Contact action

My next dog will have brilliant perfect 100% reliable contacts. Familiar thinking? With Hoppu and Neeo I used a target with a paw touch, kind of running contact with a target. It worked, sometimes, even pretty often. But not always. Micromanaging contact performance at trials is not motivating, not for a dog, not for a handler. But I do have to praise Neeo's teeter performance, it is fast and reliable. Well, as fast as it can be for a lightweight dog. Thinking - planning - action! I started contact training with Kumma today. My plan is to train 2-on-2-off starting with a simple flat board, without any target.

Very nice walk in the woods today, sunny and warm September day. Kumma was running and exploring, finding his own ways. Hoppu and Neeo usually stay on a path, that's better for their delicate paws. But if there are any real or imaginary signs of a bunny nearby, they become fearless (and deaf). Being sighthounds, they come back when they can't see the target anymore. This combination of delicate elegance and bursting power in a small package is something I particularly love in IGs.