Workin' Hard

Since I've been feeling GREAT these days Moto and I are hitting the training every day. I'm managing to find 15 minutes here, 1/2 hour there, and get him to different places to work on his attention. I'm not seeing much improvement yet (it's only been a few days of consistent, daily training) but I do think Moto is getting that I am expecting this from him. He's still spooky in new situations but his recovery time is faster. He also needs to meet more people on a consistent basis, so when time allows it's off to the shopping centers where people will want to pet him.
Yesterday was my day off so we made the trek to the dog training club to work on some fundamentals that take a lot of space: directed jumping, go-outs, broad jump, retrieve over high, you get the idea. With no distractions I'm able to focus on what I expect from him and he is able to receive the message. Because he is a lower-energy guy I insist on a jump when he returns to heel and a run out and back on retrieves. It would be awesome if he can deliver same in a show situation, but if he's nervous I know that exercise will slow down and if it's from a run to a trot, that's much better and keeps us competitive over a walk-in. Time will tell.
The clock is ticking on our Rally Novice debut. I probably won't pull him as it's our club and it's in my back yard. From there I can assess whether we need to train or if he needs continued show exposure. I hope it's the latter, but with that goal in mind I need to walk a delicate line. What I don't want is for Moto to have a bad experience, and what I don't want is to push him too hard. What I do want is for him to have a great time in the ring and realize we are a team. It sounds a lot easier than it is, and I need to be diligent in my training and watching how he responds.