pivots. He was sluggish and extremely sloppy. Food lures were not motivating him to do better so back out came the microprong. He needed one pop and he perked back up. He is so like his dad in that you can see the Storm Clouds brewing in his eyes...after that pop he was seriously thinking of challenging me but thank goodness he remembered that he doesn't win those fights. One thing about this dog is he's very in tune with my emotions and he can feel disappointment as well as approval. I tried very hard to give him "good vibes" when he put forth some effort to please. Gosh, when are we going to break through this? I do hope we pick up steam at some point.
So my lesson was really an eye-opener for me as I had two dogs that I have to train completely differently: with Blitz you just show him and he will do it. The downside with Blitz is his extreme sensitivity to being touched. If we ever step back into the show ring he will need lost of conditioning so that he knows things won't move and touch him. Moto, on the other hand, can work under most any condition - a tornado could be coming and he will stil work. His downside is he doesnt' seem to enjoy actually working! He needs a strong pack leader who is always consistent. So two opposite ends of the spectrum - I am being challenged to the limit of my training abilities! Lord help me!
Coming home the winds picked up and there is a chill in the air. The beautiful fall leaves are coming off the trees. Ladybugs buzz by in the hundreds. We were treated to a lovely storm with thunder and lightening and this inspired me to make some white chili with cornbread. YUM!
Fall is just the best!