Things have been, needless to say, a little busy. Sorry about the delay in getting info on, but we have been training and becoming fast friends with our class in the evenings and then collapsing into bed. In many respects, Mojo is like a new baby and we have to learn his ins and outs. It takes a LOT of time.
Tracking continues to go well and Mojo has not missed finding Sean. Friday was our last day to have a trainer hide with Sean. Mom hid with him, as well. Jeremy, the head trainer, helped start the track but then handed the leader (leash) to Dad and Dad, with help, controlled the track. All was fun and games until Mojo stopped tracking Sean's ground trail, found his air trail, and dove through a bunch of forest growth to get to Sean. Saturday, Dad hid with Sean without the tracking assistant accompanying us. We are weaning Mojo until he focuses on Sean's scent, alone. Mom lead the track. Mojo decided to track trough a creek (okay, over a bridge and then tried to go under it) and through the forest. Funny thing how skin cells move in the wind... Sunday, Mom hid with Sean again and Dad started and ran the track. Thankfully, on Saturday and Sunday, we got a break from tracking through downpours. From here on out, we will have other classmates hide with Sean so that Mojo isolates Sean's scent.
Obedience training continues. Mojo is very good at most commands, even the ones he was previously reluctant to do. There are some commands that he is trained for that we will not be using (shake, high-five, touch) because they could throw Sean off-balance and cause him to fall. There are others, like "lap" and "over") that we are working on as a way to help calm Sean when he is upset. With the lap command, Mojo puts his head in Sean's lap and just leaves it there. "Over" is where Mojo will literally lay over Sean's lower or upper legs or stomach and apply his body weight to Sean. Mojo is not a big fan of this yet, but we're working that direction.
Saturday was our first "out" experience. After tracking and obedience in the morning, we met at a BIG local mall in the afternoon and did work in public, under the careful gaze of Jeremy and Jen (the assistant trainer). We moved around the mall, in, through, and out of stores, up and down stairs and elevators (escalators are NOT allowed), and through crowds and the food court. Lots and lots of distractions for poor Mojo, but he did an excellent job, gaining praise from both Jeremy and Jen. Also, Sean was tethered to Mojo for much of the time and both of them were very successful. Sean just thinks it is as funny as can be. There is still work to do in getting Sean to follow appropriately, but it was an overall success. Mojo and Sean even negotiated a VERY long set of stairs with Sean supported only by Mojo. It was a long, laborious process, but the three involved got it done.
Tomorrow, we continue with obedience training (including the use of "distractions" such as food on the floor, other dogs, cats, toys, etc.), another outdoor tracking session, finishing with a tracking session in a large mall store.
We'll try to get a post up tomorrow night. We thank you for following what is going on with Sean and miss those of you who we left or who have left us.
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